The Tattoo Sourcebook: Over 500 Images for Body Decoration

Riding a wave of popularity these days, tattoos have been around for thousands of years. Evidence exists that in ancient Egypt, women were ritually tattooed, Roman slaves were marked with the words "tax paid," and cultures around the globe from Maori warriors, Tahitian emperors, and Inca elite to criminals, circus folks and the urbane hipster all sport body art in the form of the tattoo.

• Approaching the fascinating world of tattoo art from the perspective of design, The Tattoo Sourcebook offers basic instruction on designing a tattoo and hundreds of images to help you choose one thats right for you.

• This stylish reference includes 500 traditional and modern tattoos from tribal, Asian, Aboriginal ta moko, and intricate Celtic knot work through dragons, mermaids, fairies and fantasy to motifs from the natural world.

• Each chapter offers many ideas on a wide cross-section of themes. The artwork is designed to let you create your own images or trace and enlarge one from the book.

• Along with health and safety tips for getting a tattoo, there is also information for creating designs using body paints and mehndi, for those who want to try out body art before choosing a permanent image.

Andy Sloss is a writer and graphic designer who has been drawing, designing, and studying Celtic and tribal designs for twenty years. He has written several books on tattoo art as well as How to Draw Celtic Knotwork and How to Draw Celtic Key Patterns.

Zaynab Mirza is a professional make-up artist for photographic, fashion, and television purposes, specializing in body decoration designs. She appears regularly on womens programs for TV Asia, Asianet, and Zee TV.