Great Book of Tattoo Designs: More Than 500 Body Art Designs

I acquired this book with the intent of getting leather crafting ideas for tooling. It has certainly meet that need. As tattoo as very two dimensional in application, it is difficult for this individual to visualize the impact of a 3-D relief. However, the designs offered vary significantly from traditional leather carving patterns. This will provide for some uniquely tooled projects.

Lora S. Irish is a talented artist and this plain book is a nice step-stone for designers and other artists to glean ideas, and not just for tattoos. As a matter of fact, I don't really think the designs in the book are very contemporary as far as body-art designs go today. While not the most complicated set of designs, she shows very well how to increase their complexity and interest. Her line-drawings are supplemented by shaded drawings which illustrate how the design can be embellished and come to life. As a reference or guide, this book is very useful. It is rather thick to be copied or scanned and you will have to either remove the pages or break the back to successfully do either, unless you are hand-copying with transfer paper. I highly recommend it as an addition to your design-source library for pyrography (wood burning), carving, painting, and yes, even for a tattoo.