Do you know your flash from your custom? Here’s a few tattoo terms defined by Angelique Houtkamp at Salon Serpent Tattoo in Amsterdam.
TERMINOLOGY
-FLASH is a number of designs, specifically made for tattoo purposes, placed together on a sheet of paper. Usually they are made in a set of multiple sheets. Meant to hang on the walls of tattoo shops, to be picked from by customers and tattooed. (not every painting by a tattoo artist is flash and sometimes even unsuitable, because not specifically made, to use as such)
-ONE-OFFS are drawings pre-made by a tattoo artists that are to be tattooed only once. Usually they are linedrawings to be colored and shaded while tattooed.
-CUSTOM DESIGNS are specifically made for one client, usually by their direction and specifications. To be used on that client only.
*NEVER take designs or tattoos from the internet, or anywhere else, and use them for your own tattoos, or anything else for that matter. They all have copyright. Buying flash though, will give your the right to use these for tattoos.