This beautifully illustrated guide delves deep into the meaning and significance of different tattoo symbols, exploring the rich cultural history around the world of this widespread form of body art

Tattoos are everywhere: one in three of us has at least one. Body art is one of the most popular ways of expressing our identity and beliefs.

But whether we’re aware of it or not when we choose a design to be permanently inked on our skin, a complex language of meanings lies behind the visuals we choose. A lotus flower, koi carp swimming upstream or a dragon rising towards the sun: in the language of tattoos these are all symbols of strength and overcoming adversity.

This book uncovers the meanings behind tattoo symbols, delving into the history of the most popular motifs that recur in many different tattoo styles, including tribal, traditional, Japanese and realistic. Over 130 symbols are grouped according to their meanings, whether it’s good luck, freedom, wisdom, power, spirituality or love.

Each symbol is illustrated with stunning, specially drawn visuals by acclaimed artist and tattooist Oliver Munden, and accompanied by an explanation by tattoo expert Nick Schonberger which delves into its history, significance and application in tattooing.

Both a visual delight and a fascinating insight into the rich cultural heritage of tattooing, this is the perfect book for anyone wanting to learn more about tattoo symbolism, in need of inspiration for their next tattoo, or who just loves tattoo art.

About the Author:

Nick Schonberger is a writer, blogger and critic on fashion, culture and music, based in New York. He is the co-author of TTT: Tattoo (2018) and The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering (2019).

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The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering is a visually led, comprehensive guide to designing and realizing hand-drawn letterforms in the most widely used contemporary tattoo styles.

Each chapter constitutes an accessible overview to these key tattoo styles, including an account of the history, complexities and relevant sub-styles, interviews spotlighting leading practitioners, galleries of exemplary artists’ work, sketches, sketchbooks, finished designs and detailed how-to-design guides to allow readers to truly understand each style.

More than a step-by-step, technical handbook for professional and practising tattoo artists, The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering is also an informative introduction to both understanding tattoo styles, their history and context, and learning from them to inform other graphic arts. Touching on the role of lettering in tattooing, as well as considering the components of typographic tattoos, it offers an insight into how tattoo art intersects with other areas of design practice, including sign-making, furniture painting and scrimshaw.

Combining great book design with the inimitable expertise of a master tattoo artist, The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering is the ultimate guide for all with an interest or involvement in tattoo art, typography and calligraphy, and graphic design.

Contents List::

Foreword • Traditional • West Coast • Fancy Script • Calligraphic • New School

About the Authors:

B.J. Betts is one of the most influential tattoo artists working today. Based in Delaware, USA, he has published a number of industry-standard guidebooks on tattoo lettering.

Nick Schonberger is a writer, blogger and critic on fashion, culture and music. He lives in New York.

Over the past decade, tattoos have become one of the most popular forms of visual culture in the world. TTT: Tattoo is a survey of 250 of the best international tattooers working today. Included are established practitioners – Duncan X, Tomas Tomas, Scott Campbell, the Leu family, Stephanie Tamez – and lesser-known emerging talents, all of whom work towards pushing the boundaries of the art form. A selection of essays and features examines the history and scholarship of tattooing and reveals how it has evolved differently around the world. Exploring the connections between tattoo culture today and seminal figures and developments in the recent past, the book examines how the historical styles of this most enduring art form blend into new ones.

About the Authors:

TTTism is headed by Maxime Plescia-Buchi, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans tattooing, typography, clothing design, creative direction, and publishing. He founded Sang Bleu in 2006, and, though it began as a highly influential avant-garde magazine, it has solidified as a global art project involving fashion, fine art, performance art, literature, sociology, and tattooing. Plescia-Buchi operates two tattoo studios, Sang Bleu London and Zurich, and helmed creative projects for industrial design company Gabriel Scott, musicians FKA Twigs and Kanye West, and Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot.

Nicholas Schonberger is an academic, journalist and author. His work on tattooing has informed museum exhibitions (notably ‘Skin and Bones: Tattoos and the American Sailor’ – Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, USA, October 2009 – February 2010), been featured in the popular press, and presented within scholarly contexts (Popular Culture Association). Since 2011, Schonberger has served as an editor at Sang Bleu, where his expertise in modern tattooing merges seamlessly with the London-based company’s contemporary focus.

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A Video about TTT: Tattoo book.