New tattoo designs are created all the time. But always inspired by the past. This just released book is a compilation of interesting designs inspired by many different cultural sources. Totems, talismans, free-form, repetitive graphics. In this book, you should find all the resources you need to make your choice. And before you commit you can even check on the ... Read moremeaning associated with the attributes of each tattoo. 112 pages. I found both the Modern Tribal Tattoo and 101 Artistic Relief Patterns to be an inspiring collection of designs, for both within and beyond their intended medium. To be sure, there were a number of patterns particularly in Lora Irish's book that could easily be applied as a decorative element to the ceramic surface, whether brushed or carved! In fact, it would be lovely to see a book that describes the techniques of creating these designs in clay as well! Once more, all of us potters here at the Bamboushay studio were delighted to find fresh ideas for our surface decoration, especially from such an unexpected resource as tattoo and wood carving designs. We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and would certainly be happy to share in the same way should have any further inquiries into the world of clay! Nationally known artist Lora S. Irish is the author of a new book, Modern Tribal Tattoo Designs (Fox Chapel Publishing, $14.95, U.S. , paperback). The book offers readers a collection of neo-tribal designs that shows many of the qualities that artists look for in their designs, such as love, strength, and loyalty. Irish includes a variety of tattoo types, from fine-line henna designs and moifs, to free form and large black designs. Designs for the back, armbands, shoulders and chest, as well as elements that can be combined to create your own unique tattoo are also included. Readers can even get instructions and graph paper needed to make a tribal design from the book. This book is perfect for the tattoo aficionado, artist or anyone looking to make a statement. Abatement to the popularity of tribal is nowhere to be seen and no doubt many tattooists are always seeking pastures new when it comes to inspiration. Step forward "Modern Tribal Tattoo Designs", a compact publication that explores everything from blackwork to freeform and neotribal, with well in excess of one hundred pages of content provided. Lora Irish has gone to some painstaking trouble in the composition of this book and she manages to step outside the realms of the trite and overdone patterns that are often encountered, resulting in many intricate and interesting motifs. The opening pages provide a truly a excellent tutorial in how to approach the creation of custom designs and this would have been a great theme to continue further into the book, especially for any tattooists who are not too au fait with the composition and form of tribal and desire something more original to work with. Overall this is a great tool and you'll be hard pressed to find another reference source as cheap and varied as this one. Show Less