THESIS STATEMENT

THE PRACTICE OF TATTOOS HAS A 5000-YEAR HISTORY influencing the cultures and civilizations of the world including, Egypt, Japan, China, Polynesia, New Zealand, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Africa, India, Thailand, Africa, Ancient Greece, Rome Celts, Incas, and Native Americans. Tattoo stereotypes are associated with sailors, criminality, and circuses. Despite the social sciences growing fascination with tattooing, and the immense popularity of tattoos themselves, the practice has not left much of a historical record. Presenting a brief history of the art and practice of tattoos would be interesting and useful information to provide to people interested in the subculture of tattoos.

Despite taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular in many parts of the world. In contemporary culture, the popularity of tattoos has evolved into televised series, testimonial storybooks, and magazines. The marking of bodies provides an interesting sub culture related to art, social relations, social interaction, and deviance.

Educating people interested in tattoos, and inspiring the next generation of tattoo artists are key concerns in preserving the culture of tattoos. To educate people interested in tattoos, provide information concerning choosing the tattoo artist, choosing the perfect image to tattoo, offer information and history of common styles of tattoos, map the human body to provide information about tattoo placement, provide testimonial stories of tattooed people, and deeply discuss the tattoo process and aftercare instructions. To inspire the next generation of tattoo artists, create an in depth how to tattoo guide including instruction manual for tattoo equipment, provide flash art, and include interviews with tattoo artists. This information can be compiled and organized into a website. Also, because there are 2 general issues, the information can further be separated into two books, one for people interested in tattoos, and another book to inspire the next generation of tattoo artists.

This topic is directly related to my passionate interest in the art of tattoos and relates directly to my experiences as a tattoo artist/graphic design student. Educating myself about different styles of tattoos will further enhance my technique as a tattoo artist, while benefiting my clients. Also, my studies will also make my experiences as a tattoo artist more memorable.