Tattoo Flash Art

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A tattoo flash is a tattoo design printed or drawn on paper or cardboard. It is typically displayed in tattoo parlors to give customers ideas for their own tattoos. Traditionally, tattoo flash was designed and drawn by the individual artist for display in his own shop, or traded and sold among artists. Hand-drawn, local tattoo flash has been replaced by professional "flash artists" who produce prints of flash and sell them at conventions or through the Internet. There is no standard size for tattoo flash, but it is commonly found on 11x14 inch prints. Tattoo flash may or may not come with an outline, also known as a stencil. 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.

Most flash today is found on the Internet, with customers bringing it into their own artist to have tattooed. This method is available from a number of sites. Although this method is becoming commonplace, it can be a form of copyright violation. Artwork found in books, magazines, or on website is the property of the original artist and not in the public domain. In most countries, the original copyright holder can take action against the tattoo artist, or the person who illegally supplied the tattoo flash. For this reason, many of the top tattoo flash sites are now offering legal downloads of individual designs.