Mandala in ink

The art of a sand manadala is tied deeply to Buddhist spiritual beliefs.  As you can see in the video above, the time and dedication required to create a mandala takes years of study.  Each grain of sand is delicately placed to form a detailed image created in a geometrical design.  After taking a look at the following image sent in by Punktum, I immediately thought of the sand mandala.  (Click the picture to see the full sized image)

With the design being so geometrical and comprised of mainly dotwork, you can easily see where the comparison comes from.  The art of tattooing is no so dissimilar from the process involved in creating a sand mandala.  Yes one is a strictly religious and spiritual practice, but they both employ the usage of a fine material to create something larger.  While the monks use grains of sand, the tattoo artist uses small needles.  In both cases the smallest details matter, as each line and color must be placed in a specific location to create the overall design.  It was really difficult to select just one image of Punktum’s so here’s a second one, just to give you an idea of how detailed these designs are.

If you have some time, please check out the tribal and blackwork tattoo gallery today, you won’t be disappointed with what you find.