Hardy Marks Publications has published the third volume in its Drawings for Tattoos series, featuring more of the work of San Francisco’s Don Ed Hardy. The focus of this volume is Hardy's "Kiddy Flash" period -- drawings done between 1955 and 1957, when Hardy (at age 10-12) was applying “tattoos” with eyeliner and colored pencils on neighborhood kids. He and his partner Len Jones were featured in a photo article on the "toy tattoo shop" in his local paper, which is included in this book along with pictures of his work. Trips to the Long Beach Pike amusement park inspired them -- primarily from Bert Grimm’s shop, the flashiest of the Pike’s six shops.
Hardy produced hundreds of flash design sheets during this period, before going onto art in other mediums for ten years. He returned to actual tattooing in 1967 after graduating art school, and went on to develop the cultural and artistic potential of the medium, leading the world to its current popularity. This volume of his Kiddy Flash shows the precocious roots of his life-long passion.
Hardy Marks; trade paperback (88 pages, 15.25" x 11.3" x 0.55"); 2018. Book is in new condition; still factory sealed. No reserve price. Buyers in California must pay state sales tax. Buyer pays shipping and handling. (International buyer pays appropriate S&H costs.)