Caught in the Crossfire

Independent Music Press

I get much of my inspiration from tattoo flash, so I was stoked to have been handed a copy of Tattoo Soup via IMP. Taking the format of a reference book, this no frills compendium covers a range of tattoos from the ridiculous to the truly unique and beautiful.

Compiled by David Hanley and Martin Roach, the images in this book have been handpicked from around the world and cover a broad range of style and meaning. From the traditional Japanese Yakusa aesthetic, photo realism, comic book characters, to the currently popular Sailor Jerry tats, this book covers it all, pulling together images from around the world.

Whilst a brief introduction explains the motivation behind this archive, it doesn’t attempt to justify or glamorise its contents with extensive text. This is purely eye candy and inspiration for ink lovers everywhere. My favourites include the x-ray swallows and full scale horror back pieces. So if you’re interested in getting marked but need some guidance, this book is for you.

Eyefeelsick.