Tuesday 21 April 2009

Tattoo Designs - What Are the Hottest and Sexiest Tattoo Designs?

At an early age of fifteen, a teenager would love to get a tattoo. The reason? Simply because this form of body art symbolizes individuality and independence, which are common purposes that teenagers try to achieve.

But tattoos are more of an expression of one's self, rather than a key to break free from social norms or to gain personal independence. Through tattoos, a person finds himself, and represents himself with the designs and patterns he opted to be placed on his skin. Somehow it is a way to empower oneself, especially when emotional oppressors are sinking in.

Many people experience happiness through tattoos, and no one can take it away from them. Some people may not understand why there are those who would love to stain their selves with body art, but then again its happiness and it only needs a little understanding.

Describing tattoos

Tattoos come in different sizes, shapes, forms, colors, and patterns. Some are huge and are overwhelming with lines and curves, while others are quite miniature and cute. Others have an actual picture, but others would seem puzzling, and only the tattoo owner can understand what it is all about.

Choosing the tattoo designs is the most challenging part for many tattoo fanatics. It takes a long time to get decided, because these forms of body art are permanent and can only be removed through laser. Some may cost more bucks, especially if it entails a complex pattern. Tattoo shops have designs that are ready to be applied, and the customer does not need to do anything but to choose. But if the customer wants to make his own design, tattoo artist would examine first if it is possible and of course how much it will cost.

Designing tattoos

Some of the famous tattoo designs that are usually chosen by tattoo enthusiasts are tribal tattoos. Actually, there are dozens of tribal tattoos to choose from, and many of these came from unique tribes and cultures, such as the Maori tribe of New Zealand, the Aztec tribe of Mexico, and the Celtic tribe of Europe. There are also tribal tattoo designs influenced by Asian cultures.

Another set of designs of tattoos are butterfly tattoos. These are the top choices of women. Butterfly tattoos are very attractive to look at, especially if the wings are multi-colored. These tattoos symbolize femininity, independence, and freedom.

Heart tattoos symbolizes romance and passion for love. These are top picks of lovers or of persons in love. Heart tattoos are fun, especially if the name of one's crush or admiration is written inside it.

Angel tattoos would usually represent religious beliefs, but tattoo artist nowadays have created designs of angel tattoos to represent romance and seduction. But no worries, ladies who adore an innocent angel can always opt for happy and childlike angel tattoo designs.

There are dozens more of designs to choose from. These include dolphins, fishes, flowers, guns, flags, and horses. In fact, anyone can even personalize his name. Just present to the tattoo artist how the name would look like as a tattoo and he will do the job.

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tattoo designs

Chinese and Japanese Tribal Dragon Tattoos

Dragon tattoos are one of the most popular designs all over the world. It can go in any category, whether abstraction, naturalistic, dedication, stylized or combination tattoos.

Throughout history, dragon tattoos have never been out of fashion and had been used as a symbol in some parts of the world. It can be drawn as menacing or regal depending on your choice of design.

Dragon tattoos come in two popular forms: the Chinese or Japanese dragon of the east with its long, snake-like body and the European dragon of the west with its powerful wings and long neck. The European dragon usually symbolizes power and fear, a depiction of evil where as the Chinese dragon usually symbolizes unity and conformity, a depiction of good.

You can find many different designs of dragon tattoos in different forms and colors. Some of these dragon designs have additional background scenery where they are depicted flying in the clouds, swimming in the ocean, crawling on top of mountains or ravaging small villages. But the most common depiction of a dragon is being done as tribal dragon tattoos due to both its simplicity (the majority color being in either black or gray with the additional color to highlight the dragon) and its complexity.

Most often, the eastern dragons are the ones being used as a basis for the designs for the tribal dragon tattoos. Chinese and Japanese designs are the ones most common to be created into tattoos. Both have similar features: long, snake-like body, wingless and have horns. The only difference between these two dragons is their claws. Japanese dragons have only three claws where as the Chinese dragons have five. Their long, wingless bodies are less complicated to draw and since tribal tattoos are mostly being done in one color (two at the most), the outcome of these dragon are more elegant looking and sophisticated.

Though, some in today's society, eastern dragons that are being created into tribal dragon tattoos is being depicted as a symbol of fear and power; a contrast to the real symbolism of the eastern dragons.

Some people today would ask for a tribal dragon tattoo when they want to look tough or powerful. They would look for the best dragon design and ask to have it done. But there are still those who see the eastern dragon as a symbol of wisdom and would ask for a dragon as a sign of respect. And still, others would just like a tribal dragon tattoo because the artistry is very well made and it looks good in the body.

The most common place to find a tribal dragon would be on the whole arm length or at the back.

There are still some parts of the world where dragon tattoos are still used as a symbol in society. Whether they are being used as a status symbol in an organization or a clan, they are a mark of respect and power to the people who still value them.

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tribal dragon tattoos

Tattoo Designs That Work For You

Tattoos come in different shapes and sizes. All over the world, tattoos have become very popular for both men and women as a part of a permanent accessory to their bodies.

A specific design that you put in your body should have its own special meaning to you.

To generalize, there are five basic categories for tattoo design: abstractions, naturalistic, pledge or dedication, simplification or stylized, and complex structures or combinations.

Abstraction tattoos are the simplest form since they do not require much artwork. They usually come in black and gray colors. Tribal tattoos fall under this category since most use black and gray color tones and their design are mostly abstract in nature.

Naturalistic tattoos have more detail and the designs are more intricate to make them look more realistic. These types of tattoos involve more detailing and shadowing to make it look very real. Examples are these types of tattoos are portrait types (tattoos with pictures of people or places that look very much like the real thing). The colors that they use are very vivid; sometimes they look so real, you would think that it would jump out of the skin.

Pledge or dedication tattoos are very popular in the western society. They are mostly associated with tattoos that are designed by sailors as a remembrance of the people close to their hearts that they would leave when they go out to sea. Most of the time, the design for these types of tattoos would usually involve the name of the person with a small dedication included with the name and the image that would include in the dedication would mostly be hearts, flowers and anchors.

Simplification or stylized tattoos are mostly of different images that are less intricate than that of the naturalistic tattoos. Most of the designs for simplification or stylized tattoos vary from different cartoon characters to different images of animals, plants and symbols. They are said to be the cheapest since they are just copies of original artwork from another artist.

Complex structures or combination tattoos are a combination of the different categories. They are a combination of different styles and design that is very similar to the Japanese body suits. Though usually the combination of the different designs for combination tattoos do not link with each other, the combination of the design as a finished product are very good to look at. Most combination tattoos cover almost the whole body which is why they are being compared to the Japanese body suits.

Choosing the right kind of tattoo design would depend on the type of general design that you wanted. So, choose wisely before you finally decide on the kind that would best fit you.

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tattoo designs

Most Known Tribal Tattoos - Know Your Tribal Tattoos

When we talk about tribal tattoos, the types of tattoos that you would see are those abstract designs that would closely resemble a specific animal or object and artistically drawn into the skin to make it either menacing or awe inspiring. There are also tribal tattoos that would look like random swirls or curves in the body that does not have any meaning but in truth, the design would mean different things based on the tribe that they have derived it from.

Tribal tattoos are based on the different indigenous tribes from different countries mostly originated from the natives of America, Europe and Australia. The design for the tribal tattoos have different meaning that would be based on the belief of a specific tribe. During those days, a tattoo would be unique to one man, since the meaning of the tattoo would depend upon the bearer.

Some of the famous tribal tattoos are: Native American, Polynesian, Maori and Hawaiian. Each tribal tattoo design has a different meaning since it came from various cultures around the world.

Native American tribal tattoo designs are based on cultural ideas and expressions. Most of the time, tattoos were given during different rites of passage and blessings. These were given to warriors of the tribe that would protect them while they hunt or prepare for war. Some of the tattoo designs also give you a particular status symbol in the tribe. The Mayans and the Aztecs tribal tattoo are the most common tattoo design in this category.

Polynesian tribal tattoo designs are based on the traditions of a particular tribe. It has deeper roots as it tackles religious values, legends, and mythologies. The design usually centers on particular tribe rituals that are based on their particular religious beliefs and superstitions. Special tattoo designs were given to warriors who have pleased their ancestors. These warriors were also given special status symbols in their tribes because of it.

Maori tribal tattoo designs are mostly done as a part of a celebratory ritual to the tribe. Tattoos were given to tribesmen in different events that unfold in their lives. Some of these tattoos were placed during specific rites of passage for warriors of the tribe whenever they show strength and courage in particular events. Other times, these tattoos were given to the individual that has shown a particular unique trait that he or she can use for the benefit of the tribe, giving him or her a special status within the tribe.

Lastly, the Hawaiian tribal tattoo designs were given to tribesmen as a sign of their identity within the tribe. These tattoos were usually given to members of the tribe after they were given their rite of passage. Tattoos were also given to a tribesman as protection from evil spirits. They put it in specific parts of their bodies so as to be protected properly from the wrath of spirits who seek out trouble within the tribe or a particular family.

Based on the above descriptions, all tribal tattoos have special meaning before any member of the tribe would place it in their bodies. So, before adopting a particular tribal tattoo, make sure to find out the meaning of it.

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tribal tattoos

What Are Maori Tribal Tattoos?

The Maori tribes are natives of New Zealand. Though, they are part of the Polynesian heritage, they have given themselves a distinct cultural heritage that historians have separated them from the different tribes of Polynesia.

It is very much the same for their tattoo designs. The Maori tribal tattoos have their own unique identity compared to their Polynesian counterparts. Their spirals and curved shapes form a very intricate pattern that very distinctive to the Maori tribes. Legend said that a young warrior learned the art of the Maori tribal tattoos from the lord of the underworld, after winning back the heart of the lord's daughter.

For the Maori tribe, the tattoos are part of special rituals celebrating a particular or special event in one tribesman's life. A tribesman would receive his or her first tattoo as a rite of passage from childhood to adolescent and would be added whenever there are significant events in his or her life that would need to be celebrated. A tribesman that would be awarded with a tattoo would go into fasting before he or she was given a tattoo. During the ceremony itself, there would be music and chanting as it is a celebration not only for that particular tribesman but for the whole tribe itself.

Both men and women of the tribe can be awarded with a tattoo as a show of courage, strength and would be given a specific status in the tribe. The tattoos of the men in particular would cover the whole face while the women would only cover the cheeks and the lips, though sometimes the tattoos for the women would cover the neck as well.

It is said that the more tattoos a person have in his body, the higher his status is in their tribe. Tribesmen who do not have a tattoo in their bodies were considered worthless. Though women in the tribe have lesser tattoos in their bodies, it is mostly because they are not required to show much courage and strength and leave their men to it.

Maori tribal tattoos are mostly known for their face tattoos. But there are also tattoo designs that are used for the body specifically the legs and the buttocks. The body tattoos would be closely similar to the face tattoos with the small difference of the curves and spirals being bigger and more distinct than the face tattoos would be.

At present, the Maori tribal tattoos are being revived after it was almost extinct in the late 19th century. It has lost much of it significance during the arrival of the European settlers in New Zealand but is slowly being revived including the ancient way of putting on the tattoos. But today's tribal tattoos are mostly placed on the body and are seldom being done on the face. The use of modern equipment to put the tattoos has also replaced the old ways.

But even with the modernization of the Maori tribal tattoos, there is one thing that the Maori tribe had kept in their tradition. That is to keep a tattoo unique since a tattoo is a symbol of a person's identity. To copy an existing Maori tattoo design is an insult to the Maori tribesman you have copied it from. So, get a tattoo that is unique.

For tribal tattoo designs visit our tattoo gallery

maori tribal tattoos