Thomas Hooper is a tattoo artist, illustrator and designer who lives in New York city. Although he is not currently taking new clients for tattoos, Hooper’s renown as an exceptional tattoo artist remains. His signature mandala pattern style is unique and although others have tried to mimic his work, Hooper’s tattoo designs have a quality of composition that is unreachable by most.
A sacred geometry tattoo by artist and designer Thomas Hooper with birds, sun and moon. [source]
Tattoos of Mandalas and Tribal Designs
Thomas Hooper’s tattoo style uses mandalas and tribal patterns to create a complex, intricate piece of body art. Tribal tattoos are very popular as tattoo designs for men, which means that most of Hooper’s clients have been male. Hooper’s tribal designs are similar to Maori and Samoan tattoos found in the South Pacific island region, in that both styles are made up of repetitive patterns that draw attention to an area of the body.
A wolf and a bird hide within a sacred geometry mandala in this Thomas Hooper tattoo design. The circles of the mandala draws the attention to the center of the mandala. Only when the eye is focused at the center does the wolf and bird suddenly become clear. [source]
Hooper works mostly in black ink, which stands out well against pale skin. He uses the contrast between the dark ink and light skin to give his tattoo designs visual appeal. In the “white” spaces between the areas of tattoo ink, Hooper will often add grey lines and dots to create a subtle layer of detail in the design. This technique often creates the impression that there is a hidden image underneath the tattoo.
An example of the texture found in Thomas Hooper’s geometric mandala tattoo designs. [source]
Mandalas and tribal tattoo designs have a lot of meaning in them. Mandalas (also known as scared geometry) are mostly created to celebrate the balance of all things, the harmony between light and dark, hot and cold and life and death. Mandala tattoos often resemble flowers and have a similar meaning to flowers as symbols of life, rebirth and the blossoming of life aspects such as a talent, relationship or the enlightenment of the spirit.
A black ink tattoo by Thomas Hooper that uses the face of an owl to create a mandala flower. [source]
A mandala flower tattoo by Thomas Hooper that celebrates balance, harmony and beauty. [source]
A flower of life mandala tattoo design by Thomas Hooper. Mandalas often have four points, to symbolize the prevalence of the number four in nature. There are four directions (north, south, east and west), four seasons (winter, summer, autumn and spring) and four elements (earth, air, water and fire). [source]
Thomas Hooper’s Geometric Tattoo Designs
Hooper’s geometric tattoo designs are captivating. Within the design are lines of movement created by repetitive patterns. These lines draw the eye from one part of the tattoo to another. There is something ancient about Thomas Hooper’s tattoos that speaks to the core of the human spirit, inspiring imaginings of ancient secrets and forgotten mysteries. They are the types of designs that you can imagine being discovered in an ancient temple or the handbook of a soothsayer.
Sacred geometry tattoo by Thomas Hooper that appears to be a treasure map. These are the kinds of designs that would have been used by mystics and astrologers of the past. [source]
Circles are powerful shapes to use in tattoo art, and are often found in Hooper’s tattoo designs. The nature of the circle is infinite and all-encompassing. Symbols that are inside a circle are viewed as being more important than symbols that occur without a circle or outside of a circle. The use of circles within Hooper’s tattoo designs creates layer upon layer of importance within the design, with the most important part of the design lying at the center of the circles.
An eye is at the focal point of this Thomas Hooper geometric tattoo. The circles draw the viewer’s attention to the eye design. Eyes were used in tribal tattoos to symbolize the watchful, protective eye of a god. [source]
Thomas Hooper’s tattoo technique is time-consuming and therefore not favored by most tattoo artists. Hooper’s designs are rare treats in the world of tattoos, because they are of exceptionally high quality and the designs are hard to match, embodying Hooper’s fascination and love for tribal and mandala style patterns. Visit Thomas Hooper’s blog or Facebook pageto see more tattoos by this artist.
Sacred geometry and mandalas decorate this tattoo of a skull, eye of god and flowers. The tribal nature of Hooper’s tattoos make them a popular choice among men. [source]
