Even when, in truth, I would rather be studying the naked flesh underneath, I can admire the artistry of some of these works:
In the hands of an ink artist, even the most cliched of tattoo images can become something almost graceful and novel:
But not all good ideas necessarily work out in practice:
And there is a tendency for some (most?) tattoo artists to be more cartoonist than artist:
I find the preponderance of heavy metal-ish graphics to be a bit boring. I would rather see more variety and more artistry:
But when everything comes together, something extraordinary happens:
Yeah, they're not for me. But I can sometimes see the attraction.
3 comments:
You've found some wonderful examples. I tend to prefer patterns, especially tribal-inspired ones, rather than pictures, but those you posted are excellent. I find the multi-coloured designs much less appealing in general: monochrome or a very limited palette seem to work better, but always in the hands of a true tattoo artist rather than just a tattooist. Part of the skill is in choosing and doing the design to work with the contours of the body. Scattered, apparently random pictures and script often don't work. I hope these guys look as good when they are 20, 30, 40 years older.
Art belongs on a canvas or in a photo...not on skin.
Just my opinion.
I think you have come a long way in your opinion of tattoos. I remember a time when you would have been put off by such artwork. Like "sticks" said, it all depends on the capabilities of the tattoo artist. The examples you have chosen are some of the most wonderful skin art I've ever seen -- especially the first and last image.
I've always wanted a grand tattoo, and if I knew it would turn out as grand as the first one, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat...
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