Edward Scissorhands tattoo by Nikko Hurtado.

I was going to take a full day off to mentally prepare for Thanksgiving with my family tomorrow, but after spending the afternoon at the MoMA, especially for the Tim Burton exhibit, I couldn't resist this links list.

Granted, going to see a popular exhibit the day before a holiday is never a bright idea -- although indeed amusing to hear parents explain to their kiddies what a severed head is; nevertheless, Brian and I braved the crowds and viewed everything from early character sketches to creepy baby mobiles. Awesome!

I was so inspired by the show that I did what any bod-mod nerd would do: I came home and researched Tim Burton-inspired tattoos. Wha? You wouldn't?

Sadly, what I was found less than inspiring. Burton characters are imaginative art that professional tattooists can run wild with but unfortch it seems that many professional tattooists were not consulted. Instead a Google image search largely finds the work of that dude who "tats up" {shudder} from his kitchen table.

But when they are good, they are very good. So instead of doing the point-n-laugh at the bad ones, here are some faves:

* Nikko Hurtado's Edward Scissorhands portrait above. Nikko is incapable of doing anything but A-plus portraits but I particularly love how Johnny Depp's eyes glisten with soulfulness. Just like they did in 21 Jump Street.

* Brian Brenner of Truth & Triumph Tattoo is known for his smooth black & gray flow but how he uses perspective in tattoos, like in this Burton sleeve detail (right), shows how he expertly translates the 2D designs on a 3D canvas. [Image via About.com.]

*Luca Natalini at Transcend Tattoo has done a number of Burton-inspired pieces like this Corpse Bride sleeve and Nightmare Before Christmas work.

* I love Kristel Oreto's own cartoon creations but this Willy Wonka Augusta Gloop tattoo is supa- sweeeet.

So that's my skin ode to Tim Burton. The MoMA show runs until April 26, but you can also catch a glimpse of the works on view by downloading the PDF of the Exhibition Checklist here.