The figure of tattooed persons globally is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions. There is not surprisingly no option to precisely tally every body wearing ink and surveys of changeable sizes and veracity have been performed across the world. One proven fact remains - tattoos are becoming markedly fashionable (pun intended).
It could possibly be said that tattooing is undergoing somewhat of a modern-day resurgence. Even 60 years ago the tattoo studio’s chief clientele consisted of sailors, army men and those who have often been categorized as ‘rough individuals’. When talking with Tattoo Temple in Hong Kong - we discovered that the vast majority of the clientele consists of international business executives, CEO’s and experts from all fields. Far from a uniting ‘tattooed’ bond combining the once separate socio-economic classes it seems that a new rift is forming: people that sport tattoo art and people with tattoos.
The differentiation might seem to be a subtle one from out of the industry nevertheless examples of designs from the two sides are astoundingly diverse. Usual patterns are the most commonly considered, searched for and sold tattoo images. These are also known as ‘tattoo flash’. They're the images of cartoon characters, suns, moons, roses, hearts, dragons, flowers and most every discounted picture you might anticipate finding inside a well stocked sticker album. Very similar to going shopping for a T-Shirt, flash tattoos are prefabricated patterns used again and again. The usage of tattoo flash may be readily explained through monetary terms as spur-of-the-moment requests in tandem with the financial means of the tattoo studio’s clientele dictated the requirement for instant, speedy application of designs. One caveat being that there does exist a variety of collective imagery amongst a variety of, often tribal, cultures where tattoo designs are persistently reused. Tattoo flash here clearly does not refer to this expressive and artistically abundant native or ethnic iconography.
The unique tattoo finds its inspiration from mutual, often lengthy collaboration. No longer constrained to the stash set of images found in tattoo flash, the custom tattoo draws its inspiration from every conceivable source. Individuals can contact the artist with either a clear picture of their perfect body art or even a general thought of what elements or style they want incorporated. As soon as the placement, color and design elements have been discussed - the artist will then take some time to make an entirely unique piece for the client. As in the same way that many won't purchase their suit off the rack - the rise of the art tattoo is becoming a lifestyle choice of the discerning.
Tattoo Temple in Hong Kong was the very first studio in the region to introduce custom designed body art. Tattoo Temple’s artworks are tailor made and no design is repeated. Breaking through the stereotype of the flash tattoo mindset, Tattoo Temple has experienced unmatched success. The studio is also home to the International Tattoo Academy (ITA). For inspiration from more classical sources Tattoo Temple has released an artist reference library. The library consists of over 50,000 photos and features a wide range of Western masterpieces. The library is available online.