An Overview Of Tattoo Designs

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Click Image For More

The art of tattoo designs continue to emerge along with the human race development. It is not possible to decipher when the first tattoo presented itself but it is believed to be more than 30,000 years ago.

Numerous Egyptian mummies have been found in pyramids displaying wrist tattoos. The women were believed to have been longing for a child and the tattoos were meant to act as a symbol fertility. Some reports suggest that tattoos may have served a medicinal purpose as the pigment had some type of curative or healing effect. It is also interesting to note that the word tattoo comes from the Polynesian word of “ta” that means to strike something.

A mummy known by the name of Oetzi was found in 1991 that was believed to be 5,300 years old that displayed vertical and horizontal lined tattoos. At least 57 markings were found on various joints on his body. The tattoos were believed to be a form of acupuncture that was administered to be a reliever of joint pain. These are the same pressure points that are used in acupuncture today. There is, however, some speculation that the markings could have been a representation of a ritual or social status.

Russians found bodies that they believed to be more that 2,400 years old. They had therapeutic dots that lined up all along their spinal column as well as around their right ankle. It is because of tattoos like these that historians have been able to attain important information of the Neolithic ages.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

The Symbolic Meaning Of Tattoo Designs

Every tattoo has its own special meaning while others have several meanings that can be a different representation to whoever is wearing it. Below is an overview of popular tattoo designs.

• Tribal Tattoos – These have become one of the most popular tattoo designs for good reason, the meaningful roots run deep. Every tribe of people has their own history and culture that is represented in tribal tattoos.
• Animal Tattoos – Animal tattoo designs are chosen for various reasons, usually being a deep respect for the acknowledged animal. Many animals also have their own symbolic meaning.
• Bird Tattoos – From swallows to owls to crows, in general, bird tattoos are almost always associated with freedom.

Click Image For More

• Cross Tattoos – Found in various styles, religious and non-religious, all representing a strong symbolism of something, either spiritual or not. Popular crosses are Latin, Celtic, Iron, Maltese and Gothic.
• Eagle Tattoos – These are extremely popular in the United States with the Bald eagle representing the nation’s bird. It is a symbol of power due to the animal’s predator nature. The eagle tattoo is often depicted in the colors of the flag.
• Face tattoos – Portraits of human faces are often done as a tribute to a deceased loved one or as a fantasy or mythological creature.
• Sun Tattoos – The sun is a deep root in cultures and history of numerous civilizations. The sun has always been a giver of life and represents rejuvenation.
• Flower Tattoos – These types of tattoo designs are most popular with woman and symbolize a natural element or they are commonly used as an accessory design with something else.
• Horoscope Tattoos – Zodiac symbol tattoos are extremely popular and usually suggest a tribal form of art.
• Wolf Tattoo – This hauntingly beautiful animal gives the impression of a primeval savage beast or a leader.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Identification

Through time, many people have found themselves forcibly tattooed. During the Holocaust in Nazi concentration camps, a tattoo identification system was used for inmates. Tattoos have often been used by forensic pathologists, helping them to identify mutilated and burned bodies because tattoo pigment lies deep enough in the skin that is often not destroyed.

Spiritual And Decorative Uses

Tattoos serve as a needed rite of passage, symbol of rank and status, spiritual and religious devotion, a decoration for bravery, marks of fertility, punishment, pledges of love, protection, convicts and slaves. The impact and symbol of a tattoo changes with different cultures and locations.

Today, people acquire tattoos for many different personal reasons such as sentimental or memorial, cosmetic, religious, criminal gangs and magical reasons. They have certainly came a long way and will continue to be a personal sign of representation for centuries to come.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Tattoo Designs For Women

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Click For More

Although some may assume that tattoo designs for women are part of a new craze and there are those that believe that a woman should not mark up her body, it is a fact that women were getting tattoos long before men. What was once a taboo act that was looked upon as an act of rebellion has now become a socially acceptable form of self-expression. Women all over the world are able to now use their bodies as an open canvas. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that some of the most beautiful and famous women proudly put their ink on display.

The History of Tattoo Designs for Woman

A few of the earliest examples of tattooing on women are Egyptian mummies. Small bronze implements were also found in tombs that were believed to be tattooing instruments dated to 1,450 B.C. Of course, the three famous female mummies from 2,000 B.C., display the most intriguing permanent marks that have been found.

Two of the women were believed to be dancing girls and one, Amunet, was a high-priestess. There seems to be a great deal of controversy over their tattoos. Some believe that they were marks of prostitutes to protect the women against disease and others believe they played a therapeutic role during difficult pregnancy and child birth. This idea has been adopted due to the distinct distribution pattern around the abdomen and on top of the breasts and thighs. This explains why the act of tattooing was primarily a female custom.

Most of the tattoos were diamond, dotted patterns by black or very dark pigment. Although it seems that in other cultures, brighter colors were used.

Of course, the wars brought an explosion of popularity of tattoos for men but it took awhile for it be acceptable for women to do the same. Many older women now are getting tattoos stating that they wish they would have started many years ago but didn’t want to deal with the frown of society. Lawyers, doctors and teachers are all flocking to studios to seek out tattooists to put something on themselves that makes them unique. A good majority of women wear their tattoo in a place that few people even know that they have one.

Women are now able to reassert control over their bodies thanks to a rise from the danger zone. They are no longer looked down upon as harshly from most and it offers them a power that was not present for a very long time.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Top 10 Placement Spots For Tattoo Designs For Women

1. Lower Back – This is a feminine, sexy location for a tattoo. It can be hidden or showed off depending on clothing.
2. Inside of Wrist – Easily covered with a watch or sleeve and it is a perfect spot to house something symbolic that the wearer can actually see at any given time.
3. Feet – The popularity of foot tattoos has exploded and who doesn’t love the look of a tattoo on a bare foot in the summer.
4. Ankle – Tattoos seem to just look feminine on the ankle. Ankle bands are also commonly chosen.
5. Back of Neck – One of the less painful places and the neck is an exotic and mysterious place for a tattoo. It offers a surprise element when the hair is pulled up.
6. Left Shoulder – On the back, in the left shoulder region is a common, traditional area.
7. Upper Arm – One of the original picked spots for tattoos.
8. Panty Line – A very sexy, top-picked location to tuck away tattoo designs for women.
9. Hip – The most popular spot for those that have to keep their ink hidden.
10. Calves – Generally a tattoo on a woman’s calve is quite bold, larger in size and worn by someone not afraid to flaunt it.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Top 10 Most Popular Tattoo Designs For Women

Click Image For More Designs

1. Butterfly Tattoos – Symbolic, feminine and beautiful, it is no surprise these mystical creatures are picked by women of all ages.
2. Star Tattoos – Shooting stars or a moon and star combination are very popular.
3. Flower Tattoos – Flowers are naturally beautiful and each one brings its own symbolic meaning. They are perfect for a solitary tattoo or to pair up with something else.
4. Dragonfly Tattoos – These are not ordinary insects. Dragonflies are representative, magical and offer mystery.
5. Heart Tattoos – The symbol of romance and love or the broken heart, are all reason that heart tattoos are a popular choice.
6. Tribal Tattoos – For a long time only men enjoyed tribal tattoos, however, now they are equally as adored by women.
7. Wings Tattoos – Angel wings have become quite popular and are stunning in a bikini or an open back dress.
8. Dolphin Tattoos – These intellectual animals of the sea are loved by women for many reason.
9. Skull Tattoos – Some women go for the traditional looking skull while others will have a girly one created to play off their feminine side.
10. Zodiac Tattoos – Many women are true to their astrological sign and want to show it off in the form of a tattoo.

Top 10 Most Popular Women In Hollywood With Tattoos

1. Angelina Jolie – Actress displays many words and sayings in both English and Arabic as well as a Latin cross, Buddhist Sanskrit symbol, Asian tiger, dragon and tribal.
2. Megan Fox – Actress wears the name Brian, tribal, Marilyn Monroe, a line from Shakespeare and a star on an ankle. She plans on completing a sleeve in the near future.
3. Adriana Lima – Victoria’s Secret Angel, supermodel of Brazil and a spokes model for Maybelline has a tribal tattoo on her ankle with a star.
4. Christina Aguilera – Singer and songwriter has a few tattooed words, Hebrew letters, flower and Mickey Mouse.
5. Heidi Klum – Supermodel, television host, artist, fashion designer and has been a spokes model for everyone who matters wears the name of her husband Seal on her tattoo.
6. Rihanna – Singer and former model has a music note, Pisces symbol, star, Roman numerals, a Sanskrit prayer and a few other words.
7. Jessica Alba – Actress wears a Sanskrit word for lotus, a ladybug with a daisy and a bow.
8. Malin Akerman – Supermodel, actress and singer has a lotus, Tibetan Sanskrit and the initial of her husband, Z for Zincone
9. Charlize Theron – Actress, producer and former model displays a flower and a koi fish.
10. Lindsay Lohan – Actress and model wears a few symbolic quotes, scattered words, a star and a heart.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Sleeve Tattoo Designs

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Click Image For More Designs

A steady eruption of sleeve tattoo designs seems to have emerged across the planet as people find the therapeutic addiction of tattooing. So what is a sleeve tattoo? It is basically either one large well thought out and planned massive tattoo or a collection of tattoos that has background added to them to cover either most of or all of the individual’s arm.

The term sleeve, accordingly represents the coverage of where a piece of clothing would lie. A full sleeve is tattooed from the wrist to the shoulder, a half sleeve covers from either the wrist to the elbow or the elbow to the shoulder and a quarter sleeve is generally the bicep to the shoulder.

Making the commitment to get a sleeve tattoo should not be taken lightly nor should it be a spur of the minute decision. They are time consuming, complicated and costly and do not think about rushing your tattooist. Rome was not built in a day and neither will your sleeve be. It will take several visits to the shop to get worked on. Of course, if you already have a few tattoos and you find yourself wanting a sleeve, a talented tattoo artist will be able to turn these into a sleeve for you by filling in the skin areas.

Process Of Tattoo Sleeves

1. The first and most important thing you need to do is find a fabulous tattoo artist and one that you feel confident it. Filling in a sleeve takes far more talent, creativity and experience that creating a single tattoo.
2. Dedicate to a theme. The background theme will usually correspond with tattoos already on the arm. The tattooist can usually guide you on what will look good artistically but the end decision is yours so be sure that you positive of your choice before you begin.
3. Fill in the arm. Don’t make the mistake of wasting valuable real estate be filling in large areas that could house something symbolic.
4. Allow your arm to heal completely between sessions. Generally the shortest time between visits will be a week and even then the artist will usually try to work on an area not freshly tattooed.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Popular Sleeve Tattoo Designs

Click Image For More

Tribal Sleeve Tattoos – These are an extremely popular option due to the thick, dark bold lines that look great on anyone and from any distance.

Celtic Sleeve Tattoos – Celtic knot work sleeves are extremely intricate tattoos with at on of interweaving lines and great detail.

Flame Sleeve Tattoos – Generally flames will begin around the wrist area, traveling up the arm and wrap around other tattoos.

Floral Sleeve Tattoos – These types of sleeve tattoo designs are most often chosen for women however, many men will incorporate floral designs in their sleeve as well.

Scenic Sleeve Tattoos – Many people will choose to have every inch of their arm display part of a dedicated scene. These take a lot of work and a great deal of talent.

Celebrities With Sleeve Tattoo Designs

• Busta Rhymes – Rapper has a tribal sleeve.
• Chris Carraba – Singer wears an Oriental sleeve with koi fish and Japanese symbols.
• Daniel Conn – Australian rugby player displays a sleeve on his right arm.
• Fred Durst – Musician has full sleeves on both arms.
• Keith Flint – Prodigy singer displays a tribal sleeve.
• Robert LaSardo – Actor boasts two full sleeves.
• Nicholas Lemons – Model wears a full sleeve and a chest plate housing bamboo, lotus, dragon and Kanji.
• John Otto – Limp Bizkit drummer has a half sleeve on his lower left arm.
• Casey Patridge – Actress has a full sleeve tattoo on her left arm.
• Ville Valo – HIM singer displays a full tribal sleeve.
• Ed Witt – Chef wears two full sleeve tattoos.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Tattoo Designs

Armband Tattoo Designs

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Armband Tattoos

Click For More

Armband tattoo designs continue to explode in popularity year after year.  They are so varied in style and symbols that each representation is as unique as the individual wearing it.  Armband tattoos can be aggressively bold or designed to be subtle and feminine.

Tribal designs seem to have taken over the armband tattoo genre however there has literally been an unimaginable number of creatures or characters that have been stretched to entwine around the bicep including mystical creatures like unicorns, fairies and dragons.  They can house animals, symbols, flowers, vines, bones and be exquisitely detailed or made with an appreciative simplicity.

Armband Tattoo History

At some point in the 1700s, Japanese made the transition of ridding themselves of barbaric practices of amputations of fingers, ears, nose, etc for convicted criminals.  For every committed offense, a significant tattoo was created around the arm of their convicted criminals.  Around 1870, tattooing of this sort became abolished by Japan.

The Polynesian islands have been wearing armband tattoo designs for centuries and today’s Hawaiian bands are remnant of such ancient traditions.  Many modern designs incorporate traditional Polynesian elements into their designs.

Among Polynesian and Hawaiian islanders, an armband tattoo represented status or rank and served a similar purpose of patches that are sewn on military personnel uniform sleeves.

Armband Tattoo Placement

Traditionally, armband tattoos are placed at the bicep’s widest part of the upper arm.  Bands that are created around wrists are called cuffs.  Additionally, tattoo bands are often linked around the forearm, calf or ankle.

Some artists and cultures believe that closing the band is considered bad luck, however it is also thought that the superstition could have been created due to difficulty in alignment to close the gap.  Before committing to an armband, always be sure to discuss closure options with your tattooist.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Armband Tattoos

Types Of Armband Tattoo Designs

Celtic Armbands – These armbands feature intricately angled lines making them a popular choice.  Complex knots, crosses, spirals, interlacing lines and both mythical and real animals are common choices.

Hawaiian Armbands – Although these tattoos are part of Hawaiian culture, it has been more recently that they have become a tradition.   It began as a popular souvenir in the 1970s for those visiting the Island but then gained popularity with the natives who wanted to show their pride in their culture.

Tribal Armbands – These do not represent any specific culture but they offer bold patterns with an organic feel.  The strong black lines of tribal erupted with popularity in the 1990s and continues to be a popular pick.

Indian Armband – Rope, beads and feathers usually make up these armbands that are often paired up with a dream catcher, ax, totem pole or a bull’s skull.

Floral Armband – A string of flowers either in color or black is a popular choice however, one solitary flower on a long vine wrapped around the arm is a simple, elegant idea as well.

Cross Armband – Sometimes the cross is just incorporated in these armbands and for others, the cross itself can be stretched around the arm to create the entire band.

Dragon Armband – Dragons work as well as snakes for bands because they house no definite lines.  The curve of these creatures are easily manipulated into a desired pattern.

Barbwire Armband – With so many modern choices available for armbands, barbed wire continues to be popular due to its simplicity and size.

Rosary Armband – These are extremely popular choices whether the individual is religious or not, there is just something mysterious and romantic about an old rosary.  These are most often seen as a cuff or an ankle band, especially on females.

You can literally wrap anything you want around your arm.  Of course you can choose a traditional option but if you have a meaningful symbol, favorite animals or special words, they are ideal to use so that your armband will be original.  There are those that even wear their wedding vows around their arm.  The possibilities are endless.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Armband Tattoos

Celebrities With Armband Tattoo Designs

• Pamela Anderson – Actress/model wears a barbwire armband.
• Anna Benson – Model shows off her tribal armband on her left arm.
• Kiera Chaplin – Model/actress has a skull armband on her left arm.
• Melanie Chisholm – Singer boasts a Celtic armband tattoo.
• Willa Ford – Musician has an armband of musical notes around her arm.
• Joey Kramer – Drummer has an armband tattoo on his right bicep.
• Donyell Marshall – NBA player wears a barbwire armband on his right arm.
• Jo O’Meara – Musician has a barbwire armband tattoo.
• Dolores O’Riordan – Singer has an armband tattoo on her right bicep.
• Janna Svenson – Swedish model shows off her tribal armband on her right arm.
• Alicia Witt – Actress displays an original armband of a fern around her right arm.
• Orlando Bloom – Actor has a double black band on his left forearm.
• Kiefer Sutherland – Actor wears a barbwire armband on his left and a Celtic armband on his right arm.

Click Here For an Elite Portfolio of Award Winning Armband Tattoos