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Geek Ink: The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists, and Intellectuals
Exhibiting cutting-edge designs from the most sought-after and acclaimed contemporary tattoo artists worldwide, Geek Ink presents magnificent ideas for tattoos on themes from science fiction and fantasy, as well as a wide range of topics across science, mathematics, literature, and philosophy.
With commentary from creators of the Inkstinct project--which connects people with the finest tattoo art from 380,000 studios worldwide and has an Instagram fan base of more than 1 million--as well as interviews with world-renowned masters like Eva Krbdk (460K followers), David Cote (232K followers), and Thomas Eckeard (169K followers), this is the definitive tattoo inspiration sourcebook for hipsters, bookworms, scientists, academics, engineers, and, of course, geeks!
With commentary from creators of the Inkstinct project--which connects people with the finest tattoo art from 380,000 studios worldwide and has an Instagram fan base of more than 1 million--as well as interviews with world-renowned masters like Eva Krbdk (460K followers), David Cote (232K followers), and Thomas Eckeard (169K followers), this is the definitive tattoo inspiration sourcebook for hipsters, bookworms, scientists, academics, engineers, and, of course, geeks!
- GenresNonfictionArtArt History
224 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 20, 2018
Geek Ink is a collection of photographs of tattoos, with designs that range from the science-inspired all the way to artwork based on Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and other “geeky” movies and television shows. This book is divided into two distinct parts. The first part briefly acquaints the reader with 25 fairly eminent tattoo artists, and presents quite a few pictures of their work. The second part is a general photo gallery, which is organized by subject matter.
While many of the tattoos are genuinely incredible, and the picture quality and overall presentation is outstanding, the book unfortunately contains a rather inexcusable amount of filler. For example, the artist section features a woman named PisSaro who “specializes in delicate floral tattoos.” Every single example of her work is exclusively to do with flowers. While these are undeniably gorgeous creations, floral tattoos are simply not geeky. In fact, they are arguably about as mainstream as you can get, tattoo-wise.
Furthermore, the gallery section shamelessly indulges itself in both floral and animal tattoos. These types of tattoos are not specific to geek culture by any stretch of the imagination, and, as such, they really have no business being here. What’s worse, they comprise a by no means insignificant portion of the book: the entire thing is 224 pages long, and the animal section takes up 24 pages, while the “botany” section comes in at 16. Thus 40 of the 224 pages are essentially irrelevant to the main topic at hand. (Meanwhile, literature-based tats are only allotted 2 measly pages! That’s just plain heresy. The editors truly need to sort out their priorities.)
.
At any rate, other than all of the godawful, blatant padding, by and large I enjoyed this collection. Many of the pictures are stunning. The astronomy section, for instance, is absolutely brilliant. I’m including a few of the more interesting specimens below:
“Solar System” by Bicem Sinik:
“Astronaut Touching the Stars” (and apparently also himself! It’s an amazing tattoo, but good god, that hand placement kills me) by Emrah Ozhan:
Mathilda, inspired by Léon: The Professional:
(I’m not exactly sure what The Professional has to do with being a geek or an intellectual…unless it’s now considered a “cult classic.” Still, it seems like a bit of a stretch to me. However, regardless of whether it actually qualifies as nerdy or not, you’ve gotta admit it’s pretty badass.)
Some impressive work by Lustandconsume aka Phil Tworavens, my personal favorite of the featured artists. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravity (left), and Schrödinger’s Equation (right):
While many of the tattoos are genuinely incredible, and the picture quality and overall presentation is outstanding, the book unfortunately contains a rather inexcusable amount of filler. For example, the artist section features a woman named PisSaro who “specializes in delicate floral tattoos.” Every single example of her work is exclusively to do with flowers. While these are undeniably gorgeous creations, floral tattoos are simply not geeky. In fact, they are arguably about as mainstream as you can get, tattoo-wise.
Furthermore, the gallery section shamelessly indulges itself in both floral and animal tattoos. These types of tattoos are not specific to geek culture by any stretch of the imagination, and, as such, they really have no business being here. What’s worse, they comprise a by no means insignificant portion of the book: the entire thing is 224 pages long, and the animal section takes up 24 pages, while the “botany” section comes in at 16. Thus 40 of the 224 pages are essentially irrelevant to the main topic at hand. (Meanwhile, literature-based tats are only allotted 2 measly pages! That’s just plain heresy. The editors truly need to sort out their priorities.)
.
At any rate, other than all of the godawful, blatant padding, by and large I enjoyed this collection. Many of the pictures are stunning. The astronomy section, for instance, is absolutely brilliant. I’m including a few of the more interesting specimens below:
“Solar System” by Bicem Sinik:
“Astronaut Touching the Stars” (and apparently also himself! It’s an amazing tattoo, but good god, that hand placement kills me) by Emrah Ozhan:
Mathilda, inspired by Léon: The Professional:
(I’m not exactly sure what The Professional has to do with being a geek or an intellectual…unless it’s now considered a “cult classic.” Still, it seems like a bit of a stretch to me. However, regardless of whether it actually qualifies as nerdy or not, you’ve gotta admit it’s pretty badass.)
Some impressive work by Lustandconsume aka Phil Tworavens, my personal favorite of the featured artists. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravity (left), and Schrödinger’s Equation (right):
September 2, 2020
Geek Ink is a fairly representative book of "geek" culture tattoos with brief biographies of some of the tattoo artists.
I have to say though, there were far more Star Wars ideas in here than Star Trek. In that particular showdown, the Trekkies were not representing. I know there are major fans of the Star Trek franchise out there... where are you guys?! Not getting tattoos, I guess.
I was also disappointed in their collection of literary tattoos. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Little Prince were there, of course. There were a few science fiction themes. But nothing from other beloved classics like Where the Wild Things Are, or poetry, or various mythologies beyond a few generic-looking fairy tale castles.
Are book readers not into tattoos? This one is. :) I was particularly drawn to the hyper-realistic tats of plants and animals.
Recommended for people looking for tattoo ideas or who appreciate gorgeous body art. Despite my quibbles, this is a beautiful book created by incredibly talented artists, and which would look great on your coffee table.
I have to say though, there were far more Star Wars ideas in here than Star Trek. In that particular showdown, the Trekkies were not representing. I know there are major fans of the Star Trek franchise out there... where are you guys?! Not getting tattoos, I guess.
I was also disappointed in their collection of literary tattoos. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Little Prince were there, of course. There were a few science fiction themes. But nothing from other beloved classics like Where the Wild Things Are, or poetry, or various mythologies beyond a few generic-looking fairy tale castles.
Are book readers not into tattoos? This one is. :) I was particularly drawn to the hyper-realistic tats of plants and animals.
Recommended for people looking for tattoo ideas or who appreciate gorgeous body art. Despite my quibbles, this is a beautiful book created by incredibly talented artists, and which would look great on your coffee table.
January 26, 2021
Ah, this book is gorgeous. I love everything about it.
My single complaint is that I wanted MORE.
I liked that there was info on the artists, and while I wished there was more variety in the topics (lots of Star Wars and HP, not a huge amount of anything else particularly geeky) I really enjoyed just appreciating the details.
Some very clever work by some very talented artists. I did go through and look them all up on Instagram and sadly it seems some of the info in this book is outdated, but I still found most!
I'll definitely keep this one somewhere handy so I can look at it all the time. It's already given me inspiration for more tattoos! <3
My single complaint is that I wanted MORE.
I liked that there was info on the artists, and while I wished there was more variety in the topics (lots of Star Wars and HP, not a huge amount of anything else particularly geeky) I really enjoyed just appreciating the details.
Some very clever work by some very talented artists. I did go through and look them all up on Instagram and sadly it seems some of the info in this book is outdated, but I still found most!
I'll definitely keep this one somewhere handy so I can look at it all the time. It's already given me inspiration for more tattoos! <3
March 11, 2018
“May the ink be with you…”
Tattoos have always fascinated me. I used to watch every episode of Miami Ink, amazed by their skills. I particularly liked Chris Garver’s and Kat Von D’ stunning portraits. I also follow few others on Facebook - their creations are always a pleasure to contemplate.
This album includes well renowned artists, some of which I knew, others new to me. They were chosen for their unique tattooing style and thinking-out-of-the-box works. They are part of Inkstinct, first project to create and offer a comprehensive database with more than 380,000 studios and individual artists, forming an extensive network.
The book presents a minibiography and portfolio of 25 featured artists, what inspired them and what’s their particular signature as well as a gallery with a few hundred tattoo artworks of the above-mentioned artists and others.
I particularly admired the geometric and abstract style of Emrah Ozhan (Turkey/USA), Adrian Bascur’s (Chile) watercolour technique, Balazs Bercsenyi’s (Hungary/USA) minimalist lines, intricate geometry and illusion pieces, David Cote’s (Canada) neo-traditional and psychedelic tattooing style, Mo Ganji’s (Iran/Germany) tattoos inked from a single line, Little Andy’s (UK) colored pieces resembling Andy Warhol’ style, Pissaro’s (Crimea) botanical tattoos, Eva Krdbk’s (Turkey) and Andrea Morales’s (Spain) microrealism, with cameo like tattoos.
Most of them are absolutely gorgeous and I can’t help myself showing you a few. (I hope the publisher won’t be upset by this, because this album is an ARC and these pieces may appear or not in the final version).
“The Death Star, Euler’s Identity and the Golden Spiral” intertwined in a single tattoo by Emrah Ozhan
“Made you look” by Balazs Bercsenyi – hypnotic one
David Cote’s “The Cantina Scene: A Tribute to Princess Leia”
“Frida Kahlo” by Mo Ganji
Andrea Morales’ “Hogwarts Castle” cameo
Aren’t they stunning?
Bottom line, even if you are a fan of tattoos or not, you’ll be enchanted by these creations. Great artwork!
>>> ARC received thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Race Point Publishing via NetGalley <<<
Tattoos have always fascinated me. I used to watch every episode of Miami Ink, amazed by their skills. I particularly liked Chris Garver’s and Kat Von D’ stunning portraits. I also follow few others on Facebook - their creations are always a pleasure to contemplate.
This album includes well renowned artists, some of which I knew, others new to me. They were chosen for their unique tattooing style and thinking-out-of-the-box works. They are part of Inkstinct, first project to create and offer a comprehensive database with more than 380,000 studios and individual artists, forming an extensive network.
The book presents a minibiography and portfolio of 25 featured artists, what inspired them and what’s their particular signature as well as a gallery with a few hundred tattoo artworks of the above-mentioned artists and others.
I particularly admired the geometric and abstract style of Emrah Ozhan (Turkey/USA), Adrian Bascur’s (Chile) watercolour technique, Balazs Bercsenyi’s (Hungary/USA) minimalist lines, intricate geometry and illusion pieces, David Cote’s (Canada) neo-traditional and psychedelic tattooing style, Mo Ganji’s (Iran/Germany) tattoos inked from a single line, Little Andy’s (UK) colored pieces resembling Andy Warhol’ style, Pissaro’s (Crimea) botanical tattoos, Eva Krdbk’s (Turkey) and Andrea Morales’s (Spain) microrealism, with cameo like tattoos.
Most of them are absolutely gorgeous and I can’t help myself showing you a few. (I hope the publisher won’t be upset by this, because this album is an ARC and these pieces may appear or not in the final version).
“The Death Star, Euler’s Identity and the Golden Spiral” intertwined in a single tattoo by Emrah Ozhan
“Made you look” by Balazs Bercsenyi – hypnotic one
David Cote’s “The Cantina Scene: A Tribute to Princess Leia”
“Frida Kahlo” by Mo Ganji
Andrea Morales’ “Hogwarts Castle” cameo
Aren’t they stunning?
Bottom line, even if you are a fan of tattoos or not, you’ll be enchanted by these creations. Great artwork!
>>> ARC received thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Race Point Publishing via NetGalley <<<
August 23, 2020
My first tattoo was a prize from a cereal box. I’ve been fascinated by tattoos ever since. The main reason I don’t actually have one is because I change my mind so frequently about the designs that I love. I do have a pretty extensive collection of temporary tattoos though, so I get to change my mind and designs every week.
I love the idea of this book. The first part features the work of twenty-five tattoo artists from around the world. The second part showcases tattoos grouped by theme. They’re advertised as geeky tattoos so this should have been the tattoo book of my dreams.
There were some amazing designs and some extraordinarily talented artists in this book but a good portion of them weren’t anything close to what I’d call geeky. There were plenty of Star Wars and Harry Potter tattoos and others from well known movies and TV series, along with some maths and science designs. I really liked the gorgeous flowers and realistic animals but they didn’t seem to belong in this book.
A short bio of each featured artist is accompanied by their Instagram name and links to their portfolio and website (where available), along with a selection of their work. Although I liked at least one example from each artist, the artist whose work I enjoyed the most was David Cote from Canada.
My favourite designs in the second part of the book were:
Inverted Mandalas by Matteo Nangeroni
Beetlejuice by Little Andy
Darth Vader by Felipe Kross
My favourite design that I don’t consider geeky was:
Swallow in Flight by Diana Severinenko
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Race Point Publishing, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
I love the idea of this book. The first part features the work of twenty-five tattoo artists from around the world. The second part showcases tattoos grouped by theme. They’re advertised as geeky tattoos so this should have been the tattoo book of my dreams.
There were some amazing designs and some extraordinarily talented artists in this book but a good portion of them weren’t anything close to what I’d call geeky. There were plenty of Star Wars and Harry Potter tattoos and others from well known movies and TV series, along with some maths and science designs. I really liked the gorgeous flowers and realistic animals but they didn’t seem to belong in this book.
A short bio of each featured artist is accompanied by their Instagram name and links to their portfolio and website (where available), along with a selection of their work. Although I liked at least one example from each artist, the artist whose work I enjoyed the most was David Cote from Canada.
My favourite designs in the second part of the book were:
Inverted Mandalas by Matteo Nangeroni
Beetlejuice by Little Andy
Darth Vader by Felipe Kross
My favourite design that I don’t consider geeky was:
Swallow in Flight by Diana Severinenko
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Race Point Publishing, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
June 21, 2018
I love tattoos and while I only have one, I've been considering the acquisition of another for quite a while. I'd love to celebrate my love of literature in the form of a tattoo, but can never settle on a quote or image I love enough to have inked on my body. So it was with high hopes that I picked up a copy of Geek Ink by the creators of Inkstinct.
As the title suggests, it's full of The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists and Intellectuals, so I thought it'd be right up my alley and full of tattoos to fall in love with.
The artist bios in the front were fantastic, although the repeating design on the lead page was a little frustrating given the visual nature of the book and the quality of the artwork and photographs inside.
In my opinion, there wasn't anywhere near enough variety in the style and genre of gallery tattoos. Having said that, if you were looking for a Star Wars or Harry Potter inspired tattoo, you'd be overwhelmed with choices, with a total of 23 Star Wars tattoos and 14 Harry Potter tattoos featured throughout the book.
The primary reason for disappointment though was the complete lack of a section for quotes or script tattoos. There was a Literature chapter that contained only 6 tattoos and there was only one quote tattoo in the entire book. And you guessed it, it was a quote from Star Wars.
Geeks, nerds and intellectuals love their quotes, so to include a tonne of botanical and geometric tattoos to the complete exclusion of the written word was a real let down for me. In fact, the Animals chapter included an entire section for Proboscidea (elephant) tattoos that took up the same amount of space in the book as the entire Literature section.
Geek Ink clearly has a wealth of talent all over the world to choose from, but I'd have preferred more variety in the artwork presented in this collection.
* Copy courtesy of Murdoch Books *
As the title suggests, it's full of The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists and Intellectuals, so I thought it'd be right up my alley and full of tattoos to fall in love with.
The artist bios in the front were fantastic, although the repeating design on the lead page was a little frustrating given the visual nature of the book and the quality of the artwork and photographs inside.
In my opinion, there wasn't anywhere near enough variety in the style and genre of gallery tattoos. Having said that, if you were looking for a Star Wars or Harry Potter inspired tattoo, you'd be overwhelmed with choices, with a total of 23 Star Wars tattoos and 14 Harry Potter tattoos featured throughout the book.
The primary reason for disappointment though was the complete lack of a section for quotes or script tattoos. There was a Literature chapter that contained only 6 tattoos and there was only one quote tattoo in the entire book. And you guessed it, it was a quote from Star Wars.
Geeks, nerds and intellectuals love their quotes, so to include a tonne of botanical and geometric tattoos to the complete exclusion of the written word was a real let down for me. In fact, the Animals chapter included an entire section for Proboscidea (elephant) tattoos that took up the same amount of space in the book as the entire Literature section.
Geek Ink clearly has a wealth of talent all over the world to choose from, but I'd have preferred more variety in the artwork presented in this collection.
* Copy courtesy of Murdoch Books *
May 14, 2018
Geek Ink: The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists, and Intellectuals from the Creators of inkstinct offers readers a look at some cutting-edge designs from some of the most sought-after and acclaimed contemporary tattoo artists worldwide. These tattoo ideas feature themes from science fiction and fantasy, as well as a wide range of topics across science, mathematics, literature, and philosophy. It also includes commentary from creators of the Inkstinct project (which connects people with the finest tattoo art from 380,000 studios worldwide and has an Instagram fan base of more than 1 million) and interviews with world-renowned masters like Eva Krbdk (460K followers), David Cote (232K followers), and Thomas Eckeard (169K followers), this is the definitive tattoo inspiration sourcebook for hipsters, bookworms, scientists, academics, engineers, and, of course, geeks!
Geek Ink: The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists, and Intellectuals is a fascinating wish list for me. I have three tattoos, and one that I always wanted but never got. However, I am always looking at ideas for more ink that I will likely never get- because life and raising kids tends to eat up any discretionary funds before I can even consider spending the money on some more ink. I loved the chance to learn more about some of the most talented tattoo artists from all over the world and their styles. I love the art and the discipline that goes into this kind of work. The dedication and love of art is inspiring. As with any art form, some styles are more pleasing to me personally than others, but even the styles that do not speak to me are impressive. I just wish that any of the artists were local, and that I could afford them.
In the gallery portion of the book I loved the variety and artistry that was on display. The collection is organized by theme, making it easy to find the perfect piece of art to lust after. My personal favorites can be found in the animal, fantasy, science fiction, and literature sections. However, there were beautiful and artistic pieces in each section that might inspire readers. I did not find a tattoo to beat out the one that has been on my mind for years now, but folks in need of tattoo inspiration might find something perfect for their own next work of inky art.
Geek Ink: The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists, and Intellectuals is a fascinating wish list for me. I have three tattoos, and one that I always wanted but never got. However, I am always looking at ideas for more ink that I will likely never get- because life and raising kids tends to eat up any discretionary funds before I can even consider spending the money on some more ink. I loved the chance to learn more about some of the most talented tattoo artists from all over the world and their styles. I love the art and the discipline that goes into this kind of work. The dedication and love of art is inspiring. As with any art form, some styles are more pleasing to me personally than others, but even the styles that do not speak to me are impressive. I just wish that any of the artists were local, and that I could afford them.
In the gallery portion of the book I loved the variety and artistry that was on display. The collection is organized by theme, making it easy to find the perfect piece of art to lust after. My personal favorites can be found in the animal, fantasy, science fiction, and literature sections. However, there were beautiful and artistic pieces in each section that might inspire readers. I did not find a tattoo to beat out the one that has been on my mind for years now, but folks in need of tattoo inspiration might find something perfect for their own next work of inky art.
April 7, 2018
A really lovely collection of designs from several talented contemporary tattoo artists, spanning the globe. Most of the designs are "geek" themed - math, science, and nerdy pop culture references abound. The photos are very well reproduced and clearly credited, which is something I have found lacking in a lot of other art books. Definitely a must-read for nerdy tattoo enthusiasts and artists everywhere.
I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2018
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
My biggest warning to anyone looking to read this book is, beware the environment around you while reading. You may find you are muttering to yourself, and certain phrases, such as "Holy shit", "Jesus H Christ", "What the f...", can and do often offend certain persons.
I don't know that I would feel comfortable calling this a collection of geek ink. Though, to be fair, anyone can geek out about anything, it doesn't just have to be books, or pop culture. But I admit I had expectations going in, and some of this art made me cock my head to the side and go, "But that's not...."
All that aside, some of these tattoos are absolutely mind boggling in their perfection. This is essentially a book about a bunch of tattoo artists I need to tattoo me before I die.
Rob Carvalho
Maria Fernandez
Baris Yesilbas
I would share so much more, but a lot of the ink found in this book is hidden from my Google Fu powers. I'm not saying you should buy this book if you want to see more, but......you should buy this book if you want to see more. Because your mind will be blown, guaranteed, at least twice.
My biggest warning to anyone looking to read this book is, beware the environment around you while reading. You may find you are muttering to yourself, and certain phrases, such as "Holy shit", "Jesus H Christ", "What the f...", can and do often offend certain persons.
I don't know that I would feel comfortable calling this a collection of geek ink. Though, to be fair, anyone can geek out about anything, it doesn't just have to be books, or pop culture. But I admit I had expectations going in, and some of this art made me cock my head to the side and go, "But that's not...."
All that aside, some of these tattoos are absolutely mind boggling in their perfection. This is essentially a book about a bunch of tattoo artists I need to tattoo me before I die.
Rob Carvalho
Maria Fernandez
Baris Yesilbas
I would share so much more, but a lot of the ink found in this book is hidden from my Google Fu powers. I'm not saying you should buy this book if you want to see more, but......you should buy this book if you want to see more. Because your mind will be blown, guaranteed, at least twice.
April 6, 2018
Every once in a while I think I should get a tattoo but I can never decide what or where I want so I suppose it'll be another 30 years before I make up my mind. Unless I get a chance to meet any of the artists whose works printed in "Geek Ink" made me go WOOOOOOOOOW.
Sure, not all of the tattoo artists featured in "Geek Ink" made an impression, not everything appealed to me. But a lot of the photographed tattoos made me want to print them and run to the nearest tattoo studio. Luckily, it was too late in the evening... ;)
The artist that impressed me the most was definitely Pissaro. I googled some more of their tattoos and WOW, everything is beyond stunning. But honestly, I'd like to mention (and google) so many more names right now, you have no idea.
Oh, and if you like fandom tattoos, you'll find lots in "Geek Ink" - Son Goku, Wonder Woman, Lord Vader, etc. I'm not a fan but some weren't too bad and Domo-kun was cute.
Sure, not all of the tattoo artists featured in "Geek Ink" made an impression, not everything appealed to me. But a lot of the photographed tattoos made me want to print them and run to the nearest tattoo studio. Luckily, it was too late in the evening... ;)
The artist that impressed me the most was definitely Pissaro. I googled some more of their tattoos and WOW, everything is beyond stunning. But honestly, I'd like to mention (and google) so many more names right now, you have no idea.
Oh, and if you like fandom tattoos, you'll find lots in "Geek Ink" - Son Goku, Wonder Woman, Lord Vader, etc. I'm not a fan but some weren't too bad and Domo-kun was cute.
April 17, 2018
This book is an amazing compendium of artists and their work. I love how it includes the artists' social media handles and websites. This is a treat for the eyes--even my students were drooling over some of the tattoos--that will give readers an excuse to travel the world and get inked.
May 5, 2018
This is a beautiful book, and the artists featured are impressive, but it is a misleading title. There are large sections devoted to flower and animal tattoos, which, while lovely, are not geeky. There is an absolutely amazing artist, Pissarro, who creates stunning floral works that I would cover my body with, but they aren’t geeky.
February 21, 2018
An interesting look at unique tattoos and artists, showcasing a variety of styles (watercolor, black ink, line work, etc.). I was hoping for more variety in subject matter, but there seemed to be a lot of the same things among all the artists (lots of Harry Potter, Star Wars, space, flowers and anime). It would've been cool to zoom out on some of the photos as well, in order to show the placement of the tattoos.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2018
I was really hoping this would inspire me with ideas for the tattoo I want to get. It didn't. While all tattoos in the book are beautiful, they weren't as nerdy as the book claims. And a lot of the designs were very similar to each other even though the were done by different artists.
March 14, 2020
Really amazing photography and artwork. Read this right after reading Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed by Carl Zimmer. That one was more science focused, this has science and nerdy pop cultural tattoos, too. This one is far superior both in the quality of the photography and the skill level of the tattoo artists featured, but the other one had more interesting articles about what the tattoos actually meant to the people who wore them. I got my two tattoos back when I was still religious/spiritual. Probably won't be getting any more, but really enjoyed seeing science based artistic expression.
May 17, 2022
In Geek Ink, Emanuele Pagani has collated some recent nerdy tattoos. The subjects range from Star Wars to Harry Potter to Batman as well as from plants to whales to geometric patterns. I don't really have a good eye for art, but a few general impressions...
Are these really the tattoos of intellectuals? I wonder...
Water color tattoos can be fantastic. I especially liked Adrian Bascur's The Fox and the Little Prince. Water color also seem to work for Pissaro's floral tattoos. (Both can be Googled easily.) After that, so long color.
Black work is no guarantee of quality, but it is often striking and I think it's far less likely to flop than color work. Single line work, geometric designs, and chaotic black work all beat both color and realism, imho.
I recommend against ever trying to have an unmasked face tattooed on you. The risk is too high. Sorry, Wolverine, Superman, Joker, and Wonder Woman. Even Obiwan takes a hit here.
What visual designs are powerful? Star Wars is remarkable for its visual design. TIE fighters, Vader, the Death Star, the Falcon, light sabres, General Grievous... It's amazing how much genius was crammed into these movies. I was surprised by how many people see something powerful in anime designs, but these tattoos often work fine so long as you're happy to have an adolescent cartoon on you. Anime tattoos tend to work better than the Simpsons and Family Guy tattoos, imho. The Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli tattoos are often great, though I find this less surprising. The Harry Potter tattoos are often excellent--Rowling is underappreciated for her ability to describe powerful images, and she has more great representations than Tolkien does in this set, even though I'd always felt that Lord of the Rings nerds are far more devoted than Harry Potter nerds (I love both). Only Star Wars and Miyazaki seem to beat her here for cool designs.
Perennial value anchors seem to beat slogans. In this case, I preferred a tattoo of the Jedi code, juxtaposed against the Sith code, to a short print of "May the Force Be With You." Having said that, I think I'd read a lot into someone who tattooed the Jedi and Sith codes onto their forearms as perennial value anchors. Ryan Holiday often posts pictures of his Stoic virtues tattoos. Are they better simply because they're older? Where are the tattoos of Benjamin Franklin's virtues? I google it and find nothing.
One of my goals this year has been to develop my visual literacy. This task will continue.
Are these really the tattoos of intellectuals? I wonder...
Water color tattoos can be fantastic. I especially liked Adrian Bascur's The Fox and the Little Prince. Water color also seem to work for Pissaro's floral tattoos. (Both can be Googled easily.) After that, so long color.
Black work is no guarantee of quality, but it is often striking and I think it's far less likely to flop than color work. Single line work, geometric designs, and chaotic black work all beat both color and realism, imho.
I recommend against ever trying to have an unmasked face tattooed on you. The risk is too high. Sorry, Wolverine, Superman, Joker, and Wonder Woman. Even Obiwan takes a hit here.
What visual designs are powerful? Star Wars is remarkable for its visual design. TIE fighters, Vader, the Death Star, the Falcon, light sabres, General Grievous... It's amazing how much genius was crammed into these movies. I was surprised by how many people see something powerful in anime designs, but these tattoos often work fine so long as you're happy to have an adolescent cartoon on you. Anime tattoos tend to work better than the Simpsons and Family Guy tattoos, imho. The Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli tattoos are often great, though I find this less surprising. The Harry Potter tattoos are often excellent--Rowling is underappreciated for her ability to describe powerful images, and she has more great representations than Tolkien does in this set, even though I'd always felt that Lord of the Rings nerds are far more devoted than Harry Potter nerds (I love both). Only Star Wars and Miyazaki seem to beat her here for cool designs.
Perennial value anchors seem to beat slogans. In this case, I preferred a tattoo of the Jedi code, juxtaposed against the Sith code, to a short print of "May the Force Be With You." Having said that, I think I'd read a lot into someone who tattooed the Jedi and Sith codes onto their forearms as perennial value anchors. Ryan Holiday often posts pictures of his Stoic virtues tattoos. Are they better simply because they're older? Where are the tattoos of Benjamin Franklin's virtues? I google it and find nothing.
One of my goals this year has been to develop my visual literacy. This task will continue.
March 9, 2023
What initially got me interested in this book was the gallery section but I did read through the entire book, including featured artists. The featured artists was interesting, although the writing style was weak. What really annoyed me was the inclusion of an artist who only did florals. How is that geek or nerd culture? It only gets more disappointing in the gallery section. Why is animals and plants even a section for geek culture? There was a lot missing. Where was Star Trek and Doctor Who? I don’t remember seeing any Dungeons and Dragons or Mario, but I could be wrong. There was an overabundance of Harry Potter and Star Wars but barely any Lord of the Rings. I refuse to believe there was not people getting those things tattooed by the time they made this book.
March 31, 2018
I really enjoy the idea behind this book. I'm a big nerd so I was looking forward to seeing all the tattoos inspired by my favorite books and movies. There were plenty of awesome tattoos inspired by Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars to be found here, but at times the book wandered off topic. Plants have no business in a geek themed book. Overall, it's a good book to look for some inspiration on your own tattoos if you want ones inspired by nerdy topics.
April 13, 2018
If this book doesn't make you want to run out and get under the ink, you're not a tattoo person. The days of "skulls" and "mom" are out, and personal ink is in!
These tattoos are a tribute to fan culture, science, animals, etc. It is a great book full of ideas for you to take and give to your artist to help you create something just as original. The ink addict in me is already marking pages for my next visit!
These tattoos are a tribute to fan culture, science, animals, etc. It is a great book full of ideas for you to take and give to your artist to help you create something just as original. The ink addict in me is already marking pages for my next visit!
November 23, 2018
This book gives you short biographies of some tattoo artists around the world while also showing a wonderful assortment of tattoo's that the artists have completed. Each artist has their own style whether it be geometric shapes or watercolor flowers. This book actually gave me a few ideas on what I would want for a tattoo, especially style-wise. So I would recommend this for anyone that is thinking about getting a tattoo.
February 19, 2020
This is mostly an image gallery- I think I wanted it to be less about the artists (there is a small blurb in a small section about the highlighted artists) and more about the tattoos- maybe even a bit about the history of tattooing, the stories behind the tattoos included in the book, etc. Don't get me wrong, these tattoos are absolutely stunning and these artists are incredibly talented- it just wasn't what I was expecting for a book called Geek Ink.
April 9, 2018
So I have a few books like this including science ink. This book has some great illustrations that give some great ideas if you are looking for a tattoo. Some of the line and colour work is amazing. A great reference/coffee table book.
January 14, 2019
A directory of tattoo artists who have unique techniques and whose subjects revolve around 'geeky' themes. There's some great pictures and possible ideas, it's pretty light on details about the featured artists though and you're left feeling that perhaps this could have been so much more.
March 29, 2023
I read this in ebook form, which is fully not the way to do it, this book is made to be a coffee-table book, it's beautiful and incredible to leaf through!!! It should be there for when visits come over or you just want to entertain yourself!!! Definitely check this out if you like tattoos!!!
April 19, 2018
A fun and beautiful book full of interesting tattoos.
July 1, 2018
Great inspo for the tattoo I've been thinking of getting!
July 2, 2018
This is a beautiful book. The pictures are well-reproduced and the artists are kick-ass. Aside from a few typos here and there, I have no complaints. Now I want all the tattoos.
September 5, 2018
Beautiful works of art and the ones of the Fauno were amazingly done!
November 16, 2018
SO COOL! Really makes me want a tattoo!!!
January 17, 2019
Very interesting tattoo designs! These tattoo artists are very talented!
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