Product Description

A lush sourcebook of nearly two thousand tattoo designs from artists around the world. From the editors of TattooFinder.com, it's a fantastic compendium for people who want to think before they ink! Whether you're tattoo-curious or tattoo-crazy, The Tattoo Sourcebook has everything you need to pick and choose the perfect design for you. Browse the nearly two thousand designs included - everything from Celtic and tribal to butterflies and fairies. It's a visual compendium of high-quality, detailed designs from artists all over the world including contributions and commentary from famed tattooists Friday Jones (who inked Angelina Jolie and Janeane Garofalo), Lyle Tuttle (who tattooed Cher and Jane Fonda), Guy Aitchison, Rand Johnson, Edward Lee, and more. And if you're a tattoo newbie, find out everything you need to know before you get inked. Crosses, dragons, astrological signs, snakes, phoenixes, and more - this is a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone whose tattoo itch is starting to burn!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3207 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 520 pages

Review
'A great first step for those considering going under the needle.'
--Rock Sound

From the Publisher
I had been thinking about doing a tattoo book for a while now - actually ever since getting my first tattoo in Vegas about six years ago. At the time, I really wanted one to mark the occasion, and I became so determined that I just chose a random tattoo design off the wall of a local studio, took my shirt off, and about 90 minutes later, bam - I had a little kokopelli marking my right shoulder. Don't get me wrong. I love my tattoo. But at the time, I didn't know that people researched tattoos, had custom tattoos designed to specification, and more. Later, when I tried to find a book on tattoo design, I was surprised by how little there was on the market. There were some lengthy books on tattoo history and there were a few books featuring various photos of people proudly displaying their already-inked appendages. But what I really wanted was a book that showed the designs before they hit the skin. I wanted a book that re-created the experience of being in a tattoo studio but with more design variety and less pressure. I felt there was a gap in the marketplace, and HarperCollins might be able to fill that gap.
After making the decision to create The Tattoo Sourcebook, I immediately began researching studios and websites that had access to different tattoo designs. One of the first websites I came across was TattooFinder.com, and I was hooked. They had thousands upon thousands of designs to browse, the categories were easy to search, and the art was beyond amazing. In the first hour of browsing, I had walked away with at least three tattoo ideas that I wanted to have inked. I continued my search for companies and businesses with access to tattoo designs, but it was fruitless. TattooFinder.com had everything I really wanted for the book. I spoke to owner, Lou Bardach, and he thought the sourcebook was a fantastic idea, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to give an authoritative and informative introduction to tattooing, and he couldn't have been more right. There are definite ways you can find your perfect design and there are strategies for finding the right tattooist. Nearly 2000 designs and 40 different artists later, The Tattoo Sourcebook was born.

- Jeannine Dillon, Senior Editor
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

From the Author
For a collaborative project of this size, there is no way we could thank the many people who have contributed their time, energy, and expertise to making this book happen, but we wanted to send a special thanks to the following people for all of their huge efforts.

Two very talented and knowledgeable artists/tattooists we have all come to really enjoy and respect over the years, Friday Jones and Ray Reasoner, were directly involved in helping us with the writing and editing process. Nic Garcia and Maya Salam lent their wr4iting and editing skills, bring a "non-industry, tattoo enthusiast" perspective, and they also conducted many of the interviews required for the book. Brittany Marlier, Content Coordinator for TattooFinder.com, did a fantastic job organizing and tracking the thousands of designs, as well as spending countless hours on research and fact-checking. Bryan Johnson, our In-House Flash Artists & Graphic Designer, did an amazing job "cleaning" and processing all artwork for delivery, as well as creating the graphic examples in the book. Steph Hutchison, who heads our Customer Services and Support department, not only helped with interview transcriptions and copyediting, but insured that our website customers got the same top-level service they have come to expect from us while so many in the company were consumed with this project. We would also like to thank Greg O'Connor, our Senior Legal Counsel for assuring the complex legal requirements were met in this collaborative effort. And of course, we must thank Jeannine Dillon, Senior Editor at HarperCollins, who originally came to us with the idea for this book, guided us through the process of putting it together, and massaged the copy and artwork into a final product that far exceeded our original hopes and expectations of what this book would be!

Many thanks go to the industry authorities who agr4eed to be interviewed for The Tattoo Sourcebook: Edward Lee, Guy Aitchison, Lyle Tuttle, Rand Johnson, Spider Webb, Brandon Bond, Endorpheus, Mike O'Neil, Shane Hart, and Terri Fox. We cannot stress enough how important their insights were both in the quality of substance and nuanced flair. Full interview transcripts, biographies, photos, and other rich information on these "legends" can be found on our website. Many others (too many to note here) provided insights on specific questions we had and various ideas and drafts we provided to them: thank you all!
And of course, we must thank the extremely talented 40+ artists who contributed their artwork for inclusion in this book. Over the years, we have not only come to respect and admire their artistic capabilities, but now also call many of them great friends. It is their creativity and passion that is at the core of this book and the TattooFinder.com website.

- Lou Bardach, Rachael Bardach, Brad Hutchison and Brett O'Connor
the editors and owners of Tattoo Finder.

Customer Reviews

Comment from a tattooist
I feel that this book is a good item to own, for two reasons, if a person is not sure what style they're looking for in a tattoo, this book can help. But also I have people describing to me what they want e.g "...I want a sexy pin up..." "..Well what sort?.." then you can go through the book and show the ones they've selected and ask what kind, edit it to what the person wants etc.

The only down sidfe to this book, is that its full of generic designs, and if your happy to have something out of this book for the rest of your life, just a reminder that :- others who have seen or own this book will most likely have tattoos the same as you.

Top of the range
This is what I call a tattoo book full of different ideas, telling you the whats and know hows. It makes you think about things before you go ahead with things. Its drawings are top of the range and cover both male and female, I've had two already put on very happy with this buy its a must for any one tattooer or just interested

Best Flash book yet
500+ pages of pure flash images from flowers too devils,
this is the best tattoo flash book i have ever seen.

i would pay 10 times the amount for it.

best buy!!