GEN ERAL IN FORMATION
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The Body is the New Canvas
think-the-thesis.com
The Body is the New Canvas Tattoo Exhibition Catalog
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MFA Thesis By Viego Yuge Liu Copyright Š 2019 Viego Yuge Liu Designed by Viego Yuge Liu This is a student thesis project. All Right Reserved. No Portion of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without the written consent of Viego Yuge Liu. All respective work shown has been appropriately identified and credited. Any omissions found will be noted and corrected in subsequent editions. Project think-the-thesis.com Contact viegoyugeliu@gmail.com viego-yuge-liu.com
GEN ERAL IN FORMATION
Table of Contents
pp. 008 Tattoo History Brief Introduction
pp. 046 Water Color
pp. 020 Dot Work
pp. 074 Lupo Horiōkami
pp. 050 CHuan Zi
pp. 024 Nhanna Scott
pp. 074 Japanese Traditional
pp. 060 Chinese Traditional
pp. 066 Li Shangyu
pp. 088 New School
pp. 034 Kaiju
pp. 092 Oash Rodriguez
pp. 032—045 Line Work
pp. 100 About ThInk
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This event is a tattoo art exhibition, our goal is encourage the general public to explore the artificial of the tattoo art. There are two exhibition part: traditional tattoo styles and new tattoo styles. The traditional part we only show casing three major tattoo styles: Chinese Traditional, Japanese Traditional, and New School. These three styles are actually modern version of the original traditional tattoo styles. The new styles we present are the three most popular styles: Dot Work, Line Work, and Watercolor. Enjoy this exploration!
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General Introduction And Exhibition Map
GEN ERAL IN FORMATION
TRADITIONAL STYLES
RESTROOM
GIFT STORE
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NEW STYLES
EXHIBITION BOARD
CLOAKROOM
ENTRANCE
BUILDING WALLS
Line Work Tattoo Style
Water Color Tattoo Style
NEW STYLES
Dot Work Tattoo Style
CURRENT TRADITIONAL STYLES
Chinese Traditional
Japanese Traditional
New School
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The Body is the New Canvas
Tattoo History Brief Introduction Tattooing has been practiced across the globe since at least Neolithic times, as evidenced by mummified preserved skin, ancient art and the archaeological record.
TATTOO H ISTORY
Both ancient art and archaeological finds of possible tattoo tools suggest tattooing was practiced by the Upper Paleolithic period in Europe. However, direct evidence for tattooing on mummified human skin extends only to the 4th millennium BC. The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date is found on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, dating to between 3370 and 3100 BC. Other tattooed mummies have been recovered from at least 49 archaeological sites, including locations in Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, western China, Egypt, Sudan, the Philippines and the Andes.These include Amunet, Priestess of the Goddess Hathor from ancient Egypt (c. 2134–1991 BC), multiple mummies from Siberia including the Pazyryk culture of Russia and from several cultures throughout Pre-Columbian South America.
Possible Neolithic tattoo marks depicted on a Pre-Cucuteni culture clay figure from Romania, c. 4900 – 4750 BC 09 0 09
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China Cemeteries throughout the Tarim Basin (Xinjiang of western China) including the sites of Qäwrighul, Yanghai, Shengjindian, Zaghunluq, and Qizilchoqa have revealed several tattooed mummies with Western Asian/Indo-European physical traits and cultural materials. These date from between 2100 and 550 BC. In ancient China, tattoos were co nsidered a barbaric practice, and were often referred to in literature depicting bandits and folk heroes. As late as the Qing Dynasty, it was common practice to tattoo characters such as 囚 (“Prisoner”) on convicted criminals’ faces. Although relatively rare during most periods of Chinese history, slaves were also sometimes marked to display ownership.
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However, tattoos seem to have remained a part of southern culture. Marco Polo wrote of Quanzhou, “Many come hither from Upper India to have their bodies painted with the needle in the way we have elsewhere described, there being many adepts at this craft in the city”. At least three of the main characters—Lu Zhishen, Shi Jin, and Yan Ching—in the classic novel Water Margin are described as having tattoos covering nearly all of their bodies. Wu Song was sentenced to a facial tattoo describing his crime after killing Xi Men qing to avenge his brother. In addition, Chinese legend claimed the mother of Yue Fei (a famous Song general) tattooed the words “Repay the Country with Pure Loyalty” (精忠报国, jing zhong bao guo) down her son’s back before he left to join the army.
TATTOO H ISTORY
Europe The earliest possible evidence for tattooing in Europe appears on ancient art from the Upper Paleolithic period as incised designs on the bodies of humanoid figurines. The Löwenmensch figurine from the Aurignacian culture dates to approximately 40,000 years ago and features a series of parallel lines on its left shoulder. The ivory Venus of Hohle Fels, which dates to between 35,000 and 40,000 years ago also exhibits incised lines down both arms, as well as across the torso and chest. The oldest and most famous direct proof of ancient European tattooing appears on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, who was found in the Ötz valley in the Alps and dates from the late 4th millennium BC. Studies have revealed that Ötzi had 61 carbon-ink tattoos consisting of 19 groups of lines simple dots and lines on his lower spine, left wrist, behind his right knee and on his ankles. It has been argued that these tattoos were a form of healing because of their placement, though other explanations are plausible. Pre-Christian Germanic, Celtic and other central and northern European tribes were often heavily tattooed, according to surviving accounts, but it may also have been normal paint. The Picts may have been tattooed (or scarified) with elaborate, war-inspired black or dark blue woad (or possibly copper for the blue tone) designs. Julius Caesar described these tattoos in Book V of his Gallic Wars (54 BC). Nevertheless, these may have been painted markings rather than tattoos. Ahmad ibn Fadlan wrote of his encounter with the Scandinavian Rus’ tribe in the early 10th century, describing them as tattooed from “fingernails to neck” with dark blue “tree patterns” and other “figures.” However, this may also have been paint, since the word used can mean both tattoo and painting. During the gradual process of Christianization in Europe, tattoos were often considered remaining elements of paganism and generally legally prohibited. The significance of tattooing was long open to Eurocentric interpretations. In the mid-19th century, Baron Haussmann, while arguing against painting the interior of Parisian churches, said the practice “reminds me of the tattoos used in place of clothes by barbarous peoples to conceal their nakedness”.
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Japan Tattooing for spiritual and decorative purposes in Japan is thought to extend back to at least the Jōmon or Paleolithic period and was widespread during various periods for both the Japanese and the native Ainu. Chinese texts from before 300 AD described social differences among Japanese people as being indicated through tattooing and other bodiapanese.Chinese texts from the time also described Japanese men of all ages as decorating their faces and bodies with tattoos. Between 1603 and 1868, Japanese tattooing was only practiced by the ukiyo (floating world) subculture. Generally firemen, manual workers and prostitutes wore tattoos to communicate their status. By the early 17th century, criminals were widely being tattooed as a visible mark of punishment. Criminals were marked with symbols typically including crosses, lines, double lines and circles on certain parts of the body, mostly the face and arms. These symbols sometimes designated the places where the crimes were committed. In one area, the character for “dog” was tattooed on the criminal’s forehead. 012
The Government of Meiji Japan, formed in 1868, banned the art of tattooing altogether, viewing it as barbaric and lacking respectability. This subsequently created a subculture of criminals and outcasts. These people had no place in “decent society” and were frowned upon. They could not simply integrate into mainstream society because of their obvious visible tattoos, forcing many of them into criminal activities which ultimately formed the roots for the modern Japanese mafia, the Yakuza, with which tattoos have become almost synonymous in Japan.vertheless, these may have been painted markings rather than tattoos. Ahmad ibn Fadlan wrote of his encounter with the Scandinavian Rus’ tribe in the early 10th century, describing them as tattooed from “fingernails to neck” with dark blue “tree patterns” and other “figures.” However, this may also have been paint, since the word used can mean both tattoo and painting. During the gradual process of Christianization in Europe, tattoos were often considered remaining elements of paganism and generally legally prohibited. The significance of tattooing was long open to Eurocentric interpretations. In the mid-19th century, Baron Haussmann, while arguing against painting the interior of Parisian churches, said the practice “reminds me of the tattoos used in place of clothes by barbarous peoples to conceal their nakedness”.
Tammeijiro Genshogo by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Brooklyn Museum
TATTOO H ISTORY
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United States of America In the period shortly after the American Revolution, to avoid impressment by British Navy ships, sailors used government issued protection papers to establish their American citizenship. However, many of the descriptions of the individual described in the seamen’s protection certificates were so general, and it was so easy to abuse the system, that many impressment officers of the Royal Navy simply paid no attention to them. “In applying for a duplicate Seaman’s Protection Certificate in 1817, James Francis stated that he ‘had a protection granted him by the Collector of this Port on or about 12 March 1806 which was torn up and destroyed by a British Captain when at sea.’”
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One way of making them more specific and more effective was to describe a tattoo, which is highly personal as to subject and location, and thus use that description to precisely identify the seaman. As a result, many of the official certificates also carried information about tattoos and scars, as well as any other specific identifying information. This also perhaps led to an increase and proliferation of tattoos among American seamen who wanted to avoid impressment. During this period, tattoos were not popular with the rest of the country. “Frequently the “protection papers” made reference to tattoos, clear evidence that individual was a seafaring man; rarely did members of the general public adorn themselves with tattoos.” “In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, tattoos were as much about self-expression as they were about having a unique way to identify a sailor’s body should he be lost at sea or impressed by the British navy. The best source for early American tattoos is the protection papers issued following a 1796 congressional act to safeguard American seamen from impressment. These protopassports catalogued tattoos alongside birthmarks, scars, race, and height. Using simple techniques and tools, tattoo artists in the early republic typically worked on board ships using anything available as pigments, even gunpowder and urine. Men marked their arms and hands with initials of themselves and loved ones, significant dates, symbols of the seafaring life, liberty poles, crucifixes, and other symbols.” Sometimes, to protect themselves, the sailors requested not only that the tattoos be described, but that they would also be sketched out on the protection certificate as well. As one researched said, “Clerks writing the documents often sketched the tattoos as well as describing them.”
TATTOO H ISTORY
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Mrs. M. Stevens Wagner, one of the earliest Tattooed Ladies that performed in the circus sideshows, 1907
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Modern Western Tattooing “Reintroduction” to the Western world The popularity of modern Western tattooing owes its origins in large part to Captain James Cook’s voyages to the South Pacific in the 1770s, but since the 1950s a false belief has persisted that modern Western tattooing originated exclusively from these voyages. Tattooing has been consistently present in Western society from the modern period stretching back to Ancient Greece, though largely for different reasons. A long history of European tattoo predated voyages, including among sailors and tradesmen, pilgrims visiting the Holy Land and on Europeans living among Native Americans.
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Tattoo historian Anna Felicity Friedman suggests a couple reasons for the “Cook Myth”. First, modern European words for the practice (e.g., “tattoo”, “tatuaje”, “tatouage”, “Tätowierung”, and “tatuagem”) derive from the Tahitian word “tatau”, which was introduced to European languages through Cook’s travels. However, prior European texts show that a variety of metaphorical terms were used for the practice, including “pricked,” “marked”, “engraved,” “decorated,” “punctured,” “stained,” and “embroidered.” Friedman also points out that the growing print culture at the time of Cook’s voyages may have increased the visibility of tattooing despite its prior existence in the West. Pre-1960s The first documented professional tattooer in the United States was Martin Hildebrandt, a German immigrant who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1846. Between 1861 and 1865, he tattooed soldiers on both sides in the American Civil War. The first documented professional tattooist (with a permanent studio, working on members of the paying public) in Britain was Sutherland Macdonald in the early 1880s. Tattooing was an expensive and painful process and by the late 1880s had become a mark of wealth for the crowned heads of Europe. In 1891, New York tattooer Samuel O’Reilly patented the first electric tattoo machine, a modification of Thomas Edison’s electric pen.
TATTOO H ISTORY
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Nora Hildebrandt albumen photograph ca. 1880
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The Tattoo Renaissance Although tattooing has steadily increased in popularity since the invention of the electric tattoo machine, it was not until the 1960s that the place of tattooing in popular culture radically shifted. The Tattoo Renaissance began in the late 1950s, and was greatly influenced by several artists in particular Lyle Tuttle, Cliff Raven, Don Nolan, Zeke Owens, Spider Webb and Don Ed Hardy. A second generation of artists, trained by the first, continued these traditions into the 1970s, and included artists such as Bob Roberts, Jamie Summers, and Jack Rudy.
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Since the 1970s, tattoos have become a mainstream part of global and Western fashion, common among both sexes, to all economic classes, and to age groups from the later teen years to middle age. The decoration of blues singer Janis Joplin with a wrist-let and a small heart on her left breast, by the San Francisco tattoo artist Lyle Tuttle, has been called a seminal moment in the popular acceptance of tattoos as art. Formal interest in the art of the tattoo became prominent in the 1970s through the beginning of the 21st century many young Americans, the tattoo has taken on a decidedly different meaning than for previous generations. The tattoo has “undergone dramatic redefinition� and has shifted from a form of deviance to an acceptable form of expression.
TATTOO H ISTORY
Tattoos have experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Japan, and North and South America. The growth in tattoo culture has seen an influx of new artists into the industry, many of whom have technical and fine arts training. Coupled with advancements in tattoo pigments and the ongoing refinement of the equipment used for tattooing, this has led to an improvement in the quality of tattoos being produced. In 2010, 25% of Australians under age 30 had tattoos. Mattel released a tattooed Barbie doll in 2011, which was widely accepted, although it did attract some controversy. The legal status of tattoos is still developing. In recent years, various lawsuits have arisen in the United States regarding the status of tattoos as a copyrightable art form. However, these cases have either been settled out of court or are currently being disputed, and therefore no legal precedent exists directly on point.
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Dot work Tattoo Style
DOT WORK
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Dotwork tattoos complicated geometric images are created with nothing but dots. The tattoo artist must be very patient and very talented because he has to place every dot in the right place. Many dotwork artists have also abandoned the tattoo machine and are performing hand-poked tattoos. Dotwork tattoos are a style on their own, and the shading you get through dots is almost 3D. You can’t get that kind of shading with any other method. The dotwork technique is used especially for geometric tattoos, religious and spiritual tattoos. The dot tattoo is usually done with black ink, or gray ink. Sometimes red is used, but only because red creates a beautiful contrast effect on geometric tattoos. There are some remarkable artists that specialist in the stippling method. The dots technique is often used for mandala tattoos, and more often than not those tattoos are hand poked. A tattoo gun is not the best tool when it comes to dots. Hand poking requires a lot of patience, but it’s the best method for getting all the details right. Some of the recurring subjects for dot work tattoos are mandalas, symbols like the Hamsa hand, the Eye of God, lace, decorative patterns like filigree, animal portraits (especially wolves, cats, foxes, snakes, butterflies,) animal and the human skulls.
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A1 Artist Name Finley Jordan Instagram @mothmilk Location Potland, Oregon Finley is a resident artist at Constellation Tattoo: a queer & POC owned and co-operated private studio in Portland, Oregon.
DOT WORK
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A2 Artist Name Nhanna Scott Instagram @nhannascott Location San Francisco, California Studio Private Studio Nhanna Scott came to the whip trying to bring the picture closer to a soft pencil stroke on the skin. Smooth lines and natural transitions into transparency and tenderness. She would like to call herself as a skin marker and a canvas painter.
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A3 Artist Name Nick Avge Instagram @nickavge Location Mexico City Contact nickavgettt@gmail.com Nick Avge is currently in traveling tattoo tour. He will be in Athens of Greece this September and October.
DOT WORK
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A4 Artist Name Matt Pettis Instagram @matt_pettis_tattoo Location London Contact facebook.com/ MattPettisTattoo Matt Pettis Worked at The Great British Tattoo Show and currently working at Through My Third Eye.
DOT WORK
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Line Work Tattoo Style
LIN E WORK
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The main feature of the line work is the presence of straight lines in the tattoo, which are added to the specific drawing. Line work is a relatively young style of tattooing. The word “line work” speaks for itself and means work with lines. You can also find the name “linear technology”. It’s a beautifully simplistic style, great for those who want a tattoo but may not want to commit to a larger piece. Line work is typically included within geometric tattoos. Line work is something that been popping up more often. Tattoos can be stuffed with any colors, but black and red are used more often than others. Anything can be suitable as the theme for this style: geometric figures, movie characters, cartoons, etc. Tattooed lines have a long history, albeit not as extensive. In 1991, a 5,000 years old man’s frozen body was discovered on a mountain between Austria and Italy. In “The Tattoo History Source Book,” it has explained that his body — including knees, abdomen, and ankle — was adorned with lines, with the suggestion that they were applied for therapeutic reasons. Improving upon these primitive forms of expressions are printmaking, such as etchings and engravings, which use lines to give images depth and form. Through countless tiny marks, detailed pictures are composed.
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B1 Artist Name Kaiju Instagram @kaiju_ink Location Vancouver Contact kaijurapture@gmail.com Studio Chronic Ink Kaiju graduated from shoe making and clothing design, and he also devoted himself to conceptual art and painting. It is also the initiative of Circle.
LIN E WORK
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B2 Artist Name Marcia Instagram @marcia.tattoo Location Hong Kong Contact m.facebook.com/Marcia1928 Love flowers, plants, myths, romantic feelings, delicate and sensual theme. Black and white sting works without color.
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B3 Artist Name Buoy Instagram @buoytattooer Location Seoul Contact open.kakao.com Buoy graduated fromSeoul Hongik University, and she also posting her drawing on the internet.
LIN E WORK
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B4 Artist Name Dahh Instagram @ahh_tattoo Location Seoul Lines and few color, drawing abstract mountain, flower and others.
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Water Color Tattoo Style
WATER COLOR
Traditional tattoos are typically characterized by thick, black lines, solid blocks of color, and straight forward shading. Though tried and true, this approach to body art is not the only one! Recently, watercolor tattoos have taken the body inking world by storm with their ethereal style, fluid forms, and vivid hues. In this collection of unique watercolor tattoos, we explore the diversity and artistic value of this painterly practice. Unlike more traditional tattoos—not to mention the diluted yet adorable designs of your art class youth—watercolor tattoos often possess a dreamy, unlined effect, and can be described as a “beautiful mess” by some artists, as they tend to be free of any solid black outlines and have a refreshingly imperfect vibe to them. Whether you’re considering adding one to your collection, or happen to be on the hunt for some fresh inspiration for your first, consider this an ethereal departure from the designs we’ve all become so accustomed to. Plus, it’s an ink style that surely won’t go unnoticed. In other words, if you do shoot for a watercolor tattoo, expect compliments galore. Featuring some of our favorite ink artists as well as numerous new discoveries, the colorful compilation of tattoos showcases some of the best watercolor-inspired body art. Whether softly stippled,
delicately blotted, or energetically evocative of paint splatters, the tattoos present the different ways that artists employ the watercolor tattoos medium as their muse.
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C1 Artist Name Wonseok Instagram @tattooist_wonseok Location Seoul Contact KakaoTalkďźšcoi1120 Wonseok actually not only doing woter color tattoo stlye but some black works with the water color skills.
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C2 Artist Name Chuanzi Instagram @cccc.ink Location Chengdu, China Contact Wechat: appleandcinnamon Chuanzi’ delicate, nature-themed designs are highly similar with the water color effect on the paper, but only this time is on skin.
WATER COLOR
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C3 Artist Name Ondrash Instagram @ondrashtattoo Location Prague Contact ondrash.com zkruhu.cz (charity project) A versatile artist and a prominent Czech tattoo, whose works have an easily recognizable watercolor style in the world. He graduated from shoemaking and clothing design, and he also devoted himself to conceptual art and painting. It is also the initiative of Circle, a charity tattoo happening.
WATER COLOR
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C4 Artist Name Aleksandra Katsan Instagram @aleksandrakatsan Location Kiev, Ukraine Studio Tattooed Paradise “Keep calm and color your life!� Aleksandra Katson is famouse because her water color fox. Instead of the general water color style, her works shows a power, by using the vivid color and some high contrast black drops.
WATER COLOR
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Chinese Traditional Tattoo Style
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Chinese tattoos have become a raging phenomenon among tattoo enthusiasts of the western world. Chinese tattoos offer beautiful characters with a sense of the exotic and often much deeper meaning than that which lies on the surface. The art of tattooing has been known in China for thousands of years. Tattooing in China is called Ci Shen (Or Wen Shen), a term that means literally “puncture the body.� Although the art has been known in China for ages, it has for the most part been an uncommon practice. Throughout Chinese history tattooing has been seen as a defamation of the body, something undesirable. Water Margin, one of the four classical novels of Chinese literature, does reference tattooing. Water Margin tells the stories of bandits of Mount Liang area of China during the early 12th century. The novel talks about the 108 companions of the historical bandit Song Jiang. Three of these characters are referenced as having tattoos covering their entire bodies. The Chinese traditional tattoos are usually designed with dragon, phoenix, koi, or flowers with deeper meaning in the Chinese traditional culture.
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D1 Artist Name Danny Chronic Instagram @danny_chronicink Location Toronto, Canada Studio Chronic Ink Tattoos Jason Lau is focus on the Chinese Traditional tattoo styles for decades. He have done lots work like koi, dragon, and other traditional figures.
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D2 Artist Name Li Shangyu Instagram @shark_624 Location Taizhong, Taiwan Studio Ghostskin tattoo Li Shangyu have designed lots of the Chineses character tattoos.
CH IN ESE TRADITIONAL
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D3 Artist Name Qingwu Instagram @yhtattoo_wu Location Shenzhen, China Studio Yunhetattoostudio Qingwu is using the technique of the Chinese traditional tattoo to create new patterns in his works.
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D4 Artist Name Jason Lau Instagram @jasonlau_tattoo Location Toronto, Canada Contact info@chronicinktattoo.com Jason Lau is focus on the Chinese Traditional tattoo styles for decades. He have done lots work like koi, dragon, and other traditional figures.
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Japanese Traditional Tattoo Style
JAPAN ESE TRADITIONAL
Irezumi ( “inserting ink�) are Japanese traditional tattoos. Irezumi is the Japanese word for tattoo, and Japanese tattooing has had its own distinct style created over centuries. Irezumi is done by hand, using wooden handles and metal needles attached via silk thread. This method also requires special ink called Nara ink (zumi). It is a painful and time consuming process, done by a limited number of specialists. The tattoo artist is called a Horishi, and usually has one or more apprentices working for him for a long period of time. They were admired figures of bravery and roguish sex-appeal, which inspired imitation. At the beginning of the Meiji period the Japanese government outlawed tattoos, and Irezumi took on connotations of criminality. Many yakuza and other criminals now avoid tattoos for this very reason. Despite the majority of modern tattooing being done by needle and machine, irezumi is still done traditionally. The ancient tattoo style is still done by specialist tattooists, who might be difficult to find. Unlike western style tattoo artists, the majority of traditional irezumi artists aren’t located in the Tokyo area. It is painful, timeconsuming and expensive: a typical traditional body suit (covering the arms, back, upper legs and chest, but leaving an untattooed space down the center of the body) can take one to five years of
weekly visits to complete and cost in excess of US$30,000. The process is also much more formal than western tattooing. Whereas western tattoo artists tend to do exactly what the customer wants, traditional irezumi artists tend to go back and forth with the customer and discuss what they would like the tattoo to look like as well as reserve the right to refuse service. Rather than electric machines, wooden handles and metal needles attached via silk thread are utilized.
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E1 Artist Name Lupo HoriĹ?kami Instagram @horiokami Location Vicenza, Italy Contact info@mushintattoo.com As an Italian, Lupo has showing the talent of the Japanese Traditional tattoo style but with the modern aesthetic.
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E2 Artist Name Horitomo Instagram @monmoncats Location San Jose, California Contact www.monmoncats.com Monmoncats is crearted bt a japanese tattoo artist. The monmoncates is a world wide famouse tattoo image—tattooed cats.
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E3 Artist Name Nick Amble Instagram @nick.tattoos Location Sydney, Australia Studio Whistler Strret Tattoo Nick Amble’s work is based on the Japanese traditional story: Hyakki Yagyō ”Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” which is an idiom in Japanese folklore. Sometimes an orderly procession, other times a riot, it refers to an uncontrolled horde of countless numbers of supernatural creatures known as oni and yōkai.
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E4 Artist Name Tang Long Instagram @tanglongtattoo Location Jinhua, Zhejiang, China Contact www.tl-tattoo.com Tang Long is the owner of the tanglongtattoo. He is fucuse on a japanese traditional tattoo style which is “Diao He”( 彫鹤) or “Yuan San Ci Fa”.
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New School Tattoo Style
N EW SCHOOL
New school is a tattooing style originating as early as the 1970s and influenced by some features of old school tattooing in the United States. The style is often characterized by the use of heavy outlines, vivid colors, and exaggerated depictions of the subject. New school also represents a transition towards openness in the sharing of techniques in tattooing. New school tattooing incorporates elements from many tattooing traditions including irezumi, old school, and folk art. It is similar to old school tattooing in that they both generally employ heavy outlines. In contrast to the restricted palette in old school, however, new school tattoos frequently use a range of bright colors. New school tattoos are not realistic in that they exaggerate details in the subject; they are sometimes compared to styles seen in cartooning,graffiti art, and themes seen in hip hop culture such as jagged edges and bubble letters. In terms of subject matter, New school tattoos are not restricted to traditional subjects (such as hearts and eagles). They feature fantastical subjects, novel patterns, and generally allow for a great deal of customization. However, old school subjects are commonly done in a new school style as a way of expressing homage or irony. New school is also considered to represent a transition in artists’ attitudes towards sharing information on their work and techniques. The craft of old school tattoos was often protected by artists during the 1970s and 1980s for fear of losing business to competitors. However, this also meant that innovation was stifled in the tattooing community. New school artists were more open with this information and pushing the boundaries of tattooing,and explains why there is some tension between older and newer tattooers; regarding this transition, traditional tattooers remark that “tattooing has lost some of its charm,” whereas newer tattooers consider this openness to be progressive.
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F1 Artist Name Yin Liang Instagram @yztattoo_liang Location Beijing, China Studio YZ Tattoo Studio Yin Liang is very obviousely influenced by the japanese traditional tattoo and the Chinese Tradional. He combined the elements and turn them into New School. He did lots cute tattoos.
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F2 Artist Name Estepa Instagram @estepa_tattoo Location Barcelona Contact estepatattoo@gmail.com Estepa is practice with the New School animals for a long time. Her new school is combine with some realistice style’s shading skills.
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F3 Artist Name Oash Rodriguez Instagram @oash_tattoo Location Barcelona Contact oldboyestudio@gmail.com Oash Rodriguez’s new school is more related with the Manka culture. Lots of his works are the animation character.
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The Body is the New Canvas
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The Body is the New Canvas
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F4 Artist Name Victoria Instagram @victoria_ko Location Moscow Studio kokosstudio_tattoo Victoria’s new school is more like the new traditional old school style. She uses closed shape to do the highlight and part of shading.
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Tattoos have existed for thousands of years. In the past, the majority opinion about tattoos has been negative. However, the stigma of the tattoo is vanishing in Chinese young adults. More and more young people are getting tattoos to express their personality. For a long time, the general public have thought people who had tattoos were lower-class and uneducated, but now the younger generation in China are beginning to accept this form of self expression. However, this phenomenon is just beginning to take hold. Therefore, this thesis is promoting and celebrating the tattoo, and help fostering the nascent tattoo culture in China. Hopefully, the Chinese stereotype of tattoo will change over time.
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About Project
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“ThInk More” Promoting Program Showing images of tattooed people is banned from Chinese television. This limits the general population from seeing everyday people with tattoos, contributing to historical negative stereotypes. Use media, other than television to increase expo-sure to images of people with tattoos, In a positive way.
“The Body is the New Canvas” Tattoo Exhibition Most people do not have exposure to the vast diversity and artistry of current tattoos. Hosting a tattoo art exhibition show casing the diversity of tattoo styles and additional historical information.
“ThInk Together” Online Tattoo Community Community amongst tattoo artists and tattoo fans is limited in China. They are dispersed in many different social media platforms. There is not a good resource for discussions around medical policy, age limitation, conversation with parents regarding tattoos. Building tattoo culture online to promote: community, discussion, engagement, pride, and safety.
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Production / Blurb.com, Printing and Binding Material / Hardcover,Dust Jacket, Cover Standard Color 70# White Uncoated, Text Typeface / Rockwell, Motiva Sans, 金桥老宋 Software / Adobe Creative Cloud School / Academy Of Art University Contact/ Viego Yug Liu +1.415.606.6850 viegoyugeliu@gmail.com
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The Body is the New Canvas