Vintage Tattoo Flash is a one-of-a-kind visual explorationof the history and evolution of tattooing in America. Aluscious, offset-printed, hardcover tome-a beautiful andserious addition to the understanding of one of the world'soldest and most popular art forms. Electric tattooing as we know it today was invented inNew York City at the turn of the 19th century. In the firstdays of American tattooing, tattoos were primarily wornby sailors and soldiers, outlaws and outsiders. The visuallanguage of what came to be known as "traditional tattooing"was developed in those early days on the Boweryand catered to the interests of the clientele. Commonimagery that soon became canon included sailing ships,women, hearts, roses, daggers, eagles, dragons, wolves,panthers, skulls, crosses, and popular cartoon charactersof the era. The first tattooists also figured out that usingbold outlines, complimented by solid color and smoothshading, was the proper technique for creating art on abody that would stand the test of time. In the over 100years since then, techniques and styles have evolved, andthe customer base has expanded, but the core subjectmatter and philosophy developed at the dawn of electrictattooing has persisted as perennial favorites through themodern era. While most tattoos are inherently ephemeral, transportedon skin until the death of the collector, a visual recordexists in the form of tattoo flash: the hand-painted sheetsof designs posted in tattoo shops for customers to selectfrom. Painted and repainted, stolen, traded, bought andsold, these sheets are passed between artists through onechannel or another, often having multiple useful lives in avariety of shops scattered across time and geography. Theutility of these original pieces of painted art has made itso that original examples can still be found in use or up forgrabs if you know where to look. Vintage Tattoo Flash draws from the personal collectionof Jonathan Shaw-renowned outlaw tattooist andauthor-and represents a selection of over 300 pieces offlash from one of the largest private collections in existence.Vintage Tattoo Flash spans the first roughly 75years of American tattooing from the 1900s Bowery, to50s Texas, through the Pike in the 60s and the developmentof the first black and grey, single-needle tattooingin LA in the 70s. The book lovingly reproduces entirelyunpublished sheets of original flash from the likes of BobShaw, Zeke Owen, Tex Rowe, Ted Inman, Ace Harlyn, EdSmith, Paul Rogers, the Moskowitz brothers, and many,many others relatively known and unknown.

If you want current Tattoo art, you have come to the right place. This new book from ArtKulture is made up of fresh Tattoo Flash from the artists at Diamond Body Art, one of the most popular shops in the Phoenix area. Never before seen in print, these images include five popular categories: Traditional, Neo-Traditional, Realism, Blackwork, and Geometric. Published by ArtKulture, an imprint of Wolfgang Publications, TATTOO Flash Art Vol 1 includes more than 200 pieces of flash art. These powerful Tattoo images are useful to both Tattoo artists and Tattoo aficionados who are looking for inspiration and trying to decide on a great design for their next piece of ink.

Vintage Flash by Stoney St. Clair

Legends is a compilation of vintage tattoo flash and photos of some of tattoo's legendary artists. It includes work by Sailor Jerry, Mike Malone, Cap Coleman, Bert Grimm, Bob Shaw and many others.

Stizzo, the proud owner of Best of Times Tattoo, presents the best work to come out of his famous parlor in Milan, Italy, in the form of beautiful flash, and provides an intimate look into the house artists in action. At turns exotic, religious, and cryptic, but always classy, highly detailed, and distinct, their work and their legacy could spark a new generation of artists who care about tradition and aren't afraid to push their skills to the limit. Showcased on textured paper, the vibrant, iconographic art and bold designs look just as outstanding on artificial surfaces as they would on skin. Enthusiasts and ambitious tattoo artists who hope to imitate these remarkable samples will appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into Stizzo, Max Brain, and Pellico's craft, which they can catch a glimpse of--at the drawing board and in the studio--in arresting black and white and color photography.