Dragonfly Tattoos

Dragonfly tattoos are symbolic of independence, freedom and beauty. Their hues are across the entire color spectrum, from silver to blue and red. But, what makes dragonfly tattoos important are it’s symbolic qualities derived from it’s biology. Dragonflies, like butterflies, go through a metamorphosis. This magical change has been viewed for centuries as a beautifying process. It is a process that is also marked by newfound freedom as the dragonfly can now flutter away from the cocoon, and its past, and travel towards a new life. Therefore, beauty and positive change are some of the meanings behind dragonfly tattoo designs and why they are sought out by so many who want to physically represent their own inner beauty and changes in life. With the dragonfly’s ability to swirl, hover, fly backwards and loop-the-loop, dragonfly tattoo designs also represent free spirits and the independence of mankind. In Native American astrology, there is a strong belief that each person has a totem animal spirit which serves as their guardians and guides through certain phases of life. And one of these totem spirits was the spirit of the dragonfly. It would adopt men and women, young and old. Therefore, the dragonfly tattoo can be adopted by both males and females alike.

If you want an interesting and beautiful tattoo design then the dragonfly tattoo might just fit your needs. To some people the dragonfly may seem a pest, but that is usually because they do not recognize the differences between many members of the insect family and wrongly blame all of them for the annoyances caused by a few. In fact, dragonflies eat other pesky insects such as mosquitoes and don’t bite humans themselves. This makes them quite useful insects. The symbolism of dragonfly tattoos may come from a little known Japanese legend. According to the story, a dragonfly once ate a horsefly immediately after it had bitten the emperor. He was so happy with this that he named what is now the island of Japan, Asitsushuma, which roughly translates as ‘Island of the dragonfly". Dragonflies in Japan are often regarded as symbols of success, happiness and victory. Where you put the dragonfly tattoo is also of importance. A dragonfly place on the hip may be a sign of femininity, while one that is placed on the back is significant of strength or endurance. This tattoo designs looks especially good on the back of the lower leg, abdomen or even as a hip tattoo.

Rose Tattoos

Not all rose tattoos are created equal. This one, as you can see, is a very large one that not only includes the entire plant but also includes a couple of butterflies. It is a well drawn image and well executed by the tattoo artist though I would certainly like it better if it had a little color to it. But don’t get me wrong I still like it and it certainly looks provocative going down the side of this girls body like it does.

This particular rose tattoo would seem to be one that wants to symbolize more than a simple ‘I love you’ like most single roses would. This one seems to want to stand for nature and freedom and a general celebration of life itself. Unlike other rose tattoos I have seen this one seems to be telling us what is stands for and what it is supposed to mean. I would be curious to ask the owner and see if that is it, but I would be surprised if my definition is not very close. But one never knows. A rose by any other name is still a rose, unless of course we’re talking about rose tattoos. That can be something quite different.

Pretty much everybody knows that the red rose symbolizes love. If a man gives a girl a single red rose it is the same as saying I love you. And so rose tattoos can have that same effect. The only thing that occurs to me is how is one to tell who the person is saying it to? If this tattoo belongs to a girl, she’s going to tell her boyfriend its for him, but isn’t that what she is going to tell the next guy too? And of course, a guy might get a tattoo like this and have ten girls out there believing he got it for them, all at the same time. Maybe that’s why a red rose always has thorns. Because love doesn’t come cheap and there is always going to be some complications.

The truth is things don’t have to be that complicated although it always seems that love is at one time or another. The time of the rose and getting rose tattoos should be the time of love that is simple and pure and beautiful. A time with hearts that are over flowing with love and simply want to share that joy with their better half.

Sleeve Tattoos

The picture of depicts a sleeve tattoo from four different angles. It’s a beautifully done piece that is not only colorful and beautiful but one that flows quite naturally. It is evidently a piece that was designed as sleeve tattoo from the very beginning, which is not always the case. A lot of sleeve tattoos start out as individual designs which are then later linked together. A person might start getting an upper shoulder design and then add a forearm tattoo. Then later on they might add a wrist piece of some sort. Then when the bearer realizes that most of their arm is inked they then turn to their tattoo artist to tie the individual elements together in one design. This can be quite a challenge for a tattoo artist. But, this sleeve tattoo was planned from the very get go. Therefore, it not only looks good but looks that it belongs on the bearers arm. But, I imagine that it was a piece that took several sessions to finish. This is the biggest drawback of the sleeve tattoo that is designed as one piece. You can spend a lot of time with an unfinished design, while a design that evolves from several smaller pieces spends a lot less time unfinished because the smaller tattoos can be done at a faster rate.

A sleeve tattoo is any tattoo design that covers a large portion of the arm. Sleeve tattoos can come in a variety of sizes from a full sleeve a half sleeve and even a quarter sleeve all depending on the size. Getting a sleeve tattoo can be a big commitment and should probably not be done without proper and careful consideration first. If you are thinking about getting sleeve tattoo you want to carefully consider the design, the amount of time that it will take, and the amount of money it will cost. Some of you might be wondering why they call a sleeve tattoo and how it is different from regular tattoos? Typically sleeve tattoos are done on arms can also be done on the legs. They are any type of tattoo that fully covers this can so that little to no skin is showing through the tattoo. They’re often called sleeve tattoos because they look very some similar to wearing a long sleeved shirt. Essentially there are two different ways to get a sleeve tattoo done. The first way and probably the most common way is that a person starts by giving individual tattoos. For example they like and a pair of lucky dice or a nice pinup girl tattoo on the forearm that later add a tribal tattoo the shoulder. Over time these individual tattoos will cover larger and larger parts of the arm eventually forming a sleeve tattoo. The second method is when you come up with the full sleeve tattoo design first and then have the tattoo done over multiple sessions.

Blue Ink Name Tattoo Picture

Blue Ink Name Tattoo Picture

This guy has the word HOULE tattooed on his side. It's in a navy blue ink. Elaborate shading, hatching and background wing dings make it an attractive design. Houle is probably the guy's last name.

Unique Hawk and Fish Tattoo

Unique Hawk and Fish Tattoo

This looks like an oil painting on canvas, but is a vibrant tattoo art piece on this guy's arm. Beautifully executed nature action scene.