Wong Tattooan Designing: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tattoos are believed to be a modern phenomenon adopted by the liberalized young generation that is mostly found in big cities around the world. Most parents still advise their teenagers against getting tattooed. Surprisingly most of the tattoo designs used widely today date back to many years before the present civilization. These are what are referred to as tribal tattoos.

Europeans in the early days traveled far and wide to explore the world and in their expeditions they came across different cultures of which some they adopted when they went back to Europe. Some African, Asian and south American societies had the culture of tattooing their bodies with designs which were either symbolic or purely aesthetic. It was the sailors who went for the expeditions that first started to put the designs on their skins.

Tribal tattoos re-emerged into the tattooing styles in 1982 when Don Ed hardy and his friend Leo Zulueta founded a tattoo magazine with the first issue capturing the readers with the title "New Tribalism". The magazine featured tribal tattoos from Borneo and Samoa. since then tribal tattoos became part and parcel of the school of tattoos design. The re-introduction of the tribal kind of tattoos after many years of being demonized paved way to new dimensions to the application of the mostly black style. After just a short time of its re-introduction, the black tribal tattoos earned global recognition as one of the most popular tattoo design.

Some of the popular tribal design includes the drawings of animals such as the dragon which is mainly of Asian origin, the scorpion, wolf, tiger, lion, butterfly and snake. Tribal kind of tattoos may also feature symbols such as the cross, heart, star, flame and the sun. The tattoo can be designed in any part of the body but the most popular spots include; the arm band, at the back, lower back, shoulder, arm sleeve, neck and in some cases the face.

Tattoo My Brain and Yours

Have tattoos caught your eye sometime in your life? They probably have! Tattoos are a type of body art that not only allow for self expression, they convey a message to others who see them. Perhaps that's why tattoos have been a part of many cultures for centuries. You can continue on with the age-old tradition with a fresh, new, and fantastic tattoo design from Tattoo My Brain, a leading tattoo design company.

It has been said that Tattoo My Brain's designs are some of the best on Earth. Carefully crafted, the designs are eye-catching, mystical, extremely fine detailed. These tattoos, at least many of them, can be seen in sample form on the company's easy to navigate website. You'll have a fun time browsing and seeing these works of art, and ultimately deciding if one is right for you. The visual aids definitely help in the process.

Simply put, you can look great with a Tattoo My Brain tattoo. Tattoos, as you know, are mostly permanent and will be with you for many, many years, so you must choose a design wisely. While Tattoo My Brain tattoos may not be the kinds of designs all tattoo customers will want, taking a look around their website will help you decide this. With careful planning in mind, you just might be able to end up with something original and look great with it in the end. Think a bit about if the designs are to your liking, and if they are, you just might find the right design. Check out Tattoo My Brain and you're bound to find something great.

Kanji Tattoo Tips From Japan

Kanji, or Hanzi in Chinese, has obtained cult status. Practically every day I come across something with Kanji on it. Unfortunately, often times they contain blatantly ignorant mistakes. Clothes shops sell t-shirts with random Japanese letters strung together, as if it should be readable. Furniture shops offer furniture, bed covers, cushion covers, and even matching curtains with inverted and mirrored Kanji on it. Once I saw a BWM with Kanji stickers proudly decorating both side doors. It read "Viagra" in Chinese... However, these mistakes are nothing compared to the mistakes I have seen on various body parts as "Kanji tattoos."

It is truly flattering to know that Kanji and the Japanese and Chinese languages have gained such prominence and status among tattoo fans. However, if you are going to engrave something on your body, show respect for yourself, as well as for our language and culture, and learn a thing or two about the language and the art of Asian calligraphy before getting it done. Otherwise you will find yourself secretly sweating, every time a Japanese girl comments on your tattoo, wondering "Did she mean it? Or was that sarcasm in her voice?" Or worse, you might end up on one of the many Japanese websites that showcase the gibberish Kanji tattoos they have come across.

How can you avoid ending up with a Kanji tattoo that screams "amateur"?

* Do not have Western names translated into Kanji and inked. Kanji are symbols which often have several meanings. When someone "translates" Western names into Kanji, they are simply fishing out Kanji that have the right phonetics, Kanji that sound similar to the word they are trying to translate. Take the name "Stacy" as an example. When translated into Japanese, it becomes a 5-Japanese-letter word (su-te-i-shi-i, since the word is broken up into syllables, as it should be spoken in the Japanese language). To translate it into Kanji, one would have to find five Kanji which sound like the five syllables of the name. Of course the translator would (or should) make sure they choose Kanji with positive connotations, such as "poem" as opposed to "death" (both words pronounced "shi" in Japanese) -- but be aware that if you ask ten people to translate your name into Kanji, you will likely end up with ten different results. It is that subjective, the art of "translating" names into Kanji. If you still insist on having a name inked, have it done in Katakana instead of Kanji. At least then it would be an objective symbolism of the name, in other words, without the translator's "interpretation" of your name into symbols (Kanji). However, if you are adamant about having Kanji, then my next suggestion would be to keep it short. Have the name translated into just one Kanji, for the first syllable in the name for example, and then have the Kanji inked in the design of a Hanko stamp. This is much more elegant, artistic and aesthetic than having several random Kanji that have the phonetics to sound like a Western name. To a native speaker, such strings of Kanji look extremely odd and usually need to be explained before it can be understood.
* Keep it simple. Do not even think about translating a whole sentence or phrase. Most likely the meaning will get lost in translation. If you are keen on getting a certain message across with your tattoo, consult a native speaker and convey what it is you want to get across and see if an original Chinese or Japanese proverb can get the same point across. David Beckham's famous Chinese proverb tattoo is a great example. Direct translations should be avoided for obvious reasons.
* Consult a reliable native speaker -- or two, to get different opinions and inputs. Do not rely on a non-native or just walk into a tattoo parlor and choose from their Kanji catalogs without any research. Many of the catalogs circulating the internet and tattoo parlors are full of translation mistakes, missing strokes, crooked Kanji that you have to tilt your head to read, and disproportional, unattractive Kanji that were clearly not written by someone with calligraphy skills. Besides, the selection is extremely limited, considering the fact that there are thousands of Kanji in the Japanese and Chinese language to choose from.

Having said all of that, let me leave you on a thought: Japanese are wary of tattoos, since we associate it with Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. In fact, most bath houses and Onsen (hot spring baths) in Japan have specific rules prohibiting people with tattoos from bathing there. It is the politically correct way of saying "Yakuza not welcome." So as flattering as it is that the Western world has come to embrace our language and incorporated it into their culture of tattooing, be aware that you will seldom meet a Japanese with a Kanji tattoo, much less a tattoo. It is just not our culture.

Naturalistic tattoos flower

sample of Naturalistic tattoos flower

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. With their cost a little on the higher side, naturalistic tattoos more popularly comprise of faces of Native Americans and religious leaders.

Flower in sexy Body Tattoos

best Design Beautyful Tattoo

Nowadays, the popularity of tribal tattoos is increasing and most people are going in for these tattoos, because of their designs, which is a combination of an ordinary cross and beautiful tribal art designs. So many people opt for these tattoos because they have a strong connection to their ancestral origins or maybe the tattoo are some kind of a link between family and tribes with which the cross maybe associated. Because these tattoos have a significant religious meaning, you will able to see tribal crosses tattoos on both women and men who want to show their Christian values and ideals through putting markings on their bodies. However, most people who go for tribal cross tattoos get them in order to give a wearer a specific unique look.

Therefore, whichever tribal tattoo you choose from a variety available, you will not go wrong since they can be done on the armbands, lower back, hip area and anklets. Hence, if you decide to have specific tribal crosses tattoos design, you should be assured that your pick is a timeless, historical mark that symbolizes your uniqueness and faith.

Tribal Beautyful And Tattoos

Cultures who employs this tattoo style did not get them because they looked cool. They got them because they believed there was a certain power attached to the tattoo. Some tribes use elaborate tattoo designs as a way to signify a boy becoming a man and outcast those who are not willing to take part in this tattooing tradition. Other use them as protection in battle or as a signal of great warriors.

Tribal tattoos are recognizable by their dramatic use of aggressive dark lines in jagged symmetrical shapes spread throughout the skin. Tribal tats are most often done in simple black and skin tones but in the western world they are often infused with color to enhance the overall look. Whereas other tattoo styles attempt to represent a specific object, tribal tattoos seem far more concerned with the feel and meaning rather than what it specifically looks like.

Typical examples of modern tribal tattoo designs are arm or leg bands that seem to have become the most popular tattoo design over the last 5-10 years. These designs are typically only black but many artists have been using subtle shading or even inclusion of a less abstract design such as butterflies or dragons within a tribal.

Women Tattoo art

What is the first thing is to teach your brain every time he saw the tattoo? Maybe you can imagine in your mind a different image. No matter, what is your understanding of everything. The tattoo is the most popular form of body art. Since then, tattooing has been practiced in Japan for several tribes. Instead, the tattoo remains in the hearts of many people. Originally, tattoos have also found that among men. However, you can see, only a small number of women walking down the street or tattoo number of beers at the bar. In the past, only a few women decided to go get a tattoo. However, years, decades, an increasing number of women have refused to recognize the true purpose of tattooing.