Tribal Butterfly Tattoos For Everyone

It's no wonder that tribal butterfly tattoos are seen often taken that both tribal and butterfly tattoo are so popular. As we see online, the symbolism that surrounds these designs is quite interesting and probably adds to their popularity. Butterflies often represent rebirth, renewal, perseverance, rejuvenation and the soul. While the tribal tattoos normally represent a person's identification with a cultural heritage, belief, or practice and perhaps an allegiance to a specific social group or culture.

We may often see ideas like Polynesian tattoos, Celtic tattoos, Japanese tattoos, Filipino tattoos, or even Maori tattoos; they are under the criteria of Tribal Tattoos. Tribal tattoos are normally found to be abstract in form and black in shade however due to their recent popularity many of them are now done in different colors.

Some of the most interesting designs available are these types of tattoos because of the artistic nature of the design. When viewing a tattoo of this type your eyes are involuntarily drawn to the central icon of the design which is the butterfly. Some of the designs are so intangible that perhaps you may not make out the butterfly at first glimpse. And this is what makes the tattoo more attractive and often draws attention to the wearer.

Similar to numerous butterfly designs, tribal butterfly tattoos look wonderful when placed in the lower back area. And what's more is that the tribal ones look good on both men and women. As with all tattoo designs it's important to follow the guidelines is to start with an image that has clean, clear lines. You have to make sure the image has smooth curves.

The curves should not be too near to one another otherwise the tattoo artist may have difficulty applying the design. You can get a Xerox copy of the image in the exact size you want it placed on your body. This is very important because a design that looks great in a large size might not be appropriate as a smaller tattoo because the image may lose too much detail.

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Popular Placement for a Sexy Tattoo

Popular placement for sexy tattoos is where they will be seen in a subtle feminine way. Wrist tattoos, ankle tattoos, small side chest tattoo, small neck tattoo and top of foot tattoo are considered sexy tattoos for women.

Less noticeable but also quite sexy are bikini line tattoos, naval tattoos and small of back tattoos. You noticed there were no buttocks, breasts, actual stomach or hip tattoos mentioned. A woman's body is very subject to size change in those areas with weight gain and loss, pregnancy and age which could quite conceivably distort a beautiful tattoo into something unrecognizable. Someone should produce a vivid tube animation of various popular tattoos for women placed in the wrong areas and fast forward it through a decade or three or four. Distorted tattoos surrender their sexual appeal.

Popular Tattoo Designs that are Sexy

Popular tattoo designs for women are: stars, moon crescents, moon and stars combined, nautical stars, shooting stars, zodiac signs, floral designs, hearts, Script designs, symbols, script in foreign language, lips, Celtic knot, ribbon, rainbows', crosses, a tear drop for a passed love one, harps, birds (particularly Swallows and humming birds) and tribal art from a palate of color. Refrain from name scripts unless they are a parent or child as anyone else's name is subject to change. Popular tattoo designs can be used alone or in combination which means there is no cap on the possibilities.

Tattoo Placement for Women

A tattoo is more an accessory to women than men and women's clothing designs have extreme variables that could be well accessorized by a it or detracted from. It is this reason a woman should carefully give thought to the placement of it.

An example of such a placement is the sporting of a large shoulder tattoo. It would look great with a halter or tube top but when you place a bare shoulder sporting the same tattoo with your body in an elaborate evening gown the entire image changes. Tattoo placement, size, ink color and design should be well thought out in both positive and negatives of your current lifestyle and that of your future lifestyle.

Super Sexy Inner Wrist Tattoo Ideas For Girls

Inner wrist tattoos are hot and they have been for a while now. This is definitely a super fast growing trend with more and more celebrities and sexy women getting inner wrist tattoos this is going to be one of the next big things in the world of tattoos and especially one of the next big things in feminine and sexy tattoo designs. Essentially these are small tattoos designs that go on the inner wrist.

What Makes Inner Wrist Tattoos So Great

These have become popular for a variety of reasons really but one of the top reasons is they are very affordable. Since they are a rather small tattoo design they do not cost an arm and a leg to get custom designed and done by top notch artists so the tattoo will look great. They are also quick to get inked and can be done easily in a one hour sessions if not faster. They are easy to cover up and keep hidden in the professional work setting also. Last but not least they are incredible sexy. Wrist, ankles, back and hip area are some of the sexiest locations on the female body and a great inner wrist tattoo design is the perfect adornment. Understated sexy and a little bit wild!

Ideas For Inner Wrist Tattoos

There are many different designs that can easily go on the inner wrist tattoo. The one thing to keep in mind is the design by nature has to be rather small and you don't want to find anything to intricate or with too much detail. If you end up getting to much detail in the design over time as the ink spreads and fades the design will become one big blob of ink.

Kanji- Kanji or Japanese word tattoos have been building in popularity for a long time now. These mystic of a foreign language and the uniqueness of the words and designs make for a great tattoo. These also fit perfectly as an under wrist tattoo.

Latin, Greek Or Other Foreign Words - Another popular trend in literary and word tattoo designs for the wrist are Latin, Greek and other foreign languages including even Arabic. BY having the word in a foreign language it makes things more mysterious.

Nautical Stars - Nautical stars are always popular and in the past were tattoos that mostly men would get. However, with the new locations on the body for feminine and sexy tattoos such as the hip and inner wrist many women these days are also getting nautical star tattoos. The nautical star is a old sailor tattoo and it represents the North star which would be used in sailing to find one's way home. Thus the nautical star is all about following your own path in life.

These are just a few of the inner wrist tattoo ideas that are out there. Of course it is only meant to spark your own creativity and ideas and you will have to find your own unique tattoo design that works for you. Hopefully though one of the ideas above gives you some ideas that you can use to start researching and looking for your own tattoo design resources.

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Hot Designs For Angel Tattoos

With regards to tattoos, most females commonly have angel tattoos. But the popularity of this design does not end to just one gender. This is because there is a growing number of men who also get an angel design as a way to signify loss or pay tribute to a person they know. For women, angels can normally be seen playing harps, sitting on clouds or even designed like a guardian who watches over them. But there are also some tattoo designs of angels which have other meanings such as the avenging angel, known for revenge and retaliation.

Commonly, angels are perceived as spiritual beings which are known to possess some power which humans don't. There are also some people who believe angels were once the spirits of departed humans which have evolved. But the real history of angels started with the Bible. They have been depicted as creatures which represent God's work. While most angels are believed to be guardians of our souls, there are also others which are associated with being sinful. This is because of the case of Satan, the Fallen Angel.

Over the years, the meaning behind the representation of angels and what they look like have greatly changed. And for this reason, tattoo artists can either make an angel look like it is wearing a white robe, surrounded by light, with elaborate wings, beautiful and alluring or even can make them appear human. But the most popular among these designs is a guardian angel. These beautiful beings have been originated by the Catholic's faith.

When you are searching for this tattoo design, there are so many designs and meanings behind them that they can seem endless. If you would like to get an angel for a spiritual or religious reason, you can choose the ones which are represented by the beliefs of the Christian, Judaic, or even the Islamic. There are also some angel designs which are used to represent one's love. This is probably because the messenger of love has been represented by a cute angel boy named Cupid. He normally carries a bow and arrow along with him so that he can shoot single people and they fall in love with each other.

Another way you can signify angel tattoos is the constant conflict between good and evil. When choosing such designs, you must always consider what your faith is and if you can easily defend the reason why you chose that tattoo. Otherwise, people will keep on starring at you if you have chosen an archangel.

For more awesome and creative tattoo designs with a wide variety of unique angel tattoo designs, check out Tattoo Designs and Ideas.

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Temporary Tattoo - The Next Big Thing

If for some time you have been contemplating on getting yourself inked but have never found the courage to do so, you might want to try a temporary tattoo. Temporary tattoos offer the same satisfaction as permanent tattoos without the accompanying pain and discomfort that permanent tattoos entails. It is called temporary because the art lasts only for about two to fourteen days. If you get tired of it already, you can just erase the tattoo with the use of baby oil or alcohol whichever is readily available. You get the tattoo in an instant without the pain, and just as easy erase it as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Temporary tattoos still use ink but instead of the ink being etched into your skin, it is just sprayed or airbrushed onto your skin. Although the technique is temporary, the inks currently available in the market are actually durable. It also dries instantly so you do not have to feel messy after application. Temporary tattoos are great for themed parties. Guests will have a chance to have their selves tattooed without fear of pain or permanence.

The first thing you have to remember when choosing your temporary tattoo ink is to look out for companies that say that their product is FDA approved. To-date, the Food and Drug Administration does not yet regulate tattoo inks. The second thing to remember is to use inks that are ready to spray. It is more difficult if you buy concentrated inks because of it might be difficult for spraying and so you might end up trying out different combination to dilute the concentrate. You just might get frustrated. Even these airbrush ready inks have still to be adjusted but they are far easier to adjust than concentrated inks.

Some of the brands of ink available in the market include Nazille, OCC, ABA and EBA, Totally Tattoo, Duratat and Paasche's brand. Once again, just remember to ask the sales attendant whether your tattoo ink is cosmetic grade and suitable for the skin with ingredients approved by the FDA. As an extra precaution, you might want to have also the MSDA sheet so that there will not be any surprises for you.

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Tattoo - Purposes and Uses of the Tattoo

The tattoo has served many decorative and religious purposes in some cultures. For the indigenous people all over the world, it is a rite marking the end of childhood to adulthood. It tells the persons' rank in a certain culture. It has also served as a mark of religious devotions. The manner with which the tattoo is worn varies with different cultures. In recent times, it has even served as a pledge of love and everlasting devotion.

Today, some people choose to be tattooed for cosmetic reasons such as those done to enhance eyebrows and to create a clear lip line or lip liner. Moles are even artificially created with the use of the tattoo. In this manner, the tattoo has been used as a permanent make up. In most countries in Asia, the tattoo has served as a good luck charm to the bearer and also as protection against evil.

A more practical use of the tattoo is identification. In Nazi concentration camps, prisoners were forcibly marked for purposes of identifying them. A more positive use of the tattoo as a means of identification is back in those times when Maori Chief signed official documents by imprinting the tattoo of his face on the document. Tattoos are also used for identifying burned victims. Since tattoos are inked in the deeper layer of the skin, they are not easily erased by burns. The tattoo has therefore aided pathologists in identifying otherwise unrecognizable burned and drowned individuals. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that tattoo parlors abound in ports because it is there where their customers are. Even deserters are marked as such in the British Army.

Tattoos are also placed on animals for identification in the same manner as branding. Branding on the other hand does not involve embedding ink onto the skin of animals.

An example of a medical use for the tattoo is when it is used to mark the spot for instruments to be properly located for application of radiotherapy. In the case of breast reconstruction after being treated for cancer, the tattoo has served to mark the spot for the areola. The tattoo is even used to tell medical information about the bearer. Clearly, the tattoo is no longer used solely for self-expression. We have found other uses for the tattoo as well. It is only fitting that we treat this new social phenomenon with an open mind in order to understand it better.

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Tattoo - A History of Body Markings

One wonders about the beginning of tattoo when the canvass on which is it painted on is the human skin, which easily disintegrates once lifeless. Thanks to the mummification practice of earlier civilizations, the beginning of body markings was ascertained and we now have a clearer idea of when and how tattooing started.

Mummies have been found from Nubia in Africa to Peru in South America, Siberia and Polynesia. These mummies became famous not only because of the discovery of their tattoos but that of the surrounding circumstance where they were found.

The most known tattooed mummy was the bronze man nicknamed Otzi. The name was given due to icy region where he was discovered. It was ascertained that Otzi lived sometime 3300 b.c.e. The material that covered his body showed clearly the presence of dark blue tattoos placed many times in different areas of Otzi. There were symmetrical lines which were grouped and situated in the lumbar region and his ankles.
Otzi even had a cross marking on the inside of his knees.

Even with the discovery of the practice of tattoo as starting in the ancient times, little has been known about the reason why there was even a practice like body markings. It can only be intimated that the practice of tattooing stems from a religious belief or as a social tradition to identify classes or castes or they could even be medicinal in nature. Whatever the reason, another discovery that of Amunet said to be a priestess at Thebes also showed the same symmetrical dot lines at her upper arms. However, the concentration of the symmetrical dot lines were found in her abdomen below her navel in rounded lines.

During the Iron age, several spectacular discoveries were also unearthed. These tattooed mummies are from the tribe or culture called Pazyryk or wandering horsemen. These gypsies were hunters and warriors in the plain region of Siberia. One mummy worthy of mention is that who was merely known as the chief. There was an abundance of grave goods found alongside his body. The tattoos found in his body includes that of large animals as well as those of domesticated type. The tattoos were located mostly in his spine which is reminiscent of that of Otzi. Still belonging to the same culture was the mummy of a young woman having similar designs as that of the chief.

Whatever the symbolism, it is apparent that tattoos started out as just as collection of dots and lines that have progressed to grander designs in the current times.

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Friendship Tattoo Ideas and Designs

Nothing is more special for a couple of friends than to have a symbol of their relationship displayed in a friendship tattoo. Friendship tattoos show the world that special place in your heart that your friend holds. A friendship tattoo is an excellent way of commemorating a special memory in a friendship or to celebrate a long lasting relationship among two people (or a group of people). There are many tattoo designs that can be used to always remember that special person(s) in your life. With friendship tattoos, you can choose to either have matching tattoos done or to select a design that will forever symbolize the important friendship in your life.

Friendship tattoos are often matching tattoos. It is a very good idea and highly recommended that both persons like the design of the tattoo. Selecting a matching friendship tattoo is one way to validate the special friendship you both share. The tattoo design can be anything. For example it can be a symbol of how you both met, your mutual favorite song or the thing you both enjoy doing the most. The options are limitless in the choices available for this special type of tattoo. Both friends should get together and decide what type of friendship tattoo they want to have tattooed. A symbol of character of some kind is a great idea, as it will be matching and still look good as a stand-alone tattoo.

Having your friends face or name tattooed on your body may not be the smartest idea you have ever had. What happens if the friendship ends down the road? Do you really want to be reminded of that failed friendship? You definitely want a tattoo that is self-explanatory and that doesn't need a lengthy explanation. Symbols work really well as you can easily tell others what the symbol means without getting into details as to why you choose that particular design. Another great idea for a friendship tattoo is to choose a tattoo design and then split it in half, with each friend having just one side of the tattoo. This is a great idea, especially when you both get together and can join the tattoo as one.

Another excellent idea is to see a tattoo artist and have him design a special tattoo for the both of you that will express your deep friendship bond. Something that matches how you both feel towards each other, the song lyrics that make you think of one another or a scene from your favorite vacation spot together. Any of those things would make great ideas for a friendship tattoo.

There are a number of popular friendship tattoos that work really well in expressing deep relationships. The eternal friendship knot is a tattoo design with an infinity design and a diamond over the mid-ground. The Chinese symbol for friendship or the Irish symbol (The Claddagh) for love and friendship are excellent choices. The ying and yang symbols are also a nice touch. You may decide on the yellow rose tattoo, as that is the universal friendship symbol. Japanese and Chinese characters signifying love and friendship are also great ideas.

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Sexy Tattoo Ideas

When a female has decided to get a tattoo coping with the pain is the easy part, picking a design that will speak to her soul but also make her feel sexy is the real trick. Many woman have no idea what to get a tattoo of much less how getting the right tattoo design will positively effect there self esteem.

A classic tattoo idea is to tattoo tribal or flower designs along the lower back. Always a feminine spot to get a tattoo the lower back is probably the sexiest place a woman can get work done. Unlike other parts of the body where the subject matter must be considered,most tattoo designs no matter what the subject matter will look cute and girlish on the lower back.

A small symbol looks quite sexy peeking from the nape of a female's neck. A big part of the draw of female tattoos is only seeing part of the tattoo adding to the mystery of the design. This is exactly the case with neck tattoos. Chinese symbols often work well on the neck as do small religious symbols or a loved one's initials.

A more recent trend with female tattooing that proves to be quit sexy is tattooing the rib cage. Often you will find a small framed large breasted young lady with a large tattoo peeking from behind her bra strap under her arm. The mystery of the tattoo is truly the sexiest part and the allure of the design under the bra is intoxicating.

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Signs of Tattoo Scarring

What many people do not realize before getting tattooed is that all tattoos are scarred. It is not possible for the ink to rest between the skin layers and heal properly without scarring. So the tattoo artist job is to actually minimize the necessary scarring while doing the design. If your are wondering if your tattoo is in fact overly scarred there are several symptoms.

The easiest sign of a scarred tattoo to identify is a raised puffy outline.The shading or color may also be raised but the most common area to be puffy or raised will be the outline. If the outline of your completely healed tattoo is puffy and red it is probably scar tissue. The scarring is caused either by the tattooist going to deep or staying in the area to long and not keeping the tattoo machine moving.

Another sign of tattoo scarring is the itching that will follow the puffiness. The scar tissue itches badly and scratching it will make it raise more.Often finding a soothing hand lotion is a better option than scratching. Different conditions will trigger the scarring to raise up.For instance working outside getting sweaty will often inflame tattoo scar tissue

A less noticeable sign of a scarred tattoo is the area of the tattoo being exceptionally dry after the tattoo is completely healed. A normal healed tattoo will not be any dryer than the rest of the skin, if the tattoo you have is healed but the area is very dry use a vitamin e to try and prevent further degradation of the design.

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Best Movie Tattoos

Blood In Blood Out - From the small cross tattoo Miklo (Damian Chapa) gets tattooed on his hand to the large detailed prison tattoos blood in blood out portrays tattooing prominently. The fake tattoos where designed by Freddy Negrete and Gill Montie both are tattoo artist and both had small extra roles in the film. The main tattoo design is a snake wrapped in a circle eating its own head, it signifies entering into a gang that you can only leave threw death. There are also several characters that have full sleeve tattoos everything from traditional Aztec tattooing to Nordic images. Also released under the name Bound by Honor, Blood In Blood Out is truly the gold standard of movie special effects tattooing.

Eastern Promises - Also prison style fake tattoos but from Russia. Nikolai's (Viggo Mortensen) tattoos where intricately designed to tell the life of a Russian gangster each image being a sort of badge showing his rank in the Russian under world. There where 37 individual fake tattoos designed for Eastern Promises, from larger back pieces to small detailed finger tattoos. The tattooed images while appearing religious in nature are actually symbolic of a criminal lifestyle. Eastern promises uses the fake tattoos as a plot vehicle and the story could not be told without the tattoos.

American History X - Arguable the most powerful scene in the movie takes place as Derek Vineyard (Edward Nortan) pulls his shirt down showing the swastika tattoo on his chest and spouting "see that..that means not welcome" a scene that could not have taken place without the fake tattoo. The charterer has several upper body tattoos all nicely done. The tattoos are well done and look very realistic with over ten separate pieces designed and applied.

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5 Sexiest Places Females Get Tattooed

Behind The Ear - Size is very important when placing a tattoo behind the ear. A small tattoo, generally smaller than the size of a quarter or smaller, will look best behind the ear. Tattooing behind the ear is one of the trickier area so a good artist will have to be sought out. When a tattoo behind the ear is sized right and tattooed well it is one of the sexiest place a female can get tattooed

Under The Bra Strap On The Rib Cage - This is a very sexy for a woman to get tattooed. Basically the placement is under the armpit at the top of the rib cage. It is a large area so a tattoo as small as two inches or as large as ten inches would look quit natural there. This area takes tattooing well and a competent artist should have no trouble applying a quality tattoo there.

Hip - The hip is a classic sexy area for female tattoo placement. On most woman this is a large enough are to do substantial tattooing but even smaller work will look nice. The hip takes tattooing very well and even intricate tattoos should have no problems healing nicely when placed on the hip.

Back Of The Knee - A well sized tattoo placed on the back of knee can be sexy. This is hard skin to tattoo so a skilled tattoo artist must be used. The area itself is fairly limited in size so smaller pieces will look the best behind the knee.

Top Of The Foot - The top of the foot is a great place for a woman to get tattooed. Not to be confused with getting a toe tattoo which never quite works out. A smaller tattoo under four or five inches looks best on the foot. It is a fairly hard area to tattoo and will require a good tattoo artist to insure a proper healing tattoo.

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The Heart - A Tattoo Design That Holds Our Soul

The heart tattoo is one of the most common and the most popular tattoo design. It symbolizes various things. A heart is generally a symbol of love but when associated with another image the symbol and meaning changes.

The heart tattoo is a very classic tattoo design. The heart, shaped as an inverted triangle is universally symbolizes the feminine. It is also a symbol of a romantic love. Heart tattoos have been popular since World War II where servicemen choose to have heart tattoos with banners as a token to their loved ones for accompanying them on perilous journeys and the constant reminder on what they are fighting for.

As a tattoo design adding a name of a person very close to you shows a tattoo icon. The heart is the very life force of all human kind. It is the source of truth, romance and love. Friendship and romantic bonds, courage and emotional expressions are also the embodiment of the heart.

The heart pierced with an arrow is symbol that love can be both pleasurable and painful. A broken heart shows that a person precious to you has been lost. It can also be a symbol of grief and sadness. A heart with a star represents happiness and favorable opportunities while a heart with wings is a representation of a free spirit. Heart with a dagger means betrayal and bravery. A hand holding a heart is a symbol of maternal and paternal love.

Heart tattoo design is popular both for men and women especially to those who are experiencing happiness and love. For women, the most common tattoo area for the heart is the chest while men usually placed them on the arms and often they associated it with dagger, sword and names of the person they love.

Truly, a heart can reveal a person's feelings and inner beings. It can also be the door to our very soul is considered as the center of intellect and intuition. The heart is considered timeless and will never fade when it comes to tattoo design because the people who have chosen it hold a very personal meaning and strong memories.

Temporary Tattoo - The Easier Choice

If you want to do something new but is not yet ready for any bold risks that you can take, why not try henna tattooing? Henna tattoos are temporary. If you want to have a form of self-expression but don't really want to make any permanent changes in any part of your body, henna tattooing is really one new experience that's worth giving a try.

There are a lot of henna tattoo designs to choose from. However, most henna tattoos are tribal or ethnic in design. You can surely find one that just suits what you want to express. It lasts for a few weeks and after that, as soon as it wears off, you can always choose to replace the old design and have another henna tattoo that will again last for a few weeks.

For people who want to try something new but are not into taking major risks about their bodies yet, henna tattoo is definitely one good thing worth trying. It is a painless way of expressing yourself through your body. The process does not even take two hours of your time, for the not so complicated designs. Celebrities are even sporting henna tattoos and showing those off in popular events.

Especially in the summer, when going to the beach is so popular, men and women like to show off their tattoos and wearing their beach outfits. The henna tattoo serve as an accessory to enhance their overall summer look.

Henna tattoos placed strategically on certain parts of the skin can add to the appeal of the one wearing it. For example, a woman in a two piece bikini having a tattoo placed at the center of her lower back can add wonders to that woman's overall physical appeal.

Although tattooing was originally considered to be a pagan practice, it is now considered as more of a fashion statement. For some groups of people, henna tattoo makes them 'in'. It gives them the impression of being 'cool'. It makes them part of a popular crowd. Whatever a person's reason is, henna tattooing is still a safe and fun experience that's worth thinking over and considering.

Tattoo Guns A Must For Tattoo Artist

Tattoo guns are better known as tattoo machines because they are used to create tattoos. The first prototype of this machine was made by Thomas Edison, the famous inventor of light bulb. The machine however, was not intended to create tattoos but rather as a sort of design transfer mechanism or as an engraving machine. This idea was later copied and modified so that sometime in the 1890s, another person thought of revising Edison's machine and incorporated an ink chamber. The presence of the ink chamber enables the machine to let ink into the skin which gave way to the invention of the first ever tattoo gun.

Since its invention, tattoo machines have evolved over the years into finer and safer form. The introduction of electromagnets onto the machine has made it possible to control the speed, the depth and the pressure being applied during tattooing. Thus, tattoo has become a precise form of art.

Tattoo guns come in a variety of sizes. Some are able to apply a single color of ink while others are able to apply a multitude of colors. As with any other equipment, proper care and maintenance will extend the life of tattoo guns. A properly cared for tattoo gun will also be a lesser source of infection. Because the mechanism for making a tattoo gun is easy enough, many people are making their own tattoo guns. Medical professionals and tattoo enthusiasts do not recommend it. This is because some of the standards of safety may have been bypassed in the creation of homemade tattoo guns. Not only have that, the sterilization process which should have been undergone during the creation of tattoo is often bypassed when tattooing is done by hand instead of by machine.

If you are thinking of buying a tattoo gun, you should know that you can purchase tattoo gun by itself or as part of a tattoo kit. Tattoo kits include ink, transfer paper and all other items that a tattoo artist will need in setting up his or her own shop. A careful evaluation should be made on the various brands of tattoo guns available in the market.

Skull Tattoo The Real Meaning Behind Its Symbol:

Skull is one of the most popular tattoo designs. It serves a number of symbolic purposes. The most common is death and mortality. But in many aspects, one can use the image of a skull to implicate various things.

Skull can be a symbol of protection, strength and power. For some people who already experienced danger, it can be a symbol of overcoming death, danger or a tough time. For those people who overcome trials, it can be a symbol for a past life, now changed, never to revert. Skulls can also be a reminder of death and bad behavior. In history, it is a symbol of victory over the enemy and a warning to the people defeated in battle. Skull is an obvious declaration of triumph.

Although skull, at first glance, may appear to resemble a negative or dangerous image, it does not always mean what they resemble. The meaning behind a word is as strong as the meaning behind an image.

Skulls can be drawn in various ways. Every person that chooses to have a skull tattooed on their body has a reason and meaning. They are also popular to girls who want a tattoo because not all skulls have to be demonic and masculine. It can also be in a more feminine design but many women even prefer the more demonic skull. In some cases, couples that want matching skull tattoos but of different sexes, the women prefer to smooth out the rough edges to show their feminine side. Feminine skulls tend to be in pink and purple color and/or have ribbons and flowers to lessen the demonic appeal. Skulls combined with crosses, roses and wings are not only a reminder of mortality but also the fight of the soul, resurrection and eternity.

The skull is as popular as it ever was. In games, literature, movies, comics, and of course, tattoos, it continues to gather many different symbolic meanings and implications as the artistic and creative imagination of the artist itself. Some designs can be humorous, some implicates danger and threatening, but Death is always part of the picture.

Asian Tattoos Get Lost in Translation

Asian tattoos have become very popular over the last couple of years. Some may say its the mysteriousness behind them that attracts people to them or uniqueness of the Asian characters. Not to mention it's a great conversation piece because people will constantly be asking you what it means. They also have some sort of sex appeal to them. However, there is a growing problem that has been linked to Asian tattoos. The meaning of the character is lost in translation or the meaning of what people think it means turns out to be something completely different.

Many athletes and celebrities sport some sort of Asian tattoo and they too have become victim to the lost in translation of their tattoo. Below is a list of athletes and celebrities that have some sort of Asian tattoo that has been lost in translation or the meaning has been misinterpreted.

* Chris Anderson of the Denver Nuggets got the Chinese character for "good" on one shoulder and "bad" on the other. But it seems something got lost in translation because the character for "bad" also means "nausea".

*Shawn Marion of the Toronto Raptors likes to refer to himself as"The Matrix" and wanted to tell the world to knows this so he decided to inscribing it in Mandarin on his leg. But to Chinese it reads: "Demon bird camphor".

*The very talented Justin Timberlake has the character "qu", which means "song", but also "bent, crooked or wrong".

* Britney Spears has some Kabbalah symbols on the back of her neck. It is suppose to translate to "healing". But there has been many reports claiming that the three symbols are out of order so her tattoo doesn't really mean anything.

The lesson that should be learned here is make darn sure that when you are getting any kind of Asian tattoo be sure that your character really means what you think it means

Interesting Tattoo Facts

Whether people like it or not tattoos are here to stay and more and more people are heading out to their local tattoo parlor every day to get a tattoo. For a society that does not think too kindly of tattoos they sure do pop in the least likely places. Our everyday lives revolve around tattoos in someway shape or form without one even realizing it. Tattoos are not an evil thing. They are just a form of self expression. With that being said there are a ton of interesting and fun facts about tattoos that people are not aware of.

*The word tattoo is one of the most misspelled words in the English language. It is mistakenly spelled tatoo, or tatto.

*Tattoos and tattoo related keywords are the most searched words on the internet beating out the adult industry.

*Tattooing has been used as a way of smuggling secret messages across enemy lines in times of war.

*It has been claimed that urine was once used to mix the colouring matter of some tattoo ink.

*The tattoo business has boobing during these tough economic the Untied States are dealing with.

*Women are more likely to get a tattoo removed.

*20% of women have a tattoo on their lower back. Also called the "tramp stamp" by some. This percentage is pretty larger considering that only 5% of women have a tattoo located some where else on their body.

*Tahitians believed that the process of tattooing the body served to contain its sacred power.

*Removing a tattoo can cost up to three times more than the design itself.

Tattoo Precautions

When it comes to getting a tattoo there is a lot of things one must think about. You can't just walk into a tattoo parlor, studio or shop and say, Hey I want a tattoo. A lot of thought and planning needs to go into this process. For one you need to pick out a design that you will be able to live with the rest of your life. Tattoos in a sense are forever, but if you have the time and money and can endure the pain than you can always get it removed. Instead of having to go through all that trouble it just best to pick out the right tattoo in the first place. It's much better to be safe than sorry.

With the above being said there are a few precautions that you need to take when getting a tattoo. After all when you get a tattoo a needle is penetrating your skin several times, because of this you can contract some serious illness if the right precaution are not taking.

Below is a list of things you should take note about and make sure you see when getting a tattoo.

*State or local license. Regulation requirements and licensing standards are different in every state to state. Because of this you should take the ignitive to check with your city, county or state health department for information on licensing and regulations in your area. Most importantly pick a reputable tattoo studio that's clean, tidy and professional and that employs only properly trained employees.

*An autoclave. An autoclave is a heat sterilization machine that should be used to sterilize all non-disposable equipment after each customer. Instruments and supplies that can't be sterilized with an autoclave should be disinfected with a commercial disinfectant or bleach solution after each use. These include drawer handles, tables and sinks.

*Fresh equipment. This is very important. Make sure you see the tattoo artist removes a needle and tubes from a sealed package before your procedure begins. Any pigments, trays and containers should be unused as well.

*Gloves. This is a no brainier. When you get a tattoo it is natural for you to bleed and because of this you need to make sure, the tattoo artist must wash his or her hands and put on a fresh pair of latex gloves for each procedure. Also make sure that the tattoo artist only touches you with these gloves.

Tattoos and Dogs

When one even hears the words tattooing pets or tattooing your dog they automatically think animal cruelty. Why at first it may seem like something cruel to do to your beloved pet, it can also save their life and help reunite them to you. Tattooing pets has been around for quite sometime and to be perfectly honest it is not considered cruel at all. The whole purpose of tattooing dogs in particular is so they have a permanent id tag on them at all times.

It is common knowledge that collars with id tags can fall off or even be taken off so a tattoo is a more permanent solution to this problem. However, there are some advantages and disadvantages to having your dog tattooed. For starters people can alter your dogs tattoo if they find them and want to keep them. Also if you tattoo your dog on the lips or ears, sadly these tattoos can be cut away if someone wants to get rid of it. The best place to tattoo your dog would be on their stomach where their hair does not grow. The biggest advantage of tattooing your dog would be that the mark is permanent and that their is a database that keeps all information about your pet and you, so if someone finds your pet all they have to do is call one of the two tattooing databases that holds the information for dogs with tattoos.

The tattooing method for the time being seems to be the best methodfor helping you relocate your dog if they should get lost because not all places are equipped microchip scanning machine. If you are concerned about loosing your beloved dog maybe tattooing is for you.

Celebrity Tattoos - Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere may have come out of nowhere but the Hero's star has certainly started to make a name for herself in Hollywood. She is actively standing up for the rights of dolphins in Japan. She has been actively protesting the government over there and she was even got into some legal trouble over there because if it. Well the Hero's star didn't stop there, Hayden is also involved with several other charities that range from children to dogs to Whales. Hayden also sells her own clothes and gives the proceeds to charity. Now with all this good that this young star has done would you even think that she had some tattoos. This just goes to show that even good charity people that care deeply about animals and children can bare tattoos and not be a terrible, horrible, evil person.

Hayden is only at the ripe age of 19 but the Hero's star has two tattoos of her own. Many people including her mother didn't even know she had even gotten her first tattoo. Hayden's first tattoo is so small it is rather hard to see, literally if you blink you miss it. Hayden has the Leo symbol right under her ankle bone on her left foot. Hayden also has another tattoo that runs down the side of her right side. No one has been able to fully see what this tattoo says but the first two words are, Vivere Memento, which is Italian for Live the moment.

So if you are thinking about getting a tattoo and want it in a place that people will probably not notice. Follow Hayden's example and get something farily small right under your ankle bone.

Ear New Tattoos

Tattoo trends come and go over the years and it is always interesting to see what the next tattoo trend will be. Here lately it seems that the latest tattoo trends seem to be geared more towards woman. Maybe it's because woman are tending to get more tattoos these days than men. In any case woman are constantly coming up with unique ways to have a tattoo but also have it in a place where it can be covered up if need be. The most popular tattoo location for woman hands down is the lower back. This location is very easy to cover up and it is also sexy. However, a new trend is emerging for women. The new trend is to have a tattoo on your ear or behind your ear.

Ear tattoos are slowly starting to gain popularity among women. This location is great because if you have long hair or hair that is long enough to put behind your ear the tattoo can be covered up. Depending on the design that the woman picks it can bring some feminine style as well as some sassiness to a woman. Believe it or not this small location is not limited to just a few tattoos. The tattoo design that can go there are limitless.

Also since the space on your ear and behind your ear is not that large the time it will take to get this done is rather short. However, it will more than likely be rather painful due to the fact that there is no fat to help cushion and absorb the pain from the tattoo. So it would probably not be advised for someone with low pain tolerance to get a tattoo there. But if you can muster the pain you will be very pleased with your new piece of body art on or behind your ear.

Lady Gaga Gets New Tattoo

The very risque "Love Game" singer is no stranger to the tattoo gun and absolutely loves showing off her tattoos when she can. She also loves talking about and telling the stories behind her tattoos. The very popular, Lady Gaga is currently on tour in Japan and she decided to add some more ink to her every growing tattoo collection. The "Poker Face" singer that is probably best known for her crazy, over the top and very risque outfits and song lyrics got a new tattoo on the inner part of her left bicep.

Lady Gaga got this tattoo at midnight when she was in Osaka, Japan. The new tattoo reads in a scripted writing, "In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?'"

So one may wonder what this tattoo means and why she decided to get it permanently inked on her bicep. Lady Gaga, who's real name is Stefani Germanotta, says its a quote from favorite poet Rainer Maria Rilke. By Gaga getting this new a fairly large tattoo in a fairly noticeable place for a woman it's just proof that a beautiful woman can get a tattoo and it not take away from her beauty. More and more woman are getting riskier went it comes to getting tattoo and what they get them of. It's kind of like all the woman in the world are flipping the bird to all those haters and nay sayers.

Tattoos and Pain

One of the first things that comes to someones mind when thinking about getting a tattoo is the pain involved with it. Unfortunately, getting a tattoo is painful, however, some places are more painful than others. Also the amount of pain that one experiences also has to do with their level of pain tolerance. Everyone on the earth has a different pain tolerance, so one person may only experience a little bit of pain and discomfort, while someone else may experience a lot of pain and discomfort. So if you can't handle pain too well than getting a tattoo is probably not the best thing for you.

However, there are more painful places on your body to receive a tattoo. If you are hell bent and determined to get a tattoo but are concerned about the pain than you should stay away from boney areas like, like your skull, spine, ribs elbow, sternum, etc. These areas are not only more painful but you will not only have to deal with the pain, but you will have to deal with these areas vibrating, which causes another unpleasant feeling. Also other areas that tend to be painful are the fleshy areas on ones body like the like the stomach, crotch area, inner thighs, under arm, and armpit. These places seem to cause a much more sharp pain and a pinching feeling.

If you can't handle the pain and really want a tattoo than you should stick with areas that have more muscle mass to them like your arms or the back or your calve. Also keep in mind the state of mind you are in when you get your tattoo also can help contribute to how much pain you will be in. It is important to be clear headed, well rested and not emotional unstable.

Sleeve Tattoos Becoming a Fad

With anything fads come and go and some have the ability to stand the test of time and be around forever, while others are simply that a fad and the coolness of them quickly fades out as quick as they became a fad. This is why it is so very important to not fall for getting a fad tattoo. Sure there are some fad tattoos that will be around forever such as butterflies, hearts, stars, flowers and portraits of loved ones. When thinking about a tattoo design just think long and hard and try to determine if what you are getting is something that can stand the test of time. Also it's a good idea not to get a tattoo that someone suggests unless you are 120% on board with it. Tattoo designs are something that you should decide on, on your own.

However, there might be an alternative to tattoo fads. For sometime now tattoos sleeves have become a little more popular than they once were. More and more celebrities, athletes and rock-stars are sporting them. But tattoo sleeves are something that one must be 200% sure about, there is no turning back once you have them. However, there is a simply solution to getting tattoo sleeves without spending the money, time or having to go through the pain of getting a tattoo. A company is selling these tattoo sleeves that you can wear, they are made up of stretchable washable nylon. These sleeves come in a variety of designs, some feature tigers, snakes, dragons, celtic and tribal designs. So if you want to test drive a tattoo sleeve this is probably the best way to do it.

Alt Girl EL Wood Ftw Tattoo

Alt Girl EL Wood Ftw Tattoo

Foot Fetish Tattoo

Foot Fetish Tattoo

Shoulder Piece Tattoo

Shoulder Piece Tattoo

Art Piece Portrait Tattoo

Art Piece Portrait Tattoo

Mother and Child-Klimt

Mother and Child-Klimt

Stundon Surname Tattoo

Stundon Surname Tattoo

A Brief History of Tattoos From ancient tattoos to Modern Primitives

Throughout the history of tattoos and its practice the art of driving ink under the skin with sharp implements is common among almost all cultures. Tattoos have been discovered on mummified bodies thousands of years old. From the ancient Egyptian artefacts to the fashion conscious, tattoos have come a long way. An ancient art form - tattooing has now become a defined style.

Our word "tattoo" is derived from the Polynesian word tatao, meaning "to tap," and it describes the technique by which sharp spines laden with color were tapped into the skin to make tribal designs. Captain James Cook, the first white explorer to visit the Polynesian islands, brought the word back to Europe, along with, no doubt, some examples of the tribal art on the chests and arms of his sailors. The first electric tattoo machine was invented by American Samuel O'Reilly in 1900, bringing with it a new age of popularity for tattoos in the United States and all around the world. Most tattoo artists were immigrants and their customers were largely outside the mainstream of society.

However the mainstream had a fascination with the art of tattoos as evidenced by those who lined up at carnivals and sideshows to see the spectacular body art of the tattooed man or lady.

Still, for all their fascination, most of the respectable members of the sideshow audience would never have considered getting a tattoo themselves; tattoos were low-class and associated with criminals, sailors, and drunks.
Although tattoos may be applied to set the wearer apart from society, they may also affirm the wearer's membership in a group or tribe. Tribal tattoos, such as the 'moko' of New Zealand's Maori, are a sort of totem, a symbol of strength and membership in society earned through pain.

The practice of tattoos and tattooing means different things in different cultures. Some say it was done for magical purposes while others are thought to have used it for medicinal qualities.

These kinds of tattoos have been adopted by many groups on the fringes of society, such as prison inmates and gang members, who wish to symbolize their membership in a fraternity or sorority of outlaws. Tribal tattoos began to be reclaimed in the 1980s by those rebelling against the mainstream and have continued to gain popularity among those in the counterculture.

Some use tattoos along with piercings to make a statement that announces their alienation from society. Others choose tribal symbols in an effort to formalize their subculture, such as gays and lesbians who wear tattoos of pink and black triangles so that they will be recognizable to other gays.

Still others use tattoos as a sort of psychological ritual, using the pain of the tattoo to create a visual symbol of other pain. Tattoos are like an addiction. It really gets tough to stop once you have the first tattoo. The pain is bearable. In an era of fashion and style it seems tattoos are here to stay reaffirming that beauty really is skin deep.

Samoan Tattoos Ancient Polynesian Designs Rediscovered

Samoan tattoos were originally only done on on women of rank. Because of this distinction, tattooing became very popular among young Samoan men who considered tattoos to be a mark of their manhood.

The right to perform tattoos in Samoa can be traced back to a person's ancestors and if the person's forefathers were known to be a member of a tattoo guild, then the person was permitted by hereditary to enjoy the same privileges. An experienced tattooed artist trains apprentice tattooers who worked under their supervision until they are allowed to perform independently.

The wife of the tattooer is also greatly honoured in her position of wiping the blood of the tattooed person. She is known and addressed as the Meana'i (artist's helper). She is very well paid by the family of the youth and at the completion of a job which normally takes more than three months, she shares the payment and many gifts with her husband.
The right to perform tattoos in Samoa can be traced back to a person's ancestors and if the person's forefathers were known to be a member of a tattoo guild, then the person was permitted by hereditary to enjoy the same privileges. An experienced tattooed artist trains apprentice tattooers who worked under their supervision until they are allowed to perform independently.The wife of the tattooer is also greatly honoured in her position of wiping the blood of the tattooed person. She is known and addressed as the Meana'i (artist's helper). She is very well paid by the family of the youth and at the completion of a job which normally takes more than three months, she shares the payment and many gifts with her husband.

Religious Tattoos Celtic Cross Tattoos to Sacred Hearts

Religious tattoos have been around for thousands of years but they haven't always been accepted as they are nowadays. During the Roman Empire the practice of tattooing was almost eradicated in so called civilized culture. Barbarians were the only ones that had tattoos, and to be seen with a tattoo was an offence punishable by death.

The Romans believed that the body was to remain in its purest form and tattoos had no place in this belief. Roman soldiers came across many tattooed barbarians in the expansion of the Roman Empire and as a result soldiers began bringing tattoos back into the civilised world. As Christianity emerged it brought with it the secrecy of an underground religion in a Roman state of intolerance. Christians began tattooing crosses on the underside of their forearms as a secret sign to other Christians. This was a bold statement of their faith, although secret, a Christian caught with a cross tattoo would be killed immediately.

Throughtout history it has become commonplace for tattooed individuals to be set apart or outside society. But times have changed. There is a new breed of modified bodies who call themselves evangelical Christians. More than a millennium after church authorities condemned tattooing as a sin, evangelical Christians are inking their bodies with images of crosses, sacred hearts and angels.
For a small but growing subculture within evangelical Christianity, religious tattooing is becoming more and more a form of expression of individuality, identity and faith. Abiding by the principle that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, conservative Christian churches have often set limits on bodily expressions. As far as tattoos go, the Bible has different decrees open to different interpretation.

Soccer Tattoos Football Tattoos & Famous Soccer Stars

With the world Cup in full effect it seems as though tattoo artists are experiencing MASSIVE demand for football tattoos according to media reports. Tattoo studios in England in particular have reported a steady flow of customers asking for England designs throughout the year, but they have prepared for World Cup fever by offering a new range of England based art work to deal with the demand.


Christian Vieri, an Italian soccer (or football) player also has tattoos written in kanji on his right arm. According to Vieri he Vieri went to a tattoo parlor, but "they did not tell me the characters' meanings. I picked these because I liked their look." Vieri was pleasently surprised when he discovered the meanings of the characters which say "strength, eternity, thunder"

Tribal Ink From Around the World

Tribal tattoos have been been practiced in one form or another for millenia. While the practice may be somewhat different nowadays there are still many who get tribal tattoos for reasons which could be described as neo-tribal in their quest to belong to a 'tribe' (either neo-tribal or traditional) even if it is on a subconscious level. Most simply get tribal tattoos because of their striking appearance.

Historically getting tattooed was seen as a rite of passage into adulthood. A belief goes that if a girl can't take the pain of tattooing, she is un-marriageable, because she will never be able to deal with the pain of child birth. If a boy can't deal with the pain he is considered to be a bad risk as a warrior, and could become isolated from the tribe.

Japanese Symbols

Are you researching information on Japanese names or Japanese symbols? Maybe you are considering translating a Western name into Japanese kanji. It is so easy to get the WRONG Japanese symbols or get the wrong Kanji tattoo design if you are NOT a fluent speaker of Japanese.

As is the case for other transliterations, writing Japanese names in English poses several issues, mainly romanization and name order issues. Transliteration quite simply is the mapping from one system of writing into another. It attempts to be 'lossless' so that an educated reader can reconstruct the original spelling of unknown transliterated words.

Japanese names are usually written in kanj. Kanji's are literally Chinese characters used in Japanese and can be one of the five character sets used in the modern Japanese writing system, the other four being hiragana, katakana, the Roman alphabet (rômaji), and Arabic numerals. A name written in kanji may have more than one common pronunciation, only one of which is correct for a given individual.


An example of this is female names which often often end in the syllable ko, written with the kanji meaning "child". This was quite common up until the 1980s, and still continues. Male names occasionally end with the syllable ko, but very rarely using the kanji. If a male name ends in ko, it ends in hiko, using the kanji. Common male name endings are -shi and -o; names ending with -shi are often verbs.

Kanji names in Japan are governed by the government's rules on kanji use. As of 2004 there were officially 2,232 "name kanji" used in personal names, and the Japanese government plans to increase this list by 578 kanji. The reason for this is to ensure that names can be written and read by those literate in Japanese. There are also rules governing names considered to be inappropriate; for example, in 1993 two parents who tried to name their child Akuma (devil) were prohibited from doing so.

Gangs and Prison Tattoos

Tattoos have always been used as a means to identify members with particular gangs. Members use tattoos for several reasons. Some members will have numerous tattoos, particularly if they have spent time in prison. These tattoos may include one or more symbols that has been adopted as something unique to identify it’s members.

Tattoos such as a tear drop under an eye or a spider web represent prison time. Many members will have their name tattooed in large bold letters so that rival members will be intimidated. For the uninitiated wearing an unauthorized tattoo could be very dangerous particularly in prison. Prison inmates have been known to remove unauthorized tattoos from non members by literally cutting the tattoo off the person’s flesh.

Some members in particular take pride in branding themselves as outside of the boundaries of conventional society. Tattoos are also used to express their often nihilistic philosophy. Gangsta style tattoos popularized by rappers are often done in a black and gray style and depict firearms, bullets, secret letters and numbers, in old English or gothic script. It is common to have the name of the person tattooed on the back of the neck or have a motto tattooed on the chest.

Cover-up Tattoos

Usually when we think of cover-up tattoos we think of an old lover whose name was tattooed in a moment of madness on some part of the body (usually highly visible) only to be regretted after the relationship suddenly ended. This is somewhat of a cliche and most often not the case.

Generally a lot of people are presenting to tattoo studios for cover-up tattoos simply because they want to touch up an old faded tattoo or rework an old design that does not resonate with them any longer. It may be the original tattoo design was not the most professional job or is just starting to look a bit dated.

This can often happen when a small tattoo was done without considering the bigger picture. For me personally that meant getting a small kanji tattoo covered over with a bigger tattoo that meant more to me. There is nothing wrong with rethinking your ink and covering up with a bigger and better tattoo.

In the last few years there has been quite a bit of advancement with tattoo inks. This has led to a whole new variety of colors and inks that look brighter and better than the inks of old. In that sense many old tattoos can actually be made to look much better than what they did beforehand without taking away from the skill of the original artist of course ;-)

Many artist also specialize in cover-up work so it is a good idea to check through their portfolios to see some of the cover-up tattoos they have done. Don't settle for an artist who is content to cover up your old tattoo with heavy blackwork but is willing to use some creativity in integrating the old design with a newer better one.

Even if the original tattoo was black it is still possible to work the old design into a newer more colorful design with a little bit of imagination either by yourself or the artist who will probably have a better idea what will work and what will end up really dark and undefined. Remember it is your body so you decide what the finished outcome is.

Gamer Tattoos

A tattoo artist friend of mine said to me recently that if he had a choice over tattooing or playing computer games he would choose the games. Now don't get me wrong - he is not some neophyte who has just started and doesn't know where he is at. Far from it. He has cut his teeth in tattooing but just prefers to hang out in Hack and Slash rather than in the tattoo studio.

I thought this was amusing until he said that he wouldn't have a problem chucking in his career as a tattoo artist to become a full-time gamer. It was then I realized how passionate he was about his games. You see I don't really play games. I was never any good at them. I had grown up with Atari and more recently bought myself a PlayStation but only ever used it to play music through.

It was only until I went to Japan that the whole gamer culture was opened to me. Up until then I had always associated gamers as being young teenage boys with pale skin and spots who spent all of their time in their bedroom with the curtains closed. How wrong I was.

It made me realize that the stereotype I had in my head for years about gamers was all wrong and that there were hundreds of thousands of people such as my tattoo artist friend who were the norm not the exception. They were the kind of people you would see at Burning Man Festival and think to yourself how rad they were.

Then I came across a story about this family who all decided to get a tattoo after their mom passed away. One of them said - "since we had just been through some bad stuff, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Grief's funny like that. We were all gamers, there were three brothers, so the Triforce seemed a natural fit. We made the decision to do it, then promptly didn't for two years, because I was a wimp."

This story blew me away on so many different levels. I am always one to encourage people to think seriously before they get a tattoo and try make sure it means something to them. This made me think that you don't have to get some portrait tattoo or a tattoo design of a headstone or some other predictable tattoo to honor a loved ones memory.

Tattoos as Ritual

Tattoos have long been associated with rituals amongst tribal people. Young men would often be tattooed to mark their transition from boyhood to adulthood and to mark other rites of passage. The process of tattooing is deeply symbolic and contains many of the elements associated with ritual such as blood, symbolism and the awakening of the astral body through the experience of pain.

Tattoos and the modern practice of tattooing is seen by many as an almost mystical experience akin to the exchange of energy experienced during tantric sex or modern day sex magick. In many ways the level of trust involved in opening your body up to the tattooist is equivalent if not greater than the abandonment associated with the ecstasy and release of sex.

This spiritual emptiness of the modern world manifests in the obvious need for people to seek out meaning in their lives. This is apparent to anyone working in the tattoo industry who will tell you about the surge in people seeking tattoos that have a ascribed meaning to them. Whether that be a tattoo with some kind of spiritual significance or even a tattoo which takes the form of a sacred symbol or image of an Eastern deity.

Symbols have been practiced for thousands of years for religious, magickal and sacred reasons. We have become so bombarded by advertising images that we are almost immune to their presence. It is not surprising that symbols, sigils and seals would be used as tattoos. Many people are beginning to suggest that the placement of sacred symbols on their bodies can help with illness or grief.