Imaginative crucifixion of Jesus Christ!
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His resurrection are the two most important events in human history. We all know that Jesus was mocked at and was hanged on the crown of thorns, right? Imagine someone got a tattoo of Jesus Christ climbing the thorny cross as if he himself wanted to get crucified. Also, there are gay pride drips tattooed. Rightly said-Imagination has no end!
Via: bp3
GeekyRyu Hadoken tattoo
Here’s a cool Ryu Hadoken tattoo for all you geeky guys out there. It’s really amazing to see some fanatics really go to extremes to show their love and passion for something. A geeky tattoo fanatic got this gaming creature (in action) tattooed on his head. Truly geeky I must say!
Via: Videogamecentral
Physics mania – Pi Tattoo on lips!
All you guys suffering from physics mania surely know what’s special about March 14. Yups, you guessed it right, it’s the Pi Day. One more question coming your way. Talking about the strangest places where Pi appears, where do you think it is? It’s on PeppermintStripe’s lips. Getting Pi inked on lips sounds really cool. Now that’s what you call true physics and tattoo mania!
Via: Talklikeaphysicist
Scared-stiff: Skull and snake tattoo!
Surely y’all loved the skull and two lizards tattoo we came up here at our blog. It was horrifying, right? Here’s yet another skull tat not accompanied by lizards this time but a snake. Snake and skulls is not a weird combo as both are fear provoking. What makes this tat incredible is the imagination like who could think of inking snake entering one eye of the skull. In a nutshell, it’s a cool tattoo that’s a bit foreboding!
Via: Flickr
Tips on How To Get Started As An Tattoo Artist.
Tattooing is traditionally an apprenticeship based art.
Apprenticeships last approximately three years before they are considered professional artists. You are making permanent, often visible changes to another human being and if proper procedure isn’t followed, you could be jeopardizing that client’s health and emotional well-being. By taking advantage of the knowledge of experienced, professional artists, you will avoid many costly mistakes. Unfortunately it is very hard to get one because very few proffesional tattoo artists wil give away their “Sectrets” to anybody.
Still, there is a chance of getting into one of those apprenticeships and here are a couple of tips what to do:
First of all you should put together a kick ass portfolio, anything reflecting your skills with composition, color and line work. Take your time with creating the flash and have at least two sets of flash ready when you walk into a studio. One set, about 5 pages, in black & white and another set, another 5 pages, in color. The sheets should not be smaller than 14×11 inches. As i said take your time with drawing the flash and be as creative as you can be. Tattoo artists always like to check out new flashes and if you did a good job and impressed him you might have a better chance of getting the apprenticeship. A good artist will see right away if you have the potential to become an artist yourself.
After you’re done drawing the flashes start visiting local studios and talk to the shopowners. Here is a little tip for what to say and what to do, too.
Make sure you check out the studio a couple of days before you walk in there asking for an apprenticeship. Check out if the artists are friendly, if the shop is a professional one, if they have any pics hanging on the walls of recently done work so you can get an idea of how the quality of the studio all together is. If somebody asks you if you need some help just say you are looking around. When walking into the shop asking for the apprenticeship make sure the shop is not to crowded. If it is just wait and go there another day cause they might say “We don’t need anybody” to you, just because they are to busy at the moment and don’t have time to talk to you.
Make a bunch of copies of your flashes and walk into the studio of your choice. Ask for the person in charge and let them know you have some tattoo flash for sale. As I said above, atrists always like to check out new flash so make sure they accidently see them already when you walk into the studio. Don’t throw the sheets on the counter or right into his face, just carry them around in your hand, not covered by anything like an envelope so everybody in the shop can see it. But remember, you are there to get an apprenticeship not to make money of tattoo flash, so if they are interested in the flash, keep the price low. If you already got into talking about your flash, mention that you are looking for an apprenticeship and if they are looking for somebody to work in the studio. Your attidude is also important when talking to the artist. Don’t be a smart ass and tell him “You Know” when he is talking to you because you don’t know, otherwise you wouldn’t be there asking for an apprenticeship. Just be friendly, confident and show interest. The rest is up to the artist and your work.
Don’t be dissapointed if it doesen’t work in the first studio you walk into. Make sure you leave your name and number at the studio and tell them to give you a call if they ever needed somebody.
As I said above it will not be easy to get an apprenticeship at a tattoo parlor but it’s not impossible. Still, you will get a lot of “no’s” but keep trying and be persistent. The hardest part is to get the artist looking at your artwork and the tips above might help you out. But the most important part is your work, so make sure you do the best you can.
Applying a Tattoo – From Sterilization to the Bandage!
The main focus of the tattoo application today is safety. Any puncture wound, this is what a tattoo machine is doing to your skin, bares the potential for an infection or disease.
The best and only acceptable method to sterilize tattoo equipment today is an Autoclave. An autoclave is a heat, steam and pressure unit, also used in hospitals, achieving and maintaining up to 132 degrees Celsius (270 degrees Fahrenheit) under 7 Kilograms (15 pounds) of pressure for 15 minutes. Others maintain 121 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit) under 5 Kilograms (10 Pounds) of pressure for 30 minutes. Most autoclave are running 55 minutes from a cold start to ensure a complete sterilization. To eliminate the possibility of contamination almost all tattooing materials like ink cubs, needles, ink, gloves etc. are just used only once but there are some reusable materials as the tube or the needle bar which must be sterilized. They are put into special pouches with indicator strips on them and then left in the autoclave for a complete circle.
The indicator strips change the color once the sterilization is completed. Sterilizing with an autoclave ensures killing every living microorganism. The sterilization usually takes place before the customer comes into the parlor and will probably not be seen by him. The only thing you will see is the pouch the needle bars were sterilized in, but this will be explained more exactly later on.
Other tattooing equipment like spray bottles, clip cords and the tattoo machine itself is supposed to be covered by plastic bags to prevent contamination.
Before beginning the actual procedure of tattooing itself the artist will wash his hands and disinfect his working area with an EPA approved disinfective, put on new gloves and follows this guidelines:
- He puts new plastic bags over the spay bottles, the tattoo machine and the other equipment described above.
- Takes out new ink caps and puts tattoo ink in them.
- Opens up a sealed pouch autoclave sterilized equipment and clamps it onto the tattoo machine.
- Disinfects and shaves the area to be tattooed.
- Moistens the area and places a stencil with the outlines of the tattoo on it.
After taking of the stencil again he will let it dry for a couple of minutes and the start the actual tattooing procedure.
Depending on the width of the outlines the artist uses different tipped needles and starts going over the stencil with the machine. Right handed artists usually start at the bottom of the right hand side and work up, while left handed artists usually start from the left side so the stencil of the outlines won’t be lost when cleaning a permanent line. For outline work a thinner ink is usually used than the ink for shading and coloring because it can be easier wiped away from the skin without smearing. As he is going over the stencil and is working the ink into the skin, the tattoo machine is buzzing and smooth clear lines should be appearing where the needle pierces the skin.
Once the outlines are done the tattooed area is cleaned with antiseptic soap and water. If needed the artist will go over some outlines again to make sure the outlines are the way they are supposed to be.
After that and possibly a little break the shading is added. For the shading he will use a different needle and probably a different machine than he used for the outlines. Each artist works differently and using a different machine is up to the artist depending on her or his experience and preference.
When the shading is done the tattooed area is cleaned again and is now ready for color. When applying the color, the artists usually goes twice over each colored line to ensure a solid and even coloration with no “Holidays”. On uneven looking areas the color has either faded during the healing process or the artist missed an area of the skin. This does not mean he or she did a bad job, it’s just that you can’t really see those spots during the application.
After the coloration the tattoo is sprayed and cleaned again. The artist will then use a disposable towel to remove any blood and plasma excreted during the tattooing procedure. Bleeding always occurs during tattooing even under normal circumstances, but most of it stops after a few minutes. If alcohol or illegal drugs have been used prior or during the process the bleeding could hold on longer and there could be other complications. No tattoo artist will tattoo a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs anyway.
When done cleaning the tattooed area for the last time, the artist will then apply a bandage over the tattoo to prevent it from bleeding any more, getting blood and still excreting tattoo ink on your clothes. This bandage is supposed to be taken off about 2 hours after completion.
Origins of Tattoos
Believe it or not but most scientist believe the origins of tattoos date back to about 3300 B.C. They believe that certain marks found on the skin of the “?TZI”, a mummified body of an iceman found in the italian alps, were considered tattoos back in his days. If their acceptance is true, these marks on his body represent the earliest known evidence for tattoos in history. All we know for sure up until now is, there are tattoos found on Egyptian and Nubian mummies dating from about 2000 B.C. Classical authors also mention the use of tattoos in ancient societies like the old Greeks, Germans, Britons, Romans and Gauls.
The tattoos we know nowadays were discovered by Europeans while exploring north america and the south seas of the pacific ocean. Their first contact with cultures like the American Indians and Polynesians also were the first contact of so called “civilized” people with tattoos. The word tattoo was first mentioned in James Cook’s records from his 1769 journey to the south seas. The natives of Tahiti, this is were Cook’s expedition went to, called the marks on their bodies TATTAU which was translated into TATTOO by Cook. Due to their exotic appearance, tattooed Indians and Polynesians where showcased at circuses and fairs during the 18th and 19th century all over Europe and the US
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I Love Chinese Tattoos!
Lower Back Chinese Writing
Chinese tattoos and especially the Chinese characters tattoo have been very popular in the Western world the last decade or so, and they still are today. Chinese characters are beautiful little pieces of art. They are exotic and mysterious, what makes them very suitable for a tattoo design.
Interestingly though, tattoos have quite a negative connotation in traditional Chinese culture. In fact, there was a belief that the body is a sacred gift from one’s parents and should not be altered in any permanent way – which of course includes tattooing.
Ci Shen – The Chinese Tattoo
Despite the negative connotation of the Chinese tattoo, there has always been tattooing in China. The Chinese word for tattoo is Ci Shen, literally meaning puncture the body.
The first Chinese tattoos were considered a punishment- sort of a mark of disgrace. Criminals were marked with a face tattoo and forced to live in exile. This practice is called Ci Pei in Chinese.
Even in modern China today, tattoos are considered to be connected with the underworld somehow, although this attitude is slowly changing. Despite the dubious attitudes towards tattooing, there is some evidence that tattooing and other body art are making inroads among Chinese youth today.
Chinese Tribal Tattoos
The Chinese tattoo doesn’t have a very interesting history, but there are several ethnic minorities in China who do have a strong tattoo tradition. The most important ones are the Drung, Dai and Li tribes.
Drung Tattoos
The Drung are an ethnic group that live in the Yunnan province.
The woman of the Drung tribe used to tattoo their faces when they reached the age of 12, as a symbol of maturity. The tattoos were done between the eyebrows and around the mouth, resembling a butterfly or diamond design.
About 3 centuries ago, the women of the Drung tribe were often attacked by other ethnic groups and to avoid being raped, they used tattoos to make themselves less attractive. Some of these tribal tattoos resembled moustaches.
Of course, modern tattoo equipment was not available 300 years ago, thorns were used to puncture the skin and charcoal was used instead of tattoo ink.
Dai Tattoos
The Dai are also an ethnic minority living in southern Yunnan. Children as young as 5 were tattooed, and then again at the age of 14, as a symbol of sexual maturity.
Men were tattooed on strong muscles, woman between the eyebrows or on the hand or arm. Black tiger tattoos or dragon tattoos were the most popular designs.
The people of the Dai tribe used their tattoos as a talisman, to keep monsters away.
Li Tattoos
The Li are an ethnic group living in tribes on Hainan Island. Tattoos play an important role in the Li women’s life (both sexes were tattooed, although it was more common for women) and their tattoo tradition can be traced back to 3000 years ago.
When girls reached the age of 12, they receive their first tattoos on the neck, face and throat. Over the next several years, the girl’s arms and legs were tattooed as well. The tattoos meant that they were ready for marriage, they were a rite of passage.
Men were tattooed as well, but for medicinal purposes.
Oops!
Don’t Make The Same Newbie Mistake
Online Tattoo Reviews
Chopper Tattoo Review
www.chopper-tattoo.com is one of the most complete tattoo design websites that we have found. The website offers strong search capability and a very wide range of designs to choose from. Their site offers different pricing based on length of your membership. For a lifetime subscription, the price is $34.44, which includes access to their design database as well as a couple freebies. For a bit less money, you can get a limited time membership. For 60 days, the price is $24.95, and for 30 days it’s 19.95. Another plus is that Chopper-Tattoo establishes direct relationships with artists so you know their content will be unique. The one downside in this site is that when you hit the back button or try to leave the site, you get a pop-up that asks if you want to talk to an associate. It’s too much of a “hard sell” in our opinion, but the more important thing to make your decision on is the quality of the designs. We would be surprised if you are able to find better designs elsewhere, so this may be the site for you!
Chopper-Tattoo offers well over 10,000 deisgns to browse in the following categories:
Target Tattoo Review
www.TargetTattoo.com is a another great site for downloading design ideas before you take the plunge and get your next tattoo. For $19.95 you get access to over 10,000 designs. It’s a great selection that covers everything from small art to large designs. They also offer another option for $25.99, which includes access to Tattoo Fonts, 7 e-books plus the basic access to the designs.
The $25.99 package includes:
- Access to over 10,000 designs
- Learn How to Tattoo In 12 Easy Steps
- Getting Inked
- Got Ink?
- Tattoos Unlimited
- You and Your Tattoo – What You Need to Know
- History of Tattoos
- Butterfly Tattoo Designs
- Access to the design gallery
- Photo gallery (photos of tattoos on people)
- Studio directory (to locate an artist near you to apply your tattoo_
- Discussion Forum (great source for FAQ, etc)
- Video Vault (tattoo-related videos and documentaries)
- Media Library (eBooks, audio books, etc.)
Tattoo My Brain Review
Tattoomybrain.com has managed to put together quite a nice selection of tattoos. They have over 6,000 designs that fall into 33 categories that include all the usual popular categories such as Asian, Religion, and Heart tattoos. In addition, they have some more exotic categories like Clowns and Ocean tattoos that most likely will give you ideas you’ve never considered. In the end, what matters most is going to be the quality and originality of the designs and this is where tattoomybrain.com delivers. I was able to find a number of original designs that caught my eye as being both unique and easily recognizable which can be a hard combination to come by with tattoos. In terms of price, there definitely are cheaper options out there than the $34.95 lifetime membership fee that tattoomybrain.com charges. However, for the $35 you spend it’ll be hard not to find your next great tattoo amongst all that they have to offer.
Tattoo Me Now Review
www.TattooMeNow.com offers a tighter selection of downloadable tattoo images than some of the other sites that we have reviewed. Currently, they offer just over 3,500 designs. Frankly, having fewer high-quality designs is preferable to having many poor designs, so we still find their inventory to be perfectly sufficient for most people. And, as we mentioned, they truly are high quality, unique images in our opinion.
In addion to offering great design, TattooMeNow also offers several other services that differentiate them from the other sites reviewed. Membership for 1 year is $27 and it’s $37 for a lifetime. Speficically, you membership gets you:
