This collection of 200+ portraits of pierced, tattooed, and heavily body-modified people is a celebration by photographer Efrain John Gonzalez. In this colorful volume Gonzalez, as an artist, captures both the spirit of the many individuals and the rich uniqueness of their fantastic tattoos, piercings, brandings, cuttings, subdermal implants, and radical transformations. Many of the images of this great tattoo art and extreme individuals were photographed during the past decade during the New York City Tattoo Convention at the Roseland Ballroom. Gonzalez has a reputation as one of America's most prolific fetish documentarians, and he has traveled America to make images of people stretching their limits... and their skin. Much of his work was taken live at the moment it happened, and in places that aren't accessible for most people. Gonzalez seeks out truth in people and in this volume he shares it with the reader in a collection quite unlike anything else.

For centuries, Russian prison inmates forcibly initiated newcomers with tattoos. Gradually, prisoners developed a secret form of communication with their tattoos, allowing them to establish rank among the other inmates and maintain a clandestine hierarchy. This book explores the grisly reality of Russian prisons and the people who inhabit them. Over 190 black and white and color photographs expose the different tattoos and their meanings, ranging from churches, crosses, Christs, Madonnas, military symbols, cats, dolphins, bears, hawks, and other startling images. Documentary filmmaker Alix Lambert traveled around modern Russia to film these sinister environments, collected stories to identify the dying art of tattooing in Russian prisons, and detailed the lives of the heavily marked inmates, past and present. This fascinating, spine-tingling book provides an entirely new outlook on tattoos and what they can represent!

This groundbreaking new book covers the basic techniques of electric tattooing in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step way. This is the perfect book to accompany the hands-on training the apprentice tattooer receives, and will be a welcomed reference in every tattoer's library. It covers sanitation concerns, preparation of the site, outlining, shading, and coloration. Bandaging and aftercare is also discussed. Each step is illustrated with a color photograph and a concise explanation.

Enjoy this dynamic collection of tattoo imagery. Over 500 vintage photographs display hundreds of people decorated with thousands of tattoos. This historic tattoo art dates from the 1800s through the 1980s and includes images of love, military, religious, exotic, parlor, and tribal markings. Sailor boys, circus performers, and lovely daring women are among those who celebrate tattoo art by showing off their collections.

Here's a chance to ogle the women who paved the way, tattooing themselves and baring their chests when the "good girls" were wearing poodle skirts and heading off to sock hops. Imagine your grandma like this! These women lived counter-culture lives. This book exposes a culture that, even in 1982 when it was first released, was totally shocking. Now it returns as a tribute to the pioneers, the visionaries who saw their bodies as works of art, and were brave enough to share them with the rest of us.

Enjoy two thrilling tattoo-flash books! These two tomes rank among the best and most extravagant flashbooks that have ever been published. Edition Reuss, well-known and renowned for its collectors items, once again comes up with astounding heavy coffee-table books that set standards. "Tattoo Masters Flash Collection: Part 2" starts with an interview with tattooist and exceptional artist Filip Leu. The whole of the "Leu family clan" has contributed fantastic flash artwork. Another exciting interview with Piotr Wojciechowski, director of the "Polish Tattoo Museum", offers an interesting insight into the world of tattooing in eastern Europe. As a special highlight for the book he provided impressive historical flash-sheets from the pioneer days of tattooing! Names like "Sailor" Jerry Collins, Ray Emms, Milton Zeis, Ted Hamilton and Leonard St. Clair sound like music to the ears of tattoo aficionados music of days gone by. The extensive collection of flash that follows is unique! The illustrations and drawings have been made exclusively for this collection, and have been produced by contemporary tattoo artists who rank among the best in the world. Every artist presents his work in his own style. This explosion of fanciful crossover flash styles will make the any tattooist's heart beat faster. "Tattoo Masters Flash Collection: Part 2" includes works by Mouse Lopez, Espi, Leo Zulueta, Luke Atkinson, Dan Sinnes, Trojan, Felix Leu, Colin Dale, Filip Leu, Chee, Indio Reyes, Jess Yen, Tommy Cyklone Garcia, Naoki, Goethe Silva, Lucio Ramirez, Rick Clark, Krazy K, Olivier Julliand, Kurt Wiscombe, Bale Sineros, Ade Itameda, Chris Ayala, Andy Shou, Jean-Luc Navette, Brent McCown, Horitaka, Diego Garcia, Dimitri Hk, Paulo Manabe, Pepe Nueva York, Taku Oshima, Marcos Adame and many others.

One of the biggest challenges currently facing tattoo artists is to effectively tattoo dark skin. This book introduces tattoo artists to a different approach to tattoo art. Over the course of tattooing thousands of people of color, the author developed techniques and discovered tattoo patterns that best reflect his clients' cultures and communities, many of which are displayed here. Using 380 striking color photos of his work and a recounting of amazing experiences that led an artist involved in tattooing since the 1960s to discover techniques and applications that produce effective, clear tattoos on dark skin. This book is a grand introduction to tattooing dark skin and a fascinating resource.

Tattoos are a highly visible social and cultural sight, from TV series that represent the lives of tattoo artists and their interactions with clients, to world-class sports stars and the social actors we meet on a daily basis who display visible tattoo designs. Whereas in the not-to-distant past tattoos were commonly culturally perceived to represent an outward sign of social non-conformity or even deviance, tattoos now increasingly transcend class, gender, and age boundaries and arguably are now more culturally acceptable than they have ever been. But why is this the case, and why do so many social actors elect to wear tattoos? Tattoo Culture explores these questions from historical, cultural and media perspectives, but also from the heart of the culture itself, from the dynamics of the tattoo studio, the work of the artist and the world of the tattoo convention, to the perspective of the social actors who bear designs to investigate the meanings which lie being the images. It critically examines the ways in which tattoos alter social actors' sense of being and their relationship with time in the semiotic ways with which they communicate, to themselves or to the wider world, key elements of their bodily and personal identity and sense of being.

This book focuses on the traditional (old school) style of tattooing and its ongoing impact on today's tattoo art. More than 300 stunning color photos are combined with tattoo artists' personal explanations of why they love to work in the traditional style, and the artistic challenges that it poses today. For the fifteen tattoo artists in this book, the essence of real and true tattooing is the traditional one: bold lines, simple motifs, black and red colors-tattoos built to last on the skin. From the early beginnings in the late 19th century among sailors, traditional tattoos have been developed further by today's tattoo artists. Neo-traditional, Americana, new school, old school-the names are many, but all have that single common heritage: they are based on the simple lines created on the sailors' skins many years ago.

A classic reborn, here is a book that opened new territory in 1979, revealing the bodies of those who patronized underground artists. The bodies of these tattooed men and women stand in testament to an ancient art, long forbidden in the West. This is a celebration of tattoo art, the artists, and the bold canvases who dance across these pages with unabashed joy in their beautifully adorned flesh. It is the story of the fight to legalize and legitimize an art undeniably beautiful in design, bold in color, and stamped indelibly upon God's own earthly temple.

Thirty hand-picked tattoo shops and the work of over one hundred artists are included in this book showcasing the blossoming body art communities in New Mexico and Arizona. Displayed are over 600 color photos of tattoo artistry. Trendsetting artists create a wide range of tattoo art in motifs as diverse as the men and women who receive and appreciate them. The artwork ranges from the small to the large. Classic black and white artistry and modern full color work are featured. Themes captured include natural scenes, animals and birds, flowers, nautical scenes and symbols, Oriental motifs from dragons to geishas, portraits of loved ones, religious art, Day of the Dead motifs, occult symbology, and much more. The artists and their shops are also featured. For anyone with an appreciation of tattoo artistry, this book is for you.

A witty yet informative text, with lots of travel tips and pictures, focuses on the art of the tattoo that the authors found in this Pacific Island paradise.Join the adventure as these two take to the road at the very birthplace of Polynesian tattooing, beautiful Samoa. Armed with laptop and camera, Baxter and Clark documented their two-week odyssey from Apia to Saleapaga, and from thatched-roofed huts to the legendary mansion of Robert Louis Stevenson. The book displays this unspoiled home of turquoise reefs, volcanic beaches, misty green waterfalls, and vermilion sunsets, where hand-tapped tribal tattoos are still a normal form of body art and ritual.You will learn the local customs, meet legendary artists, and visit secluded beaches, including the secret coronation ceremony at Faleasela. White-knuckle surprises await you as Baxter and Clark take the back roads, eat fruit right off the tree, slog through rain forests, wade into coral-strewn tide pools, and suck up gallons of beer because it's not a good idea to drink the water. You will even learn to tie a lavalava so it won't fall off in the crosswalk!This entertaining trip to a jewel of the Pacific will confirm the belief that Polynesian life has it right, right down to the tattoos!

One part history book, one part art book, and one part fascinating memoir, this book is an overview of more than two centuries of tattoo history intermixed with an intimate look at the lives of tattoo artists, and the personal struggles and triumphs, occupational hazards, and artistic courage that have defined so much of this history. For the last forty years, Henk Schiffmacher has poured his heart and soul into his collection, amassing tattoo drawings, designs, photographs, and artifacts from around the world. Each of the book's five chapters features many never-before-seen highlights from this collection and includes lithographs, etchings, tattooing instruments, paintings, photographs, posters, shop signs, original drawings, and tattoo designs known in the business as flash, among them extremely rare vintage flash sheets from major players in early Western tattooing. The vastness and variety of tattooing around the world is chronicled in the book's 700+ images, including the indigenous tattooing of the Maori and South Pacific islanders, the ancient traditions of Asia, and the origins of old-school Western tattooing in Europe and the United States. The book also features a dozen original illustrations by Schiffmacher in his inimitable style, as well as a personal introduction describing Schiffmacher's own journey as both an artist and a collector that has shaped his view of the art's journey from the underground to the mainstream. Schiffmacher brings a fascinating perspective to tattoo history through his personal reflections and wild tales of adventure. In this book, we learn not only about the history of tattooing, but also about the adventures behind the making of one of the largest tattoo collections in the world, by a self-taught tattoo artist in love with the art and its innovators.

For both the experienced and aspiring tattoo artist, as well as creative tattoo customers, this book of inspirational examples of script and banner lettering in a wide range of styles is the ideal cheat sheet. Beginning with traditional handwriting, the book moves into more complex script styles. Discover a range of banners for application on the chest or back, in styles that look elegant and ornate, yet are designed to be natural and easy for artists to draw and apply. Tattoo collectors can choose from the many script samples to write a loved one's name and bring this book to the shop, where artists can make a tattoo that appears custom made. An assortment of classic, well-preserved matchboxes with decorative labels provides special, eclectic lettering ideas. Professionals as well as beginners working from the drawing board are guaranteed to take inspiration from this portable, convenient collection.

This big collection of 500 original patterns depicts all of today's most popular tattoo subjects. From best selling artist, author and designer Lora Irish comes the Great Book of Tattoo Designs, Revised Edition, an appealing and high quality collection of over 500 original tattoo patterns. Featuring an extensive variety of popular subjects including floral, fantasy, Celtic, pagan, gothic, sacred, oriental and mythical, this book provides any artist or individual searching for the right tattoo with an unlimited resource of designs. Each pattern can be used individually, in combination with others in the book, or as inspiration for creating new original art. This new edition of a classic resource provides limitless inspiration for personal expression. From dancing dragons and Aztec Indians to fairies and flowers, it makes the perfect companion for anyone with an interest in tattoos.

Innovative artist Spider Webb has brought the traditional art of tattooing into the modern age, elevating the primitive or folk art iconography into modern art with startling interpretations. 400 color and black and white tattoo flash, in two volumes, feature dragons and other mythological beasts, skulls, eagles, beautiful women, hearts, daggers, serpents, and tigers of the natural and supernatural worlds. Many tattoos may be seen as social and political commentary as well. Here is an opportunity to review a prolific artist's work that people from around the globe have been happy to bear as permanent expressions of their inner lives. This book will be treasured by all who enjoy tattoo art.

This is a staggering volume of thousands of examples of the celluloid acetate stencil, an essential tool in the history of tattooing. Mythical creatures, angels and devils, anchors and other nautical symbols, and more abound in stencil form, the classic tracing method that has only increased exponentially in popularity since the rough days of crude materials and callused hands. Before Thermofax (TM) and numbing cream, tattooists had to hone their tracing skills perfectly-and clients had to hope for the best. Over time artists would ask sailors and dock workers to let them trace remarkable tattoos they got at other ports, effectively inventing design replication. Today tattoo artists use tattoo stencils to transfer designs onto wood, quilts, and even cabinets. A worthy companion to Flash from the Bowery: Classic American Tattoos, 1900-1950, this volume continues to ignite the curiosity of American history and tattoo buffs.

Trace the evolution of the Brooklyn tattooing scene's iconographic status with this rare look into the borough's gritty history. Long before hipsters called Brooklyn home, tattoo legends like Tony Polito, Mikey Perfetto, Marcus Pacheco, and Ronnie Dell Aquila set long-lasting trends from the '50s on, and gave young artists hope in this often unforgiving town. Peter Caruso visits over a dozen owners, artists, and customers, relating Brooklyn's 20th-century tattoo history through biographies of gritty, no-nonsense tattoo artists. Here, they get the attention they deserve as they focus on events that shaped their craft and style and what inspired them, as teenagers, to follow the path of this often thankless profession in New York's toughest borough. "Back in the day," artists didn't apprentice, but, like the men in this book, learned the ropes in basements and worked out of kitchens, sometimes experimenting with Asian and tribal styles, but always returning to the colorful, traditional, American tattooing Brooklyn is known for."

For many service men and women, the battle is over, but the ink lives on. Thousands have chosen to commemorate their military service through tattoos, a custom as old as war paint itself. Yet military tattoos go far beyond the usual anchor and eagle clichA (c)s, and are often as complex and varied as the military experience. For the first time, documentary photographer Kyle Cassidy has sought out veterans who marked their military service with a tattoo and they are shown here in all their glory: fresh, faded, sometimes intertwined with wounds, physical and otherwise. And the stories behind these tattoos, both conventional and surprising, are just as engaging. In a transient world, with shifting enemies, mores, leaders, and friends, this is a testament to the values of a permanent commemoration. The unique journey into each service man and woman's story will captivate you. Not only is this book a great resource for history and military buffs, but it is also a great reference for tattoo artists.

Record your tarot reading interpretations and connect with your spiritual side using this journal featuring artwork from the bestselling Tattoo Tarot deck. How do you relate to the fool? Who is the star in your life? What is your yearly spread looking like? Tattoo Tarot Journal includes illustrations and meanings for all the tarot cards for reference use, plus space to record three, five and ten-card spreads as well as to meditate on deeper questions. A must-have for fans of the best-selling Tattoo Tarot: Ink and Intuition and for all budding tarot readers.

Tattoos are capable of reflecting both their owner s style and interests as well as advertising the talent of the artist involved. With tremendous skill and vision they are able to transform skin into canvas, working with their clients to produce artwork that is unique and meaningful. Combining motifs from contemporary art and design trends with traditional methods, the artists of today push the boundaries of the expected. Ink The Art of Tattoo includes interviews with some of the global masters in the field as well as a gallery of flash art and exquisite photography throughout.