For anyone who’s ever been tempted to get a tattoo but too afraid to take the plunge, this year in fashion is a welcomed relief, as tattoo art (called “flash art”) has become a popular and available jewelry and apparel staple. So now there’s only a single hurdle left: sifting through the myriad of options to find those few pieces or elements that bring together a style with the exact correct amount of edge for our personal preferences.
First thing’s first in this situation: decide what style of tattoo art you enjoy the most. Some popular styles that are easy to categorize include retro, bohemian, punk, and urban, but any style will do as long as the elements of that style are able to be boiled down to a few key shapes and motifs.
Retro style tattoo art, for example includes such components as anchors, roses, sparrows, daggers, and beautifully drawn barmaids and geisha girls, all items that can easily be worked into jewelry and accessories for a retro flash art feel without the sting of colorful ink.
Bohemian genre tattooing generally incorporates elements of nature or nature worship, like pentacles, fairies, sunshine, and butterflies. It’s a lighter side of tattoo art that revels in the mystical and amazing, so small doses of color and metals like sterling and pewter are welcomed in this style of jewels, along with the elements represented.
Punk tattoos incorporate stylized pieces of music and skate culture, among others, and include things like nautical stars, skulls, playing card symbols, and prints like leopard print or checks. Both the prints and the traditional simple designs and parts are easy to obtain in the way of accessories, whether used sparingly or full throttle.
And urban tattouage includes items like stylized lettering or graffiti, simple shapes like paw prints, religious figures and artifacts, and mythical beasts such as dragons. Many of these pieces have an underlying symbolism attached to the urban culture, whether it be representative of faith, celebrity, or power (as in the case of a vicious or legendary animal.) Picking and choosing the portions of this style that most speak to you on a personal level is the best way to meld it into your wardrobe without it appearing too flashy or lacking in substance.
For those with a blank canvas, or even a full scale work in progress, it’s always fun and exciting to throw a few flash art elements into the mix. Afterall, when it comes to all things tattoo, as they say, “you can never stop at one.”
