Think Before You Ink

An expression of one’s identity, tattoos have been an age old method of communicating freedom or captivity. In itself it involves a range of designs and texts to relate the self to a larger concept, connecting and labeling the body, to speak out loud. As highly visual creatures we tend to find ways to decorate ourselves in countless ways.

If you are thinking of getting a tattoo, the first thing a tattoo artist will tell you is to think it through. It is going to be on you for the rest of your life. If it is a result of a drunken decision the night before, chances are you will heavily regret it. But for the fortunate ones who plan it, tattoos become a symbol of love, tribute for the ones we have lost and a statement of who we are. Tattoos hold meanings - a first tattoo with your best friend, a commemoration of a deep inner pain, an imprint of your child’s name that resonates love - they are all expressions. Tattoos may be etched on a tiny spot of unexposed skin, or may be designed to be a blatant expose for the world to see. Once pricked by the needle, it’s there for keeps.

Today tattoo artists and parlors can be found almost everywhere; demand being stimulated by icons and television shows like Miami Ink. We helps you distinguish the different aspects of tattoos and their significances.

Tattoo Gun
A tattoo machine is a hand-held device to create a tattoo, a permanent marking of the skin with indelible ink. Modern tattoo machines use alternating electromagnetic coils to move a needle bar up and down, driving pigment into the skin. Tattoo artists generally use the term “machine”, or even “iron”, to refer to their equipment.The basic machine was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1876.

Dragon Tattoos
The dragon is a “classic” tattoo motif, popular with both men and women. In the Far East, the dragon represents the Four Elements - Earth, Wind, Fire and Water - and the four points of the compass - East, West, North and South. Dragons are simultaneously a symbol of Water, Earth, Underworld and Sky. The dragon is a culturally far-ranging character whose apparent bad temper should be interpreted as simply amoral, neither good nor evil. Nature nurtures and nature destroys. So too, does the dragon.

Celtic Tattoos
Sure, Celtic tattoos are elaborate and beautiful but they are steeped in a great historic tradition. Celtic tattoo is a term used to describe a wide range of different elements. The first are Celtic knot tattoos. A knot with no beginning or end symbolizes the never ending cycle of death and rebirth. The second design element is Zoomorphic tattoo designs; animals body parts, usually the heads of the animals.

Religious Tattoos
It is not surprising that religious tattoos are growing in popularity. Our tattoo choices often reflect our deep, personal values. As long as people have been marking and modifying their physical appearance, there has been a strong spiritual element to the practice of body art and body modification.

Naturalistic Tattoos
When an attempt is made to portray the tattoos in a realistic style, they tend to take the ‘natural’ form. The portrayal, involving minute detailing, shading and perspective, is done in such a way that imparts a tattoo design as much realism as possible.

Abstraction Tattoos
Abstraction tattoos, mostly derived from archaic styles of tattooing, do not involve too much artwork. Mostly done in shades of black and classic gray, such tattoos are commonly made around the navel, chest and calves, though arms and upper back are also emerging as popular areas of choice. Abstractions tattoos include tribal and Celtic style tattoos, Old English lettering and Chinese symbols.

Wing Tattoos
A representation of a Wing or Wings as a tattoo design, of course, symbolizes flight. But if we give wing to our imagination for a moment, if only as a romantic gesture, we can say that they signify the escape from the bonds of earthly existence to the limitless freedom of the spirit. Wings stand for peace,
love, and the link between earth and sky --between the human and the divine -- and as symbols of transcendence and liberation.

Tribal Tattoos
This accounts for nearly a third of all tattoo design requests, and the term “tribal” of course covers an astonishing array of tattoo design possibilities, from the traditional tribal tattoos of indigenous and aboriginal cultures, to the latest in graphic design for the body.

Animal Tattoos
Animal tattoos are among the most popular of all tattoo designs. Companies have long tried to promote products (e.g. cologne, perfumes, clothing) promising that it will “bring out the animal” in you. Well, animal tattoo designs are the only permanent way to bring out the animal in you and put it on you!

Flower Tattoos
Flowers as tattoo designs and symbols can be far more than just pretty pictures on pretty girls. Flowers are the embodiment of nature and concise symbols of the cycle of birth, life, procreation, death and rebirth. Specific flowers have come to represent a myriad of different beliefs in different cultures.