Some people think tattoo flash is a dying art. Not so with Jasen “Swarm” Wood, staff artist at Studio 21 Tattoo, Las Vegas, Nevada, a.k.a. @darthswarm. This guy has become a virtual flash machine in the last couple years! A while back, Swarm purchased a whole wall of empty picture frames with the intention of gradually filling them up with art for his booth here at the studio. He actually went ahead and hung all these empty frames on the wall in order to inspire him to work harder on honing his artistic skills. Improving skills is a must in the tattoo industry because these days the competition is really intense, especially in Las Vegas where there are around two hundred tattoo parlors to choose from.

After hanging all these empty frames, Swarm became compelled to get the art work done to fill all this empty space. The frames look way better with the flash sheets installed! This was no small task, as he had installed forty of these empty frames. Anyone who does water color art work will know that doing forty sheets is a daunting task!

After only a little over a year, the sheets are about eighty percent complete and the art work and ideas just keep getting better. This guy is an animal! Each sheet is based on a different theme. Some are themed from Swarm’s favorite movies. Some are from bands he enjoys. The images are so much fun!

It’s no wonder that when in Las Vegas to do a show, Dave Navarro @thespreadgroup, lead guitarist for Jane’s Addiction and Judge on Ink Master stops in to get a tattoo by Swarm. Of course, if you are a tattoo expert, you would choose to be tattooed by our flash master, Jasen “Swarm” Wood. Just for the record, he tattooed me last week and will be inking me again in the near future!!