Love tattoo art but can’t bring yourself to permanently alter your skin? Then it’s high time you acquainted yourself with the work of Jacob Dahlstrup, a Danish artist who uses a tattoo machine on heavyweight paper to create eerie, skeleton-obsessed line drawings. From ships and mermaids to roses and scrolls, Dahlstrup uses traditional tattoo designs as a starting point before veering into the uncanny and unsettling. See a few examples of his paper tattoos, and watch a video about he makes them, after the jump.
Jacob Dahlstrup, On a Sailors Grave (no roses grow), 2010, 200 grams paper, 65 cm x 50 cm
Jacob Dahlstrup, Untitled, 2010, 200 grams paper, 65 cm x 50 cm
Jacob Dahlstrup, Untitled, 2010, paper, 65 cm x 60 cm
Jacob Dahlstrup, Untitled, 2010, paper, 65 cm x 50 cm