Reddit mentions: The best books about body art & tattoos

Not a historian, technically speaking, but curious enough to find a few possible answers:

1. The Heart & "Mom" tattoo as an icon apparently (according to this article) originated with Norman Keith Collins, a.k.a. "Sailor Jerry" whom I learned about here. The official site for this guy is here, though I linked right to the page where they explain symbolism behind several tattoos you might recognize, including the heart.
   
   
2. From that same article I learned that "[t]here's also an age-old connection between country and mother—consider the very word motherland. So the mom image can sometimes symbolize not just affection, but work as a stand-in for the people and lifestyle the wearer wants to defend," according to the person who wrote this book.
   
   So that's why "mom" became a popular subject in tattoos; either you really did love your mother, or you were trying to convey the concept of stability, or you were using the concept of "mother" to represent everything you hold most dear.
   
   As for why they appeared on cartoon tough-guys, we can only speculate (without further, better historical evidence) that there were two reasons for that being so prevalent:
   
   
3. The tough guy was supposed to look like he had a soft spot - the whole tough-guy/momma's-boy juxtaposition, ha ha.
   
   
4. Sailors and military types in general were perceived to be very tough, and this particular tattoo was very popular among sailors and military types - which in turn were the biggest fans of tattoos outside of your run-of-the-mill thugs at the time cartoons for television or theaters were first being produced.
   
   That last bit I don't have sources for, but I hope my including it will inspire someone else better equipped to find some and back me up. I personally can't help but think of Popeye, but his tattoos were of anchors. Does anyone have examples of cartoons that actually show this tattoo?
   
   Edit: oops, put my "heart" in the wrong place.

Hrmm.. a lot of my cheap stuff has already been purchased. I don't have much.. under $5... but I'll link some fun things anyway.

Lots of Domo-kuns

Bloody Hand decal

Marcelline the Vampire Queen Decal

Borderlands decal

Tattoo Coloring Book

SO MANY MONKIES FOR UNDER $5

I have a LOT of random stuff. I have multiple lists as well, so it's easier to figure out what you want to look at (just mark "all" instead of "unpurchased" so you don't miss stuff. Also try searing for SODIAL stuff. They have cheap things. :)


I'm kinda random so maybe my lis.st will give you some ideas at least. Good luck. :)


I'm queen of attention to details I have no idea what song that is from because I never pay attention.

Thanks for the contest and good luck on finding stuff. I like amazon "window shopping".


EDIT: had to fix the tattoo coloring book link. If you like coloring but don't like "kiddy" coloring books search "Dover Design Coloring Books" there are lots of them and all different kinds. :)

I am Maoli, Native Hawaiian. I don't find it disrespectful at all when a non-polynesian person feels a powerful connection to my culture. I find it extremely respectful. There are certain kapus (taboos) about specific design not being allowed for certain people. I suggest doing your homework.

If you don't live in Hawai'i then I suggest reading one of the fantastic books published in the last few years about polynesian tattooing. The museum I work at in the UK has many fantastic books on the subject. My boss is actually and expert from the on the subject from the anthropological point of view.

Obviously each design, it's usage and placement mean something specific and are meant as a form of communication. Speaking solely for myself, if you like Travis Browne's tattoos for their aesthetic purpose, that's great (and i agree they are beautiful), but do some digging yourself to see if you can express yourself using my culture's imagery. That way when people ask you about them, or give you shit for not being of that culture, you can respond intelligently and with knowledge, proving that you're not just some fake person following a trend. I know lots of non-polynesians with polynesian tattoos. Almost all of them have done their homework. The ones that are most impressive can also speak the language (which seriously shuts up most haters bc most Hawaiian's can't even speak Hawaiian).

Edit: I would also like to add, if anyone is interested in acquiring one of the aforementioned books feel free to PM me. I don't know if any of them are available outside the UK. We also have some pretty rad books on broader aspects of Polynesian culture. Lots of amazing research and conservation is being done in the UK right now.

The deck: Tattoo Tarot: Ink & Intuition. Recently purchased from amazon (link: Tattoo Tarot: Ink & Intuition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1786272059/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_EK8wT7eaIQbsn). It’s a little big for my hands, but I love the artwork!

The Spread: Super basic past, present, future spread.

The Interpretation: Though the recent past has been plagued by a creative block, and the present is full of opportunities that can breed blind optimism, focusing on self growth to see through unrealistic ideals will lead to security and prosperity. Also, possibly, motherhood. I’d like to think that part’s a little off though.

Don't stop, keep at it. One little tip I'll give you is to focus on the overall shape of the components of your designs.

For example, the bulb of a traditional rose (often called 'cabbage roses') is usually egg shaped; that is, if you draw a loose line around the entire bulb it should be an even egg shape. Or for leaves, they should be the shape of a tear drop, whereas the one's here are more triangular.

A lot of this is malleable but it's good to have a familiarity with the basic mechanics of designs before making dramatic changes. Sailor Jerry flash is great for reference, a lot of his paintings can be found with a simple Google Image search, you can also buy books of his flash but they're steep (~200-300 USD). There are much cheaper books with his acetate stencils. The linked book was a huuuuge help when I was first working all this out.

Keep going, traditional tattooing is such a special thing and the excitement surrounding it nowadays is refreshing.

Henna tattoos are cool!

I would eat chocolate...mmmmm! haha

I'm afraid of really crowded places. I'm super short and I can't see over anyone!

Biggest pet peeve? General rudeness... I really wish everyone would just be nice. It takes less effort to be nice and it makes people happy!

I love the dot-work! If anyone else is in to this style, I highly recommend this book (although it's pretty expensive).

If you're truly interested in Sak Yant i'd recommend getting a couple of books on the subject over the next year to help you plan. I have this one and also this

Both cover the beliefs and traditions of Sak Yant and feature a wide range of designs and profiles of various Ajahns (masters).

Depends really. If you're doing academia some places might not mind. If you're working in an office then you'll likely have to cover up.

There is more of an "acceptance" but honestly it depends where you work. I've done work where it doesn't matter, and I have worked in an office where I have to make sure I wear long sleeves to cover them.

As a side note, there's a cool book on science ink

Why not? You could always start and try! There's some bad tattoos out there and those people still do tattoos! Practice makes perfection! How about a book to help you? Or this one?

If you want to become one, then work yourself with the arts! :) Don't let the negativity of "I can't" hold you down. You "can't" if you never try! :)

Probably the foundational text of anarcho-transhumanism (at least how I approach it) is Donna Haraway's A Cyborg Manifesto (PDF link). Through this lens the concept of 'innate anti-body politics' becomes notably blurred. In my view, 'transhumanity' is a condition that already exists; I base my views on my personal research into biomedical issues, trans issues (Sandy Stone was a student of Haraway's) the body as a philosophical object in art and medicine and the politics and sociology of body modification (A good place to start on the latter subject). Anarcho-transhumanism seeks to push forward towards the idea of 'morphological freedom', which is where I have just remembered I have read some Dale Carrico before; the essential critique of the 'superlativity' of techno-libertarian transhumanism is that like all utopian ideals it's ultimate goal is a static society which by its very nature must exclude all competing concepts. Anarcho-transhumanism, on the other hand, is heterotopic, radically queer, post-gender and so on. In the sphere of anarchist discourse, anarcho-transhumanism embraces the possibility of positively using technology in radical ways, in contrast to the strong strains of 'primitivist' and 'anti-civ' discourse with their worrying strains of biological essentialism and concomitant ableism, sexism, transphobia and so on. In more direct and immediate terms, with regards to pro-choice politics, anarcho-transhumanism would seek to, for example, demystify and push for unfettered access to reproductive technologies and remove medical barriers towards people seeking gender/sex reassignment therapies, as it repudiates completely the fetishisation of the 'natural' (which is always of course, in line with the dominating ideology of society). And of course, anarcho-transhumanism, like all correct forms of anarchism, firmly embraces the elimination of capitalism and private property, the abolition of heirarchical systems of social organisation and fully embraces discourses which seek to recognise, critique and ultimately dismantle systems of power and domination, leading to the emancipation of all people.

Wow that deck looks pretty groovy! Might I ask if you're also into psychedelic experiences?

I actually got into tarot because the art in the [Ethereal Visions](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethereal-Visions-Illuminated-Tarot-Deck/dp/1572819251
) deck is so beautiful.

I have also ordered but haven't yet received the Tattoo Tarot deck because American Traditional tattoo flash is one of my very favorite art styles.

This is a really good description of what was going on. Another resource you might be interested in is a book called Written on the Body: The Tattoo in European and American History. It contains several articles about tattooing in England around the 1900s and they're really interesting reads.

Nice ink! :) I guess I feel famous?

If you'd like a IRL copy, the tattoo photo also got published in Carl Zimmer's Science Ink

Tattoo Machine by Jeff Johnson

It's an easy read and very entertaining as well as informative.

Joe Cummings has a great book on Thai tattoos, I'd recommend it

[Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Magic, Masters and Mystery of Sak Yan]
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9814302546/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=justinmaccart-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=9814302546)

If you like this sort of thing, you may enjoy Science Ink:

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Ink-Tattoos-Obsessed/dp/1402783604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510764551&sr=8-1&keywords=science+ink

Oh I know mine isn't original either, but I am hipsterly proud that mine was done before the first famous one was printed in Science Ink.

https://www.amazon.com/Tattooed-Millionaire-Building-Tattoo-Empire-ebook/dp/B071SL511B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512083727&sr=8-1&keywords=sean+dowdell

You can also get the audio version on Audible, which Sean narrates and I greatly enjoyed.

^^^^This. You might want to have your friend check out this book. Think before you ink. The Scottish Gaelic Tattoo Handbook: Authentic Words and Phrases in the Celtic Language of Scotland https://www.amazon.com/dp/0995099804/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Nf3wxbWGG771C

Check out Science Ink for inspiration.
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Ink-Tattoos-Obsessed/dp/1454912405

I bought this book a few months back and It has a lot of inspiration in it.

Thanks again!

Carl recently published a book based off of this blog. It's kind of cool to be able to open an officially published book and see a picture of yourself.

There's a book on Danish tattoo culture. Amazon link. Dunno if you're situated in DK or abroad. But this should satisfy your needs. As for collecting old flash prints and stuff alike. Seek out conventions, parlors. They might be able to sell you a few flash papers if they have duplicates :)

I got the symbol of the 'strike and dip' on my foot and if you are looking for inspiration there is a book called 'science ink'. That can be a quick read or just flip through at photos.

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Ink-Tattoos-Obsessed/dp/1454912405

this is the one i have i like it, especially the really detailed ones!

I was listening to Science Friday, and heard about a book called Science Ink. If I were to get a tattoo, I'd be something awesomely nerdy like that.

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Ink-Tattoos-Obsessed/dp/1454912405

Do you mean In The Flesh: The Cultural Politics of Body Modification? That's what Google gave me.

Oh yes, sorry, how stupid of me.

Bodies of Inscription: a Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community and Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World, both by Margo DeMello.