Crowd of people walking through a cavernous hall on Sunday were attracted towards a colorful drawing that caught their eye at the 15th annual Inked Out New Jersey tattoo convention.

Inked Out New Jersey tattoo convention is a diverse group that included several Bergen and Passaic residents. It perused designs ranging from the monochromatic and simple to the flamboyant and elaborate.

The drawings of the tattoos were brought together at the Meadowlands Expo Center by an appreciation for the ancient but long-derided art form of ink on skin.

The tattoos that have become quite popular in recent years includes long symbol of rebellion. These could be seen drawn on some public figures as well.

According to a 2012 Harris Interactive poll one in five adults in the United States have at least one tattoo, up from 16% in 2003. Mario Barth, the organizer of the event and owner of Starlight Tattoo in Rochelle Park, said, “People crossed the streets because they don't want to walk on the same street as me. Now people touch me and say, ‘Nice tattoo’”.

Barth’s physique is full of tattoos. The one on his chest are a coronary heart devoted to a nephew who killed himself and a portrait of his son.

The show that began in Sept. 16, 200, this year had nearly 300 to 400 tattoo artists including tattoo removal businesses, tattoo supplies and tattoo magazines. The show also offered them the chance to admire one another's work and share information about new styles and techniques, and business regulations.

Tomarra Watkins of Paterson attended the show along with her son, Nicholus, 9, who had gotten a dragon tattoo sticker on his right leg.