Traditional Beasts Print (A3)

Traditional tattoo designs, also referred to as “Old School”, pioneered by tattoo legend Sailor Jerry (self-named) in Hawaii during WWII, honour the rebel’s rejection to the backwards confines of ordinary society and its mainstream culture. The images and its symbolism paid homage to the origin of traditional Japanese tattoo designs by its use of images of animals and their symbolic characteristics that the tattooed individual desired to embody. 

Sailor Jerry’s designs integrated Eastern and Western design to create a new mode of expression for the rebellious art form of tattooing. His designs symbolised the quest for a unique lifestyle that revolted against the ordinary. Rebels of society proclaimed their out-of-line views by inking refined and bold black outlines with vivid imagery. In Sailor Jerry’s words: “The tattooed barbarians that live and die on the world battlegrounds”. 

Cuss Cult’s designs incorporate the iconic imagery of beasts with refined and bold outlines. The designs proudly stand in their individualism and honour the rebel by subverting the traditional tattoo design by creating prints to “tattoo” your walls. Swear your allegiance to the rebels who came before you and revolt against the mundane.

–Little Hearth