I got my first tattoo when I was 18. It's really simple, solid black, and nothing special to look at. And now, 4 years later, I've become more and more interested in the art form that is all about drawing on the body.

I've had this thought in my head for a while, because about 6 months ago I came across these photos of a woman going through the scarification process. This to me is a radical form of body modification, but what she got done I think is quite beautiful. It must've been painful as all hell, and the photos below sure don't help with that thought, but in the end she has something that will forever be quite impressive.

(The images below can be too gruesome for some ... sorry. If you'd rather just take my word for it on the beauty level, just close your eyes and scroll for 2 seconds.)

But I bring this up, and I show you the above photos, because just like drawing, body modification takes on all forms. It ranges from skin braiding to piercing, scarring and branding to tattooing and bleaching, and then continues to so many more options. Some consider scarring beautiful, while others find it distasteful, and some people appreciate tattooing enough to get sleeves and full body designs while others prefer piercing.

I don't know if I'd ever go through to the extremes that the photos above have illustrated, but I know that I love tattoos enough to contemplate getting many, many more than the 3 that I already have.

There's a tattooing, piercing and henna shop in downtown Manhattan named NY Adorned that one of the owners of Draw, Sarah, went to last summer. After checking out their website, I found the tattoo artist Stephanie Tamez who does wonderful, wonderful work. At the end are only some of the designs that she's done, and as you can see she has a wide variety of styles, each unique to the person who requested the image.

But another non-permanent form of beautiful body modification comes from a graphic designer who decided to play with type and sharpies. Though for a project, her 8 hours of rendering, patience and style really is something quite wonderful.

So when it comes to artistic tastes, artistic expression on the body and just plain art ... to each his own.

But always remember, it's about the
Draw.

Check out the sharpie play for yourself: