If your idea of a cool tattoo is still a flaming skull with a dagger in its eye socket—or whatever freaks your mom out the most—take a look at Tricia Allen's colorful new book, “;The Polynesian Tattoo Today,”; published by Mutual. It's a gallery of what's happening in Pacific skin art.

The key word in the title is “;today.”; Although the dozens of tattoo samples photographed by the author and others are informed by traditional Polynesian designs, there are cross-cultural references and stylistic flourishes that make your hide into a cultural melting pot. How's that for an awful metaphor?

“;The question of what constitutes a Polynesian tattoo is a difficult one and could fill an entire volume!”; says author Allen, who pretty much did exactly that. “;For my purposes here, it was a visible tie to the traditional designs of Polynesia. There had to be some design continuity between the old art form and the contemporary piece.”;

Where is “;contemporary”; Polynesian tattooing headed? Is it entering the mainstream of tattoo art, or will it remain a cultural curiosity?

“;In the last few years a pan-Polynesian style has gotten incredibly popular. By this I'm referring to the modern blending of a number of Polynesian elements, which is a practice commonly done in many shops both in the islands and elsewhere,”; explained Allen.

Although the book is well organized in terms of cultural influences, the standout feature is the many colorful photographs that capture these tattoos not just in form, but in texture. Some actually raise the skin.

“;Although there are exceptions, typically tattooists don't take great photos,”; said Allen, explaining how she collected the photographs. “;Their focus is documenting the tattoo, not getting a publishable photo. Also, fresh tattoos are hard to photograph. Ideally you want to photograph the tattoo healed so that it's not red and swollen, but that's not always feasible. Several of the artists included in the book had professional photos taken, and I shot a fair number of the images.”;

A doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Hawaii, Allen's master's thesis examined the ancient practice of Marquesan tattooing. She has spent much of the last couple of decades roaming the Pacific, documenting body art and ancient tattoo practices. She has a massive archive of images, many of which were in her previous work, “;Tattoo Traditions of Hawai'i,”; which is a companion volume to the new book, both in content and presentation.

“;The first book did well; it is now in its third printing,”; said Allen. “;Its primary readership was those with a specific interest in Hawai'i and history. The new book will reach a larger audience, as it is far more general—covering all of Polynesia—and is primarily photographs. Anyone can enjoy looking at beautiful photos of artful bodies!”;

Even so, her own photo archive wasn't enough. Allen put out a request for images of recent developments in Polynesian tattooing.

More than “;748 images were submitted, but many did not meet the technical requirements, like size and resolution,”; said Allen. “;The selection was really difficult as there was so much beautiful work, but I had help in doing the task, fortunately.”;

How did folks react when Allen expressed interest in their tattoo—particularly since many Polynesian designs are centered on the backside?

“;Most are receptive and appreciate interest in their tattoos. Tattoos are extremely personal, however, and some would not appreciate being asked about having it published. In most cases, you can almost immediately tell in talking to someone how open they are about their tattoo.”;

The technology of tattooing has also changed over the years. Some tattoos use a combination of old and new. “;The traditional bone tools make for a rough bold look, whereas fine detail is possible with modern machines,”; said Allen. It still smarts when the tattoo is applied, however!

One of the styles gaining favor is Maori, which uses “;negative space,”; with the actual design carried by bare skin. “;The use of negative space as a design element is especially prevalent in Maori art. The Maori had refined the use of negative space as a design element to a highest degree,”; said Allen.

And remember, if you're thinking about getting a tattoo, draw it on yourself with a Sharpie first. The whole point of tattoos is that they don't wash off.