Tattoos

•  Tattoos have been around for a long time, about as long as 5000+ years, and they are as diverse as the people that wear them and in my generation it has turned into the “thing” to have just like body piercing, I have 2 piercings, where as my girlfriend has 8 piercings, and if you search the internet or check your e-mails there has been at least one person that has sent you a list of pictures that show someone who has their whole body either tattooed or pierced.
   Tattoos are a big thing now a days but the hard part is figuring out:
• What you want
• Where you want it
• What colours are there
• What colours you want
• How much will it set me back
• Who is the best artist for the job
• When is your appointment going to be (if you make one some artists are booked for months)

 Well there are a large variety of designs and by large I mean you can have anything you want on your body like a duck all the way to the Macintosh apple logo and a souped up car all the way back to the duck, funny how that works huh? But the industry is forever growing, and more people are entering the business and well doing what they love and that is taking their designs and putting them on your body.
I’m going to tell you a very short story.
 I’m 19 years old and I have a son who is 1 ½ years old, I was going to get a tattoo of his name in old English style font on my arm, so I went to the tattoo artist and asked how much it would be for him to do that , and he said “it all depends on how big the font is, where you want it, how much time it will take and how complex it will be.” so I told him what I wanted and the price was around $40 all the way up to $120, that’s a lot of money for a tattoo if you ask me, so I didn’t get it but I am going to get it when I have the money to burn on that specific tattoo, my girlfriend has a butterfly on her right breast, and that cost her about $80 and that was on sale and it is only like 1 ½ by 1 ¾ inches big. And it cost her $80 on sale. So the moral of this little story is if your going to get a tattoo better make sure that’s what you want and that you have the money for it.
 Now back to my article, now to get a design for a tattoo you can do a couple things for it I will make a list so it will be easier to read.

• Go to Google and search for a picture of what you want and print it out
• You can draw it if your good at drawing (but if you want stick men you need any drawing techniques)
• You can use Photoshop and make a picture in that and print it out(or MS paint if you don’t have PS)
• You can choose a design from what the tattoo artist shows you
• You can always go to this site http://www.over3500tattoos.com
• And when in doubt just get someone’s name with a nice font.

And just ask the artist about colours that you can get for your tattoo. It is up to you where you want it, but just remember your body is your canvas do what you want with it.Watch for more of my articles about tatoos. All the best Marc (The Tattoo Kid)

Recently Tribal Tattoos have enjoyed a rejuvenation . The originals go beyond the intertwined stripes of black shapes that are common today. Bountious of the ancient tattoo patterns have given way to swirls, spikes, knots, and totems that come from the conception of the initiator rather than any of the ancient tribes.

The tribal style of tattoos comes from the older tribes such as the Celtics (Ireland, Scotland, & Wales), Maori Tribe (indigenous people of Brand-new Zealand), The Haida Tribe (indigenous people along the west coast of North America), the Marquesan (Polynesian inhabitants of the Marquises Islands) and the tribes of Borneo. Native Americans also used tattoos to denote rank, abundance, tribe affiliation, family, role in world and deeds of bravery.

Maori

The Maori tribes migrated from Eastern Polynesia around 800 to 1300 AD and were the initial settlers in Advances Zealand. They developed their own language. The Maori were described as a furious and glorious warrior race. Inter-tribal warfare was a way of life, with the conquered being enslaved or eaten! The British exempted the Maori from conscription in World War Two, however. over 17,000 Maori Natives volunteered! The traditional Maori tribal tattoos are known as ta moko, and consisted of bold spiral designs covering the face. The tattooing process was a tribal ritual that made the use of bone chisels for tattooing.

Haida

The Haida are North American Indians who were clever fishermen and seafarers who lived along the coast of British Columbia and Alaska. The Haida are well known as skilled artisans of wood, metal and design. They were also known as fearsome warriors who kidnapped slaves as far south in California. The Tribal tattoos of the Haida resembled pictures of the Indian astrology, thunderbirds, beavers, bears, and fish. The tattoo style of the Haida is forceful and masculine.

Celts

The Celts were a self-respecting , warrior class who inhabited the English Isles before the Roman invasion 55 B.C. under Julius Caesar. The Celts were such a threat that the Romans built the Hadrian Wall to keep them away. The endless knots inside and out of the outlines identify the Tribal tattoos of the Celtics.arquesan

Sea-faring Polynesians from Samoa colonized the Marquises Islands as early as 300 A.D. They were warring tribes who sometimes cannibalized their enemies. The devastation of the native Marquesan occurred with the introduction of diseases from the European explorers. These islanders covered their bodies completely with tattoos. The Marquesan Islanders used their bodies as a living canvas that told picture stories.

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world. The rainforest of the Borneo Island is very rich in biodiversity. The tribes of Borneo used tattoos for protection and proof of their achievements. Needless to say, they were notorious as headhunters. Their tattoos usually took the form of scorpions, flowers, dogs, dragons and spirals.

Celebrities

The ex-professional boxer, Mike Tyson’s facial tattoo was influenced by a combination of the Maori and Borneo Tribal tattoos.

Sandra Bullock has a Tribal tattoo design below her navel.

Pamela Anderson of Bay Watch fame, has a scattering tattoos, including a Tribal design on her lower back.

Conclusion

The vivid template of the Tribal tattoo expresses personal freedom and uniqueness of the wearer. Tribal tattoos have a simple appeal that reinforces a positive feeling about ourselves and connects us to ancient mystery of the tribal rituals, which faded away with history.

Are you planning to get a tattoo? Do you have absolutely no idea what tattoo to get? Well, the first place to search for tattoo designs is, of course, the Internet. You will find lots of sites with tattoo galleries and studios, not to mention the useful articles from tattoo specialists and testimonials from tattoo lovers, if it’s your first tattoo. All of these will help you make a more informed decision.

You should get an unique one, but most of all, one to live with! Unlike jewelry, paintings etc., a tattoo cannot be taken away from us. We can ascribe personal values and meanings to the art work, without the fear of ever losing it. That permanent drawing remains as a mark of the emotions and happenings that we have once experienced.

The tattoo culture has it’s origins in ancient cultures, recognized as a mark of privilege or royalty. Through the centuries, somehow, it has become a negative image, “pagan”, and those that had tattoos were considered savages (like the African or Indian aborigines with tribal tattoos). Later on, tattoos were portrayed as an expression of rebellious strength.

Nowadays, tattooing has become not only stylish, but a symbol of conformity to certain ideas and beliefs, a symbol of belonging, even an individual status. With each generation, more and more people have it done and speak about the Tattoo Art and Tattoo Artists. Quite a change! Once, people who had tattoos were either powerful, or criminals. Now everyday Joe’s and Jane’s are walking around in their business suits that cover cross tattoos, girl tattoos or whatever. You will find the same black heart tattoo on your assistant’s hip as on your milkman’s neck.

Unfortunately, the reason for tattooing is not always for the appreciation of tattoos as works of art. The music videos and movies on TV today are full of celebrities showing off their painted-on (!) tattoos. We have to admit that the power of the media to influence our mind is part of the reason that tattoos have become so important for the mainstream culture in the United States. Every teenager is considering having done a Britney Spears tattoo. But that doesn’t change the fact that the new generation believes in the expression of their own personality (not that of their parents). By digressing away from the trends of the older generation, the youth of today makes a stand.

On the other hand, we can also say that the increase of the information, available through TV, Internet, magazines and other media, has brought about a totally different appreciation for tattoos. They have become works of art. The more types and designs, the more tattoos became a form of decoration. They are not only beautiful, they can also be incredible, noble works of art, considering the fact that those “decorated” with tattoos have gone through pain to attain the beauty.

However, getting a tattoo is, still, an experience that many people refuse to go through. Sitting in the seat with that high sound in your ear for at least an hour is mind altering for many of us. But that doesn’t change the increasingly popular trend of tattooing. At least once a day, we hear someone speaking about getting a new tattoo.

So, if you are one of them, then don’t hesitate to look for tattoo designs on the specialized websites, check out the tattoos gallery and pick the latest online store.

Koi is an oriental name for fish in the carp family. In the Orient koi are very revered, and are thought to have certain mystical abilities about them. Koi stands for courage, strength, determination, advancement, and perseverance. In the English Language the word “Koi” is translated as the word “love”, or the feeling of love. It can also be translated as romantic love or a very passionate love affair. However, koi can also mean selfish. In the orient koi is a symbol of good luck.

In China there is a legend that describes a koi fish swimming up the Yellow River to a waterfall, and if it is at a place called the Dragon Gate, the koi may then jump over the fall and be transformed into a dragon.

In Buddhism it is believed that people are like the koi, swimming in an ocean of suffering all their lives, yet they continue striving forward until they die. The koi fish tattoos with 5 golden koi stands for well being through our daily lives, and eternal wealth, 5 being a lucky number. And matched with the legend the koi is as lucky as a dragon. And the perfect koi tattoo art would be of a golden koi changing into a dragon, just like a butterfly does.

In koi tattoos you will often see them combined with water, cherry blossoms or lotus flowers. However, the Japanese koi tattoos have many symbolic meanings depending on what the koi is doing. Japanese koi tattoo art is a symbol of masculinity. Koi fish are a very energetic fish, and the Koi fish tattoos may often involve very lively colors, with the fish depicted as moving. Koi fish tattoos are often represented with victory as well, and are often tattooed on a person’s body to represent someone who is very independent, going against the grain of society.

Any koi tattoo art is suppose to bring its wear wealth and abundance, and thus this king of fish is known as the dragon fish, and many koi tattoos are depicted in a larger tattoo. They are very popular tattoos for the back and/or both shoulders, or as Koi sleeve tattoos. The background colors are as spectacular as the fish itself. They have been depicted with suns and moons as well.

The koi has also been depicted with the Yin/Yang symbol; the Yin being the black part, which is female, night, water, earth, and it is passive; the Yang being the white part, is male, day, fire, air, and it is active. Together these two symbols meant balance and harmony. In itself the Yin/Yang makes a very strong statement, but together with the koi, makes it extraordinary.

You can understand why the popularity of koi fish tattoos has become so appealing to people.