So we have come full circle now and this is the last in our Japanese Tattoo series for now. Although we will be publishing some articles soon on Japanese tattoos this is kind of the last featured post about Japanese tattoos through videos. We have kind of come full circle now of sorts. When we started we talked about tattooing for the Japanese in a historical perspective and how it was used to brand criminals. Then this was later outlawed and subsequently adopted by Yakuza. They would get full body tattoos that when you wear clothes no one could see but a small reveal of such a tattoo could strike fear in others.
Thus tradition lead to some of the most beautiful full body tattoo designs ever done and we even saw where people are buying the skin of a tattooed person who has died. There was some of these skins preserved at Tokyo University. Pretty chilling to hear as they talk about these being sold on the black market. Not sure how you would ever find your way into buying one of these but that is another post for a latter time. Suffice it to say it is probably not being sold on eBay.
Then in our more recent or last post we saw some video and a short documentary how many of the young people in Japan are getting tattoos. However they are in no way affiliated with the Yakuza and they just love the art form of tattooing. Thus has been the more significant trend over the last ten to 15 years and now many young Japanese show off their tattoos like here in the West.
Well in today’s video we make it full circle because recently the San Francisco Japanese Museum had an exhibit where they displayed some of the full body traditonal Japanese tattoos in their gallery as an art exhibit. They also invited many of the top Japanese tattoo artists to come from Japan to do tattooing.
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One of the more popular trends in tattoo designs now and has been for a long time is to get a letter tattoo design. You see letter tattoo designs on everyone from gang names across the chest or on the next to a sexy or cute Latin phrase on the feminine wrist tattoo. Letter tattoo designs are very popular and as already kind of hinted at they are very diverse. If you are thinking about getting a letter or word tattoo design then you will want to read this article first. It will break down some of the basics that you will want to factor into your design very early on. First it will explore the ideal location for a letter tattoo. Next it will focus on the different styles of letter that are available and last it will look into possible additions. This article is meant to help you focus your efforts and ideas to come up with a coherent design for a tattoo. If you are not artistically inclined don’t worry about the design part you can always have a tattoo artist do that for you. However, before you set foot in the tattoo shop make up your mind about some of these basic choices so you can speak intelligently about what you want.
Consider The Location
The first thing that you should do when considering any tattoo design is the location and size of the tattoo you want. These two really go hand in and hand. The design of the lettering tattoo, the size and the location are all integral pieces of the overall tattoo. Most people often start with either a design or a location already in mind. If you do build from the one known factor and then come up with the unknown. For example if you know that you really want an upper back tattoo but you are not sure what to get then you at least can work with what you know. For example the upper back is a large canvas for a rather big tattoo. So you can kind of go crazy and get something either pretty long or something large. Yet if you want a wrist tattoo that can easily be covered up then you are under a whole different situation. In this case you are going to have to go small. So take what things you know, the size, possible design or location and work out in your mind the other two ideas.
Consider The Lettering Style
Once you have the location, the saying or word that you want then it is time to consider the lettering style. There is really a wide range out there available to you. You can go with something like Old English, a graffiti type font or even a logo font. Not only that you do not have to limit yourself to the English language even. You can get something written in Sanskrit like Jessica Alba did she has the Sanskrit character for lotus on her wrist. You can do something with Arabic, Japanese or Chinese or whatever language you feel a connection to. However, you will want to carefully consider the design, and letter style that you want as it will carry the overall tone and feel for the tattoo. In other words it might look really funny to write something like Lotus Flower in Old English across the top of your back. Of course if that is what you want then there is no one stopping you. However, just remember the character and lettering style you choose will be the visual element that carries your design.
Additions?
The last thing that you will want to think about before going to your local tattoo shop is if you want any other visual elements added to the design. For example if you went with the Sanskrit word for lotus on your wrist do you want a lotus flower on the underside of the wrist to go with the design? You can always add on little visual elements that can help convey the feeling and meaning of the tattoo. It is best to consider the options first and design the words around and connected with any visual elements that you might want o include.
The most important thing is to take your time. Look at lots of examples and don’t just jump at the first most obvious of tattoo designs. Thus way you can ensure that you get a tattoo that you will feel connected to and proud of the rest of you life.
Are you thinking about getting a hot tattoo design for girls? You see up until 10 years ago or less tattoo designs for girls were nonexistent for the most part. Most girls that got tattoos had to get custom designed work done since most of the flash did not fit them. Most of the girls that got tattoos back in the day so to speak had to fit into a male dominated field. However, in recent years tattoos have become more mainstream and accepted. Thus has lead to a phenomenal growth in the area of tattoo designs that girls and women find appealing.
Female Tattoo Shops
That’s right there are a ton of shops that are now run by and for females. Just think of LA Ink the popular TV show with Kat Von D. This has become part of the mainstream media and it is a predominately female run tattoo shop. That does not mean that guys can’t go in there to get tattoos. However, it does mean if you are a female and feel more comfortable in a more feminine environment you can always look for a female run tattoo shop or at least a female tattoo artist. Thus way you don’t have to worry about the guys starring at you or ogling over you as you get your lower back, or thigh tattoo design.
Female Based Flash
There has also been an absolute explosion of more feminine types of flash design. If you visit almost any tattoo shop these days you will find a wide variety of designs that are more appealing to females. You can find anything from flower tattoos to hello kitty designs. The list could go on and on from angel wings to hibiscus flowers. This offers many more options for women and allows them to customize and tweak in an unlimited number of ways.
Don’t Get Stereotyped
Even though there has been an explosion of more feminine designs and a more friendly atmosphere for women getting tattoo designs it does not mean that you have to stick with a traditionally though of female tattoo design. Some of the hottest tattoo designs for girls could be retro and old school designs. IN fact if you want to get a big skull with a snake weaving through the eyes or a large dragon piece then by all means you should go for it. The great thing about tattoos is the freedom that they can represent. So do not go with societal norms to drive your tattoo design. Instead look deep inside and pick designs and themes for your own tattoo that somehow speak to you. Use the tattoo to represent something about yourself and not what you think society, your boyfriend or anyone else wants you to get. Instead be free and express your inner self through your tattoo art.
Tattoo Designs For Girls
There honestly are more tattoo designs available that are appealing to women now more than at any other time in history. So free yourself and go for it and most of all have a fun experience with your tattoo.
Here is a little commercial video that I put togehter showing off some of the great flower tattoo designs easily available online. Check it out. I know not the best video ever but it was kind of fun to make and I am just getting started publishing online video. At any rate if you are interested in finding a great flower tattoo design you will want to check this out. Let me know what you think.
Koi fish are one of the hottest and most traditional of the Japanese tattoos. If you have been contemplating ideas for your next tattoo or just like to check out other people’s tattoos then you will wantt o check out this new page I created that is dedicated to Koi Fish Tattoo ideas. There are some great pictures organized into an extensive gallery and a ton of good tips on getting a koi tattoo included average prices, time commitment and an extensive section on the history and symbolism of koi fish tattoos in Japan.
I noticed tonight that it has been a little while since I last posted here to my blog. I have been busily working on some other tattoo pages around the web and not gotten back here to update the blog recently. My apologies. However, it seems that people are enjoying this blog and coming frequently. Our traffic this month has doubled and there has been around 1,300 visitors to the blog this month. Not bad really!
So tonight I am not going to post something orginal here on the blog but instead show you two of the tattoo pages or projects that I have been working on.
I love Japanese tattoo art and the history behind Japanese tattoos. They are large, colorful and very intricate designs and the fract that traditional Japanese tattoo artist used and still sue today chisels and not a tattoo gun is just dam impressive in my book. So I have added two pages and will be doing some more soon on Japanese Tattooing. So with no futher delay here are the two latest pages that I have created on Hubpages. Let me know what you think.
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