Art by Tattooists: Beyond Flash

Tattoos and tattoo culture have gone mainstream in the last few years, with popular TV shows such as LA Ink, Miami Ink and London Ink making celebrities out of tattooists and their clients. Highly skilled artists, many tattooists have moved beyond the artwork they draw on skin to create personal work on canvas. Art by Tattooists is the first book to showcase this art.
The book features twenty-six international artists who use a variety of mediums, from ink, watercolour, acrylic paint and oil to lino printing and painting on wood and board. Many of the artists are heavily influenced by the imagery they use as tattooists – roses, hearts, skulls, scrolls, birds, pin-ups, etc. – and carry this into their personal work. Other work features colours, themes or subject matter that is more subtly related to tattoo styles.
Given the current popularity of all things tattoo-related, the book will have a wide appeal, not only to anyone interested in tattoo art and culture but also to artists, illustrators, designers and students.


Jo Waterhouse is a freelance writer interested in many areas of art, including lowbrow, street, skateboarding and tattoo art. She is the author of 'Concrete to Canvas: Skateboarders’ Art' (2005) and 'Concrete 2 Canvas: More Skateboarders’ Art' (2007) and regularly contributes to several websites and art magazines, interviewing a variety of international artists