Tattoo of the Week: Tribal Scene Ink

J.M has an amazing full sleeve tattoo that has variety of different Native American themes. There is a battle scene that really makes it look dynamic and full of movement. So I sat and asked him about it:

Who was the artist that did your tattoos?Chuk hognell, marc toves, adam,corey kadevitz, 2 other guys in guam.

What shop do they work in? Butterfly tattoo

When did you get it?
Between 2002-present

What is the scene about?
I just like the art and enjoy having it on my body.
The pain from getting the tattoo is also a stress reliever.

Why did you get? I like the look of full sleeves, easy conversation piece, I love the art that its all about, there’s a story line behind it.

What is the Native American motif about? What is the piece depicting?
I’m ¼ native American and I have a Mohawk hunter fighting a wendigo use google for the story, The medicine man is having the vision, and the women onn the todem pole is just a piece of art that I liked. The rest going up my arm is different pieces containing animals from the places that I’ve lived.

What do you think about this piece? Leave a comment.

Tattoo of the Week: Thai Ink

I went to Coney Island the other weekend and visited the museum there. A lot of the people who worked there had a lot of great tattoo art. Out of all the ink I saw and pictures I took, this one was one of my favorites. It was done in Thailand in the traditional method of tapping the ink under the skin.

The story behind the piece is just as interesting. He went to Thailand and told the artist that he could do anything he wanted from the shoulder to the elbow and around his pre-existing tattoo (cruxified bear). The artist said he couldn't just do anything, he had to get to know him. So they drink , smoked and talked till the artist said he knew what to do and he did this design.

It is all about the opposing forces of good and evil with in us.

Do you like? Leave a comment.

The First Tattoo Experience

Today, I went with my friend to get her first tattoo at Big Joe & Sons in White Plains. She was got the mysterious letters found in the Qu'ran in Arabic (kind of interesting because they appear repeatedly in the Qu'ran but no one knows what they mean). The tattoo itself was fairly simple and came out great but the service was just okay. They were laid back but the artist seemed preoccupied. During the session my friend got a bit dizzy and he made her take a break. But then he literally forgot about her and was busy on the phone. He took him about 20 to 30 minutes to remember to finish the tattoo. Once it was done, they pretty much just gave her a sheet on after-care instructions with a recommendation on best creme but didn't really go through it with her. Even though she likes the tattoo, she doesn't believe she would go back. It really shows how getting a tattoo is not just the finished product but the experience of getting it.
Gimme your opinion, leave a comment.

Tattoo of the Week: Bravery, Hope, & Joy

Hanna is one of the many students here @ Purchase College that sport some ink. She has a bunch of cool tattoos but what I love about this one is the bright color and the originality of the design. The Bravery, Joy & Hope tattoo goes along with the buttons on her back but can definitely stand on their own. This piece is the work of Shawn von Oven of Shaman's Den and is about "commendrating being strong and remaining steadyfast in who I am in hard times," after a particularly difficult year.

Tattoo of the Week: Tribal-Inspired Ink

Another great tattoo design here at Purchase. Katie was one of the many that showed interest in being photographed for a tattoo project I'm doing at Purchase College. It was done by Mehai from Fine Lines Tattoo in NYC back in August 2009. This was her own design that she based on tribal tattoos of tribes in New Guinea and Inuit. What drew her to tribal art was that it is the culture from which tattooing originated and it connects her to a time where there were no distractions. When I asked her why she designed her own tribal she said while she respected these cultures and their art, she could never get a traditional design because there is so much cultural meaning that it can be insulting for an outsider to copy those designs.

Below are some of her other designs she has:

Sexy Phoenix Tattoo

Asian Flower Tattoo

Sexy Asian Tattoo

Asian Flower and Fish Tattoo Style

Japanese Fish Tattoo

Chinese Dragon Tattoos

The Chinese dragon is said to have the head of a camel, the horns of a deer, the eyes of a rabbit, the ears of a cow, the neck of a snake, the belly of a fog , the scales of a carp ,the claws of a hawk, and the palm of a tiger .it has whiskers and a beard, and it is deaf. Chinese Dragon is generally regarded as benevolent but is also the source of thunder and lightning.
As a matter of fact, Chinese dragons are the creation of Chinese ancestors' imagination. Therefore, if you ask 10 people what they look like, most probably you'll get 10 different answers. So what they look like is of little significance, what is important is that they are now a kind of cultural phenomenon.

It has become a spiritual tie linking the nation. So we can say, Chinese dragon, as the symbol of the Chinese nation, has become part of the Chinese people. They have deep feelings for Chinese dragon and are proud to call themselves the offspring of Chinese dragon.

China is the birthplace of dragon culture. This has been shown by relics of the Neolithic age discovered in the Yellow river, Yangtze River and Liaohe river basins. The first discovery occurred in Chifeng in Mongolia, and in Yulong, in northeast China's Liaoning province. Archaeologists found dragons depicted on pottery. This gave rise to serious study of Chinese dragon culture. Dragons from the Liaohe river basin have the head of a pig and body of a snake, but no horns. They are a typical dragon pattern with local variations. They reveal the origin on the Chinese dragon culture.

Archaeologists predicted that in the Yellow river basin where primitive culture started, they would eventually find the original Chinese dragon culture. Three years later, in the autumn of 1987, three sets of dragon patterns were discovered in central China's Henan province. one of the Chinese dragons was 1.78 meters long with its head to the north and back to the west. shells were used to shape its teeth and hair, giving a vivid three-dimensional image similar to the Chinese dragon described in legends. The three dragon patterns belong to the Neolithic period and have a history of more than 6000 years. They are the earliest and most vivid patterns yet discovered in china.

Tuyang county, where the dragons were discovered, is located in the lower reaches of the Yellow river. It's the cradle of ancient Chinese civilization and the place where the legendary ancestor fuxi lived. The discovery of dragon patterns in the region has provided important materials in studying the origin of Chinese dragon culture.

In June 1993, a giant dragon pattern made with cobbles was found in central china's Hubei province. it was also formed in the Neolithic period. It's four and a half meters long, with its head to the west and tail to the east. on the head, there's a horn .its mouth is wide open and its long tongue rolls up to the head, it has two claw-shaped feet, and its tail is turned upward. The different colored cobbles are built into the pattern, which looks as though it's flying. The dragon was first found in the Yanghe river basin. Its discovery shows that like the yellow river basin, the yanghe basin was also a birthplace of the dragon culture. It also shows that Chinese ancestor's worship of dragon dates back to early primitive times.

Chinese people claim to be the offspring of the dragon on the basis of the legendary figure, Fuxi. Fuxi is generally acknowledged as the earliest ancestor of Chinese nation. He's said to have had a human head, and the body of a dragon. he lived in northwestern china's Gansu province. later, he led his tribe down the Yellow river and settled in central china. He created weaving and musical instrument skills. Even the eight diagrams are said to have been worked out by him.

Years after his death, a magnificent tomb and temple were built in his honor in his burial place, today's Huaiyang County. From this story, Huaiying get the name dragon city . today, on the second day of February in the lunar calendar, thousands of people will go to Huaiying to worship Fuxi, because Chinese dragon is said to awaken and hold up its head, and this will be the start of the rainy season. People hope to be protected by the spirit of Chinese dragon.

This is a tattoo of the china is very interesting to follow our progress, at the modern tattoo of this china is no less competitive than the tattoo-tattoo because the previous development of the tattoo bamboo curtains in the country is quite a rapid development, if you want to see tattoo and make models of the Chine you can see this my blog the happy...

Chinese Character Tattoos

Chinese character tattoos or kanji tattoos are tattoos consisting of Chinese characters (hanzikanji). or

To people who are attracted to Chinese characters and are thinking of getting one, some careful steps must be taken. There have been cases where tattoo artists have been caught writing foul or silly slogans, inaccurately-translated characters, or pseudo-Chinese gibberish on their clients, who are unaware of the actual meaning of the Chinese characters.

There are over 80,000 Chinese characters, but most of them are seldom used today. So how many Chinese characters do you need to know? For basic reading and writing of modern Chinese, you only need a few thousands.

Chinese character (in addition to Japanese kana) tattoos are commonly found on mixed martial artists who are familiar with Asian martial arts. Chuck Liddell, a former UFC champion, tattooed his scalp to read Koei-Kan or "house of happiness and prosperity", the style of karate he trained in. Georges St. Pierre, another UFC champion as well as a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and karate, has the kanji word for "jujutsu" on his chest. Jeff Monson has the characters for "Hero" on his upper back.

Chinese Astrological Tattoos

One of the most popular tattoos of today is an astrological tattoo that depicts the sign of the month of the year that a person was born. Each month of the year has its own zodiac symbol, and each symbol has its own meaning and attributes, depending on the position of the sun in the zodiac. These astrological tattoos tell other people of the month the person was born, and anyone that knows anything about astrology can tell what the attributes of that month are. Many people seek the love compatibility astrological signs when looking for their future partner.

The origin of the western symbols dates back as far as the 2nd millennium BCE, to the Babylonians and Assyrians, then spread throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The Chinese astrological signs must not be confused with the western symbols and interpretations as they are both very different.

Body tattooing and especially Astrological Tattoos has been practiced all around the world from the beginning of man. They were a symbol of someone's accomplishments and their bravery. In the beginning women were tattooed to show the symbol of their tribe and many other things that the tribe believed in, such as their favorite god, or fertility rites. The Chinese astrological signs are still very popular as astrological tattoos for many cultures, not only the Chinese. The earliest practice of tattooing dates back as far as the Otzi the Iceman, who was frozen in an ice storm in the 4th millennium BC. He had 57 tattoos on his body.

Many Westerners are split between the Western form of Astrological Tattoos and the Eastern form. The westerners that believe in the Chinese Astrological Signs form say that the cycles fit their personnel lives more accurately. However, the other half of the westerners believe in the zodiac signs. Astrological Tattoos are a permanent marking on humans that have a great significance for an individual. They are not only decorative, but usually depicts some aspect of someone's admiration.

No matter which type of Astrological Tattoos you get , if it be the Chinese Astrological Signs or a Western, you want to make sure that you practice good hygiene and keep the new tattoo clean at all times. This will help keep away infections and soreness that follows having a new tattoo.

If you are interested in getting a tattoo but do not know what sort of design you want, then you can't go wrong having Astrological Tattoos.

Chinese Amazing Tattoo Designs

Let's face it, people who like tattoos are always looking for the next amazing tattoo design to set themselves apart from the crowd and although this might seem like an easy task, anyone who has been through it knows differently. Sometimes it can just hit you, you see something in a picture or in a museum or even in a movie and bingo! that's it - you know straight away that this is your next tattoo. If you're one of the lucky ones (those who can draw beautifully from imagination) you can scribble it down and take your own amazing tattoo design to your tattooist and within no time at all your dream is a reality. However, most of us are not that lucky and whilst we have willing and creative minds which think up all these amazing tattoo designs we have weak and stubborn fingers who insist on not getting the picture (literally!).

Body art has been with us from the year dot when ancient cave men used it not only for camouflage but also to mark themselves and their tribesmen out from other rival tribes. Indeed, the word ' tattoo' is derived from the ancient Tahitian word "tattau" meaning to mark. Since then tattoos have evolved into a serious art form and most people are into their body art because it is beautiful and because it makes a personal statement about themselves. Choosing your amazing tattoo design can be a minefield though. Just think of all the Chinese symbols for example. Do you know what they mean - and moreover, do you expect your tattooist to know? A very good friend of mine had a Chinese symbol tattoo done a couple of years back. It was a beautifully intricate design on his left shoulder with symbols surrounded by oriental dragons and magnificent colours. He was born in the year of the dragon and his wife was born under the sign of the dog. The symbol was suppose to say something like ' dragon will honour dog in life and death". However he has since discovered that although it does say that it could also be construed as "dragon will curse dogs honour in life and death".

The same is true of Celtic or Egyptian symbols, and if you fancy something a bit out of the ordinary it's best to do loads of research first and be sure your symbol says exactly what you want it to say. Remember, your tattoo artist is just that, an amazing artist - NOT an expert in all sorts of ancient scripts and symbols!!

When you know it's time for another tattoo (or indeed when you've taken the decision to have your first) it is wise to take some time and look into various styles and designs and also think hard about where on your body you want to have it done. I know some women who have had amazing tattoos designed and inked all around their belly buttons only to discover that when they are pregnant (and subsequently left with stretch marks) the fabulous butterfly looks just a bit less fabulous than it did on a tanned and taut abdomen! Also, think about it from an employment point of view. Like it or not, a tattoo is not always viewed favourably by prospective employers. This is not such a problem for males, however lots of women get tattoos around their ankle or lower leg and, if in a professional capacity you need to wear a smart skirt suit, then it could make things just a little bit difficult.

Consider also, that your tattoo will be with you for life. Now, I know this is always the argument against having a tattoo, especially when it's your first one, however it is a valid one. You must be committed to the design you choose as it will be with you for a very long time. In my opinion, it's best to steer clear of the 'fashionable' tattoo styles, the ones that come in fad's and disappear a year or two later leaving your skin very 'last season'! Choose something that means something to you, something that has a little personal story behind it. Then, when people remark on your tattoo and ask about it (and they will!) you have something interesting to say about it and about yourself too.