Mayhem and Muse: Artistic Inspiration and Funny Videos

Catherine South is proud to present Mayhem and Muse, Art-Sci's sister site. Mayhem and Muse offers popular internet media as well as the work of lesser-known artists, performers and creators.

Be Inspired with Mayhem and Muse
Mayhem and Muse offers a wide variety of inspirational posts; videos based on human talent, courage and achievement, and art, illustration and paintings that showcase the work of both famous and emerging artists. On the site, artists and designers can find inspiration for creative projects, and for those who simply need a pick-me-up, Mayhem and Muse offers a humor section that is bound to cheer you up.

Above: The unusual art style of Philip Bosmans, a graffiti artist who has turned to the more traditional style of fine art painting. Visit Mayhem and Muse or more interesting painting styles.

Above: The Exquisite Tattoo Designs of Alex De Pase. De Pase's body art portfolio is made up of amazing tattoo art works that combine fantasy and photorealism.

Watch Videos on Mayhem and Muse

Mayhem and Muse allows internet users to watch videos on the front page. Each video is chosen for the purpose of inspiring, entertaining or simply conveying a different perspective on life. Watch Gene Kelly Tap Dancing on Roller Skates, Extreme Ironing, for Domestic Daredevils and The Evolution of Dance.

 

Above: Walk Off the Earth's cover of Gotye's Somebody that I Used to Know.

Connect with Mayhem and Muse

Mayhem and Muse is updated daily. To receive links to new posts on Mayhem and Muse, you can follow us online, on facebook, twitter and via rss feed.

      

Be inspired

Paintings of Tattoos Reveal Life beneath the Art

Shawn Barber is a tattoo artist at Memoir Tattoos in Los Angeles, California. This American artist has taken the world of body art to a new level, documenting contemporary tattoo culture in his tattoo portraits.


Combining Fine Art and Tattoo Designs
Barber's work is a combination of styles and ideas. He incorporates realistic proportions and colors to convey the humanity of his subject, while creating a feeling of contrast by finishing the painting with loose, flowing brushstrokes and dripping paint. The art of Shawn Barber is a visually delightful mix of control and freedom, detailed realism and expressive abstraction.

Above: By using flesh tones for both the human subject and background of this painting, Barber creates a solid base for the colorful tattoo designs on the body. The artist has used tight lines to create the tattoo designs, and loose, abstract applications of color for non-essential areas such as the background.

Above: This tattoo portrait parodies the famous Asian image of a figure with a thousand arms. The artist has used the lines of the arms to draw the viewer's attention to the tattoo on the woman's back; the centerpiece of this painting.

Above: The dramatic contrast between light and dark areas adds mood to this painting of a tattooed arm. The hand is posed in an expressive manner, adding to the drama of the tattoo portrait. In keeping with his style, Barber has created intricate detail in the focal points of the painting; the tattoo designs and the features of the hand.

Above: A mosaic of tattooed arms. The flesh of the hands stands out against the busy, colorful canvas of tattooed skin. The visual illusion of this painting is created with the semi-interlocking, semi-converging arms. The body parts are not quite separate, and not quite merged.

A Convergence of Study and Experience
The impact of Barber's art studies is apparent in his work, which expresses a combination of several modern art styles. The influence of abstract art, futurism and surrealism are apparent in his tattoo portraits, and evidence of years of art training can be seen in his beautiful portrayal of the human body. His painting has influenced his tattoos just as much as his tattoo designs have influenced his paintings.

Above: Barber's tattoo paintings often include unfinished tattoo artworks. On the left wrist of the subject in this painting we can see the outlines of an incomplete tattoo. The contrast between colorful tattoos and tattoo outlines adds an extra element of interest to the painting.

Above: A tattoo portrait that shows not only the body art of the subject, but his face, which reveals more about his personality and attitude towards life than even his chosen tattoos can.

Above: A distinct example of the contrast between the clear, controlled brushstrokes and loose paintwork that Barber uses to create his distinct style.

 

Above: The viewer is given a sense of animation, as if the model is swinging her legs while posing for the portrait. During the early 20th century, a movement of artists who called themselves the futurists began to paint images of people in various stages of animation. The effect was of a person with many arms and legs, similar to the painting above.

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Incredible Tattoo Designs

The art of tattoos has become increasingly popular over the last two decades, with about 36% of 18-25 year olds sporting at least one tattoo. While many tattoo artists simply use designs from books and portfolios, some tattoo artists go above and beyond, creating distinctive artistic styles that result in incredible tattoo designs.

Amazing Tattoo Designs

The difference between a mediocre tattoo and an incredible tattoo is in the quality of the design and the level of the tattoo artist's skill. Great tattoos have clear lines, smooth shading and correct proportions. When these three design elements are in balance, the result is a pleasing piece of body art. The best tattoo designs don't necessarily need to be photo realistic or filled with color; even a linear tattoo design in black ink can be pleasing to the eye. The composition of the design, the position of the tattoo on the body and the balance of the design elements all contribute to whether a tattoo is a work of art or not.

Above: An incredible photo realistic tattoo of a woman's eye. Italian tattoo artist Alex De Pase uses beautiful shading techniques to achieve the effect of photo realism, and has included flower petals to give the finished tattoo design a surrealist effect. The pink shades of the flower petals can be seen in the pink of the woman's eye shadow. This creates a feeling of balance in the design.

Above: This tattoo artist has inked an owl into the skin in such a way that it looks like an oil painting. The effect is tricky to achieve, as the brushstrokes in the tattoo design have to be created with the vibrating needle of the tattoo gun. The result is a dramatic art work inked into the skin.

Above: This tribal tattoo design uses symmetry and clear outlines to create balance. The design is based on birds' wings and works with the shape of the woman's arms and wrists. Even though the tattoo design is fairly simple, the clear, smooth outlines, near-perfect shading and symmetry make this an amazing tattoo design.

Above: A cute cartoon tattoo that uses clear outlines and contrasting colors to create depth and visual interest. The tattoo artist edited the design to make it appear that the worm to the left of the image is about to eat the guy's nipple.

Tattoo Art as a Symbol of Freedom

Tattoo art has limitations that are not found in many other art forms. The smaller the design, the less detail there can be in the tattoo design, because over time, the ink will spread under the skin, slowly turning the art work into a mess of color. Tattoo designs can be distorted by the shape of a body part, and the movement of the human canvas. So even though tattoos have become a symbol of personal freedom and choice, the art form itself is fairly limited.

Above: A tattoo of this size is incredibly difficult to create, especially on an area made of cartilage, like the ear. The skull tattoo in this woman's ear is an exceptional art work because of the amount of detail achieved at this size. The artist has used white tattoo ink to highlight parts of the skull.

Above: This full back tattoo of the Indian God Ganesh is colorful and attractive. The tattoo design incorporates the busy, almost animated nature of Indian art works while still keeping the subject of the design recognizable.

Above: Another truly amazing tattoo design by Alex de Pase. The tattoo artist has combined photo realism with paisley and other decorative elements, finishing off the art work with splashes of color that are reminiscent of a watercolor painting. This portrait tattoo is reminscent of the sugar skull designs used in Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican celebration known in English as Day of the Dead.

  

Above: This incredible tattoo design uses the shape of the hand in the design, especially in the knuckle area. The effect is a sci-fi styled art work with a fantasy flavor.

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Beautiful Tattoo Designs for Girls

Feminine tattoo designs are made up of images that represent women, such as lace, ribbons, butterflies, flowers and birds. Tattoo designs for women often include intricate detail and delicate colors, design aspects that add to the feminine appeal of the design.


Birds in Feminine Tattoo Designs
Birds represent beauty, freedom and flight. Some birds have cultural significance, whereas others are simply prized for their beauty. Most bird tattoo designs are chosen because the bird in the design has a personal meaning to the person being tattooed.

Above: This colorful tattoo of a peacock is completed with flowers. The artist has based the design on curves, so that the tattoo compliments the shape of the girl's body.

Rose Tattoos for Women

Roses are associated with love, romance and femininity. As Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". The flower petals of roses naturally occur in a variety of female shades; pinks, reds, and oranges. 

Above: The tattoo designer has used symmetry to give a sense of order to this woman's back tattoo. The darker colors and art style give the finished tattoo a gothic feel, which compliments the bows on her thighs.

Lace is for Ladies' Tattoo Designs

For hundreds of years, women have worn lace to accentuate their feminine nature. This delicate clothing decoration is tricky to create in tattoos, because the ink tends to spread under the skin over time, blurring the fine lines of the lace. 

Above: This lace garter tattoo design is a perfect way for women to show off their feminine side. It is both classical and sexy, a combination of the old and the new.

Butterfly Tattoos for Girls

Butterflies boast a mosaic of colors and patterns, and the only limitation a butterfly tattoo design has is the designer's imagination. Butterfly tattoos are often chosen to represent beauty, freedom and lightheartedness. 

Above: This girl has chosen to keep the natural colors and patterns of these butterflies in the tattoo design.

Blossoming Branches Tattoo

The image of the blossoming branch is a symbol of spring, renewal and new beginnings. Tattoo designs of this kind are often based on the cherry blossom tree, honoring the tree's interesting branches and beautiful flowers.

Above: Tattoo designs of blossoming branches have an interesting aesthetic make-up. The colorful flowers on the linear background of branches creates a detailed, feminine silhouette that is hard to mistake, even from afar.

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Flower Tattoo Design Ideas

Flower tattoo designs can be symbolic or purely decorative in nature. Floral tattoos are often a symbol of femininity and are placed on the body in specific areas that compliment and flatter the female form.

As Pretty as a Flower

Flower tattoo designs can be small, simple images, or large, detailed art works. Most flowers are easily recognizable, yet there are a few that are more popular than others, such as roses, lilies and daisies.

Above: This flower tattoo design incorporates birds and butterflies to create a feminine garden on this woman's back.

Above: Abstract flower tattoo designs, such as the one above, mimic the elegant curves of flower petals to create a floral effect. Each petal is placed to draw the eye to the focal point of the design; the center of the flower. In nature, the structure of flowers draws nectar and pollen seeking insects and birds to the center of the flower by having the petals "point" to the center of the blossom.

Above: Cherry blossoms are a popular subject in Japanese art and design. The juxtaposition between the dark, angular branches and the delicate, soft flowers create an attractive image off the balance between opposing elements.

Above: This flower tattoo design uses soft shading for the lotus flowers and crisp, curling lines as a background. 

The Feminine Arts

For centuries, women have sought ways in which to highlight the sensuality of their bodies, turning to cosmetics, clothing and hairstyles to accentuate their femininity. It is only in the last few decades that it has become acceptable for women to have tattoos inked into their skin, and many women have taken advantage of this trend to use their skins as a canvas.

Above: Daisy flowers became a popular symbol for peace during the hippy revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Daisy tattoo designs are fun and elegant, symbolizing peace and innocence.

Above: Roses are one of the most popular flowers used in floral tattoo designs. The rose flower represents passion, sensuality and love and is found in both male and female tattoo designs.

Above: The tattoo artist has used water in this design to compliment the lotus flowers. The contrast between the blue of the waves and the warm colors of the flowers balances the design and makes the flowers stand out.

Above: This Japanese tattoo design boasts a butterfly in a garden of flowers, both of which are symbols of femininity. The blue colors of the butterfly design stand out against the orange shades of the flowers, turning the butterfly into a powerful design element.

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