Typographic Tattoos

[tattoolit]

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

[tattoolit]

From Sarah Kane’s play.

Done at LTW ~Barcelona Tattoo.

[fuckyeahtattoos]

This tattoo was inspired after my recent trip to Haiti. It was done by Klaink Tattoo-Studio in Bolton, Ontario, Canada. 

Thanks, Paula! xx

[typographictattoos]

Lower case 'g' from New Century Schoolbook, 3 inches tall, left inside bicep. Next to my heart, because it's for my daughter Gwyneth... I'm a typographer, typesetter and designer so it all kind of fits... It was done here in Bermuda at Triton Tattoo by guest artist Rosana from The Netherlands. Amazing job - I was very precise, very demanding on the quality of the rendering - and I couldn't be happier!

[feetonmydesk]

I was asked what I look like. that better? Well off to work

[typographictattoos]

This is a Latin quote from Vergil's Aeneid, and it roughly translates to "Perhaps one day it will be pleasant to remember even these things." The font is Antique Caslon. Artist is Philip Szlosek at Kings Avenue Tattoo in New York.

[typographictattoos]

My first tattoo, done at Tattoo Paradise in Washington DC 

[typographictattoos]

Cameo/Bukowski chest piece

Artist: David Allen, Chicago IL

Another piece by Allen. Not to mention, a quote from Bukowski, a favorite of mine.

[typographictattoos]

'Family' in elvish

[typographictattoos]

Done at Stingray Body Art in Boston a little over two years ago. Just some comforting words to live by.

[typographictattoos]

What do you mean by “Ghetto cursive"?

Not being a term that I coined, I don't really have a set definition for what it is. When I read it, I interpreted it as crudely done, perhaps misspelled, and likely overused script styles. Below are some examples of what I'm talking about.

I personally am a bit tired of seeing people's names in blackletter across their shoulders and things like "Live Free Die Hard" in script on their chests. There is a fair argument to be made for tattoos like this, and there are many that are very well done. They have their place, but this blog is not it.

[typographictattoos]

Powerful Beyond Measure.

Artist: David Allen, Chicago IL

This guy does some pretty sick black and white work. Clean lines and precision make for the best lettering tattoos.

[typographictattoos]

hey , your an artist so i was wondering if you could draw ( for me ) some tattoo designs about water ( reversed triangle , waves ) and then post it on your blog ; Please . :)

Hey there Anon,

As much as I would like to donate my livelihood to your body art, I'm afraid that this is out of the question. If I were to do such a thing, I fear that it would open the floodgates for many more irrelevant requests.

Now, if you were to contact me again and offer me money for my scrawlings, then perhaps we can talk. But while I have a mere $400 in my bank account, it just seems silly.

Thanks!

-m 

[typographictattoos]

I run a body modification blog (mod-allure, you've probably seen me reblogging some of your posts) and I just want to say that this blog is a jem in the ruff. Well done typographic beyond the stereotypical "ghetto cursive" genre is hard to come by. Thanks for throwing in some variety. Can't wait to see more posts!

Thanks for the kind words! When I started this thing I thought that maybe I was the only one who wanted to see this stuff. "Ghetto cursive" as you call it, seems much too prevalent to me, and it pains me to see the overuse of bad lettering. I am happy to perhaps shake things up a bit, and I plan to keep 'em coming.

[typographictattoos]

Mumford and Sons lyric quote.

[typographictattoos]

I was wondering if you could suggest some good tattoo artists (good for typography) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thanks, love your blog!

My intention when starting this blog was to fill a gap. I'm an artist and a designer, which begets a natural love of typography. In addition to that, I also enjoy the art of good tattooing. However, I do not claim to be an expert in either of these fields.

While I wish that I could point you in the direction of an artist that will do justice for these two art forms, I am woefully out of touch with the tattoo community at large. I'm sure there are magazines and websites you can access that will give you such information, but this blog is merely a place to share. Thanks  :)

[typographictattoos]

I want to get a tattoo of the words 'Stay Strong' on my right wrist, but idk any good fonts. Do you have any suggestions? I love fancy/cute fonts.

I should probably avoid doing things like this so I don't get flooded with requests, but I had some time on my hands and figured why not. These examples are all free fonts that I have personally gathered in my own library. This is by no means an exhaustive list because there are hundreds, nay, THOUSANDS of fonts. This may be a place to start though.