Cool Art Tattoo Design: June 2010

Monday, June 7, 2010

Celtic Design Tattoos - Pure and Powerful Art

Celtic design tattoos, both because of their ancient historical symbolism and because they are simply among the most beautiful tattoos in the entire tattoo universe, are among the most requested of all tattoo designs. Both men and women of all ages have become intrigued with the aura surrounding Celtic design tattoos, and are hoping some of it will rub off on them.

The inspiration for Celtic design tattoos originated in Great Britain, dating as far back as drawings from the sixth century which appeared in manuscripts of Scripture which was copied in elaborate calligraphy by the Christian monks of the period. The manuscript decoration was extremely ornate, but Celtic design tattoos can be as intricate or as simple as their wearers desire.

The Monks responsible for the Celtic manuscript had the responsibility of combining the pagan imagery of the Celts with their accepted Christian symbols, to aid in the evangelization of the Celtic peoples. The Celtic design tattoos which most clearly illustrate this blending of symbolism is the Celtic cross tattoo, which is a traditional Christian cross with a circle at its center said to represent the ancient Druidic symbol for the sun.

Celtic design tattoos are most often known for their fascinating knots and interlacing, or "plaitwork" which will entertain viewers endlessly as they try to unravel them. The Celtic knot is another Druidic symbol, evoking the unending cycles of life and death, and the perfect and eternal circle.

The universal appeal of Celtic design tattoos, in fact, many lie in their abstract nature. With flowing spirals, squares, and geometrical forms, they are more of an attempt to create an emotion in the viewer rather than to be representational art.

One of the most delightful elements of Celtic design tattoos, in fact, is in their portrayal of animals. The animals in Celtic design tattoos are as complex as the Celtic knots; cats, deer, dogs, lions, tigers, birds and dragons are portrayed when the lines and thread of plaitwork, instead on forming eternal knots and loops, end with the depiction of animal heads, feet and tails. Many of the animals are inspired by medieval depictions of animals, and have a highly appealing air of whimsy.

The shamrock, of course, is one of the oldest Celtic design tattoos; while for the Irish it signifies excellence, and even has religious significance as a sign of the Holy Trinity, it is most widely known as a good luck charm. Those of Irish descent are especially fond of using an Celtic Shamrock tattoo to display their pride in their heritage.

The one drawback to having Celtic deign tattoos done is that they demand a tattoo artist with an exceptional amount of skill. Their symmetrical designs require a precise outline and steady had in the inking process, and some of them can take hours to complete. But done properly, Celtic design tattoos are true works of art!

Design Tattoos - Create Using Oriental Lettering

One of the cool things about many of the newer online tattoo sites is they offer you the ability to design tattoos to meet whatever message you are trying to convey through your body art.

Sites like Chopper Tattoo offer the ability to use traditional oriental lettering in whatever arrangement you desire to create an original message, statement or work of art you would like to have tattooed at your local shop. This is a far cry from the old days where you would go into your local shop and they would only have the standard selection of oriental phrases that millions of other people have as well. Not very original and you also run the risk of getting something that may not really mean what you think it means.

Being able to take the wording and symbols from a online resource and assemble them yourself allows you to design tattoos that you know what they mean and are exactly what you want to say. You can also design tattoos for personal work by requesting certain designs in detail and have them made up and placed on the site for you to download and carry in to your local artist to have done for you.

I personally love what the new online sites have done for those that want to design tattoos either for their own, as a gift for someone else or even a young artist trying to build up a portfolio of designs for his customer base. Any artist that can design tattoos has a distinct advantage over one that is stuck with using whatever artwork they can find out there that every other artist is using as well

I recently had some artwork done on my lower leg in Japanese symbols and in searching through tons of pages I founds various symbols that all seemed to mean the same thing. Using my Chopper membership I was able to verify the correct symbol, make modifications to fit the look I wanted and print it out for my local shop. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to look and it made me feel like I had a hand in the design tattoos process.

Design Tattoos - The Beauty of Body Art

Once reserved for bikers and promiscuous women, tattoos are now found on millions of people - regular folks like you and me. Getting a tattoo is almost becoming commonplace, and it has opened a whole new field of employment, as well. If you are the artistic type, you may want to consider the possibility of learning how to design tattoos. Many people consider their tattoo a work of art, and many tattoo artists are reaping the financial and emotional rewards of having living canvasses. In recent studies, people who design tattoos report a very high satisfaction rate with their chosen profession, and a good tattoo designer is worth his weight in gold to any tattoo parlor.

How do you learn to design tattoos? You should start with paper and pencil as early as you possibly can. When you are in school, take art classes and practice drawing as much as possible. If you have a love of art and a talent for creating beauty on paper, you may be just the person someone needs to design tattoos.

If you have already gone through school and have a flair for art, you too can learn to design tattoos. Contact a local community college for classes in art or even in tattoo art specifically. They are becoming increasingly more common. Check out some books and websites devoted to the art of tattoo design. Go to a local tattooist and ask about the possibility of submitting some of your work or learning under his tutelage. You never know, maybe you were meant to have your art walking around every day. Maybe you were meant to design tattoos.

The Allure of Star Design Tattoos

When deciding what type of tattoo to get, a good choice is always star design tattoos, because you have many different possibilities with this type. There is a wide range of areas where you can put a star tattoo art. These range from the lower back to the hip and even shoulders or arms.

There are many different types of stars that you can get, giving you a multitude of choices. If you are leaning towards getting a star, first decide what type you want and then decide location because there are some stars like a shooting star that would look better as a shoulder star tattoo rather then on your lower back.

Another thing that you need to decide on is how many points you want your star to have, especially if you are only planning on having one star instead of a cluster. You need to decide what you want the star tattoo meaning to be. You also need to take into consideration the direction that the star will be pointing. The reason for this is that different directions mean different things. An example of this would be the pentacle. The pentacle is a five pointed star where the top point is facing up and it signifies the Wiccan religion and represents energy and life. Now if you accidentally turn this upside down it creates an entirely different meaning. This type is actually the exact opposite and represents satanic meaning and a darker side. So make sure you know the origin of the direction and you have it pointing the way you really want it.

There is other star tattoo art as well. Like the Star of David which has six points and another star that's used as a magical symbol which also has six points called a hexagram. There is also a seven pointed star that is often placed inside a box to symbolize finite and a fairy star or septagram. This one is also a symbol of magic. Most star tattoo ideas hold a religious meaning to them like the eight pointed star known as the Star of Redemption or Regeneration.

Now that you know stars by themselves hold a lot of meaning and can be quite beautiful, you need to decide if you want a single star or a combination. Well, the star is great by itself it can also be combined with other symbols like the sun and/or moon. When putting different shapes together it can take on a more fairy tale appearance so take that into consideration when deciding. Another option is using various size stars together in designs like shooting stars. Regardless of the reason behind the star, if you are going to have a multitude of stars in one area it is always a good idea to use different sizes. This makes the star design tattoo more appealing. Some really good locations on the body to consider are star arm tattoos and star ankle tattoos.

Stars hold a truly magical meaning regardless of the religious meaning behind them and are extremely beautiful to look at. They are often called the diamonds of the sky and for good reason. They are often times associated with dreams and draw in our attention. They allow you to really express yourself as an individual and can be quite powerful.

Dolphin Tattoo Designs - Tattoos For Both Men and Women

Dolphins have always been a favorite animal tattoo because of the friendliness and the warmth that it exudes. It is a loving and adorable creature that the mariners worldwide considered it as their protector and guide in the ocean. They are not actually a fish, but a member of the mammal family and one of the only few that are blessed with such playfulness and compassion for the humans.

For the ancient Greeks, dolphins are regarded as symbols of both the divine and wisdom since Apollo himself took the form of a dolphin. As a tattoo design, it can represent one's love for the ocean and everything related to it such as surfing, sunny beaches and pretty women. It can also symbolize a fun, carefree personality as how the dolphin itself is portrayed. A dolphin tattoo design can even mean freedom, lightheartedness and happiness.

Dolphin tattoos can be represented in a variety of ways and they are equally favored by both men and women. They can be inked in colors with shades such as blue, green and gray. They can also be tattooed in plain black and combine with other symbols such as waves or surfboard. They can be highlighted with tribal lines or Celtic art just by adding these touches. There are also tat enthusiasts who has dolphin tattoos as armbands or anklets.

Dolphins are also flexible and adaptable as a tat design as they look great whether inked small or big especially if a skilled tattoo artist does the work. They can placed almost anywhere on the body - on the arms, upper back, lower back, foot, ankle rib or lower stomach.

Cool Henna Design Tattoos

One of the coolest displays of art that I have seen was henna design - no, really. It was a really cool nature design and was utilized in the form of giving a tattoo. Tattooing is simply using what nature has to offer and using it as a form of expression on the human body. In many cases the natural ingredient is ink. But there is something so quaint and ethereal about henna design that I find it to be simply breathtaking.

The first time I had the opportunity to see henna design in action was during my trip to Rajasthan, India. It was quite an exotic odyssey. The state is located in the desert and is known for its large community fairs. It is a central meeting point where people from the neighboring villages gather to celebrate and they can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The longer the duration, the bigger the fair. And the bigger the fair, the more mammoth the attendance.

I was there for the Fall fair. It was a four-day event and the energy there was absolutely astounding. The people were simple and their wants simpler. The colors and spirit found there were something that never before even remotely have come before these eyes. This is where I saw my first henna design, and I must say it was quite impressive.

I happened to notice the henna design as I was walking around the fair trying to capture the color of all that I saw. I saw two women sitting on the on ground and were totally engrossed in their task. When I moved closer, I saw that it was a henna artist and that she was applying one of the finest henna designs I have ever witnessed.

I just kind of stood there in a daze admiring her work in launching a much joy she spread by artfully sketching her henna designs on people's hands. It was a very simple operation and there were not a lot of implements require for her to create her art. Just a tube of henna and her active imagination. She had a book of designs that the customers can browse through to choose one they wanted. And she would set to work to draw the design in all its glory on their hands.

That's all that I needed to give me hooked on the art of henna designs. Now I'm actually compiling a book of henna designs. Guess who is going to be on the cover? My henna design muse of course! She is the perfect choice and I'm thrilled to include her.