We Heart Body Mod, Piercing and Art: Fabulous Flash Art

Do you heart flash art as much as we do? For anyone who doesn’t know, “flash art” is the style of art common to tattooing, and the term flash art can refer to actual tattooing, or to tattoo style art created in traditional media like marker or paint. It’s the coming together of the fine arts with the art of body modification, and the result is a little pop, a little rock and roll, and whole lot of awesome.

Some of the most common flash art elements include skulls, stars, hearts, sparrows and songbirds, lucky horseshoes, koi fish, mermaids, roses, anchors, and all types of occidental iconography.

Modern flash art is a mixture of current pop culture with the retro tattoo aesthetic often referred to as “Sailor Jerry,” after the nickname of Norman Keith Collins who originated the style in the 1930s. The Sailor Jerry tattooing style then evolved through Collins’ protégé, Ed Hardy, and saw a massive resurgence in the early 2000s as the modified generation began coming of age.

Whether you’re totally tattooed or baby bare skinned, the fashion of flash art is drool-worthy and heart-worthy in a giant 21st century way. Didn’t get enough of the tattoo art smorgasbord? Then indulge your modification sweet tooth on our awesome Pinterest page.