In these modern times when someone sporting facial tattoos walking into your local is no longer a prelude to a mass brawl , it’s nice to know that there still exists some originality in the ‘Popeye goes Pop’ world of getting inked. As someone who has always been fascinated by tattoos (yet far too fickle to ever get something so permanent) I have looked on, it has to be said, with a hefty amount of distain at the Beckham/Winehouse led wave of tatt-a-mania that has taken over the Top Man/Shop masses in recent years. Fortunately Gestalten’s latest tatt-tome ‘Forever The New Tattoo’ has cured me of my elitist snoop cocking and reinforced just how incredible this ancient art-form can really be in the hands of genuinely talented and free-thinking artists. From Duke Riley’s phenomenal American folk styles, to Mike Giant’s rebellious Chicano gangbangers via the refreshingly Rock ‘n’ Roll free-hand work of Fergadelic and the ‘how-the-fuck-did-she-do-that?’ brush strokes and Jackson Pollock styles splashes of Amanda Wachob’s work, there really is something for everyone in this classy book. And if you come away from reading this book not wanting a squirrel smoking a cig on your arm or a giant squid on your stomach (with your belly-button as it’s eye) then frankly you have no soul. I’m totally converted and will be getting a mermaid three-way (four-way if you include the pelican) on my back and ‘TODO’ and ‘NADA’ on my knuckles as soon as pay-day arrives.
Buy a copy before getting your next tattoo HERE
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