Tattoos and Tentacles. Julian Murray Captures Inked People with Things That Squirt Ink.

Tattoos and Tentacles is a new coffee table book featuring a collection of photographs of inked people, wearing very little except their body art, and draped in cephalopods that squirt ink (that's a fancy way of saying octopus and squid).

The slimy but sexy photos were taken by Minneapolis based Julian Murray with the art direction, digital retouching and layout by Lacey Haire.



Below is a selection of 20 images from the book, some of which have been cropped for this post.



















Shopping for props:

Shooting the book:


The 9"x12" 144 page book in hardcover format has full color photographs throughout.




In addition to the book, 11 of the photos are available as posters:


Buy the book and/or posters here.


About Julian Murray Photography and Design:
Minneapolis based Photography and Graphic Design team specializing in the music, fashion and advertising industries. From creative concept photography, marketing campaigns and family portraits to website design, company branding, and print collateral + everything in between.

A Permanent Reminder Of What Plagues The Planet: The Social Tattoo Project.

Let me say, right off the bat, that this doesn't sound like a very good idea to me. But then again, I'm not a tattoo-type of girl. Permanently inking the world's problems on one's body seems akin to tattooing a loved one's name on your body. Things might change... and what seems relevant or important today could very well be obsolete in a decade or so. But kudos to the courageous volunteers who are lending their body as a canvas to advertise their social awareness.









That said, the Social Tattoo Project is a quest to make empathy permanent by taking today's world problems, such as the recent tragedy in Norway, the earthquake in Haiti or Human Trafficking and emblazing them on your skin. The twist is that those who volunteer to be part of the Social Tattoo Project let Twitterers decide what the actual subject will be.







For each tattoo, they will post 4 trending topics on Twitter, and the most tweeted trend will be the subject of the tattoo. To vote, tweet #socialtattoo and your #favorite trend of the 4 to @social_tattoo. With your vote and their volunteers’ skin, they can make what the world empathizes with today, what you have to care about forever.



Mary gets a #Japan tatt:



Ulises gets a #Norway tatt:





A brave volunteer receives a #Haiti tattoo:







And another, a #Human Trafficking tattoo:







Learn more about the Social Tattoo Project

Sharpie Appears On The Catwalk [Again] In The 2011 F/W Qasimi Homme Collection.

Sharpie markers have hit that catwalk again. Whereas Rodarte used Sharpies to decorate the arms and bodies of women in their S/S 2010 collection, this time it's men donning the black markers to embellish the collection of menswear for 2011 Fall /Winter Qasimi Homme line.



Designer Khalid Al-Qasim's latest menswear collection features leather, knitwear and furs in warm chocolate browns, greys, aubergines, beiges and blacks, and was accentuated with tribal patterns in black [and white] placed on the foreheads of the male models.



The white was applied with body make-up:

but the black was created with the favorite tool of artists and designers everywhere, the Sharpie:



Belted coats, oversized sweaters, tailored wools and leathers with graphic patterns were complimented by the artfully applied facial markings.










The entire collection of menswear is really quite striking, but for this feature, I've focused on the Sharpie markers applied to the foreheads and bodies of the beautiful men making their way down the runway. To get a look at the entire line of clothing, please visit Fashionising.

Designer Khalid Al-Qasim:

images courtesy of Fashion Mag and Fashionising

Qasimi Homme

Yes, I am a proud member of the Sharpie Squad. If you find, do or know of creative applications with Sharpie markers, and would like to see me feature them on my blog and/or on Sharpie's blog, kindly let me know.



See more creativity with Sharpies at Sharpie Uncapped
Sharpie