Gallows as we think of them today usually consist of two upright posts and a crossbeam from which a rope with a noose at the end hangs, usually with a trapdoor that will open, or something for the hanged person to stand on that gets pushed or kicked out from under them. But this traditional version of the gallows was not documented until 1760 in England.
Cool gallows and coffin by Devon Rae in Orange County, LAMedieval style gallows by Osang brutal in Seoul, South Korea.Beautifully detailed gallows by Ilja Hummel in Essen, Germany.
Gallows throughout history also refer to crucifixion during the Romans rule, and in the Middle Ages in Paris a square structure with wooden columns from which people would hang in the elements before being dropped into a pit to die.
Gallows over a fire done by Maciek Walczyk at Zaraza Tattoo in Warsa, Poland.Single gallows post by D. Cobb at Gold Irons Tattoo Club in Brighton, UK.
Gallows in their most notable form are meant to break the persons spine, killing them instantly, but often people died by strangulation or even beheading. Until 1832 in England many people were hanged by being drawn up from the platform by a heavy weight, causing death by strangulation which would have been very slow and painful.
Cheeky hanging skeleton by “tippingtattoo” at Township Tattoo.Rectangular gallows by Ewa Lidtke.
Public hangings were very popular and were even treated as good old entertainment for the whole family. In fact, the last public hanging in the United States was only in 1936, with the last public hanging in the United Kingdom taking place in 1868.
Single noose and post by Amber Ida at Seven Tattoo Studio.Gallows and crows on a cloudy day by Levi Polzin at Thunderbird Tattoo in Los Angeles.
As a tattoo, gallows are often done in heavy blackwork, pointillism or dotwork, American traditional, or black and grey. Gallows tattoos are popular with people interested in the more macabre side of life, and many artists who create darker imagery use gallows as a common theme.
Killer back piece with gallows and a badass demon done by Osang in Seoul.
A bodysuit is the ultimate way for a tattoo collector to show their dedication to the craft. A bodysuit is most often done as one cohesive piece, usually in one style. But some people do start getting tattooed without the intention of having a bodysuit, then end up growing into it.
Japanese bodysuit done by Adam Craft at The Tattooed Heart.The late Rick Genest’s bodysuit done by Frank Lewis in Montreal Canada.Hyper realistic suit completed by Matt Jordan at Ship Shape Tattoo.Brilliant black work/tribal bodysuit done by Samuel Christensen.
Japanese is the most well known style for creating bodysuits. Done by one artist, tied together with background work such waves, clouds, and other nature themes.
Back and legs done by Shige at Yellow Blaze in Yokohama.The recognizable line work of Guy Le Tattooer.Black work and geometric bodysuit done by Nissaco in Osaka.Black work/tribal bodysuit done by Tomas Tomas at Seven Doors Tattoo in London.
More recently black work is becoming more popular for full bodysuits. Either heavy black work or smaller pieces.
Heavy black work torso and arm piece. A collaboration between Gerhard Wiesbeck and Little Swastika.Beautiful black and grey bodysuit done by Jason Butcher at immortal ink tattoo studio.Colourful bio mechanical bodysuit done by Paco Dietz in Santa Clara, Ca.Heavy black work done by Valerio Cancellier.
Similarly people get bodysuits of American traditional pieces. Hundreds of small pieces filling up a body to make it look more or less like one huge suit.
Geometric and dotwork done by Cory Ferguson at Good Point Tattoo in Ontario Canada.Arm, Back, and leg done by Julian Siebert at Corpsepainter Tattoo Munich, Germany.Black/geometric bodysuit done by Pierluigi Deliperi.
Black and grey, neo traditional, and realism styles are also being used for bodysuits now, making for eye popping artwork.
Black work torso and shoulders done by Duncan X in the UK.Full body Japanese suit with lots of black done by Koji Ichimaru.American traditional bodysuit done by Rich Hadley in the UK.
The word bodysuit may make you think of really a full body covered in tattoos, but it also refers to torso pieces that lead onto the arms, and/or legs.
Beautiful and heavy black work nature themed bodysuit done by Gakkin.Heavy black Japanese done by Lupo Horiokami Italy at mushin studio.American traditional mostly black work torso and arms done by Rich Hardy in the UK.
Jack is a black work artist working out of Insider Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Peony in the ditch.Back of the neck and across the shoulders in a more Polynesian layout.Two cuffs, leading onto the hand.Heavy black and some dot and linework in this sleeve, featuring mandalas.Lots of flowers!Gorgeous hand and cuff piece.
Jack uses geometric patterns, adding flowers, mandalas, solid bands of black, and sometimes religious icons.
Healed and heavy on the black.Chest piece with laurels.Gorgeous finished Ganesha back piece.Flowers and collar.Matching shoulder peony flowers.Detailed back of the neck piece, all the way up onto the bottom of the head.
Jack has incredible attention to detail, making large pieces filled with incredible line and dotwork.
Ganesha and geometric patterns.Healed full sleeve with sacred geometry.
Jack does do some smaller pieces, but most of them are fairly large. Such as sleeves, backs, half sleeves, and chest pieces.
Beautiful face tattoo.3/4 sleeve with lots of dotwork for the shading.Forearms added to existing pieces leading onto the hands.Mandalas, dots, and lines on the legs, leading onto the feet.
Jack is a must visit artist if you are in Scotland.
Susanne is a tattooer at Redwood Tattoo Studio in Manchester. She does fine linework, dotwork, and blackwork. All of her tattoos use only black ink, but her intricate dotwork make a great contrast to the heavy black.
A girl and her cat, the start and the moon.Victorian octopus lady looking very serious.Fantastic night time land and city scape.Gorgeous Venus piece!Lovely jellyfish in a jar.Three adorable foxes cuddling.A girl and her big dog!
Much of her work features popular characters or places from books, film, and tv.
Eleven from Stranger Things!Severus Snape wearing Neville’s Grandmother’s clothing.The first years heading to Hogwarts!
She draws much inspiration from histories famous painters, and even does their portraits.
Brilliant portrait of Van Gogh with his own sky design as the background.Frida Kahlo as one of her own portraits.Dot and blackwork Picasso vase!Katsushika Hokusai’s wave, one of the most iconic Japanese motifs.
Her whimsical animal portraits are fantastical and heartwarming, such as space narwhales, dogs in space, dinosaurs in clothing, etc.
Sloth bathing in some tasty ramen!Super cool badger rocking out.Pirate kitty!!Narwhale with a cool space theme.Brachiosaurus in some fancy clothes.Very pretty mermaid.A heavily tattooed and bearded merman.
Susanne is a must see artist if you’re in Manchester!
Samuel is a German artist who has been tattooing since 2008. He has tattooed in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Thailand. New Zealand was where he cemented his interest in Maori/Polynesian tattooing, which is what he mainly does now.
Full bodysuit, including hands and feet. Lots of blackwork is incorporated into this Polynesian style suit.A front angle of the same suit.Dotwork style forearm piece.Dotwork/mandala full back piece and 1/4 sleeves.Polynesian neck piece makes for a bold design.Half sleeve including the chest, with traditional Polynesian folklore faces.
Samuel is drawn to the thick bold lines and black work of Polynesian tattoos, and the possibility of creating full bodysuits in this style. Along with Polynesian work, Samuel also does dotwork and blackwork pieces, including lots of mandalas and henna inspired pieces.
Bold hand designs with some blast over work above.Full sleeve, heavy on the black!3/4 sleeve, right up onto the shoulder.Polynesian sleeve with some dotwork mixed in.Full leg sleeve.
Most of Samuel’s work is large, half or full sleeves, back pieces, and even full bodysuits. Though he will do some smaller designs, mainly mandalas.
3/4 sleeve in Polynesian style.Half sleeve with some dotwork up top and into the chest.Full leg sleeve, top fresh bottom healed.Stand alone mandala.Incomplete 3/4 sleeve including the armpit.
Samuel works out of his studio in Ravensburg, Germany.
Intricate finger designs.Mandala dotwork sleeve.Geometric back piece.Mandala sleeve.Beautiful blackwork/dotwork back piece.
Frida Kahlo was a painter born in Mexico in 1907. She mainly painted self portraits, but many were heavily stylized, and some based on current pop culture.
American traditional portrait done by Alix Ge in France.Sketchwork style done by Victor Montaghini.Portrait in a heart done by Amanda Toy in Milan, Italy.
Her art explored questions of gender, identity, class, race, and postcolonialism in Mexican society.
Geometric, dotwork deer piece by Bob Mosquito.Blackwork style done by Sue Jeiven.Neo traditional portrait with roses done by Christophe Bonardi.
Frida’s art has been called surrealist, and magic realist. Her paintings are praised today by feminists for their depictions of the female experience and form.
American traditional portrait done by Dennis Gutierrez in Barcelona.Blackwork/dotwork portrait done by Susanne König.New school skeletal portrait done by Eric Moreno at Birdhouse tattoo in Madrid.
Frida became an artist during recovery after she was injured in an accident when she was eighteen.
American traditional portrait by Esther de Miguel in Berlin.Black and grey portrait done by Wina Brasil.Blackwork geometric, dotwork portrait done by Fredão Oliveira in Brazil.
She became interested in politics in 1927, and joined the Mexican Communist Party where she met her husband. The two divorced in 1939 but did re marry.
Mostly black and grey portrait done by J Swan.Trash polka portrait done by Jessica Damasceno.
Frida traveled Mexico and the United States, and was given a solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1938, which was a massive success. This was quickly followed by another exhibition in Paris the following year.
Frida as a deer done by Kirsten in Wonderland Tattoo in Portland Oregon.Realistic day of the dead sugar skull version of Frida done by Logan Aguilar.
Frida had her first solo exhibition in Mexico in 1953.
Beautiful surrealist portrait done by Mariusz Trubisz.Unfinished realistic portrait done by Megan Massacre.
She died the following year at the age of 47 due to bronchopneumonia.
Skeletal portrait done by Mike Grant.Blackwork portrait done by Paul Aherne.
Though she was relatively well known in certain circles during her lifetime, her work wasn’t appreciated the way it is now until the 1990’s, when her paintings became icons for feminists, Chicanos, and the LGBTQ community.
Bright and colorful portrait done by Sebastian Brade.Colorful geometric piece done by Steph Hanlon.
Spirited Away is Hayao Miyazaki’s most popular film to date. It is an Academy Award winner, and Japan’s highest grossing film of all time. It came out in 2001 and is still one of the most popular Japanese films out there.
Bright neon, neo traditional take on Haku and Chihiro with a smiling No Face underneath. Done by Brando Chiesa in Florence, Italy.Dotwork No face with soot sprites and bath house done by Hugo on Seoul South Korea.Yubaba and heads done by Russell Van Schaick in Orlando Florida.
The film was created without a script. The artwork came first, and it was drawn, directed, and written by Miyazaki himself.
Cute little soot sprites and cherry blossom branch done by Carly Kroll at Seven Tails Tattoo in Melbourne Australia.Three tiny soot sprites done by Jessica Channer at Tattoo People in Toronto Canada.Watercolor Haku by Jess Hannigan at Paper Moon Tattoo Collective.No face with leaves done by Scott M Harrison in Melbourne Australia.
The lead character, Chihiro, was actually based on one of Miyazaki’s friends’ daughters. She was supposed to be a relatable character and as average as possible. This was to show that ordinary people, particularly young women, could be heroes too.
Black and grey portrait of Chihiro with some kanji, done by Kozik in Melbourne.Haku and Chihiro in a geometric background done by Joice Wang at Grit N Glory in New York City.Cute No face with cherry blossoms by Lunie Chan at Coup de Foudre.Dotwork geometric No face done by Violette Chabanon at Bleu Noir in paris France.
A common occurrence in Miyazaki films are the quiet scenes of inaction. These are often some of the most beautiful scenes in his films. In Spirited Away, these scenes include driving, various nature scenes, and characters staring off into the distance.
Another vibrant Haku with cherry blossoms done by Chris Stockings at Legacy Tattoo.No face offering his gold done by Josh Legend who is a traveling tattooer.Sketchwork watercolor Haku done by Marc Durrant at Hidden Los Angeles Tattoo.
Spirited Away has many memorable characters that make for fantastic tattoos. Some of the most popular characters for tattoos are no face, Chihiro, Haku, Yubaba, and the cute little soot sprites!
Another soot sprite hard at work, done by David Le Goon in Melbourne Australia.Start to a sleeve featuring Chihiro, Haku, and the bath house. Done by Josh Crotty in Duluth MN.Whimsical Watercolor Haku done by Josie Sexton.No face with the bath house and sky inside of him, done by Matteo Nangeroni.
These tattoos are often done in blackwork, neo traditional, dotwork, and watercolor.
No face in full rage done by Hori Benny in Osaka Japan.Dotwork No face and soot sprites done by Jules Gordon at Frontier Tattoo Parlour in Cardiff Wales.New school Haku head done by Simon Zook in Santiago Chile.Bright geometric No face done by Simon K Bell at Design 4 life in liverpool England.
Baphomet today is regarded as a Satanic figure, but for a long time Baphomet was actually a word for the prophet Mohammed in Islam, and worshipping a Muslim god or prophet was seen as idolatry. The Knights of Templar were accused of worshipping Baphomet the false idol in Medieval France, and were tortured under King Philip.
Baphomet head by Daniel Baczewski.Brilliant back of the head and neck piece by Róbert A Borbás.Majestic Baphomet head done on the skull by Jason Oz in Denver Colorado.Amazing long bearded Baphomet head by Matthew Murray, Black Veil Tattoo, Salem Massachusetts.
Over the next 500 years, Baphomet changed from Mohammed the prophet, to a hermaphroditic stone figure borrowed from Egypt or the Gnostic Christian Ophites. This was after both scholars and mystics studied the Knights of Templar, writing that the Knights brought back ancient magical knowledge from the middle East and North Africa. The idol in question was called Baphomet in 1818, and were most likely just misidentified artifacts from other cultures and religions.
Fantastic blackwork/linework full bodied Baphomet by Patrick Toussaint in Melbourne.Blackwork goat head by Anka Lavriv at Black Iris Tattoo in New York.Pentagram, goat skull, and flowers by Brooke Ashliegh at Binx Tattoo.Large Black Philip torso piece by Frederico Rabelo in Portugal.
But the final Baphomet that we picture today was created in 1854 by occultist Eliphas Levi for his book “Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie” (“Dogmas and Rituals of High Magic“). Levi describes Baphomet in detail in his book.”The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of hermetism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyn of Khunrath, the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The beast’s head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyn arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences.”
Large goat head on the torso by Alex Tabuns.Full bodied Baphomet in a fantastic blackwork backpiece by Sakari.Bright neo traditional Baphomet head and skulls by Matthew Kaufmann at Drunken Monkey Tattoo in Michigan.Three eyed Baphomet by Rodrigo Lopez.
As a tattoo, people often get the full bodied Baphomet, or a goats head, as goats are often also related to Satanism as well as witchcraft and paganism. Full bodied goats and goat heads are also popular in part thanks to the film The Witch, and the Satanic goat named Black philip. Generally these tattoos are done in blackwork or black and grey but also realism, neo traditional, and American traditional.
Three eyed goat head and quote by Ant Walsh in a neo traditional style.Baphomet head and snake done at forest ink tattoo, South Korea.American traditional take on Baphomet by Vince Genois Panthère at Noire Limoilou, Québec.Huge American traditional stomach Baphomet and dagger by Nestor Gonzalez at Sailor’s grave in Costa Rica.Full bodied Baphomet with a little bit of colour done by Tatiana Esmeralda Marcum Tattooer at Iron Rite.
Stephen McConnell is an artist at Main Street Tattoo Collective in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Neo trad bear with beautiful fall leaves and bright red sun.Dark Kylo Ren portrait.Matching hammerhead shark and great white in American traditional style.
Stephen’s work ranges from black and grey, to realism, watercolor, American traditional, blackwork, geometric, and neo traditional.
Beautiful American traditional shoulder rose.Black and grey skull and mask.Huge black and grey owl with geometric patterns and some dotwork on the sternum.Blackwork creepy shrunken head.Travel themed piece with hot air balloon and luggage!Fantastic portrait!Geometric half sleeve with both black and red, creating a brilliant duality.Painful full torso crane with dotwork halo.American traditional lady head.Creepy Norman Bates with his house.American traditional French Bulldog portrait!Three forearm mandalas.Amazing almost finished realistic lion half sleeve.
Stephen McConnell is a must visit artist in Winnipeg!
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