tattoo's: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

Henna Tattoo Pattern Booklets from India

Here is a lovely little henna pattern booklet that is for sale at Spirit Vision Henna. Click the title of this post to purchase this book, or others like it. I have learned so much about traditional henna design by studying these little collections.

When I first saw many of the patterns in booklets like this one, I was overwhelmed! Henna presented a new way of thinking about line, movement, pattern & space... it was dazzling. As well, it was hard for me to know where to start a pattern, how to lay it out and of course how to create all that intricate detail without making a smudgy mess of it all.

Over the past six years, I have come to know that the quality & thickness of the paste makes all the difference... not only in easy of application, the ability to draw fine lines, but also in the final color. Thus, the quality and freshness of the henna powder are essential to a good outcome. I still use Jamila Henna mixed with lemon juice, essential oils & my spiced henna tea to make a fragrant paste that goes on quickly.

I am please to have been able to import a good collection of henna pattern books. If you don't like this one, stop by my site to see the others. Namaste!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Japanese Tattoos - Design Options

So you've decided that you want a Japanese tattoo. Congratulations. You've chosen a style of body art that's rich with symbolism and has links to ancient Japanese traditions. The majority of Japanese tattoos consist heavily of written symbols which can be divided into three main categories.

1) Kanji

Of the three types of Japanese tattoo symbols, Kanji is the most popular because it is so expressive and artistic. Each different Kanji symbol (of which there are reported to be more than 40,000) represents a specific idea or meaning. So by combining a number of different Kanji symbols in your tattoo design it's possible to create a stylish and unique tattoo that expresses an unlimited number of ideas and messages.

2) Hiragana

Unlike Kanji symbols, which represent various ideas or meanings, Hiragana is a style of writing that's used in everyday Japanese life. You'll find it used in media such as newspapers and magazines, so it's much more amenable to literal translation than Kanji.

In terms of design, the hiragana characters are more rounded than Kanji symbols, which is worth bearing in mind depending upon your artistic tastes. Hiragana writing is also known as cursive, so don't get confused if you hear someone speaking about a cursive tattoo.

3) Katakana

The system of Katakana is similar to Hiragana. Together they're known as Kana and were originally based on the Kanji symbols which existed more than one thousand years ago. Since than they've developed into their present form and both Hiragana and Katakana each have their own set of 46 symbols with which to form their words.

The system of Katakana symbols is used almost exclusively to represent words that are non Japanese in origin. These symbols are similar to the system of hiragana with the main difference being that words in Katakana have sharper edges and are much more angular in appearance.

And that concludes the three types of Japanese tattoo symbols that are available. However, there's no rule that says you have to choose one style and stick to it. You could have your tattoo designed so that it includes more than one of these styles. For example, you could have a sentence written using Hiragana that includes various Kanji symbols to enrich it with greater meaning.

But whatever option you select, it's important to take one additional safety precaution before you go anywhere near a tattoo studio with your design. As you can see from this brief explanation of different character types, the system of Japanese writing is extremely complicated and subtle.

So unless you want to walk around wearing a Japanese tattoo that looks like a bad practical joke, if you don't speak Japanese fluently, it's vital to get an accurate translation of your design from a Japanese language expert.

It's also a good idea to make sure that you find a tattoo artist who has experience forming the various Japanese characters and symbols.

The best way to find your perfect Japanese tattoo is to do your research and then think long and hard about it before you make your final decision.

Use the internet to look at as many different types and styles of Japanese tattoos as possible. Do some research on the culture and learn how the language operates. After that, spent time thinking about what ideas and meanings you want to express through your tattoo design.

Ultimately, the tattoos that people are most pleased with are those that have deep personal meaning or significance.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Modificaciones Extremas

El arte del tatuaje proviene de la antigüedad, con frecuencia cuando estaban en guerra se pintaban las caras para provocar temor en el enemigo. Así, los tatuajes han sido una costumbre muy difundida entre los pueblos o culturas ancestrales. Además, servían para dejar grabado en la piel algún momento que querían recordar para siempre.

Las perforaciones en el cuerpo, hay que destacar su gran utilización por grupos indígenas de Asia, América y África que también tiene orígenes históricos.

Ahora que hubo una época en que se identificaban a las personas que llevaban este tipo de adornos en su cuerpo como pertenecientes a grupos marginales, o miembros de bandas …delincuentes. Pero los tiempos cambian y ahora son un símbolo de identidad o un adorno más.

Actualmente han surgido nuevas tendencias bastante extremas como son:

Branding dibujo sobre la piel en base a quemaduras que generan una cicatriz. Puede ser plano, o queloide y su curación dura entre una semana y un mes. El branding se puede realizar en cualquier parte del cuerpo, siempre que no existan venas o tendones visibles.

Escarificaciones consiste en Cortes en la piel a través de las cuales se levanta el trozo de piel deseado, dejándolo en carne viva y que luego hará queloide, mostrando un dibujo realizado

Ear Point o orejas en punta, tipo elfo

Slip tongue o lengua bífida (separarse la lengua en dos)

Los Implantes (estos los hay de dos tipos 3D y Transdermales, el primero se trata de incrustrar bajo la dermis objetos, con lo cual la piel adquiere la forma del objeto; El segundo se trata de insertar bajo la dermis piercings que luego salen al exterior y a los que les puedes enroscar distintos objetos o bien los dejas como decoración, en forma de punta o bolita).

Los tatuajes en los ojos el riesgoso cambio hasta el momento.

Junto con dos de sus amigos, Pauly imparable y Josh, Shannon Larratt, el fundador y el dueño de la Web site Bmezine.com, tenían el procedimiento del tatuaje del globo ocular hecho ."Inyectamos el pigmento bajo capa superior del ojo usando una jeringuilla, que, al mejor de mi conocimiento, nunca no se ha hecho antes, de médicamente o cosméticamente." Este procedimiento aun es experimental, según demuestran el propósito no es hacer una figura en el ojo, si no pintar la parte blanca del ojo con algún color, en este caso azul, se inyecta la tinta, y esta al pasar el tiempo se empezara a regar por el ojo, pintando así este. Este tipo de procedimiento conlleva riesgos como la perdida de la visión, aunque el autor hasta el momento aun sigue en etapa de curación, ha sufrido de irritación e inflamacion así como otras molestias.

.....Ahora que también existen practicas menos extremas durante años 60, muchos odontólogos utilizaban pepitas de oro para realzar las amalgamas En los setenta los dientes rellenos de oro (la amalgama se introducía por un orificio practicado en la pieza) se pusieron de moda, y otorgaban un aspecto agresivo. Los raperos de los noventa pusieron de moda el "bling bling", que entre sus expresiones contaba con la cobertura de los dientes con oro, plata y otros metales

Se pueden realizar desde coronas de porcelana permanentes con atrevidos diseños sobre los molares, hasta sencillos dibujos en los dientes frontales. Las coronas están selladas detrás del diente, de manera que no se desprenden. La tendencia actual son las iniciales sobre los dientes superiores. Estos tatuajes pueden borrarse con facilidad, incluso si se trata de incrustaciones con piedras preciosas, y ser cambiados por otros diseños al gusto del paciente.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Unique Tattoo Design

One of the biggest mistakes which people often make, and then regret later, is to choose a tattoo design, simply because it looks nice on other people, because a celebrity was spotted wearing a similar design, or it looks nice in the flash portfolio.

Before making your unique tattoo design, how in the first place do you approach on your perfect tattoo? Before scanning through hundreds of websites, magazine pages of tattoo publications and through the tattoo parlor catalogues, do some internal soul searching to find out what you want. To guide your thought process, the following could help:

# Your essential beliefs:
zodiac signs, quotes, religious phrases, tribal art, modern art, mythological characters, memories of a person or place, etc.

# Purpose of tattooing:
Why do you want to sport a tattoo? Again, reasons for tattooing can help you decide on what type of uniqueness you want.

# Limitations in future:
Think of any limitation to your tattoo exposure in future. Would your place of work allow a visible tattoo?

# Significance of the tattoo design:
Every tattoo has a meaning and significance. Choose a design, whose meanings appeal to you personally.

Whatever results emanate from your soul searching, it can add a lot of value when you decide to sit down with your tattoo artist to make your tattoo unique. You could also pick up one of your favorite designs from the artists’ catalogue and add you own twist or draw your own design! The tattoo artist should be able to expand on it and come up with unique piece of tattoo art.

Needless to mention, there are thousands of design concepts to explore.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

tribal body tattoo

Friday, January 16, 2009

It's just too cold for henna tattoo!

I had hoped to start the henna season early this year... and I may well be able to do so. However, as of this posting, it's 28 degrees, and tomorrow's temperature promises a high of 58.

We will not be at Midnight Sun this Saturday, 1/17/09! Perhaps next week. Until then, enjoy the work of a very talented artist!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Cute Dragon Tribal tattoo

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Cute Dragon back Tribal tattoo

Cute Dragon Tribal tattoo

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Cute Dragon back Tribal tattoo

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Bold henna pattern for the palms. Quick & easy.

You can drive with henna palms! If you choose a bold pattern like this one it's very easy.

You will notice that the left hand is full of henna.. but just has design going half way up the fingers & little spots to finish.

The right hand design compliments the left.. leaving plenty of free space for the little household tasks that might make full palms & fingers pattern too difficult to fit into your modern lifestyle.

From start to finish, this tattoo took 35 minute to complete.

Using bold lines & negative space to compliment the shape of the hand give a striking pattern that is easy to wear.

This is an original free hand henna tattoo by Ann George of Spirit Vision Henna, Jacksonville, Florida.