Tattoos fresh from the Void - the allure of the dark

In a recent conversation with a friend of mine, the subject of why my drawings and wanna-dos (i.e. available designs) take such a dark direction came up. Tattoo art and horror - how could that be compatible? What would one want to say with such a macabre, dark or even satanic motif on the skin? Doesn't that call into question the character of the tattoo wearer? Tattoos as such should have a certain beauty and adorn the skin of the tattooed person, not shock the viewer to the core!

Admittedly, compared to earlier drawings and works, my desired motifs have actually changed towards "darker" and horror-like scenes and figures. It is not for nothing that the corresponding style is called "blackwork" or "darkwork". The range of horror is broad - from comic ghosts to diabolical-looking demons, many things can be depicted in a dark style. But yes, the drawings and tattoos have a slightly macabre, sometimes desolate effect in themselves. So what is the motivation behind creating such motifs, or even having them tattooed?

In my opinion - taste. After a lot of experimenting and countless drawings, I've noticed more and more that, as long as I have a relatively free hand in designing the motif, almost every design turns into a more abstract or even morbid version of the motif itself. Not because I don't like the basic motifs, but rather because I feel I want to make the motif even more interesting and lively. Of course, it doesn't make sense to "darken" every motif compulsively and on principle. However, the dark side of a pictorial idea often has its own eye-catching aesthetic. In any case, a snarling demon is likely to be an eye-catcher as a tattoo. Even individual stylistic elements such as wild, abstract splashes of color and brushstrokes in shades of black can make a big impact.

But apart from the aesthetics of the image, the basic idea of the tattoo motif is of course paramount. So what is it that prompts people to have horror scenarios or characters immortalized on their skin? In any case, such motifs are becoming increasingly popular - entire tattoo conventions on an international scale are dedicated to the blackwork category! And our studio also receives enough customer requests in the area of darkwork to be able to claim that it's not just my imagination that moves in this direction. A simple train of thought is of course: negative emotions, such as fears, are expressed here. Certainly, in the field of horror tattoos, playing with fear and the "shock moment" does play a certain role. But it is precisely the play with these that can trigger a certain fascination - anyone who has chosen a horror film as their evening program when going to the cinema probably knows the attraction the screen can have on the eye. "Gripping" is probably an apt word for this. As far as the choice of motif for tattooing is concerned, the motive is certainly far more individual than the simple shocker principle. Of course, confronting and expressing one's own thoughts and feelings is a major factor and reason enough - but the certain appeal of evil, the dark and macabre is also essential for the entire horror sector. The supernatural, inexplicable or "paranormal" in particular is an interesting subject area for interpretation in a pictorial way.

Or more fundamentally, mythology and spirituality: a topic that has preoccupied mankind since its beginnings. Anyone who has ever dealt with such things has probably realized that the worlds of the gods and mythical creatures were not always imagined to be friendly and rainbow-coloured. Dark gods and antagonists have always inhabited the human imagination. A world of gods in tattoos, limited to statues of Poseidon in white marble, could certainly be seen as one-sided - and so the beings and gods of the underworlds also find a place on the skin. Not to mention characters from natural religions and fantasy worlds

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Basically, you could perhaps summarize: Just as a story rarely manages without a dark moment or character without becoming boring, it probably also needs a dark side to the tattoo. To taste, of course.