Archive for Most Popular Tattoo Patterns
Ankle Tattoo Designs for Summer
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I think that summer has to be a time when many of us who love tattoos make the decision to start checking out ankle tattoo designs with the idea of getting one for our ankle. It just seems to be the kind of thing that goes with the beach and warm sunny days. Everyone is wearing sandals and the perfect thing to accompany that are ankle tattoo designs picked out fresh. And then in the winter, when the weather outside your window is cold and snowy, what better way to feel cheered than to look at those chosen ankle tattoo designs and admire your options once again!
Of course, there are probably as many kinds of ankle tattoo designs as there are types of people to wear them. The traditional chain of flowers always looks great on a young woman’s slim ankle, but that is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to choosing from a wide variety of ankle tattoo designs. You can do anything from an art deco swirl that moves up your leg to swaths of design that would look good on your favorite romance book cover.
Of course, the primary sex that tends to consider ankle tattoo designs are women, but men can wear them too. It is simply that women with their passion for shoes seem to gravitate towards the ankle tattoo designs more than men. In fact, many women who only have one tattoo often have one of the simple ankle tattoo designs because they still consider them fairly conservative and feminine.
The ankle tattoo designs that I have seen on men tend to be geometric or either sports teams or something similar. Some of the funniest ankle tattoo designs I have seen have been on men, including one of shoes laced up and another of a good luck charm that was actually more sweet than funny. So although we tend to think of women when we think of ankle tattoo designs, I think it takes a real man to wear a little tattoo on his ankle. And just in case you doubt me, I have included both men and women ankle tattoo designs on this page to inspire everyone to wear a little summer on you all year round.
The Meaning of Star Tattoos
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Have you noticed lately that star tattoos are getting really popular? While it is true that they have pretty much always been around, it seems that in the last year or two they have shown up everywhere, and the ones that trail down a neck or across an arm seem to be the ones I notice the most.
There was a time when a star tattoo was done on a sailor because it was good luck. This is because if a sailor could find the North Star they could always navigate home, so a star became lucky. Why, even the Irish like them and consider a start a sign of good health. Of course, I don’t know if they included a star tattoo in that, since the early days of tattoos often meant infection if you weren’t careful.
In the 40s and 50s, the nautical star came to symbolize someone who had found their own path, and so lesbians adapted the sign. A nautical star tattooed on the inside of your wrist could be hidden by a sleeve during the day and displayed in clubs at night using the star tattoo to signal your sexual preference in a quiet way. This same sense of “going your own way” was adopted by the punk movement and the star soon became part of the punk way of life, a symbol of going down your own path or following your own star.
It has been said that a tattoo that shows a shooting star is a symbol of a fleeting moment in that person’s life, and that when you see a star tattoo that is a group of stars or cluster of stars it is a symbol that the person is a big fan of fantasy.
So whatever the reason, stars seem to be here to stay. Do you have a star tattoo? If so, is it a single star, a cluster, a shooting star or something else? We would love to hear back from anyone with a star tattoo about why you have it – if it has special meaning for you.
Oh- and pics. Did we mention pics? I love love love getting pics from readers of their tattoos. So share your star tattoos in pic and story with us!
Popular Arm Tattoo Designs
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The arm has long been the most popular body part for tattoo fanatics. Not only is it clearly visible (making it easier to show off), but it is also aesthetically very pleasing! Not only that, the arm provides enough space for the more intricate tattoo designs and since the arm contains more muscle mass when compared to any other part of the body, it makes the tattoo process far less painful!
Tattoos on the arm have their drawbacks too. Due to their ready exposure to the sun they are prone to fade (or become dull) faster when compared to designs on other parts of the body that are not exposed to the sun as much. But that really hasn’t stopped anyone I know from getting their arms tattooed!
Although arm tattoos are popular among both the sexes, it seems to be the most preferred body part especially among men. Tattoo sleeves (full arm, half arm or quarter arm) are becoming increasingly popular among men. Even women, most of who prefer smaller, simpler designs have begun to take a liking to these sleeve designs. Tattoo sleeves are nothing but a group of similarly themed tattoos (sometimes even one large design) that covers the entire arm from shoulder to wrist.
Tattoos have had a vast historical presence. Throughout our history tattoos have been associated with social and religious rites for which several of our ancient tribes stand as testimony, but as time progressed they were relegated to merely permanently marking people. As people started using them to mark the outlaws of their civilization the practice slowly began to be associated with criminality and immorality. And for this our modern society stands as testimony. Up until a few decades ago tattoos were a tabooed subject in our communities. In fact some countries still prohibit public display of one’s tattoos.
These public biases are slowly changing and tattoos once again being appreciated as an art form. Tattoos nowadays don’t have the same religious significance it used to have. People are now get inked as a way of expressing their true self and for aesthetic purposes.
Some of the most popular designs for the arm include Tribal designs, Celtic knot designs, Cross designs, Japanese or Chinese designs and symbols, Japanese or Chinese Kanji characters, barbed wire, fire, zodiac symbol designs and dragon tattoos. A majority of women seem to prefer the more delicate or feminine tattoo designs such as flower designs, fairy tattoos, star designs and butterfly designs.
Tattoo Designs for Women
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Although tattoos have been around since the dawn of human history, they slowly became a taboo is our civilization. They became associated with criminals and those considered morally degenerate; and for a lady, it was something unthinkable! However, all that has changed in the past 25 years or so, and more and more women are getting inked today.
Some of the most popular designs among women tend to be the smaller, delicate, so called “girly” designs. Women are generally smaller and more delicately built when compared to men (nothing gets by me!) and these delicate designs look great on them. Of course, all these are just generalizations and not rules.
Butterflies are some the most sought after designs among women. If you’re contemplating your very first tattoo – these are a good choice. A small or life sized butterfly design on the ankle or shoulder is a safe bet. The butterfly is often a symbol of grace, beauty and rebirth given its transformation into a beautiful creature from that of an ugly caterpillar.
A flower tattoo also makes a good first tattoo design. In addition to its feminine look it can mean a whole bunch depending on the kind of flower you choose. A rose, for instance, (being the most popular choice) stands for love when red. Pink roses symbolize grace and white roses are a symbol of purity or innocence.
Fairy tattoos are a recent development and tend to represent a way of thinking. These designs vary from the cute tinker bell kind of images to the fiercer looking images of fairies from the Celtic mythology. These designs are also growing in popularity in the ink world.
Star tattoos are those that can be worn by both men and women. They are a universal symbol, not particularly belonging to a culture or religion and can mean a lot of different things to different people. The most popular design is that of the shooting star – a star followed by a trail of smaller stars (or star dust.) This is a great design for those who want a bigger tattoo but would like it to remain subtle.
Zodiac tattoos otherwise known as astrological tattoos are a great way to personalize your tattoo, especially if you are one to consult your horoscope on a regular basis. I’m sure you know that different sun signs have different symbols and ever one of them can be created in a contemporary delicate style.
Some of the other popular designs for women include heart designs, dragonfly tattoos, dolphin tattoos and even tribal or Celtic designs.
The Most Expensive Tattoo
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Tattoos have thus far been an expression of self or spirituality; some use them merely to identify with a particular group or simply to enhance their aesthetics. Now for the first time (in all of history perhaps) someone has found a different use for it – a way of showing off their wealth!
South African luxury jeweler Shimansky is now famous for having used 612 Shimansky Ideal Cut .5 carat diamonds to create a tattoo on a model! The tattoo is valued at 7.2 million in South African currency (Rands) which is equivalent to around 924, 000 in US dollars officially making it the world’s most expensive tattoo! (And I was worried about spending $400 on one…)
The tattoo is worn by Minki van der Westhuizen a famous South African Model and brand ambassador for Shimansky. Minki spent 8 hours having the diamonds attached to her skin. Technically speaking, it’s not a tattoo (as there was no ink involved in the procedure) but hey, if the lady with the diamonds calls it a tattoo, then a tattoo it is! Sources have it that a water based bonding agent was used to attach the diamonds to Minki’s skin.
I can’t imagine why they would go through all that trouble for just a temporary tattoo! Well, in case you’re interested in getting one of those you might want to know that the jeweler has considered making similar ones available at their various South African and international locations.
Popular Tattoo Artist: Chuck Eldridge
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Popular tattoo artist Chuck Eldridge speaks of his dreams and inspirations that lead to his enormous feat in the tattoo world, in an interview with TFI. As with many artists of today, Chuck also had childhood dreams of one day being a tattoo artist.
He says: “childhood dreams are always a little bit more candy-coated. There was a program in our elementary school to keep us off the street, they would hold big parties and one of the booths they set up there was a tattoo booth. One of the high school students would come over with magic markers and draw up designs and paste them on the wall and then he would do “tattoos” – I used to get my arms just completely covered with these and I would get so many that the guy doing the drawings would say “I’m not doing any more on you because your mom is going to kick my ass.” — I think [the dream] measures up. I always saw myself with loads of tattoos on my arm so that came true.”
He goes on to talk about some of his early influences in the industry: “I went into the Navy and that threw me into San Diego for boot camp for ten or eleven weeks and there I did not know any names. This was in ’65. There were no names going around in my brain where I said ‘Oh my God I got to get a tattoo by him.’ In San Diego in ’65 that was the height of the Vietnam War so there were tons of tattooists. Basically I just started going in [shops] looking at designs on the wall and then getting in line to get tattooed.
The shops there would be lined up. All the way in the shop and sometimes out on the sidewalk in front of the shop. And in the shop were five tattooists tattooing as fast as they could. Only when you got into the business you started hearing some names and then you actually started looking for people and searching them out. The first one that I really traveled to get tattooed by was Cliff Raven; buy that was actually after the Navy.”
Chuck personally prefers the more traditional tattoos like that of Sailor Jerry – the early American and European designs but is famous for inking great designs of all genres.