Tribal Rose Tattoos - Surprisingly Flexible Tattoo Ideas

Tribal Rose Tattoos - Surprisingly Flexible Tattoo Ideas


If you're considering a tattoo, you probably know that there are lots of decisions involved. You've got to decide what design you want, where on your body you want to get it, what colors you want, and so on. There's not one easy answer to all these questions. But if you want one idea that can give you a great start, think about tribal rose tattoos.

It might surprise you to learn that deciding to use the design of a tribal rose gives you a huge number of options. "Tribal" tattoos can be almost anything. If you're of Celtic heritage, or if you just like the intricacy of Celtic knot designs, you could choose to weave these elaborate symbols into your tattoo.

Maybe you're looking for something less specific in your tribal tattoo. You could browse the internet to find some ancient symbols or runes to use, or you could opt for a more generic design. Tribal tattoos that are a series of interconnecting lines, or flame-like shapes, are becoming very popular among people who choose tattoos.

The great thing about either of these options - or any other kind of tribal tattoo you get - is that they complement flower designs nicely. This is especially important to consider if you want to get a rose as part of your design. Just like tribal tattoos, rose tattoos actually give you a lot of flexibility. Your rose tattoo can be big or small, colored or monochrome, filled or outlined.

Another important component of your tattoo is where on your body to place it. If you choose a tribal rose design that is long and linear, it might look good wrapped around your arm, or your ankle. Maybe you could also place it on your hip, where its snake-like shape will be sure to get attention!

If your design of choice is something different - maybe a more circular choice, like a rose wrapped in a circle formed by a tribal design - it might look better in an alternative place on your body. The lower back is a great option, because it is a relatively flat surface that is big enough for almost any tattoo artist to do a great job giving you exactly what you want.

Finally, the tribal rose design gives you lots of color choices. You can get the rose colored red, pink, or yellow, like a real flower, or you could pick any color you like. If you want to create a sharp contrast, you could choose a monochrome tribal design that will really make your rose stand out.

When you're thinking about what tattoo to get, you should definitely keep tribal rose tattoos in mind. They are highly flexible designs that can be customized to fit your individual tastes and your budget. You're sure to be pleased with these designs.
















 Tribal Rose Tattoos - Surprisingly Flexible Tattoo Ideas

Rose Tattoos - A Meaning In Every Petal

Rose Tattoos - A Meaning In Every Petal



Roses have always been associated with love and death. The ancient Greeks believed that the first rose was created when Chloris, the goddess of flowers, came upon a dying wood nymph and transformed her into a flower. Then the goddess of love, Aphrodite, gave the flower its beauty, and the god of wine, Dionysus, contributed an intoxicating fragrance. Beauty, love, intoxication, and death, all in one package; add thorns for a hint of sorrow and danger, and you have the perfect symbol of the human condition

So is it any wonder that the rose tattoo has, for both men and women, become one of the most widely requested of all tattoo designs? Not only is the rose loaded with symbolic meaning; its can be represented as anything from a single small bud or open bloom, or as a garland or bouquet of blossoms, and with or without thorns. It can have flowing ribbons with names of loved ones, tattooed in remembrance or as a pledge of eternal devotion.

One ancient Roman legend is that the god of silence, Harpocrates, happened to witness Venus, the goddess of love, engaging in an illicit sexual encounter. Venus' son Cupid, the god of love, bribed Harpocrates with a rose to guarantee his silence. The Romans took their myths seriously, and the ceilings of Roman banquet rooms were festooned with roses as a reminder to those reclining at the tables. What was revealed from wine-loosened lips of wine was heard "sub rosa," and would remain confidential.

A rose tattoo positioned in a very private place and known only to a lover can honor the tradition of the rose as a symbol of secrecy. But rose tattoos can also be worn visibly and proudly, as most men wear them, on the arm.

Even the color of a rose tattoo can add layers to its meaning; the Victorians actually had a "language" of flowers and by sending different varieties of blooms in different colors to those they admired could communicate symbolically all the romantic feelings their conventions would no let them say in person. Rose tattoos, alone or combined with other flowers, can communicate a very private message in a very public way.

While the most requested color for rose tattoos is red, signifying love, romance, courage, and beauty, the blue rose tattoo is gaining in popularity, and has an intriguing history. There are no naturally blue roses, and although research is ongoing to create one, the blue rose tattoo represents mystery and the quest to achieve the impossible. Some legends suggest that the blue rose can magically grant wishes or restore youth.

Rose tattoos, like the actual flowers, can beckon and entice, or hint of danger. Rose tattoos can suggest purity and innocence, or unbridled passion. Rose tattoos can be worn in remembrance of loved ones who have moved on or as pledges of undying love through all the years ahead.

A rose tattoo, in other words, can speak volumes about you, and all you need to do is tell your tattoo artist what you want yours to say!






















Rose Tattoos - A Meaning In Every Petal

Amy Winehouse Tattoos - The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Amy Winehouse Tattoos - The Good the Bad and the Ugly


Tattoos have increasingly made their way into the mainstream culture as an increasing number of celebrities now openly flaunt their tattoos.

One of the most popular of these celebrities is, of course, Angelina Jolie. Although she is currently best known for her activities on behalf of the United Nations, her marriage to Brad Pitt and her family of multinational adopted children, in past years she was infamous for her body art.

The Oscar-winning actress has more than a dozen tattoos at present, and has not hesitated in past years to have the name of her current love immortalized in ink on her body.

On the other end of the spectrum, as far as respectability goes, is British soul singer Amy Winehouse, whose body is a virtual canvas for the tattoo artist's needle.

Although her album Back in Black was released to critical acclaim and strong sales, in recent years Winehouse has become better known for the shambles her private life has become.

In 2007 she married Blake Fielder-Civil; it was a troubled marriage, to say the least, beset by allegations of spousal abuse, and eventually ended in divorce on 2009.

Winehouse has also struggled with substance abuse, resulting in erratic behavior that has been well-documented by the tabloids.

The Amy Winehouse tattoos that have been listed in various websites include an anchor with the words Hello Sailor on her belly, a singing bird on her lower right arm, the first name of her husband Blake over a picture of a pocket on her left breast, and on various other parts of her body, an angel, a feather, a horseshoe and a lightning bolt.

Most recently she also got an American eagle flying behind an Egyptian ankh tattooed on her upper back between her shoulders.

The sheer amount of body art Winehouse sports has also inspired artists in other media. Artist Andrew Salomone recently showed off an Amy Winehouse tattoo sweater on his blog, on which he embroidered all her tattoos in the correct places.

Salomone expressed the hope that the sweater would allow her to keep warm and maintain her health, while still letting her show off her distinctive body art.











 Amy Winehouse Tattoos - The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Japanese Tattoo Lettering - History, Basics, and Style

Japanese Tattoo Lettering - History, Basics, and Style


In Japan, tattooing and tattoo lettering began primarily as an expression of spirituality. From approximately 300 BC to 300 AD, a Japanese tattoo always conveyed a certain religious meaning for its bearer, and also served as a decorative status symbol.

During this period, tattooing was meticulously practiced and highly regarded. For the tattoo artists, tattooing was not just an occupation, but a way of life. For instance, aspiring apprentices had to train under masters for many years before becoming credible and acknowledged tattoo artists, which are called "horis" in Japan. Only a horis was allowed to create full body suit tattoos.

All that changed when the government began to etch tattoos on criminals as a means of punishment. During the Meiji era, the Japanese government outlawed tattooing and forced artists to practice underground. It was legalized again in 1945, but until now, Japanese tattoos have never completely shaken off the negative association with common felons and the Yakuza, Japan's longstanding infamous mafia. Consequently, people sporting tattoos are known to be banned in many public baths and massage parlors by apprehensive business owners. Despite all this, Japanese tattoos continue to gain popularity domestically and worldwide because of the outstanding artistry of the designs and the deep mystical symbolism inherent to them.

Japanese tattoos are formed using words, images, and numbers, or different combinations of each. There are three kinds of scripts in Japanese:

* Kanji - originated from traditional Chinese characters. Intricate and beautiful, these characters are used to convey concepts.
* Hiragana - developed during the Heian period by women. It represents sounds, and looks feminine.
* Katakana - series of characters developed by Buddhist monks. The style is sharp and masculine, and represents sounds.

Kanji, hiragana, and katakana are combined and used for lettering and can be written vertically and horizontally. Katakana is generally used for foreign names, places, and words that are of foreign origin. For Japanese tattoo lettering, people often use Kanji.

In the same manner as there are different lettering styles in English writing, there are also different writing styles to create Japanese characters. They are:

* Kaisho, is the Japanese equivalent of block style.
* Gyousho, is the equivalent of cursive style.
* Sousho, is an extreme form of cursive, perhaps the equivalent of fancy Old English lettering.

Called "irezumi" and "horimono", Japanese tattoos are stunning but are rather complicated to create because there is no actual alphabet for the Japanese language. Written communication is a group of symbols representing sounds or general concepts. That's why it is so important to find yourself a tattoo artist who has extensive knowledge and expertise with the Japanese language, and its attached symbolism. Before getting a Japanese tattoo, it is best to follow these guidelines:

* Know the difference between kanji, hiragana, and katakana.
* Familiarize yourself with the writing styles and choose the one that appeals to you the most.
* Choose a word that would translate logically into Japanese. Some phrases may be coherent in English (e.g. "Big Daddy) but may be ridiculous when converted to Japanese (e.g. Large Father).
* Always remember to check before having any inking done.

 




 Japanese Tattoo Lettering