As tattoos slowly enter the mainstream and the fashionable, and the image of tattooed people as criminals and wores becomes outdated, tattoo artists are gaining momentum as people now recognise their work as a serious profession oldschool. The tattoo industry is becoming more competitive, as tattoo artists work hard to outrank all other tattoo artists, in the bid to become well known for their beloved tattoo art.
Tattoo exhibitions around the world are a sought after chance for tattoo artists and tattoo devotees to meet each other and discuss their passion. Art and tattoo exhibitions typically will showcase top work by all the tattoo artists, as well as artwork, flash designs and ready-made tattoo images. They are the perfect scene for tattoo artists to show off their latest ink and achievements to a worldwide audience, and it’s an opportunity even the most famous tattoo artists do not miss. Tattoo artists also get a lot of recognition for their flash design work, which may get picked up and mass-produced for other tattoo artists to use. This year the Sydney tattoo and body art exhibition ran in it’s second year, and it showcased the growing momentum of tattoo artists in Australia.
There is a big difference between tattoo artists who use flash and those who don’t. Tattoo artists who work without flash are generally called custom tattoo artists, and these tattoo artists are debatably a cut above the rest. Tattoo artists who do custom work must have an extremely high drawing ability. Custom tattoo artists are real artists, and these highly skilled tattoo artists often get booked out quicker than others due to the fact that they create, rather than just replicate. All of the famous, world renowned tattoo artists are also custom tattoo artists. The tattoo artists who just use flash, while undeniably needing a large amount of skill and precision to complete a quality tattoo, cannot produce the caliber of art which custom tattoo artists produce daily.
While there’s no question that tattoo artists have more respect than ever, Australia still has a long way to go before our tattoo artists recieve as much recognition as those from countries like the US, UK and Japan. Many tattoo artists from Australia have the talent to make it on a world-class level, and are indeed on par with the level of talent shown by many tattoo artists around the world. It’s hoped that in coming years, Sydney will grow as a hotspot for tattoo lovers and we will gain further acclaim as a premier tattoo destination.