Butterfly Tattoos

Butterfly tattoos almost always denote the feminine touch and are very popular among young women and girls. And rightfully so as its fragile elegance and brightly colored mantle instinctively reminds us of the female side of our nature. But, butterfly tattoos are not just superficial adornments because they are also ripe with symbolic meaning. The butterfly is seen as a transformational creature. As a matter of fact, In Greek mythology, Psyche was represented in art with butterfly wings. The creature starts out as a caterpillar emerging from it’s cocoon and eventually evolves into a mystical and magical creature of the air. This was a metaphor for the Greeks of the evolution of the human soul. Bursting forth from our mother’s womb, moving through adulthood and old age and emerging reborn through our deaths. To the Greeks, a human soul emerged each time a butterfly emerged from its cocoon. Souls were carried by the butterfly from earth to heaven, or in some cases were believed to be the souls themselves returning to earth to once again be reborn. Thus, it can easily be seen how the butterfly tattoo is not only a symbol of beauty and femininity but also one that is representative of our innate spirituality.

This is an excellent example of a butterfly tattoo. The design almost has a tribal motif to it and yet is wonderfully shaded in blue. Butterfly tattoos have become very popular these days and they are often the most requested of tattoo designs especially among young women. Butterfly tattoo designs of course are popular among many women just because they look so damn good. And, of course butterfly tattoos have a deep symbolic meaning behind their delicate natures. We all know that a butterfly begins it’s life as a caterpillar and goes through a major metamorphosis as it goes on it’s journey to become a butterfly. It makes itself it’s own cocoon and then emerges a little while later as an amazing butterfly. This transformation made many cultures believe it had magical powers. And the transformation of this lovely insect into a winged creature made many cultures invent symbolism about this insect that compared it to the spiritual qualities of human life. In Greek mythology, the butterfly is often a representation of the mind or subconscious. Now, that you know the symbolism behind the butterfly tattoo, does it inspire you to get your own?

Angel Tattoo

If you’re looking for a beautiful and impressive tattoo design then why not consider an angel tattoo. An angel tattoo design is usually an overtly religious symbol. Angels are anthropomorphic, meaning they are in the shape of men. They are winged forms intended to transmit the word of God to humankind. Angels personify divine will and are the messengers of God. Winged messengers appear in a number of religions as intermediaries between the spiritual and material worlds, but appear most often in Islamic, Jewish and the Christian faiths. The word angel comes from the Greek ‘aggelos’, meaning messenger. Angels make frequent appearances in the Christian Bible, not only as messengers of God but also delivering his protection or punishment. Angels act as God’s intermediaries, carrying out God’s will in the affairs of man. Symbols closely associated with angels in art include trumpets, harps, swords, scepters and wands. Angels are usually portrayed as young men with wings and halos, representing their divinity. As a design element, an angel tattoo is a symbol of devotion, spirituality and faith and signifies a close personal relationship with God. An angel tattoo can be intended as a figure of guidance and protection. An angel is also used as the centerpiece of a tattoo that is intended as a memorial to someone who is close or dear to the bearer.

Who says you have to be religious to love an angel tattoo. This is a hot looking tattoo no matter what you believe in. Their are lots of different designs you can use within your angel tattoo, but the one thing that always stands out is the long hair on the angel. I don’t think I have ever seen an angel tattoo with the angel having short hair. Could be my imagination, and I sure haven’t seen all the tattoos out their, but I am talking about the tattoos I have seen myself. I like the angel tattoo best when the angel resembles Jesus in one way or the other.

I know a lot of inmates in prison gangs end up with an angel tattoo, not sure what that is all about, but you see it all the time. Even in the movies, their goes the ex-con and sure enough he has an angel tattoo on his back, along with a bunch of other tattoos. Also for some reason this type of tattoo is mainly worn by men and not women. Even though I have seen a few females with a tattoo like this, there have not been many to tell you the truth.

Jesus Tattoo

There is perhaps no tattoo more iconic then the Jesus tattoo. It’s depicts the face recognizable by people all over the world. And not just among Christians either. I think you would be hard pressed to find a person of any religion who doesn’t recognize the figure in a Jesus tattoo. He is often depicted with a faint glow over his body, alluding to his divinity and is sometimes displayed with a halo over his head. Other depictions take a different route and focus more on his crucifixion. These are the ones where Jesus is shown nailed to the cross or wearing a crown of thorns. A great example of a crucifixion. Jesus tattoo is in the picture. Though it’s only a bust shot you can clearly see that it depicts the final moments before he was tacked up to the cross. He is wearing the infamous crown of thorns and there are trickles of blood running down his face. His countenance is reflective and his gaze is lifted towards the heavens asking hs heavenly father for strength and guidance. It’s a beautiful piece of work that can be revered by members of the faith and admired for it’s elegance by everyone.

Tattoos Pictures

As you can tell from the photograph there is a wide variety of tattoo pictures available to you. These tattoo pictures represent a small swath of what’s available in terms of style and design. There are tattoo pictures of animals as evidenced by the spider, the dog and the lizard. Another prominent motif epitomized in these tattoo pictures fall into the realism category. These are the realistic human faces, some benign and some horrific, that are almost identical to their original images. Before you get one of these realistic tattoos, however, you need to spend quite a bit of time finding a reputable tattoo artist. These are designs that require a ton of experience, so don’t be afraid to shop around for the best artist you can find. Ask for credentials and take a good hard look at his portfolio. The last category of tattoo pictures represented her fall into the fantasy realm. These include such things as dragons, unicorns and winged horses. Now, that I have run down the three major niches of the tattoo world, why not begin your search looking for a design that will complement your personal style and make an impression on your friends.

Wings Tattoos

If you have always wanted a wing tattoo like the one in the photograph then listen up and take some notes. I’m going to go through the history and symbolism of the wing tattoo so that you can make an informed decision and decide whether or not you really want to get this design. Interestingly enough the angels present in the Western bible never had wings. If you read in the old or New Testament the angels and seraphim where very much human like in every way. In fact they did not even have a pair of wings. However, somewhere early on in history artists including painters and stain glass artists seemed to incorporate a pair of wings with the angels that came to earth. Why this was done or where it started has been lost in history but it can be seen almost everywhere. In modern art this traditional of angel wings has continued. Today the wing tattoo has come to symbolize two different things. The first thing they symbolize is freedom. The second thing that they have come to symbolize is closeness to God. This is probably due to the close association between heavenly beings and wings.

I personally like wing tattoos. And believe me when I tell you that I’ve seen my fair share of them. But, usually when I see a wing tattoo, it’s inked onto someone’s back. And there is a good reason why people get wing tattoos inked there. It’s because angels have their wings on their backs. So, it’s actually a representation of that. Or it could mean that the person has an angel on their shoulder. They are literally asking for divine intervention in their life, and asking for their deities protection. But, I haven’t seen too many wing tattoos like the one here. It’s evidently a memorial of some sort to a loved one because it has the words "My Love" with wings and a halo on it. Now I would normally say that this is a memorial to a living one but the halo gives me pause. I’m thinking that the loved one represented by this tattoo has passed on and that is why they have a halo over the top of it. The person has litterally become an angel. If that’s the case then I can’t think of a better tribute then a wing tattoo such as this one.

Tribal Tattoo Designs

Here we have a few different tribal tattoo designs. I think it is a safe bet to say that all three of these were designed to be placed on the lower back, as they are basically what is referred to as the tramp stamp. But don’t let a nick name like that bother you. When people, especially girls, first starting getting these types of tattoos there may have been a certain stigma attached to having one, but not anymore. They have become way to common place. Today it is normal to find one on the average young housewife and that is only because they have become generally accepted in today’s society.

It’s hard to find someone who does not think tribal tattoo designs are cool. Even if none of the three of them in this picture does it for you, there are thousands more you can look at, probably even more than that. In short there is really no end to them and if you are really looking to get one, you will, sooner or later, find the one you like and when you do you will enjoy it all that much more.

Tribal tattoo designs were employed by ancient cultures for many reasons. A lot of these reasons are still relevant today so let’s take a look behind the motivation for and the symbology of tribal tattoo designs. First and foremost, tribal tattoo designs were used to identify clans. This was particularly important on the field of battle. It allowed for quick and easy identification of friends from foes. Another important reason for the tattoo was marriage tattoos. These are what couples would get when they got married to highlight the fact that they belonged to each other. It is not unusual for lovers today to share the same tattoo. Tribal tattoo designs were also used as rites of passage. young man who couldn’t take it would be seen as unfit for battle or hunting, often dooming him to the role of outcast. Today, many teenagers eagerly await their eighteenth birthday and celebrate their entrance to adulthood by getting a tattoo. And the final and most important reason that these tattoos were gotten was to display individuality. There are hundreds, if not thousands of variations on the tribal tattoo theme, so it can become as personal as a thumbprint to a person.

Henna Tattoo

Here we have what can only be called a very intricate henna tattoo. One that covers nearly every square inch of this persons hand. A henna tattoo is not a real tattoo of course. If this one were a real tattoo this person would probably not have been able to use that hand for a few days after getting it. The pain and swelling would have been severe in most cases and bad in the best cases. But all in all this is a good piece of tribal style artwork. And I am sure it has some particular significance in the tribal world but it is not apparent to those of us who are not extremely familiar with such things.

I must admit that I first had a few different henna tattoos before I ever got a real one. The first one I got I did to fool my friends and told them it was a real tattoo and yes, it did work. Then the next few I did to sort of test the waters on tattoos that I was thinking of getting. And doing that gave me a good idea if I would really like them or not. One of those I did not get, the other one I did get. So henna tattoos can be of some help.

Henna tattoos usually refer more to the ink used then the actual style or design of tattoos, though there is a particular style of tattooing made up of Eastern symbols and geometric designs that are called henna tattoos. The designs closely resemble those of traditional tribal designs. It’s a practice employing henna powder which is known locally throughout the Middle East and North Africa as ‘Henna’ or ‘Hene’. Henna powder that is used for henna tattoos is made from the crushed leaves of the Henna Plant, also known as Lawsonia Inermis. It’s a tall shrub like plant that thrives in hot and dry climates. To produce the finest quality henna powder the leaves are air-dried, out of direct sunlight, in order to preserve the staining properties. The dried leaves are then ground into a fine powder, ready for preparing henna paste. Historically, across all of the Eastern regions where women have traditionally hennaed each other, the application is often strongly linked with ceremonial & celebratory occasions, like weddings and religious festivals. Henna tattoos when they are properly done with henna ink are some of the most beautiful pieces of body art that you will ever see. It’s a style that will fit in with almost any other motif.