Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo

167 Epilogue 2008
and the emphasis on intense colors that characterize this style
allow for soft transitions in the designs so that the artist can
create tattoos that display photo-realistic precision and simulate
watercolor painting. Other styles have emerged from this style,
such as the largely black and grey “Dark Art” associated with New
York artist Paul Booth and the colorful biomechanical work pioneered
by Guy Aitchison. (For more about these and other artists
and to view examples of their work, see the list of Selected Tattoo
Artist Websites at the back of this book.)
Less obviously influenced by the French School, but still owing
a substantial debt to the increased pallet, is the so-called “New
Skool” of tattooing, pioneered by Grime and other members of the
New Skool Tattoo Collective in California. New Skool tattooing reflects
the traditional Americana aesthetic of heavy, bold outlines
and flat, dense colors but is composed of images that are typically
bizarre, ironic, and uniquely individual (see Irwin, 2001, 2003).
The other major stylistic movements in tattooing follow fairly
loosely in the footsteps of Japanese tattoo masters like Horiyoshi
I, II, and III, Horitoshi, Horihide, and others. Often called “Neo-
Japanese” or “Contemporary Japanese” (or even “American
Japanese”), this style focuses on large-scale work that is more
subtle and precise than traditional Japanese tattooing.
Changes in needle configurations are an important technological
component in Neo-Japanese tattooing and other contemporary
styles. Swiss artist Filip Leu is known for a variety of artistic
innovations, but perhaps his most enduring contribution to tattooing
is his pioneering work with large “magnum” needles. Leu
began experimenting with 25-, 35-, and 45-point magnums in the
early 2000s because he was dissatisfied with the amount of space
he could cover with more traditional 7-, 9-, or 11-point configurations.
Moving to the larger format required fashioning new needle
tubes that could accommodate the substantially larger needle
groups (a 45 magnum is about an inch wide), as well as adjusting
the voltage at which his machines ran. The end result, however,
was revolutionary for tattoo artists working in large scale since it
allowed the artist to complete a full backpiece in as little as 12
hours, with less damage to the skin and substantially less pain
for the client.
While learning to tattoo with the large magnum needles required
a bit of practice, these configurations have made large-