A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

How to Build a Boat


As part of our ongoing effort to bring you the absolute best in both knuckle and cephalopod tattoos, here’s some hand-work by Asa Rogers at Art With Heart in Denver, Colorado. It’s common knowledge that I can’t help but find endearing stylistic mishmashes, and this Asian lettering/”Book Worm”/sea-creature battle just plain does it for me. (The brilliant coloring doesn’t hurt.)

And before anyone pipes in with a worry or complaint that they either (1) already have “Book Worm” on their knuckles or (2) were planning on getting it and this just ruins their day…cheer up. If there’s a fine club of which to be a part, I think this would be it. On that note, what’s everybody reading this summer? Let’s hear your recommendations, ModBloggers. Oh, and of course, the other hand of above set is conveniently placed after the jump.

Comments

94 responses to “How to Build a Boat”

  1. micol aka fokerella Avatar

    So painful and so gorgeous!

  2. micol aka fokerella Avatar

    So painful and so gorgeous!

  3. Almaxaquotal Avatar

    I like this a lot more than knuckle text tattoos on their own. Nice work!

    Zombi… get a grip and put things in perspective. Why do you even care if tattooing becomes ‘trendy’? Does it make you feel less special? If so, then maybe you should re-evaluate YOUR motivations for getting tattooed before judging everyone else.

  4. Almaxaquotal Avatar

    I like this a lot more than knuckle text tattoos on their own. Nice work!

    Zombi… get a grip and put things in perspective. Why do you even care if tattooing becomes ‘trendy’? Does it make you feel less special? If so, then maybe you should re-evaluate YOUR motivations for getting tattooed before judging everyone else.

  5. aivi Avatar
    aivi

    I have a list of about a dozen books that I’m planning on reading during the summer, including Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby and the Iliad (by Homer). Oh, and rereading at least the Silmarillion (Tolkien) :p
    And now I might have to add a book by Gaiman (seen his works, heard praise about them, but never read one myself).

    Nice to see some none-traditional knuckle work.

  6. aivi Avatar
    aivi

    I have a list of about a dozen books that I’m planning on reading during the summer, including Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby and the Iliad (by Homer). Oh, and rereading at least the Silmarillion (Tolkien) :p
    And now I might have to add a book by Gaiman (seen his works, heard praise about them, but never read one myself).

    Nice to see some none-traditional knuckle work.

  7. BettyAtlas Avatar

    Pretty. If I were to get a book related tattoo….hmm. It’d probably be some dark landscape from Cormac McCarthy. Or something hilarious from “Geek Love”. Maybe thats because I read them lately and loved both.

  8. BettyAtlas Avatar

    Pretty. If I were to get a book related tattoo….hmm. It’d probably be some dark landscape from Cormac McCarthy. Or something hilarious from “Geek Love”. Maybe thats because I read them lately and loved both.

  9. ampere Avatar
    ampere

    Almaxaquotal….thanks for trying to put words in my mouth….but it doesn’t make me feel less special at all, i love my mods and what they mean to me. I would rather see and talk to people who get modifications because they love the experience and the journey of modifying their body…..not because its ‘trendy’ or ‘cool’.
    so maybe YOU should re-evaluate your motivations for getting your mods

  10. ampere Avatar
    ampere

    Almaxaquotal….thanks for trying to put words in my mouth….but it doesn’t make me feel less special at all, i love my mods and what they mean to me. I would rather see and talk to people who get modifications because they love the experience and the journey of modifying their body…..not because its ‘trendy’ or ‘cool’.
    so maybe YOU should re-evaluate your motivations for getting your mods

  11. Dennis Avatar
    Dennis

    Books I’d like to have done (or started) by the end of summer:

    The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
    On the Shoulders of Giants – Stephen Hawking
    Godel, Escher, Bach – Douglas R. Hofstadter

  12. Dennis Avatar
    Dennis

    Books I’d like to have done (or started) by the end of summer:

    The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
    On the Shoulders of Giants – Stephen Hawking
    Godel, Escher, Bach – Douglas R. Hofstadter

  13. lornen Avatar
    lornen

    Is it just me or does it look like that guy has no knuckles..

  14. lornen Avatar
    lornen

    Is it just me or does it look like that guy has no knuckles..

  15. CoryVictorious Avatar

    zombi – i bring it up because i get that comment a lot. ive got my hands done and my neck done and not so much else. i dont care its where people can see them, its just that i had solid ideas for those places and decided to start there. interestingly, by having my hands done i was able to formulate my ideas for how i wanted my sleeve to look on one side (part of my hand tattoo goes past the wrist onto my arm and now flows into the start of my sleeve).

    Plus, that is some amazingggg work that this person has on their hands so at the very least we should just enjoy that 🙂

  16. CoryVictorious Avatar

    zombi – i bring it up because i get that comment a lot. ive got my hands done and my neck done and not so much else. i dont care its where people can see them, its just that i had solid ideas for those places and decided to start there. interestingly, by having my hands done i was able to formulate my ideas for how i wanted my sleeve to look on one side (part of my hand tattoo goes past the wrist onto my arm and now flows into the start of my sleeve).

    Plus, that is some amazingggg work that this person has on their hands so at the very least we should just enjoy that 🙂

  17. Shaolin Fox Avatar

    #16 – Absolutely; I’ve already started mine. ^__^

    Gorgeous work, and on the hands nonetheless. Perhaps it’s just me, but I love seeing the whole space utilized and this is a fine example.

  18. Shaolin Fox Avatar

    #16 – Absolutely; I’ve already started mine. ^__^

    Gorgeous work, and on the hands nonetheless. Perhaps it’s just me, but I love seeing the whole space utilized and this is a fine example.

  19. Jake Avatar
    Jake

    lol i think it would be fun to see someone with non-tattooed arms but heavily tattooed hands. not sleeves, but GLOVES. lol

  20. Jake Avatar
    Jake

    lol i think it would be fun to see someone with non-tattooed arms but heavily tattooed hands. not sleeves, but GLOVES. lol

  21. joe Avatar
    joe

    I’m a proud member of the NERD PRIDE club, probably gonna read some more china meveille books this summer along with more phalnuik,vonnegut (hoosier pride bitches!), and some more randoms

  22. joe Avatar
    joe

    I’m a proud member of the NERD PRIDE club, probably gonna read some more china meveille books this summer along with more phalnuik,vonnegut (hoosier pride bitches!), and some more randoms

  23. Brittney Avatar
    Brittney

    Alex – UGH I hate myself right now.
    — poor Verne must be rolling in his grave; I totally left my mind when writting that comment, as TWENTY thousand leagues is definitely one of my favorites….

    Definitely an amazing tattoo though – nerds unite!

  24. Brittney Avatar
    Brittney

    Alex – UGH I hate myself right now.
    — poor Verne must be rolling in his grave; I totally left my mind when writting that comment, as TWENTY thousand leagues is definitely one of my favorites….

    Definitely an amazing tattoo though – nerds unite!

  25. amanda Avatar
    amanda

    dennis- I bought the god delusion soo long ago but I still haven’t gotten around to reading it. -_-

  26. amanda Avatar
    amanda

    dennis- I bought the god delusion soo long ago but I still haven’t gotten around to reading it. -_-

  27. Demon Bunny Avatar
    Demon Bunny

    beautiful display of colors

  28. Demon Bunny Avatar
    Demon Bunny

    beautiful display of colors

  29. Miaoudeminou Avatar
    Miaoudeminou

    langoliers?

  30. Miaoudeminou Avatar
    Miaoudeminou

    langoliers?

  31. sarah Avatar
    sarah

    Currently reading Brave New World, as well as Walden, and got about 15,000,000 other books lying around I need to get into it!

  32. sarah Avatar
    sarah

    Currently reading Brave New World, as well as Walden, and got about 15,000,000 other books lying around I need to get into it!

  33. Bear McChan Avatar
    Bear McChan

    Book Worm, and the worms are from Dune. EPIC.

  34. Bear McChan Avatar
    Bear McChan

    Book Worm, and the worms are from Dune. EPIC.

  35. nope Avatar
    nope

    d’oh! i think i’ve restarted dune about nine different times. i always get bored when they end up in the desert… which really isn’t that far into the book. fear is the mindkiller, indeed. 50 pages discussing the importance of reclaiming one’s sweat so they don’t dehydrate is the mindkiller.

    other than my prejudices towards dune (and my family very nearly disowned me over it), i like the tattoos.

    and i also thought his hands looked rather knuckless, but i think part of it might be the intense coloring makes them look a little flatter…

  36. nope Avatar
    nope

    d’oh! i think i’ve restarted dune about nine different times. i always get bored when they end up in the desert… which really isn’t that far into the book. fear is the mindkiller, indeed. 50 pages discussing the importance of reclaiming one’s sweat so they don’t dehydrate is the mindkiller.

    other than my prejudices towards dune (and my family very nearly disowned me over it), i like the tattoos.

    and i also thought his hands looked rather knuckless, but i think part of it might be the intense coloring makes them look a little flatter…

  37. Adrian Avatar
    Adrian

    I’m reading The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Little Friend right now…on-deck is Slaughterhouse Five and Frankenstein….I really should be reading Only Revolutions, but it’s a really weird book to keep into. I might reread House of Leaves again, and I’m constantly rereading Alice In Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass, A.A. Milne, and Beatrix Potter as some sort of counter-therapy to the last time I read it.

    I’d totally high-five anyone with book worm knuckles/gloves.

  38. Adrian Avatar
    Adrian

    I’m reading The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Little Friend right now…on-deck is Slaughterhouse Five and Frankenstein….I really should be reading Only Revolutions, but it’s a really weird book to keep into. I might reread House of Leaves again, and I’m constantly rereading Alice In Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass, A.A. Milne, and Beatrix Potter as some sort of counter-therapy to the last time I read it.

    I’d totally high-five anyone with book worm knuckles/gloves.

  39. Stormchaser Avatar

    Very nice tattoos from two wonderful storys… Both absolutely to recommend.

  40. Stormchaser Avatar

    Very nice tattoos from two wonderful storys… Both absolutely to recommend.

  41. gib Avatar
    gib

    Oh hey, my hands.

    Yes I have knuckles. And, the sleeves are underway. I just figured I’d do them backwards. Everyone always layers down. I prefer to do the opposite.

    And the lower knuckles aren’t asian lettering. It’s graffiti. You have to lace the fingers to read it.

    But hey, thanks for the kind words!

  42. gib Avatar
    gib

    Oh hey, my hands.

    Yes I have knuckles. And, the sleeves are underway. I just figured I’d do them backwards. Everyone always layers down. I prefer to do the opposite.

    And the lower knuckles aren’t asian lettering. It’s graffiti. You have to lace the fingers to read it.

    But hey, thanks for the kind words!

  43. benedict. Avatar
    benedict.

    Shai-hulud sees all

  44. benedict. Avatar
    benedict.

    Shai-hulud sees all

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