Flash

Tattoo flash is any tattoo design that is pre-prepared for customers to avoid the need for custom designs, or as a starting point for custom work. Tattoo flash was designed for rapid tattooing and used in "street shops"—tattoo shops that handle a large volume of standardized tattoos for walk-in customers. Pieces of flash are traditionally drawn or printed on paper, and displayed for walk-in customers in binders or on the walls of tattoo shops. In the 21st century they may also be advertised online and on social media. History The term "flash" is derived from the traveling carnival and circus trade in the late 1800s: an attraction needed to be eye-catching to draw in the crowd, and that visual appeal was called flash. Tattoo artists working at those carnivals would hang up their designs in front of their booths to catch people's attention, so they adopted "flash" as a term for this artwork. Traveling tattoo artists developed sketchbooks of designs that were easy to transport and show to potential customers. The development of electric tattoo machines in the 1890s enabled faster and more precise tattooing. More tattoo artists started to work from shops as a full-time profession. To fulfill increased demand for tattoos, especially sailor tattoos, artists bought and sold sets of pre-drawn designs. These "flash" designs were on larger sheets of paper than sketchbook pages, intended to be framed and hung on walls. Many of these designs were relatively simple — with black outlines, limited colors, and limited shading — to enable quick work. Skilled professional tattoo artists sold flash to other artists, who were seeking out quality designs to advertise to potential customers. This process of selling and buying attractive sets of designs helped shape American traditional tattooing into a more consistent genre.