Swallow tattoo design belong to the most popular nautical patterns alongside with anchor and mermaid tattoos. Swallow symbolizes spring, hope, speed, youth and good luck. It is also said to bring success and strength.

According to the tradition, a sailor got this tattoo after 5000 nautical miles spent in the sea. Swallows flying in the sky were the first sign that the ship is approaching land. These birds are able to take long flights over the vast expanses of water and often choose the masts of ships as a place to rest.

In Ancient Greece and Rome swallow was associated with goddess of love Aphrodite (Venus), and could act as her envoy. In Greece it also helped mother who had lost their children and carried the souls of the dead to the Underworld, so it was very unlucky to kill the bird by accident.

Ancient Egyptian as well as Cretan and Sumerian mythology swallow personalized Ancient Mothers. In China it symbolizes daring, fidelity and changes for the better. The Japanese associate this bird with motherly love and devotion to a family hearth as the bird mates for life. The Christians view it as a symbol as resurrection and new life.

Swallow tattoo designs can be various in order to convey even subtlest shades of meaning, for instance a swallow with a flower in its beak stands for spring while a swallow above its nest symbolizes love for the family. A flying swallow tattoo means swiftness of life, clean intentions as well as grants its wearer skills to catch good lucks. Swallow tattoo designs can also include pictures of clover, horse shoe and other talismans. As a nautical tattoo, it can be used to commemorate a friend lost in the sea – this time it should be depicted with a dagger in its heart.

Swallow Tattoo Designs and Meaning is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Barb wire tattoos belong to simple and unsophisticated tattoo designs. Nowadays it is not an exception to meet an ordinary person wearing a barb wire tattoo for these tattoos are not as closely connected to prison culture as it seems to be.

Barb wire has sharp biting edges at regular intervals and is used to make fences of increased safety to guard those who are inside or to prevent them from running away. Barb wire fences were widely spread during the World War 2 in concentration camps as anyone who tries to get over such a fence will be injured. For this reason barb wire fences are built around prisons, that’s why prison tattoos often include barb wire in their design. In some areas, the number of spikes in a tattoo tells the number of years spent by a person behind the bars.

Now barb wire tattoos are chosen by people to show off their strong personality, their courage, fearlessness and decisiveness and to indicate the ability to act in tough circumstances. There’s no restriction in terms of sex – both men and women can wear these tattoos. Some celebrities have barb wires tattooed on their bodies.

Chain pattern is the most popular among barb wire tattoo designs. Barb wires can be carved on wrists and ankles, which looks like a stylish bracelet, as well as on necks, backs and even waists. Barb wire tattoos look great as they can accentuate the beauty of a woman’s body or to lay stress on powerful muscles of man’s arms and forearms.

Barb wire tattoo patterns may be as well incorporated into other tattoo designs as there’s something peculiar in them – something that draws attention and adds spice to your style.

Barb Wire Tattoo Designs is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

When we think about oriental symbols to include in tattoos yin-yang concept is often the first that comes into out mind. It is so famous among people because of the deep meaning it carries. The philosophies of the East strike our western mind with their ability to combine seemingly contradictory concepts into one wise theory.

The Yin and Yang is a symbol of duality, it manifests that the opposites unite and form a harmonious unity, and in this way they are inseparable from each other. Graphically it is represented in the form of a circle with two parts divided by a curved line where the light part is the Yin and the dark part is Yang. The Yin is a manifestation of a female nature, cold and destructive forces while the Yang means masculinity and creativity. In the process of interaction – which is inevitable – these forces create five elements of the world which are Earth, Water, Air, Wood and Metal.

<

It is vital to remember that these parts are different yet they are equal in significance. Male and female, good and evil, cold and warmth are presented in the universe in a fifty-fifty ratio. Hence, there’re consequent concepts that all things have their bright and dark parts; the worse it is now, the better will be in future; two contradictory notions are in fact the front and the back of one and the same coin.. everything ‘s changeable, everything moves, nothing stands still, all things, good or evil, will eventually come to an end to open a way to something new.. It is so much about Zen world outlook with its tranquility and taking life as it is!

There’re some other color options for the Yin and Yang symbol and some deviations from its original shape, so you have a lot to choose from for your tattoos – Yin-Yang concept gives much field to creativity and helps you understand the meaning of the Universe.

Oriental Tattoos: Yin-Yang Symbols is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Sun and moon tattoo designed has always been popular because of their deep symbolism and universality. In fact, these celestial bodies have been of greatest importance for people since ancient times. Folks from all over the world created numerous legends about the Sun as well as the Moon, and identified them with divine creatures. Some folks had a habit of doing sun and moon tattoos in order to glorify these lamps of day and night.

Moon tattoo designed are loved and favored as the moon itself is a mystery. It rules sea tides and sometimes governs our emotions, according to the common belief. The moon and stars are the only who can aid lost travelers at night. At last, the moon fascinates human beings as it calmly shines on a dark night sky.

The folks of Dahomey associated the moon with wisdom and gladness while Siberian shamans perceived it as a symbol of nighttime, the dark half of the world. In China the moon was the power of Yin representing female energy, anything that is dark, passive and cold. Gabon inhabitants believed the moon is a symbol of evil, water and odd numbers while with folks of South America it was the main deity.

Our forefathers believed that moon can control rudiments of the world and send thunderstorms and lightning to folks that are out of its favor. American Indians even attributed more power to the moon than to the sun. The reason for it was that the moon can shine in both day and night time and can even overcast the sun sometimes. That’s why the symbol of the moon is so widespread in fortune-telling and magic ceremonies.

So moon tattoo designs are highly symbolic. They can be coupled with the sun, dragons or fairies to add additional symbolism or come alone as separate entities in your tattoos. The moon can be depicted with eyes and a mouth, smiling pleasantly or grinning sarcastically at the meanness of this world. That’s all up to your choice.

The Mystery of Moon Tattoo Designs is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Monkeys are knows to be joyful and merry creatures generally associated with happy times, childhood, bananas and tales about hot lands. That’s why monkey tattoos are not infrequent to see.

Monkey is an animal with a contradictory symbolic meaning. Monkey’s ability to imitate human behavior has always been used to make fun of vanity and stupidity, but it is possible to show positive qualities of human nature with this symbol as well. That’s why monkey tattoos may carry positive as well as negative meaning. Generally speaking, this animal has a higher symbolic rank in the east rather than in the west.

The animal was revered in Ancient Egypt, Africa, India and China while Christianity treated it with great suspicion identifying it with vices, passions, idolatry, criminal intentions, greed, lust and devil’s heresy. In western art monkey was usually depicted with an apple in its mouth as a symbol of the Fall of Adam and Eve. Later on, a lot of caricatures with monkeys were drawn to reveal minor drawbacks of human nature.

In Egyptian iconography baboon, unlike, symbolized wisdom. And the Indian god of monkeys called Hanuman embodied courage, firmness and self-sacrifice. In Tibetan tradition bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (embodied in dalai-lama) appeared first in the image of a sacred monkey that showed compassion to the giant women who gave birth to 6 forefathers of Tibetan folks. In Chinese art gibbon symbolizes maternal care while in Japan toy monkeys are considered to be talismans defending children.

It is an interesting fact that a well-known symbolic figure “three monkeys” that don’t see evil, don’t hear evil and don’t speak evil (it is situated in a temple of a First Runner Tokugava in Nikko) symbolizes wise prudence in Japan and other Oriental countries while western thought perceives it as an embodiment of curiosity and talkativeness.

So monkey tattoos can be different, as there’re numerous monkey species in the world and there’re a lot of ideas that can be shown with the image of monkey.

The Meaning of Monkey Tattoos is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Tattoo art frequently borrows its designs and ideas from cultural heritage of ancient folks. Like tribal tattoos originate from Native American and Polynesian art, Scottish tattoos date back to time immemorial when brave warriors from the British Isles adorned their skin to show off their courage and specify battles they have won.

Since the beginning of the 17th century Scottish tattoos were used by military men and firefighters as a rule, and incorporated symbols connected with these occupations, helmets and so on. There’ were also memorial tattoos that were done by friends of a fallen person and as other R.I.P. tattoos they featured his name, dates of birth and death.

The interest towards Scottish tattoos has risen over the past twenty years. It is true about Scottish Gaelic as well, the native language of this land (though English is widely spoken there). That’ why many people want to include scripts in Gaelic into their tattoo designs, but here it is important that you know the exact meaning of this or that phrase. Dictionaries can be helpful here, or if you have a friend who’s a native speaker ask him or her for help.

Scottish tattoos may incorporate clan symbols, for there’re 13 such symbols referring to each of 13 regions of Scotland. You may also look at a plaid design and use it as a base for your tattoo. Celtic cross tattoo design is frequently asked nowadays, but decide for it provided that it is really important for you and check its symbolism as well.

There’re also Gaelic tattoos and historical Scottish tattoos. The national symbol of Scotland is thistle; the saint patron of Scotland is St. Patrick. Therefore, you may incorporate thistle, four-leaf clover or a horseshoe into you Scottish tattoo design.

Scottish Tattoos – Designs and Ideas is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Tattoo art deals not only with beautiful images to cover your skin, but also help people express themselves. It is highly symbolic and sometimes it requires deep knowledge of other lands’ culture and history to translate the meaning of a small tat.

Viking tattoos belong to this group as well. They open a door to the world of unknown and the world of mystery, evoke the image of a brave warrior in our minds and remind us of those remote times when it was a great deal to explore in our world, and Vikings did a lot in this field.

Vikings were the Scandinavian folks who lived in the north of Europe in a snowy area with rather a tough climate. When we think about Vikings the first thing that comes into our mind is their famous longships, which were their main means of transportation, for both warring affairs and trade. They visited a lot of places through their history; they travelled to Constantinople and swan along the Volga river. They were not afraid of long voyages and reached such places as Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland. Perhaps it was Vikings who discovered North America first.

For now there’s a strong interest in culture of non-existent folks, the symbols of Vikings has penetrated tattoo art as well. Nobody knows for sure the exact meaning of their symbols, but it doesn’t prevent them from being popular among those who are fond of their culture. Viking tattoos and to some extent similar to Celtic tattoos as they use rich knot work. You can also find crosses swastikas and triskeles as it is common ancient signs as well as swirl Viking tattoo designs. The triangle and triangle like objects are also the peculiarity of Vikings tattoos.

Viking Tattoo Designs is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Flower tattoo designs feature positive connotation as a rule, and daisy tattoos are not an exception. The peculiarity of these tattoos is that they have no gender restrictions or in other words can be worn by both men and women.

However simple and modest the flower may seem it can be found in ancient myths and religious teachings. For instance, Roman mythology tells us a story about the nymph Belides who was so afraid of gods’ anger that turned herself into a daisy to escape from their eyes. In Christianity daisies act as a symbol of Child Jesus innocence. There’s also a belief among folks that daisies can tell us about feeling of our beloved – you just have to tear its petals  and keep saying “loves/doesn’t love” and the last petal would telll the truth. In some cultures, though, the flower symbolizes death.

If we turn our attention to etymology, the word daisy derives from Old English “day’s eye.” This name reflects the flower’s behavior in the best possible way as it closes at night, and its center resembles an eye. That’s why daisy tattoos may features a human eye inside to show this resemblance.

Speaking about daisy tattoos’ symbolism it should be said that they mean peace, gentleness, purity and innocence. It is white daisies that are ascribed such a meaning while other color options has different symbolic meanings. Red daisy tattoos mean confidence and life energy, yellow ones are symbols of wisdom and joy while blue ones add spirituality to the general meaning of peace.

Daisy tattoos often depict the flower itself combined with other flora elements to your taste so you can create a unique meaning from different floral symbols.

Daisy Flower Tattoo Designs is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Those who admire Japan or practice martial arts and show at the same time interest for tattoo art can get something close to their state of mind and world view. Have a look at Japanese tattoo lettering, cherry blossoms tattoos and samurai tattoo designs, for instance.

Samurai warriors have been the essential part of the Japanese culture and life since the 12th century. The 20th century has brought a lot of changes with it, and though the image of a brave samurai is still remembered and praised, not many of modern representatives of this social class lead the same life they used to hundreds years ago.

The samurai reflected the ideal of a man, strong and calm. They lived their lives according to “Bushido” moral code that presupposed honesty, courage, respect, loyalty and self-sacrifice. It resembles the chivalry code of medieval knights. Samurai were the elite of military men, defended the weak and set a good example to every one by their own behavior and everyday conduct. However, not all samurai were warriors. Some of them had never been at the battle field and dedicated their lives to philosophy or art.

Unlike European knights samurai were not granted this title but were a separate social group. Their sons inherited this status and even wives and daughters considered to be samurai.

Samurai values honor more than life and can even commit suicide to restore their honor. Not that they don’t value life, they simply live now and here, which is crucial in understanding oriental martial arts as well as oriental world outlook.

Samurai tattoo designs are sophisticated and complicated may include images of samurai fighting with their enemies as well as scripts done in kanji hieroglyphs to show the wearer’s favorite Bushido principle or wise saying.

Samurai Tattoo Designs is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This

Tattoos are not necessarily permanent. There exist easily removable tattoos as well. But keep in mind that they are not inked into your skin but are simply drawn and painted on skin surface with the help of henna or special paints.

Airbrush tattoos are the most notable among temporary tattoos. The history of airbrush tattoo art begun in 1998 and since then they have been widely used on the advertising and entertainment markets.

Such tattoos cannot boast long life span as they last for 1 or two weeks if proper care is provided, but their low cost – in comparison to permanent tattoos – attracts people who want to try tattooing. Moreover, they look very similar to real tattoos and people cannot normally distinguish between an ink and an airbrush tattoo.

Airbrush tattoos are done with the help of a tattoo stencil placed on the skin and an airbrush gun that sprays paint over it. The paint is absolutely non-toxic; it is alcohol based and is made from cosmetic and food grade materials.

People frequently ask whether they can bathe regularly with an airbrush tattoo on their body. The answer is yes, there’s no need to change your habits, but you shouldn’t touch your tattoo with oils, sunblocks or lotions as it will destroy it. Don’t rub it with a towel, either. As human skin produces sweat and oil itself, it is advisable to apply baby powder on you tat to keep it dry. If you don’t want to wait until your airbrush tattoo naturally disappears, use 70% isopropyl alcohol to remove it.

As you can see, such tattoos are very flexible and can be the perfect option if you’d like to shock your friends or go to a party with a tat on your shoulder and then remove it – almost like ordinary make-up.

Airbrush Tattoo Art is a post from: Tattoo designs and ideas by Tattooique

Share This