Where To Find Flash

Where to Find Flash



Those giant posters of possible body art options covering the walls of your local tattoo parlor are collectively referred to as “flash.” The term started out as carnival jargon, where tattooist used to peddle their trade. It originally referred to fancy, expensive looking prizes at the game booths, which were often rigged and impossible to actually win. The word evolved to refer to the flashy show signs. The classic tattoo font descended from the lettering on carnival signs.



The flash you see on the wall of most tattoo shops tends to be pretty generic, and if your tattooist can get it, so can every other shop in town, and probably beyond. It’s a good place to generate some ideas, but don’t think you’re going to get anything truly original right off the wall.



The way flash usually works is:
Your tattooist buys it from a dealer, probably the same place he gets the rest of his supplies. The purchase also gives the shop the rights to reproduce the design on a stencil, so you won’t be wearing around a permanent copyright infringement. There are flash vendors all over the place.



Thanks to the internet, you have access to pretty much all of them. The copyright issue works pretty much the same way. You find a design you want, pay for it, and that gives you the right to have a stencil made and a tattoo applied. Different venders have different rules about reusing a design. The laws are really hard to enforce, but if you and a few friends want to get matching tats, you better read the fine print first just in case. Here are some sites to check out before you head to the chair:



* Tattoojohnny.com - This is one of the most user friendly sites out there. You can search their collection by keyword, color (or lack or), size, artist. They have tons of choices. Just to give you an idea, there are more than 1,500 responses to the keyword search for “butterfly,” and more than 700 for “cross.” That’s barely getting started. Flash sets are sold in sheets, and grouped generally by artist or subject matter. Prices for sets range from about $100 to more than $300 bucks. Not all sets are exactly the same size though. Prices for individual stencils stay pretty close to the $10 range.



* Tattooflash.info - has tons of cool tattoo related links. Featuring work by a handful or artists, they sell flash by the sheet or by the set at greatly varying prices. There’s probably something in every price range. They don’t offer individual designs, but they have links to plenty of site that offer free ones.



* Flash2xs.com - This one offers a catalog, but you have to register for it. They don’t have individual designs. There’s not a huge collection to view on the site, but what they show has a decent variety, and the display is pretty neat. The sets of five or six pages range from $5o to around $180.



* Tattoodles.com - The name is kind of cheesy. They have more than 1,000 thumbnails for you to view, but you look at full sized pictures or even prices without a paid subscription.



* Tattoonow.com - is a little tricky to navigate at first, but once you get off the main page, it gets a lot better. They cater to the individual and print and ship your design usually with in 24 hours. The variety is worth checking out, and prices hover around $15.



Getting permanent body art is a huge decision. It pays to look at as many ideas as possible, though the design you actually go with may not end up being inspired by a picture at all. Don’t go cheap just because you’re low in cash. If you can’t afford exactly what you want, just don’t get inked. You’ll feel stupid later if you do. Remember, the only way to get something no one else has is to go custom.