The rose is a symbol of love, beauty, royalty and perfection and is considered the most beautiful of all flowers, also in tattoo form.

As pretty as a rose, as dainty as a rose… in the collective imagination this flower with its velvety, fragrant petals has always represented beauty, youth and especially love. It has fascinated generations of artists and lovers and is without a doubt the most widely recognised (and best selling!) flower in the world.

TATTOO ROSES
In the tattoo world the rose is the most popular flower to adorn the skin. It is so popular and so well loved that it enjoys a rare privilege: it is considered special and unique. In fact, flowers in general make up one tattoo category whereas the rose is a tattoo category in its own right, so it is no coincidence that it is called the “queen of tattoos”.

Like the lotus, the rose symbolises perfection and its shape is like a mandala, the symbol which represents spiritual realization, the fullness of being. The full, rounded form of the rose is therefore linked in meaning to the circle and the wheel, symbols of perfection and complete development, of the indestructible, eternal universe.
The magic number of the rose is 5, representing an individual who lives in equilibrium with the cosmos. There are also five petals in the simplest roses and the image of the rose most commonly used in heraldry for the coats of arms of families and cities.

THE TUDOR ROSE AND THE TRADITIONAL ROSE
The most well known heraldic rose is the Tudor Rose, the traditional flower of England, which takes its name from the royal house of the Tudors.
The rose of the English royal family is very popular as a tattoo subject among those who feel “English” through and through. There is even a website dedicated to the theme, with a gallery of tattoos dedicated to the Tudor Rose!

One subject that is becoming more and more popular is the traditional style rose, in both old school and new school versions and often used with a given name, script or skull. There are also many admirers of the realistic style rose tattoo, which can be of an exceptionally high quality thanks to the expertise and creativity of the tattoo artist.

THE NAME OF THE ROSE
Did you know that every type of rose has a name?
Some, for example, have a musical name such as Tango, Polka and Tchaikovsky. Other roses are dedicated to famous people, like the Princess de Monaco, which is refined and elegant, the Queen Elizabeth, which has pale pink petals, the William Shakespeare, with its distinct fragrance, or the Picasso featuring white-streaked red petals.

The name of this flower comes from the Latin rosa which in turn comes from the Greek rhodon… where Rhodes, also known as the island of the roses, gets its name too.
Others believe that the name of the rose comes from the Celtic word rhood or rhuud, meaning red, or the Sanskrit vrad or vrod, which means flexible.

There is an ancient yet still widespread practice of naming people after flowers – for example Daisy, Iris, Violet, Poppy, Lily and so on – a tradition which is linked to the symbolism of each individual flower. Women called Rose should be proud, their name evokes the most beautiful, well known flower, the eternal symbol of beauty, love and royalty.

Find your Flower Tattoo!

Roses&Flowers Photos

Floral Tattoo

Flower Tattoos

Rose Tattoo

Osa Wahn, article and photogallery on Tattoo.1 Tribal #62

How long have you done this work?
I’ve tattooed for a pretty long time. I started when I was twelve years old.

Who taught you?
My father, Waldemar Wahn, showed me how to use the tattoo machines, if that’s what you mean. However, just the technical knowledge is not enough to create artistically valuable works. Since I was a kid I’ve always painted very well, even in primary school my teachers foretold an artistic future for me.

Are there tattoo artists that you consider your teachers or reference points?
The collaboration with my father was the highest contribution to my painting skills. We experimented together with different techniques and exchanged the experience with one another.
There are some tattoo artists I like very much but they haven’t had much influence on my work. More than by tattooists, I’ve been influenced by painters of different art directions like Picasso, Beksinski, Malczewski, and also some impressionists.

What inspires your art?
My greatest inspiration is nature. Climbing mountains, going deep into woods, and watching animals and birds give me great ideas for future pictures.

What relationship is there between your art of painting and tattooing?
It’s easier to answer what’s the difference. The greatest difference is that oil paintings are made on flat canvas and tattoos are made on three-dimensional body forms, which I try to integrate with the form of the tattooed motives. The third dimension is what makes tattoos interesting to me.
I can use the shape of the muscles and the body movement to make the appearance of the tattooed picture much more fascinating than it would be on flat and motionless canvas. That’s also the reason why I always draw the sketch directly on the skin and not on paper. A tattoo traced onto the skin will look like a sticker, no matter how good the work is.

How much does the person who asks for the tattoo influence your creation?
Not at all or very little. Most people just give me a part of their body large enough to do something amazing. Some people tell me a theme of the picture I should create. I decide whether to do this work or not depending on if the theme sounds interesting to me. The last few ideas I considered fascinating were: “Penguin in the Desert,” “Moonlight Sonata,”and “Skull in Picasso’s Blue Period style.” I found these keywords interesting, so I took on these tasks.
I don’t let people influence the conception or colors I use, otherwise it would be propaganda and not fine arts. If someone does not consent with my conditions I simply do not tattoo them. There are so many studios working for customer’s requests and I’m in the fortunate position to decline doing works I’m not interested in.

What was the first tattoo you created?
It was a little and colourful Celtic ornament on my father’s ankle.

And what was the first that you got on your own skin?
My first tattoo was made by my father. It’s my whole left upper arm.

What are you working on now?
I’m always working on many different things. I decline to do little and ordinary ideas that take twenty minutes of work and most of my tattoos are works that take more than one appointment, so there are many unfinished tattoos waiting for me to continue.

Actually the list is very long, so I can’t mention all of them because it would go beyond the framework of this interview. Besides tattooing I’m preparing some new oil paintings for the next exhibition.

What is your philosophy?
The modern times lead us into the golden cage of consumerism. I try to open people’s eyes on individualism and innovation, though I know that it’s as pointless as fighting windmills, because most of them don’t even realize the difference between a little tattooed star or tribal and the most complex surrealistic picture.
They don’t even doubt the correctness of their way of reasoning when I deny to do the requested work. They don’t even ask why I won’t do it. The only thought that society planted into their brains is: “I pay and I demand.” My life task is pouring buckets of cold water over their heads.

OSA WAHN
- Shocking City, Vienna (Austria)
- Official website: http://www.osatattoo.at
- Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/osatattoo

Go to Osa Wahn tattoo photo gallery

How long have you done this work?
I have been tattooing for over 7 years now, and I’ve loved every second of it.

Who taught you?
I was fortunate enough to apprentice under Kele Idol at Aerochild Tattoo in Birmingham, AL. The shop owner, Justin Kontzen also played a huge role in my apprenticeship.
After that, it’s been a constant growing process, learning from all of those around me that I have been lucky enough to work with. Now, the shop I work at, Royal Street Tattoo, is a huge part in what I learn everyday, they teach me new things that I would have never thought of everyday. I’m very lucky to be in the situation I am in.

Are there tattoo artists that you consider your teachers or reference points?
The shop I apprenticed at, Aerochild, had a huge role in my education about anything involving tattooing. Kele taught me things about drawing that I am just now really starting to understand now.
Other artists played huge parts in changing the way I think, like Joshua Carlton. He challenged ideas that I had early on, and helped me think outside of a given box.
Famous Gabe at Hula Moon is a huge influence on my life, I really consider him a mentor to me.  Everytime I talk to him, he says things that really make me rethink anything I think I know about art and tattooing, and expand my mind constantly. I’m lucky to live so close to him and get to be around him.
And, as I said earlier, the guys at the shop, Royal Street, have definitely completely changed how I will ever think about tattooing, and art in general.

What was the first tattoo you created?
The first tattoo I ever did was on the piercer at Aerochild, Matt-O. It was a little monkey head that was the logo for a record label called No Idea.
I remember how amazing it was to do, and how much more I fell in love with tattooing that day.  There is nothing like the feeling of pulling a line, nothing in the world. It’s addictive.

And what was the first that you got on your own skin?
The first tattoo I ever got was when I was 16. My friend Jason Cline did it for me. It was a sacred heart on my back. I was in love with tattooing right away. I got another tattoo the next week, and it was all down hill from there.
I am so thankful for Jason, because without him, I would have never been able to be part of an art that I love, he got me into tattooing.

Can you describe your technique?
I think my technique is constantly changing. The only constant in my work is that it’s always changing, always different. I just try to be constantly learning, constantly taking things in and adding it to the ideas of what can be done in tattooing. There are so many techniques, so many styles, so many things to learn, it would be a pity to commit to just one, especially when there is so much fun to be had. Constant growth and learning is the key.

What is the most important thing in your work, your philosophy?
The most important thing in my work is that the client loves it. In the end, that’s all I care about. What matters is that the client loves the piece, that it will age well with them, and that they will always love it.
We are creating works of art that will stay with them forever, and I want to make sure that it brings them positivity and good things forever, everytime they look at it.

What are you working on now?
Trying to continue to growth. I spend more time now than I ever have doing drawings, and trying to really take my time with pieces. I want every aspect, every inch of the piece, to have the time dedicated to it that it deserves. I don’t want to rush through things, I want to make sure that everything is perfect for that client. So I guess the main thing I am working on is patience and slowing down.

SEAN HERMAN
- works at Royal Street Tattoo, 110 North Royal Street, Daphne (Alabama, USA)
- Sean Herman website: www.seanherman.com
- Royal Street Tattoo website: www.the-rst.com
- Sean Herman on facebook: www.facebook.com/seanhermantattoos

Go to Sean Herman tattoo photo gallery

The Fairy Kingdom has also conquered the Body Art World.

Fairies are one of the top 10 most popular tattoo subjects, loved by many people. But what do they represent?

Magic is coming back to reside in our hearts.
These days more and more people are feeling the need to recreate a truer, deeper contact with nature and life, which is probably also reflected in the choice of a tattoo subject such as a fairy, loved and tattooed by both men and women.

THE SECRET OF FAIRIES: WHAT DO THEY REPRESENT?
In general fairies represent the vital spirit of nature, instinct, intuition, the sixth sense, the supernatural, dreams and the psyche, spirituality and magic, hidden powers and therefore inner strengths – like the power to heal and transform – which reside in every living thing and natural element.

A tattoo of a fairy can also express personal values – such as a love of nature or dedication to others – or is sometimes chosen as a lucky charm.

HOW ARE THE FAIRIES MADE?
Fairies are represented in various colours and forms to show their characteristic appearance and special place in nature: there are in fact fairies of the springs, rivers, rocks, forest, flowers and so on.

When fairies are associated with a particular flower, plant or animal, they accentuate its symbolism with their magical touch.

MAGIC GIFTS IN A FAIRY TATTOO
Tattoo fairies can also be depicted alongside flowers, plants, fruit or other products of nature which can be reduced to the four elements of the initiation tradition (earth, water, air, fire) or totem animals such as deer, robins, crows, ladybirds, and so on.
Each flower, plant or fruit, each animal and each natural element has its own meaning and can help us to personalize our fairy tattoo by enhancing it with the gifts and virtues we feel closest to in our hearts and our lives.

So! The gifts of the fairies can be “translated” into a tattoo by combining a second symbolic image with this magical figure, just… choose your own symbol!

OUR MAGIC POWERS
According to ancient traditions the world contains subtle, invisible powers, or “presences” which have a great power over human beings.
These powers are connected to us from birth and accompany us, like talents or gifts, throughout the course of our lives.

FAIRY TALES GIFTS
The giving of gifts by fairies for the birth of a baby is a classic theme in European fairy tales.
For example, everyone knows the story of Sleeping Beauty. It tells how the baby is born and her parents celebrate the event with a huge feast, which is also attended by the fairies of the kingdom. The fairies assign lifelong gifts to the newborn child according to how they are treated during the celebration.

The fairies are generous and give the baby precious gifts, but one of them, who was offended because she was shown a lack of respect, places a curse on the baby. The curse can only be overcome by a kind of initiation, in other words a “new birth”, a radical transformation which transforms evil into good, pain into healing, sleep into awakening.

A tattoo is a kind of initiation too, so… choose the best tattoo design for you and you will discover its magic!

Idea Tattoo 159

Fairies and Elves

Angels and Fairies Photo

The most beautiful Fairies by Luca Tarlazzi

Ettore Bechis interview and photogallery on Tattoo.1 Tribal # 60)

Ettore, where are you working at the moment?
After travelling around a lot, I’m now working in my new studio, Absolution Tattoo Lounge which I opened at number 7 corso Unità d’Italia in Cantù (Italy), on 14 February 2010, with my two business partners: Simone Cassinelli and Francesco Ferraiolo.

I met Francesco at a tattoo convention and, when I went to work at the Salvation Tattoo Lounge studio in Miami for six months, I got him to come over to the States for a couple of weeks to share that amazing experience with me. Simone came with him and that’s how we came up with the idea to set up a studio together.

Where did you work before opening Absolution Tattoo Lounge?
Before opening the studio in Cantù, I was an itinerant worker at various studios in Italy and abroad:
- Doria Tattoo Studio in Casale Monferrato
- Pittan Tattoo Studio in Milan
- Mosh Pitt Tattoo Studio in South Beach, Miami, Florida
- Industry Tattoo Studio in South Beach, Miami, Florida
- Salvation Tattoo Lounge in South Beach, Miami, Florida
- Tattoo Lou’s on Long Island, New York
- Iron Cross Tattoo in Santa Barbara, California
- La Tribù Tattoo in Corfu, Greece

How did you learn to tattoo?
I started tattooing in Brazil in 2002. At the time I was still working as a set designer at tourist resorts, when I saw an advert in a tattoo magazine, selling basic tattooing kits by mail order. I was curious and so I ordered one.

When the parcel arrived, a Brazilian painter/tattoo artist showed me how to put the machine together and weld the needles; after that I was immediately inundated with requests from the staff (bartenders, waiters and so on), so I started tattooing for free. They were happy and I got some practice.

Is there a tattoo artist that you consider to be your maestro?
Definitely Alessandro Doria. When I returned to Italy I didn’t know anyone in the field but I’d seen his work in a magazine and really liked it. His studio was also really close to my house so I went to see him. We’ve been friends ever since and his advice has really helped me to improve my style and technique.

Which tattoo artists do you admire the most or consider groundbreaking?
I love realistic style tattoos and so, as far as I’m concerned, Nikko Hurtado is the best!!
After him, another really talented guy is Mike de Vries and also Jeff Gogue, who’s not only a great tattoo artist but also a brilliant painter.

Can you describe your style?
As I was saying, I love realistic style tattoos and I think light and shade, and if possible colour, are essential. So, if I have to do a Japanese dragon it will never have flat colours, as tradition would dictate, but if possible there would be highlights and strong shaded contrasts, so it’s as three-dimensional as possible.

Can you describe your technique?
Sure. Let’s take, for example, a job that I did not long ago: the client wanted a portrait but the subject was completely flat, there was no shading because it was a photo taken at night with a flash! Then I remembered seeing a gorgeous portrait of Elvis Presley with perfect light and shade: at that point all I had to do was apply the atmosphere of the Elvis painting to the tattoo in hand.

Recreating the same light, shade and colour isn’t easy but in the end it gives you such satisfaction. I think it’s essential to have references and pictures at all times so you can go back to them when you prepare the design, and never leave things to chance.

ETTORE BECHIS
@ Absolution Tattoo Lounge
corso Unità d’Italia 7 – 22063 Cantù (CO) – Italy
tel. 031 4475394 – 348 0851689
e-mail: info@absolutiontattoolounge.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Tatuaggi-Bechis/1787142612
Ettore Bechis website: www.tatuatore.eu
Absolution Tattoo Lounge website: www.absolutiontattoolounge.com

Visit the gallery of Ettore Bechis’ tattoos

Tattoo Ideas and Tattoo.1 Tribal on facebook

Our magazines, Tattoo.1 Tribal and Tattoo Ideas have a fan page on facebook with lots of friends around the world, so we can stay in touch with all of you around the clock.

Do you want to say something?
Just leave a comment on our wall and we’ll answer any questions you ask us.

What about the latest tattoo publications at your newsagents?
You’ll see them on our fan page first!

Join the tattoo community!
On our Tattoo.1 Tribal and Tattoo Ideas facebook page you can write messages, upload photos and receive comments from friends all over the world. If you are looking for a specific design for your next tattoo, just ask and we’ll help you out!

And, and, and… at Tattoo.1 Tribal there’s also the “Cover Game”!

The fan page which speaks the international language of tattoos
Spain, England, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, the USA… just some of the countries which are home to the friends of Tattoo.1 Tribal and Tattoo Ideas.

Because facebook is the easiest and quickest way to stay in touch with the wonderful world of tattoos!

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the tattoo flash magazine

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“Traditional” is the name of the most popular American tattoo style in Europe.

In the previous article we discovered what is meant by old school, what its symbols are and who the leading lights of the genre are. Now we’ll move on to new school, a great inspiration for the contemporary tattoo.

Article and tattoo works (on top and right)
by Guido Baldini, Lost Cowboy Tattoo

Traditional tattoo images are linked to life at sea, physical or introspective voyages and battles in times of war or personal, everyday ones. The same images are seen again and again and are often reworked, redefined, made more detailed or simplified.
American tattoo artists from the beginning of the last century were mostly self-taught. These artists were usually part of a circus or carnival sideshows.
During the time of year when the shows were off the road, they used to work in tattoo studios around the country sharing information on new techniques and above all exchanging designs to decorate the body.

The gypsy-like existence of these characters has been handed down through the images they created. Their flashes now adorn the walls of tattoo shops.
By recreating the “dirty”, romantic atmosphere of a bygone age we are catapulted into the collective imagination of exotic adventure novels.

Some of us, by imprinting these designs onto our skin, have a desire for adventure which society and everyday life deny us.

NEW TRADITIONAL ERA
In the 1990s tattoos enjoyed a revival in popularity and they became more socially acceptable.
Their underground status and prejudice against them have all but disappeared.
Culture and technology have been their allies.
Better equipment, infinite colours and a medical culture have helped the tattooing procedure to become safer and socially acceptable.

The biker style tattoos of the 1980’s with their details and delicate grey shading gave way to the new school and its myriad of colours in the mid 1990s.

After this fluorescent pigments and surreal images on the skin, the turn of the century and new millennium saw a revival of tribal styles, in their original form, carried out with respect for the culture involved, in some cases by hand, as they would have been done originally.

Classic Japanese tattoos were highlighted not only as belonging to the Yakuza mafia culture, but as an artistic heritage of the land of the rising sun.
Its elegance takes your breath away.

JAPAN CALLING AMERICA
Yet now, in 2010, Japan has been looking to America for some years now: the iconography is more down to earth, less religious or even linked to western beliefs.

The traditional American designs from the 1950s, with a pervading rockabilly feel, have taken the place of, or at least share a space with, the gods and dragons of Japanese folklore.
They probably want to redefine their own, age-old and often closed culture, as people all over the world are trying to do.

TRADITIONS AND NEW IDENTITIES
Now people want to move on, focusing more and more on rediscovered traditions, which have never been so in demand. They are looking for identities.
The tattoo artist leaves behind the much desired ‘artist’’s role and becomes a more romantic, less obscure and cerebral figure, linked to the world of pirates or elegant outlaws.
He or she turns into a “creative scoundrel”.

The “tattoo artist” is once more a “tattooer”.
The image is more of a craftsman than an artist.
The client becomes a character similar to those depicted in the paintings of Titine Leu.

The Americans began this process and the whole world is following them. The past is coming back to life in new forms. Everywhere appreciation for the traditional style is leading to restoration and translation, according to the country where the tattoo is created.
In Italy “Love” becomes “Amore” for example, in France it becomes “Amour”.
The colours and shapes of the flags change. The values do not. Those are universal.

The primitively defined tattoos of the early twentieth century were adjusted to create perfect lines while still respecting their soul and simplicity.
Jerry Collins, Don Ed Hardy and Mike “Rollo” Malone in the ‘60s and ‘70s contributed to the perfection of the traditional style by seeking new artistic stimuli from elsewhere.
Japan and Japanese culture were the perfect destination for this search.

“Sailor Jerry” Collins’ motive was almost patriotic, considering the period (Second World War and Vietnam) in which his career took place: to elevate western tattoos to the same aesthetic image of oriental ones.
Using the Japanese style to express western concepts and using the same “religious” fantasy / pattern fantasia of the Edo period, Collins redefined traditional and brought it up to date.
Ed Hardy and Malone have continued the process right up to the present day.

The forms are still simple and naïve, but this time they have an Asian simplicity; the elegant, fluid, light details, similar to that of powerful, sinuous Tibetan paintings have recently become the key to producing the new traditional (or neo traditional) style.

The essential strong black shading and the contrast colours of new pigments, which are now unlimited, facilitate the process. The meanings remain the same.
Less anger and more desire for love is beneath the skin of the tattooed.
The oriental lifestyle, with its pursuit for fluidity, pervades forms and feelings. Sometimes the peace of the soul is obtained by getting a tattoo as if the procedure were an exorcism.

21ST CENTURY TATTOO SYMBOLS
In the twenty-first century we feel more introspective and uninhibited about the declarations we make on our skin. Love, passion and more desire for atonement appear among the designs of skulls (a classic), elegant locks and keys, daggers, roses and pin-ups.

Patriotic inking is now limited to the United States, where people, struck by a new Pearl Harbour on September 11 2001, feel the need to declare their true colours and join the war with Stars and Stripes on shields and God in the majestic form of an eagle.

Of course American tattoo artists are still the pioneers behind all of this.
Civ, Phil Luck, Brad Fink, Eli Quinters, Dan Trocchio, Eric Jones, Seth Ciferri and Martin La Casse are the most famous on the East Coast.
Bob Roberts, Chris Garver, Grime, Tim Lehi, Scott Sylvia and Jeff Rassier on the West Coast.

But let’s not forget that in Europe, driven by a sense of style and good taste which runs through our veins, and surrounded by art on every street corner, skilled tattoo artists are seeking the roots of our own traditional tattoo styles.

At San Marino in 2005, Gian Maurizio Fercioni showed his work at the Idea Tattoo Convention, the first ever Tattoo Convention for Italian artists only [a convention organized by Idea Tattoo to celebrate the magazine’s tenth anniversary – ed.] offering the audience a collection of “Italian traditional flashes” with religious designs of unequalled beauty and simplicity.

Henk “Hanky Panky” Shiffmacher and Peter in Amsterdam, Dennis Cocknell in London, Miss Roxy, Bimbo and Mike in Copenhagen and Bruno (tattoo artist of the legendary Foreign Legion) in Paris are famous in the Old World for tattoos inked onto sailors and adventurers on land and at sea.
Herbert Hoffman could be called the German Sailor Jerry Collins.

The past is back.
Its forms have been filtered and perfected.
Cultural globalisation feeds the new traditional.
The romantic sentiment remains the same.

- The End -

Find your  Old School Tattoo

Idea Tattoo 158

Idea Tattoo 151

Traditional Tattoo (1)

Tattoo Designs

The skull theme interpreted in every style possible and imaginable: photo-realistic, painted, sculpted, tattooed skulls and designed especially for tattoos.

Maybe they were inspired by the legendary track “Skulls”, by New Jersey band The Misfits?
Who knows.

But “I want your skull” (“Voglio il tuo teschio” for the Italian edition) is also the title of an intriguing exhibition held in Genoa and New York by the MF Gallery.

Especially for this exhibition, various American and European artists have interpreted the skull theme in every style possible and imaginable: scary skulls, cartoon skulls, photo-realistic skulls, psychedelic skulls, tattoo flash and tattooed skulls, brightly coloured skulls, painted, sculpted and 3D skulls.

The exhibition is about to close but all the works of art can be viewed online at:
http://www.iwantyourskull.com/artist-database/

In the “Tattoos” section you can view skulls tattoos and flashes by Filip Leu (Lausanne, Switzerland), Valerie Vargas (London, England),  Thomas Hopper (New York City),  Shawn Hebrank (Maple Grove, Minnesota),  Grime (San Francisco, California), John Bicknell (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) and Kore Flatmo (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Find your Skull Tattoo

Skulls for all

Realistic skulls

Rock tattoo

Skull tattoo

£50 million for a skull?
When it’s made of platinum encrusted with 8,601 + 1 diamonds, yes.

It is named For the Love of God, currently on display in Florence until 1 May 2011.
Prior to the Italian exhibition, the diamond skull has only been shown twice, in London and Amsterdam.

Do you like skulls?
Don’t miss this unique work of art: it’s a platinum cast of a human skull, apart from the teeth which are original, encrusted with 8,601 diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond, positioned in the middle of the forehead like a “third eye”.

This skull, named For the Love of God, was created by the British artist Damien Hirst and had an original asking price of £50 million.

The diamond skull is currently on display at Palazzo Vecchio, in Florence (Italy), until 1 May 2011.

Prior to the exhibition in Florence, For the Love of God has only been shown twice.
On June 2007, it went on display at the White Cube gallery in St James’s, London.
On November-December 2008, Hirst exhibited the diamond skull at the historic Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it attracted over 250.000 visitors.

For information:
For the Love of God in Florence
http://www.museicivicifiorentini.it/en/palazzovecchio/evento6.htm

Name:  Pat Fish
Nickname: The Queen of Knots

1 How long do you do this work?
since 1984

2 Who taught you?
I learned to tattoo from Cliff Raven

3 There are tattoo artists that you consider your teachers or landmarks?
Right now I am most influenced by the people who are working in pointillism, I find that adding their techniques adds a new dimension to the work I am doing. These exemplars are Colin Dale, Cory Ferguson and Xed LeHead.

4 What was the first tattoo you’ve created?
I did a butterfly on the hip of a friend who was willing to let me practice on her when I was learning.

5 And what was the first that you brought in your skin?
I got a lifesized koi swimming around my shoulder by Cliff Raven. I immediately announced that I wanted to learn how to tattoo, showed him my portfolio from art school I had brought with me, and he graciously agreed to teach me.

6 Can you briefly describe your technique?
I am most interested in bringing the intricate knotwork from ancient Celtic illuminated manuscripts and the Pictish standing stones to life in skin. I work in a very simple way, mostly concerned with the quality of line and placement on the body in such a way as to enhance the musculature as kinetic sculpture.

7 Can you explain what is the art of Celtic tattoo?
The Celtic designs that we have handed down to us from antiquity have a grace and presence that holds my attention better than any other art form. I am charmed that the Picts of Scotland, my ancestors, were known as the “Pictorial People” by their tattoos. So these are indigenous European patterns, real “tribal” art for my own blood line.

8 What are you working on now?
My clients present me with challenges that I can never predict. I keep an extensive archive of reference material and I am always happy when they choose a new image that I have not yet tattooed, so that I can draw a new pattern. I am also licensing my designs for decals for use on mobil phones and automobiles, so this brings Celtic art to new visible mediums! I started a web site in 2001 where I sell my Celtic designs to people worldwide who wish to have them done by a local artist. I provide quality original designs and enjoy the knowledge that I provide more options to both tattoo artists and their clients. I add images to the collection every week as I create and install them, and have almost 1500 now online.

9. Philosophy:
I have always believed that tattoos are an externalization of internal aesthetics, and they attract people that you would want to know and scare away the ones that you wouldn’t! They are the way we can make an ass into a zebra.

Cliff Raven taught me that there are three equal parts to tattooing: ART, CRAFT, and MORALS. It is not enough to be an artist, you also must learn the skill of the craftsperson, and also have the moral sense to do tattoos that you believe are life-enhancing. I am sure that I affect the lives of everyone I touch in a personal, permanent, way. So I take that responsibility very seriously.

Go to complete PatFish photo gallery

London,  from 29 October to 29 November 2010

Russian prisoners had a secret language – tattoos.
In London the art and meanings of their tattooed language.Over the last six years the English publisher Fuel Design & Publishing have produced and published the beautiful Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volumes I, II and III.

Now for the first time the original artworks from these popular books are exhibited

The “Russian Criminal Tattoo Exhibition” shows 120 original ink drawings by Danzig Baldaev and 16 photographic prints by Sergei Vasiliev.
This unique archive documents Russian criminals’ tattoos and their coded meanings.

Included in the collection are more than 3.000 tattoo drawings made by Danzig Baldaev during his time as a prison guard between 1948 and 1986.

Tattoos were his gateway into a secret world in which he acted as ethnographer, recording the rituals of a closed society.
The icons and tribal languages he documented are artful, distasteful, sexually explicit and provocative, reflecting as they do the lives and traditions of convicts.

Skulls, harems of naked women, medieval knights in armour, daggers sheathed in blood, cats as symbol of thieves, benign images of Christ, sweet-faced mothers and their babies, armies of tanks, a horned Stalin and more – these are the tattooed signs by which the people of this hidden world mark and identify themselves.
The accompanying photographs by Sergei Vasiliev act as an important counterpart to Baldaev’s drawings, providing photographic evidence of their authenticity, and allowing us a glimpse into this compelling and extraordinary world.

In these incredible images the nameless bodies of criminals act as both a text and mirror, reflecting and preserving the ever-changing folklore of the Russian criminal underworld.

INFORMATION
Russian Criminal Tattoo Exhibition
30 October to 28 November 2010
4 Wilkes Street, London E1 6QF (UK)
Thursday to Sunday, 11am-6pm
FUEL official website: www.fuel-design.com

- View Russian Criminal Tattoo Exhibition page

- View drawings by Danzig Baldaev

- View photographs by Sergei Vasiliev

Related articles on:
- The Guardian
- The Observer
- Needles and Sins

Alle Tattoo’s Guinness World Record attempt.

The challenge: to achieve the Longest solo tattoo session in the World and as a result enter the prestigious Guinness World Records.
It has been laid down by the Italian tattoo artist Alessandro Bonacorsi, also known as Alle Tattoo, owner of the studio of the same name in Soliera, near Modena (Northern Italy).

The “tattoo marathon” to break the current world record starts on Saturday 30 October and ends on the evening of Sunday 31 in the presence of an official judge from the Guinness Book of Records.
It is taking place in Modena at the 17th edition of Nissan Skipass, the Show dedicated to tourism, winter sports and freestyle events.

OUR INTERVIEW WITH ALLE TATTOO
- Alle Tattoo, how did you come up with the idea for this world record breaking attempt?
I like the idea of pushing boundaries and going further than anyone else. It’s also a way to enable my presence to help those in need: the proceeds from the tattoos will go to charity.

- What’s your goal?
The current record is for 24 hours, I want to tattoo non-stop for about 30 hours, 36 at the most!
The aim is to beat two records. On Friday 29 October the challenge is to do at least 10 tattoos in 1 minute.
For the Long Session on Saturday and Sunday, on the other hand, the time rather than the number of people tattooed is the key. I’m aiming to tattoo about 15 people, doing small and large tattoos.

- Will a Guinness representative be there?
There will be two timekeepers and two judges there the whole time. Then on Sunday 31 October a Guinness World Record judge will come directly from London to confirm and announce the new record.

- Will you have any breaks?
The rules allow a 10-minute break for every three hours of tattooing, and they can be accumulated.

- Why have you decided to undertake this challenge at a sports exhibition?
Because the art of tattooing is closely connected to the world of sport, especially extreme and freestyle sports. What better occasion than Nissan Skipass? What’s more, the proceeds from the tattoos will go to CIP, the Comitato Italiano Paralimpico [the organization which promotes, regulates and manages sporting activities for the physically disabled – ed.] which has always been present at the show.

- Will you be tattooing throughout Skipass, in the evening and at night too?
Yes, of course! We’ll be there with our stand from the beginning to the end of the event, so from Friday 29 October to Monday 1 November. In particular, the “tattoo marathon” starts at 3pm on Saturday 30 October and goes on non- stop until Sunday evening.

- Who will the last tattoo be for?
I think I’ll be the last to go under the needle.

- Have you considered the risks, especially for the tattoos you do towards the end?
I’ve been tattooing for many years now. If I start to feel really tired, I’ll stop so nobody will be at risk. Perhaps the only real danger is that I’ll have to close the studio on Tuesday so I can have a rest.

- How have you prepared physically for the challenge?
Just the same way I always do, I don’t smoke, don’t drink and don’t do any kind of drugs. My preparation is my lifestyle.

- What are you going to eat?
Light things which are quick and easy to eat, like fruit and almonds. I don’t have much time so I can’t waste it on food!

- How will you overcome difficulties such as cramp in your hand?
I don’t think I’ll have any major problems, since I’m ambidextrous. If my right hand hurts I’ll use my left, as I’ve already done on many occasions. I use my right hand for the outlines, edges and fine details and my left hand for filling in and shading.

- What if you get sleepy?
I don’t sleep very much at all anyway, no more than a few hours a night. Basically I’m just one of those people who doesn’t need much sleep to feel rested.

- How have you organized your tattoo marathon?
It was hard to choose between all my clients who wanted to take part in the challenge. My assistants have prepared a list of appointments so there’s a well-organised programme.

- Is there a particular order for the subjects? Do more complicated tattoos take priority?
No, not at all, there are no easier or more complicated jobs.

- What is the atmosphere like in your studio with this world record attempt coming up?
Everybody who works with me has put in a huge effort, in particular Mi, Sarina and the Big Family. On top of that, there has been a really enthusiastic reaction from our clients and all our Facebook friends at Alle Tattoo Fans Club. Everybody has promised to come to Nissan Skipass to support me.

- Have you informed the media about the challenge?
Yes, they’ve all been informed. There will be more than 180 media representatives at Nissan Skipass this year and the event is followed by the most important local, national and international media organisations.

- What will you do if you break the record?
I’ll celebrate with my Big Family, and the week after I’ll go to the Florence Tattoo Convention getting back to my usual lifestyle of tattoo machines and travel.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank my sponsors for their faith in us and their financial support (and we’ve had a lot of expenses I can assure you!!), as well as our suppliers, Lauro Paolini and I Max, who have very kindly provided the tattooing materials.

LOOK FOR ALLE TATTOO ONLINE
Alle Tattoo official website: www.alletattoo.it
Myspace: www.myspace.com/alletattoostudio
facebook profile: Alle Tatuatore
facebook group: Alle tattoo fans club
e-mail: alle.tattoo@email.it

Year 2010.

Herbert Hoffmann, the oldest tattoo artist in the world, has passed away.

IdeaTattoo.com remembers him in this page.

« Anyone who is unfamiliar with tattooing often just sees bodies which are disfigured or, rarely, embellished by permanent tattoos, which cause physical pain and carry the risk of infection, but people with tattoos see them differently.
Nobody gets a tattoo so they can look ugly or because they’re masochistic!
Someone who gets a tattoo, does it in order to give themselves something more: to be more beautiful, to feel and look stronger or sexier, to express pain, grief, joy or love, to overcome a fear or danger, or just for fun…
People get tattoos to express deep, serious feelings as well as more superficial, frivolous ones and – why not? – to assert their right to enjoy themselves.
I’ve never met anyone who got a tattoo because they wanted to hurt themselves!
We often see people in the street with tattoos that aren’t particularly beautiful to look at but that’s because of misinformation and widespread bad taste, not because of a desire for self-mutilation.
These days you see ugly clothes, fashion, cars, houses, paintings… and a lot of ugly tattoos. Only correct information, which is free from prejudice and clichés can teach people to distinguish between beautiful and ugly tattoos and help them understand that a beautiful tattoo is one which makes you more beautiful. »
Herbert Hoffmann

These are the words of Herbert Hoffmann and have been posted on many websites and blogs. They provide a succinct description of the tattoo world, condensing its most genuine spirit, feeling and philosophy.

In Germany Herbert Hoffmann represents a piece of the country’s tattoo history, but in the tattoo world Herbert was known and admired everywhere, and was considered a “living legend”. A legend which continues to live on even though Herbert is no longer among us.

Perhaps not all the friends of Tattoo Ideas know about this great tattoo artist, so we’d like to tell you some more about his story.

THE STORY OF HERBERT HOFFMANN
Born on 30 December 1919 in Freienwalde, Germany, in the most rural part of Pomerania, Herbert Hoffmann grew up in a middle class family (his father was a butcher).

Although he was brought up with strict moral principles, Herbert became passionate about tattoos when he was a child, observing the skin of factory workers, agricultural labourers and chimney sweeps, in other words working class people, the so-called “proletariat”.

« I was intrigued by those blue drawings on their arms and hands. I’ve always been attracted to ordinary folk, they have been my inspiration » Herbert Hoffmann stated in an interview.

At the time – the 1920s – the rich did not display any tattoos and, if they did have any, they weren’t letting on. That is because at the beginning of the 20th century tattoos were a mark of social exclusion and a sign of deviance.

Everywhere considered tramps, alternatives and freaks, people with tattoos were the subject of criminal anthropology studies, which defined them as born criminals or degenerates.

Herbert Hoffmann wrote: «Despite all that, my consideration for the working class, who were poor but had tattoos, grew considerably. I admired them and found them brave for expressing their attitude and their beliefs through tattoos which everybody could see, imprinted on their arms and hands. »

HIS FIRST TATTOO BECAME HIS VOCATION
In 1949, after more than five years as a prisoner of war in Russia, Herbert Hoffmann returned to Germany and started to work as a salesman. He loved his job and being able to meet different people.

Soon after that he produced his first tattoo on himself, it was a design he had seen on an old friend’s arm: a cross, an anchor, a heart and the words Faith, Hope and Charity. He was 30 years old and discovered that tattooing was his life’s calling.

According to a proverb, everyone forges their own destiny.
After tattooing himself, Herbert started to tattoo others.

« At first I tattooed hundreds of people free of charge. That way I made other people happy and at the same time I was practising the art of tattooing » he remembered.
In 1955 Herbert Hoffmann obtained his tattoo artist licence and in the 1960s he took over a tattoo studio in Hamburg, in the St. Pauli area.

It was the oldest tattoo studio in Germany and years later, in a unique instance of symmetry, the same Herbert would become “the oldest tattoo artist in the world”.

ALMOST 50,000 TATTOOS
It is estimated that from 1950 to 1990 Herbert Hoffmann tattooed between 40 and 50 thousand people. « I never took any money from pensioners or older people » he said.
« Anyone who grows old and is still a tattoo enthusiast deserves to be respected and honoured by the younger generations. »

In 1981 Herbert left his studio in the hands of a nephew and moved to Heiden, a small city in the Appenzell Canton in western Switzerland.

After his retirement to Switzerland Herbert Hoffmann gave up tattooing. «I’m old and my hands shake» he explained calmly.
Nonetheless, various admirers still sought him out, wanting to wear a permanent reminder of him on their skin and only on those occasions did he agree to tattoo them.

He led a very quiet life until the publication of his book Motivtafeln, which featured tattoo designs by Herbert Hoffmann from the 1950s. From then on he began to travel a great deal.

He always dressed very simply, like a working man, with cotton trousers, a white T-shirt, waistcoat, cap and a small rucksack on his back and went from one tattoo convention to another all over Europe. He was always welcomed with open arms wherever he went.

TATTOO PHOTO PORTRAITS, 30 YEARS OF ENCOUNTERS
A characteristic of modern tattoo photography is that it tends to concentrate on details, on the tattoo itself, forgetting that there is also a person beneath it.
Herbert Hoffmann didn’t like it. He said:
« Why should I only see one part of a body? Tattooed arms or legs? Where is the person that tattoo belongs to? Why can’t I see their face? »

In 2002 Herbert Hoffmann and Memoria Pulp, a Berlin publisher, brought out his second book Living Picture Books – Portrait of a Tattooing Passion 1878-1952, a project he had worked on for more than thirty years.

From the 1950s onwards in fact, Herbert Hoffmann had used his Rolleiflex to photograph about 400 people including men and women, all born between 1878 and 1952 and all with tattoos. Each photo portrait is accompanied by the person’s story, as they told it to Herbert when he met them in the street or his Hamburg studio.

Herbert Hoffmann died on 30 June 2010 aged 90.

The Idea Tattoo.com team met him in San Marino in 2004, when he was a guest at the Idea Tattoo Convention organised to celebrate ten years of the Tattoo Ideas magazine. Herbert was one of the competition judges at the event, a role he played at every convention he attended in recent years.

In 2008, at the Ti-Tattoo Convention in Lugano (Switzerland) Herbert Hoffmann participated as the guest of honour in the last episode of the tattoo sitcom produced by Tattoo Ideas mag.

The classic American tattoo style, known as traditional or Americana style, has been making a popular comeback.

Roses, swallows, panthers, skulls and daggers are enjoying a revival on the skin of those who appreciate the emotive, romantic side of tattoos – less mystical and tribal but more authentic and instinctive.
Don Ed Hardy, Mike “Rollo” Malone, Dan Higgs, Chris Conn, Theo Mindell, Mike Pike, Civ, Bert Krak, Tim Lehi, Scott Sylvia and Jeff Rassier are just some of the American artists who have maintained and perfected this style over the past few years, leading to its current popularity all over the world.

In Italy Marco Pisa, Gianmaurizio Fercioni and Mino Spadacini have been producing the style ever since they first started tattooing.

THE TATTOO STYLE WHICH UNITES THE USA AND EUROPE
The interesting thing about this tattoo style, which is closely tied to American patriotism and culture, is that it is once again satisfying the demands of the majority of tattoo artists, not only those who are stateside but also Europeans (Alex Binnie and Mr. Duncan of Into You, Mo’ Coppoletta), Italians included (Rudy Fritsch, Santa Sagre, Amanda Toy, Heinz Psycho Tattoo, Samuele Briganti, Inkaddiction, Stizzo) and the Japanese (Inkrat, Sabado).

Its beauty is its strength.
Its key is the simplicity of production.
Its image is instinctive elegance.
The result is a ship’s log engraved on the skin.

AMERICAN TRADITIONAL
The American traditional style (or Americana style) was defined by and is linked to the invention of the first tattoo machine.
O’Reilly, the inventor, made his contribution to the profession at the beginning of the twentieth century, when he modified the mechanism of an ordinary home sewing machine and thus facilitated the whole tattooing procedure. Flashes (i.e. tattoo designs) have existed since 1872.

THE LEGEND OF SAILOR JERRY
Norman Keith “Sailor Jerry” Collins (1911-1973) was the most famous exponent of this tattoo style, if not its pioneer. His simple, yet often richly detailed style has led people to reconsider the beauty of traditional in recent years.

Collins was active on the scene a little later than the historic representatives of this style, but his presence at certain times (Second World War and Vietnam War) and in certain places (Chicago, Honolulu) made him a tattoo icon in the last century and a legend today.

His involvement in this sector led to major technical developments. He regularly corresponded with tattoo artists from around the world throughout his career. His analytical approach to the profession led to the development of new pigments and the technical perfection of the tattoo machine.

In the 1960s Collins was the first to experiment with the Japanese style.
Sailor Jerry succeeded in defining the American tattoo style. This is the legacy we have to thank him for.

LATE 19TH CENTURY OLD SCHOOL
In my opinion the Americana style had already reached its height long before the arrival of Collins on the scene. The simplest flashes and most common old school images can be found as early as the late 19th century.

Gus Wagner, “Brooklyn” Joe Lieber, Bert Grimm, Owen Jensen and Paul Rogers are the true stars of the American traditional style, dominating the last century and filling the tattoo iconography with hearts, flowers, mermaids, snakes, eagles, dragons, fish, men, women, devils, skulls, daggers, religious symbols and nautical symbols.
The clear, direct message of these images, which ranges from patriotism to love for a woman, characterised one century and are now conquering another. Tattoos have always been a declaration or a message, and what better style than American traditional to make it really clear, especially in modern western culture?

PATRIOTISM, FAITH, LOVE, RESENTMENT AND DISAPPOINTMENT
Common sentiments told with the simplicity of solid lines, bold black shaded bases with just a few contrasting colours.
Journeys and therefore discoveries, faith, love and pain, victories and defeats, passion and hate, and life in general are expressed in these tattoos.

As I said before, the shapes are simple and almost childlike.
The definition of the images is neither elaborate nor realistic. The tattooed image becomes an icon, an “emotional logo” on the skin.
Bygone technology did not allow space for details or a wide range of colours with delicate shading.
Everything was simpler and cruder, like the times in which modern tattooing was evolving. As a result the style was created.

TRADITIONAL TATTOOING TODAY
Its simplicity is synonymous with elegance.
Today the traditional style is appreciated as never before for its clean graphic lines.
A tattoo which can be seen from a distance, designs which can be recognised without the use of a magnifying glass, without too many details or delicate touches.
That is the peculiarity and strength of the traditional style.

For anyone who is interested in learning more about this subject, and checking out more visual examples in particular, the best book on American traditional flashes is “Flash from the past, Classic American Tattoo Design 1890-1965”, Paul Rogers Tattoo Research Center – Hardy Marks Publications.
by Guido Baldini

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