A tattoo flash is a stereotypical tattoo

Tattoo

A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...

 design printed or drawn on paper

Paper

Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....

 or cardboard, and may be regarded as a species of industrial design

Industrial design

Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...

. It is typically displayed on the walls of tattoo parlors and in binders to give walk-in customers ideas for tattoos. Most traditional tattoo flash was designed for rapid tattooing and used in "street shops", tattoo shops that handle a large volume of generic tattoos.

Flash is either drawn by the individual tattooer for display and use in his own studio, or traded and sold among other tattooers. Hand-drawn, local tattoo flash was largely replaced by professional "flash artists" who produced prints of copyrighted flash and sold them at conventions or through the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

. By the turn of the new century (2000), most tattoo studios have become custom shops with the flash serving as more of a reference for ideas. Most designs are created by the tattoo from an idea brought in by the customer. Once again tattoo flash is being produced by the individual tattooers for display in their own studios and to be traded or sold to other tattoooers. There is no standard size for tattoo flash, but it is commonly found on 11x14 inch prints in North America, and at A3 paper size in Europe. Tattoo flash may or may not come with an outline, also known as a line drawing

Line drawing

Line drawings may mean:*Line art, a style of two-dimensional art featuring only two, unshaded, contrasting colors; or*a line drawing algorithm in computer graphics.See also:...

. This outline is typically printed on a separate sheet. This is convenient for the tattoo artist, who would otherwise have to draw the linework for themselves.

Common symbols and their meanings

Anchor:
Closely identified with sailors, mainly young sailors who would get the tattoo as a rite of passage after their first crossing of the Atlantic.

Bettie Page

Bettie Page

Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...

:
A symbol of beauty and femininity, seen as the "Girl Next Door" hinting at the naughty.

Barbed Wire:
Came out of prison culture and was adopted by Latino culture in Southern California. Often seen as armbands, this form of tattoo was wildly popularized by Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson

Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...

 when she starred in Barb Wire

Barb Wire

Barb Wire was a superhero published by Comics Greatest World, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. A regular series was published for 9 issues between 1994-1995, followed by a mini-series in 1998.-Creators:Regular Series:...

.

Heart:
Classic Flash design that was often used as an expression of romantic love. Became very popular with servicemen in WWII who got them as tokens of their loved ones to remind them what they were fighting for. Variations include stars and hearts, symbol of happiness and favorable opportunities; hands holding a heart, representating parental love; black heart, for grief or mourning.

Dragon:
In China, the dragon represents a supernatural and imperial power that resides in heavenly realms. It is also seen as a deity of rain. The dragon is also said to represent the four elements air, water, earth, and fire.

Koi/Carp Fish:
An important fixture in Chinese and Japanese culture and are present in many stories and legends. In these stories, the Koi is a symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity and strength of character and purpose. The carp can also represent wisdom, knowledge, longevity, and loyalty.

See also

• Body modification
  Body modification
  Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
  
  
• Scarification
  Scarification
  Scarifying involves scratching, etching, burning, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification.In the process of body scarification, scars are formed by cutting or branding the skin...
  
  
• Tattoo Machine