Yakuza tattoos are a source of fascination for many tattoo lovers. The high level of secrecy surrounding the tattoos, combined with the painful method of “hand-poking” the designs and the association with the Japanese underworld gives yakuza tattoo art a mysterious appeal. The History of Japanese Yakuza Gang Tattoos The history of the yakuza [...]
National Geographic takes a look at the link between the historical tradition of tattooing prisoners in Japan and the full body tattoo suits worn by members of the modern Yakuza gangs.
Shawn Will is a tattoo artist from Houston, Texas who works at Red Dagger Tattoo Studio. In this speed tattoo video, Shawn Will inks a guy’s calf with a skull surrounded by art supplies. In the tattoo design, the tattoo artist has creatively used the skull’s cheek bone as a pencil holder. This is a [...]
This video shows tattoo artist Kuba Krzemiński at Crazy Fresh Tattoo studio in Stockholm, Sweden. Using time lapse photography, Kuba shows off his tattooing skills, taking the viewer on a body art journey from drawing the design to completing the tattoo. The tattoo artist uses three colors of tattoo ink; black, white and a caucasian flesh [...]
Tattoo artist Jesse Smith creates tattoo designs with his own original cartoon characters. His tattoos express his inner emotional experiences as he observes and interacts with the world around him. Influenced by his background as a graffiti artist, his tattoos are made up of vibrant colors, wild lines and are based on a surreal sense [...]
Car tattoos are a recent tattoo design choice, as cars have only been around for little over a century. Whether car tattoos are of classic, vintage automobiles or sleek and modern racing cars, the symbolism remains the same; the tattoo owner is expressing his love for cars, speed and the joy of driving. Vintage Car [...]
Rose tattoos are among the most popular tattoo designs, especially in old school and classic tattoo styles. The rose flower is both beautiful and deeply symbolic, meaning that it will add artistic flair and meaning to any tattoo design. There are thousands of different rose tattoo design styles to choose from. Like Love, Rose Tattoos [...]
Star tattoos are often chosen by those going for their first tattoo. The appeal is that star designs can be small, decorative and have positive meanings attached to them. A single star tattoo can be added to over time to create a scattering of stars across the skin, similar to the Milky Way. Star Tattoos [...]
Wings are a popular tattoo design for placing across the shoulders and upper back. The wings can resemble those of insects, birds, dragons, demons and angels. The meaning of the wings tattoo depends on what creatures the wings come from, the color and pattern of the wings and whether there are other symbols or objects [...]
Bird tattoos have always been popular, especially easily recognized birds such as eagles, owls and sparrows. New tattoos equipment and techniques have allowed tattoo artists to create tattoos in a wider range of styles. This broader choice also applies to the variety of birds that people are having tattooed into their skin. The Meaning of [...]