NOTE FROM AUTHOR: This book was written decades ago and based on outdated technology.

Body Art Learner's Guide is a technical manual through the optics of 21st-century tattoo and piercing apprentice. The author distinguishes himself from the ordinary craftsman. The very few tattoos and piercings that are around, are far from perfect, not surprising since he devoted himself more to studying than to draughtsmanship. Thus, he concentrated on writing this rather than on applied work.

Body Art Learner's Guide presents the basics, encouraging you to practice and advance to more sophisticated techniques in person. This includes subdermal implants, scarification, branding, and scalpel work. This book can not teach you how to tattoo or pierce. No book can; it requires hands-on live training.

Body Art Learner's Guide presents the essential elements for anyone who wants to become a body art practitioner. It is not aimed at people who simply want to get body art—though of course the two interests may overlap. I use the phrase “body art” throughout this book to refer to all of the topics covered, as they all involve aesthetic modifications.

This is a synthesis of information gathered over a five-year span of experience in multiple tattoo parlors, piercing studios, and conventions.