| Why the rise in popularity? How did they start and | | | | with the purchase of the shop, he also got all of Sailor |
| who are the original tattoo artists that brought these | | | | Jerry's artwork. That artwork, or "flash" can now be |
| bold, bright tattoo designs to us? | | | | seen on tattoo shop walls all across America. |
| If you follow tattooing back to the first part of the | | | | Don Ed Hardy, on the other hand, exploded his |
| century, you will find a few incredibly talented, | | | | popularity and brought Old School Tattoo designs to |
| wonderfully colorful characters. Top among these fine | | | | the main stream by licensing his artwork to Christian |
| characters is "Sailor Jerry". Story goes, Sailor Jerry | | | | Audigier. Ed Hardy Designs was formed and Christian |
| began his career traveling around the country on | | | | Audigier began incorporating the artwork into fashion. |
| freight trains and tattooing the drifters. He joined the | | | | This was the first time tattoo design and tattoo |
| Navy at 19 and sailed the Pacific. If you look at Sailor | | | | artwork has made it to the runways of Paris, New |
| Jerry's artwork, you can see the influence of | | | | York and Italy. Ed Hardy artwork and tattoo design |
| Southeast Asia. Sailor Jerry's images have bold deep | | | | could now be seen on Rock Stars and Celebrities |
| outlines, bold blocks of color, and large, oversized | | | | alike. The Beautiful Old School Tattoo Designs were |
| images. | | | | now part of mainstream culture and highly sought |
| Old School Tattoo Designs include imagery of stars, | | | | after. |
| hearts and daggers. There are anchors, and nautical | | | | Maybe another reason for the rise in popularity of Old |
| themes. What we now would say is "pirate imagery" | | | | School Tattoos is the simple fact that we have a |
| are all found in Old School Tattoos. Beautiful, busty | | | | fascination with "vintage" What's old is new. This |
| pin-up girls, suggestive women, skeletons, and skulls. | | | | happens in fashion all the time. How many times have |
| Hearts with daggers through them and roses with | | | | you heard people say, "I had those gym shoes in 7th |
| massive thorns and ribbons, in bold bright colors with | | | | grade", or "That blouse is in my moms attic". From |
| deep outlining. Everything that we now would consider | | | | brands like Puma, Nike, P.F. Flyers to Levi, there is |
| "vintage" is included in the imagery of Old School | | | | always a vintage look or design just around the corner. |
| Tattoos. They have almost a whimsical and animated | | | | Old School Tattoos are the "vintage" of the tattoo |
| quality. | | | | world. They are also the brightest, most colorful, quirky, |
| Two of Sailor Jerry's students, Ed Hardy and Mike | | | | kitschy and whimsical tattoo designs. If you are looking |
| Malone have been extremely influential in keeping | | | | for a "vintage" look in your tattoo design, beautiful |
| interest in, and reviving the Old School Tattoo Designs. | | | | busty pin-up girls, colorful funky skulls, pierced hearts, |
| Ed Hardy and Mike Malone both use the bold patterns | | | | fat roses with ribbon sayings, check out the Old |
| and the bright colors typical in Old School Tattoos. | | | | School Tattoos. And here is a piece of advice from |
| Images are outlined and you can see the Asian | | | | the infamous Lyle Tuttle: "Don't put anyone's name on |
| influence in the design. | | | | your tattoo. They are not going to be around forever. |
| When Sailor Jerry died, he left instructions that one of | | | | Just put "Sweetheart" and call them ALL |
| his students, Ed Hardy or Mike Malone, could buy his | | | | "Sweetheart"." |
| tattoo shop in Hawaii. Mike Malone took the offer and | | | | Peace always. |