Dragonfly Tattoos

dragonfly tattoo pictures

Dragonflies have long been an animal that ancient cultures and modern people alike hold in high esteem. This beautiful creature has captivated many people over the ages and as a result there are many beliefs and stories about the role of the dragonfly.

Another dragonfly foot tattoo
Kind of a tribal dragonfly tattoo

Beautiful Dragonfly Tattoos

Rose Tattoo & Dragonfly Tattoo

dragonflies and frog tattoo

Beautiful Dragonfly Tattoos

Angel Wings Tattoo

Have you always wanted a pair of angel wings? A lot of people fantasize about having a pair of angel wings as they can represent a wide vareity of symbolism and important values to the bearer of this great tattoo. So what do your angel wings tattoo represent? It is really up to you and below we will explore some of the more common meanings and symbolism behind the angel wings tattoo designs.

Angel Wings History
Interestingly enough the angels present in the Western bible never had wings. If you read in the old or new testment the angels and seraphim where very much human like in every way. In fact they did not even have a pair of wings. However, they were always the bearer ofimportant new from God. They often came down to earth to spread an important message. Often apperaing in dreams or during times of deep prayer to people and giving some form of important advice.

However, somehwere early on in history artists including painters, stain glass artists and even calligraphers that created illuminated pages of the bible seemed to incorporate a pair of wings with the angels, speraphim and nymphs 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. You really can no longer find an angelic bieng without a pair of white feathery wings. It could be that early artists just wanted to show an angels special powers and have some way to represent an angel as looking different then humans. Of course the ideas that Haven is somehwere above us in the clouds or way up in the sky in some magical place must've lead early artists to the conclusion that angels had to have some form of transportation between heaven and earth. This might have lead to the wide use of angel wings. Who knows how this really got all started but it is clear today anyone with a pair of wings must be a special being from God.

Angel Wings Tattoo

Angel Wings Tattoo

Angel Wings Tattoo

Angel Wings Tattoo

Angel Wings Tattoo

Angel Wings Tattoo

Henna for the Back of the Hand from

It's always wonderful to henna the hands. This is a photo of a design from Saturday henna in Five Points. Once again, the "Sangeet" pattern book proves popular, and this pattern is a reduction of a more complex design.

I started working farthest from the tips of the fingers, and drew the defining lines for the cuff portion of the pattern first. I then drew the little leaf jewel at the top of the the cuff before filling in the band. To do this, I first made the bold semi-circles that define the look of the inner band, then went back to fill them in.

I finished filling in the band, went back & did the embellishments on the leaf, and then moved to draw the pattern on the back of the hand. I drew the spiral portion of the tattoo (farthest from the thumb)filled that is, and finally drew and finished the larger paisley.

My paste for the day was a bit wet, so very easy to work with, but slow to dry. This year, perhaps because of the addition of a bit more pomegranate concentrate when making the paste, the paste is very easy to work with, but will run if not completely dry before going out into the sun... particularly if the lines are bold, or if you choose to have several applications of the lemon sugar glaze.

Lower Back Tattoos

Tattoos on the lower back have gained immense popularity in the past decade or so. At a certain point of time in history, they were considered to be the symbol of bad character and casual attitude; the entire outlook has since changed. These tattoos are, in today’s day and age, considered as a reflection of the mind and behavior of the individual who wears the tattoo. Owing to the vast number of designs that are available, any individual can perfectly depict his or her attitude in the pictorial form. Some of the most famous forms of lower back tattoos are the Celtic lower back tattoos, the butterfly designs, and the flower designs.

Celtic tattoos are those tattoos that comprise of various Celtic arts and designs. Celts are a clan of people who lived in Europe and spoke their own distinguished language. It is widely know that if any individual who is getting a tattoo done wishes also to incorporate alphabets, then he must do so in such a way so that the lettering matches the exact work of art and does not look different from the design. The tattoo lettering should look as a part of the entire design and not vary from it. This is easily possible in the case of lower back Celtic tattoos. This is due to the fact that in the case of Celtic tattoos, the alphabets can be intricately woven into the design by the help of various Celtic knots.

Lower Back Tattoos

Lower Back Tattoos

Lower Back Tattoos

Lower Back Tattoos

Lower Back Tattoos

Lower Back Tattoos

Lower Back Tattoos

Lower back Tattoos

Let your henna dry first.. then gild it.

Here is a photo of a gilded henna tattoo. This is also an example of the "Chef's Choice" option, which means you give me your hand, tell me how much you want to spend, and wait to see the result.

I realized again on Saturday that because I am familiar with henna and the process of gilding, that I may not always give a complete explanation to new customers. For that reason, I will now go over some basics. If this is old news to you.. please forgive.

The dark colored lines you see in the picture are of henna paste that has dried, been glazed with lemon sugar, and is "stuck" onto the skin. This dried paste is not the finished tattoo. Under the paste, henna is interacting with your skin to stain it some shade of red to reddish brown. The finished color of your tattoo will develop over the next two days. The initial color you see when the paste is removed will darken.

The other colors you see in the photo (click the photo for a larger image) are very temporary.. they will only last a day. The process of adding these temporary body paints is called gilding. If you want your henna tattoo gilded, there is no extra charge. There is extra drying time. It is very important that the henna paste (the darker lines) dries before the gilding is added. The gilding colors are made with cosmetic powders and glitters in a carrier base that is made of hair setting gel. This gel is a liquid, and can blur the henna tattoo if applied to early.

Now, if you are new to henna, it is important to remember that you must let your henna tattoo dry before becoming active. Failure to do so results is a smudged or running tattoo.. particularly if you spill a beverage on the design!!! Touch ups are sometimes possible, sometimes.. not so possible, but if you do need one during the henna party, you may have to wait until I have finished the tattoo I am working on.

Sometimes, hennas are smudged long after you've left the shop & a repair is not possible. Should this happen, no worries. Just remove all the henna paste from your skin, apply a vegetable oil.. and wait for the color to develop over the next few days. More information as well as FAQ are online at spiritvisionhenna.com

Shaded Henna Tattoo - Original Henna Pattern for the Leg

Here is a photo of an original "wrap-around" henna tattoo pattern for the leg.

I am experimenting with different ways to create a shaded effect with henna paste. For this design I used henna paste, thinned with lemon juice & sugar that I brushed onto the skin. I used a little water color brush to fill in finished design areas.

It is my hope that this gentle touch of henna stain will result in a lighter color in the finished henna tattoo for the shaded areas. Perhaps I will to be able to post a photo of the finished color next week. Notice that this is a pic of the henna paste ON the skin, not black henna and not the finished color. If you have a photo of henna we have created together, please feel welcome to email it to me & I will post it with your photo of paste on the skin.

For more photos of henna tattoo for the legs & ankles, please be sure to visit the updated gallery on line at Spirit Vision Henna. Henna Tattoo is available on Saturday afternoons from 1:00 until about 5:15 on Saturdays through out the summer. Of course we are available for out calls, parties & corporate events.. but the weekend party is good fun.

* If you are coming for your first henna experience, please be sure to read the informed consent carefully. I may not have made it clear that henna paste goes on the skin wet. It is important to be mindful of your tattoo for the first 15 minutes or so after the paste is applied. If you choose to have the lemon sugar glaze, then it may take a bit longer for the paste to dry.

Also, if you are going to have an active day, then it is best NOT to put henna on jointed areas! More complete information is available on my FAQ page... and of course all over the web!

Celtic Tribal Tattoos

Celtic Tribal Tattoos

Celtic Tribal Tattoos

Celtic Tribal Tattoos

Simple Henna Design - Gilded Back of Hand Pattern

Here is a henna pattern for the back of the hand. I like it very much because the design moves so gracefully over the hand, is interesting, simple and elegant. Click the title of this post to see more patterns.

This was the first design of the day on Saturday, 4/26 at the Midnight Sun, 1055 Park Street, Five Points, Jacksonville, Florida. We applied a bit of gilding, a spot of deep purple in the center of the flower & the outer drops. There are spots of gold int he pattern as well. I like the soft, elegant look this offers.

I waited until the henna had dried, been lemon sugared three times before adding the gilding. This method seems to work best for the liquidity of the paste I make.

My other "discovery" this year is to use a fine mist sprayer bottle to apply my lemon sugar mix. It's fast, covers all the henna in a spritz or two, doesn't usually run or drip and never disturbs the design.

I now strain fresh squeezed lemon juice three times, add almost equal volume of organic brown sugar, heat this in a little bowl over open flame until the sugar melts, then add a drop of essential oil (usually clove bud) and strain that mixture into the sprayer.

Bold henna tattoo pattern for the leg

Many people are choosing to have henna tattoo applied to their legs this season. The good news is that both clients featured on the blog still have very good color one week later.

This long lasting color gives us the change to work with shading and reapplication of new henna paste over existing designs.

I hope to be able to post finished color of shaded tattoo in the near future.

I will be offering henna tattoo today, April 26, at Midnight Sun, Park Street, Riverside, Jacksonville, Florida from about 1:00 pm until 5:30.

Please feel welcome to stop by to look at pattern books, or to get a henna tattoo. More information and photos are available by clicking the title of this post.>

Henna Pattern for the Leg - with Gekko

This photo shows how well henna can work with an existing tattoo. Do you see the gekko? If not, click the photo to enlarge the view.

This design is based on the new bold style of henna pattern made popular by great artists whose patterns are online at Tap Dancing Lizard, although I did not use any particular pattern for this henna tattoo.

The color developed over several days, and by Tuesday, my client had a very rich auburn color. My challenge is to get good photos of the finished color, so stay tuned.

Angelina Jolie Tattoos

Angelina has a mix of tattoos on both her arms. Her left bicep previously had the name "Billy Bob" and a black tribal dragon on it. Both of those pieces have since been removed by laser treatments. In their place are now the latitude and longitude coordinates for the birthplaces of Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh and Pax. Be on the lookout for 43n42, 7e15 to be added to Angelina's arm sometime in the future! Those are the coordinates for Nice, France, birthplace of her new twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, born July 12, 2008!

Her left arm also has a quote from Tennessee Williams on it, reading "A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages." This covers a previous kanji tattoo.

On her right arm, she has an Arabic tattoo, the word meaning "will (determination)" covers up another tattoo from her marriag to Billy Bob Thornton. She also has the letter "H" on one of her arms along with the Roman numeral 13.

Angelina jolie tattoos

Angelina jolie tattoos

Angelina jolie tattoos

Angelina jolie tattoos

Angelina jolie tattoos

Angelina jolie tattoos

Angelina jolie tattoos

Henna Pattern Books - Too Much Fun!

Jesus Tattoos

Jesus Tattoo Designs - The image of Jesus as a tattoo design is the most "Christian" of all religious tattoos. Jesus is often depicted hanging on the cross. As well many times the tattoo is a close up of his face with a halo (or faint glow) over him and a crown of thorns placed upon his head during the crucifixion.

Jesus tattoos

Jesus tattoos

Jesus tattoos

Jesus tattoos

It's 44 degrees on Wednesday Morning!

Oooops! This is not henna weather. Looking ahead on the five day forecast, we are supposed to have warmer temperatures by Saturday. I am hoping so.

I am ready with a heat lamp to make some fresh henna paste for the weekend, but clients always get the best color on their finished hennas when it's HOT outside.

Henna is a heat activated skin dye & the color develops over a 48 hour period. The hotter the skin gets, the darker the stain. Some of last Saturday's clients went home to blow dry their henna tattoos.. and this always helps me get better color as I am cold natured anyway.

Check back for updates on our henna Saturday at The Midnight Sun.

"Chef's Choice" Henna Tattoo

Sometimes, after looking through all the pattern books I bring to Midnight Sun, clients find a style they like, but want a custom tattoo. Hence, the Chef's Choice" option you see to the left.

I am noticing a new style of henna evolving in my work. It seems to be a personalized abstract artwork that I am calling New American Tribal for lack of another name.

The Tribal Tattoo section of my henna site features a photo gallery of more designs in that style if you care to visit.

Weather permitting - in that it is warm and not pouring rain - I will be back at Midnight Sun this coming Saturday. Last Saturday we had a good time, and I was very busy, so I may arrive a bit earlier, perhaps Noon. See you there?

Peacock Arm Tattoo from Midnight Sun

We had a wonderful time at Midnight Sun today.. the first day of "Henna Season" in Five Points. I had to wait for the weather to warm up enough to make good paste. Also, with warm weather, we have some many more places to tattoo.

Peacock designs were very popular today, and here you see a peacock theme on the upper arm. This pattern is a modification of the great art in the henna pattern book "Sangeet" available at Tap Dancing Lizard.

I did several "Chef's Choice" patterns today, and will post some of these "New American Tribal" henna patterns in the next few days.

Lots of new work is ready in photo albums hosted on my updated henna site Spirit Vision Henna.

Eagle Tattoos

So a guy walks into a tattoo shop... sounds like a start of a joke, but seriously which tattoo shop you walk into could mean all the difference in how your tattoo comes out. Here I used an American Eagle Tattoo to cover a poorly done and totally backward Eagle Globe and Anchor Tattoo. A type of tattoo I take a lot of pride in doing well. So beware on where and who tattoos you, not all tattoo mistakes can be easily covered up. I will have a before picture of the covered tattoo soon.

Eagle tattoos

Eagle tattoos

Eagle tattoos

Eagle tattoos

Eagle tattoos

Eagle tattoos

Eagle tattoos

Tribal Japanese Tattoo Sleeve

Tribal Tiger Japanese Tattoo Sleeve

Tribal Japanese Tattoo Sleeve

Tribal Tiger Japanese Tattoo Sleeve