tattoo: January 2010

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Tattoo Letter Designs

The Two Different Types - And Their Importance

When people search for tattoo letter designs, they are usually searching for one of two things:

1) English lettering that is curvy and artistic.
2) Chinese lettering that is accurate.

With regards to English lettering, finding the right tattoo letter designs can be tricky. Unlike some types of artwork, lettering is like handwriting - it is easier to do forge if it is something you are familiar with. As a result, it is a good idea to go directly to your favorite parlor and see what lettering they have available. This gives you an opportunity to see the types of letters they are familiar with, so that you can be more confident that they are able to correctly create the look you are looking for. If not, go to another parlor.

Chinese lettering can be tricky. The meaning of the tattoo letter designs changes based on the accuracy of the writing. Far too many artists unfamiliar with Chinese leave off an important line or mark, drastically changing the meaning of the word - or giving the word no meaning at all.

The best way to remedy this is to send the letters to a tattoo artist that is fluent in Chinese writing. This way they can send you back an accurate draft of the word that is designed like a beautiful tattoo but also is correct in both meaning and intention.

Tattoo Care

When you get your first tattoo you may not know much about tattoo care. Peeling is a part of the healthy healing process of your tattoo. It is normal for your tattoo to peel slightly after it is first completed. A typical tattoo will start to peel around 1 week after you had the ink applied. Of course this will vary according to how your body heals, whether you heal fast or slow but it is a general guideline.

So your tattoo is peeling, now what. Well first off lets discuss why it has begun to peel. Peeling is a result of the damage you did to the skin. It is much like the peeling from a sun burn. You need to be very careful at this point during tattoo care. You need to ensure while cleaning that you don't accidentally remove areas that were not ready to be exposed or you may end up damaging your design.

Tattoo Care
Most importantly during the peeling process is not to itch or scratch it. It will become bloody itchy as you can imagine but remember the time and money you invested and resist the urge to scratch as you can damage your new ink relatively easy. If you cannot handle the itchiness apply some lotion. Or more aftercare ointment.

Once you have had your first tattoo and have learned proper tattoo care, peeling won't be as alarming during the healing process, as it will be something you are expecting to occur. If your tattoo peels after that it is a sign of action needing to be taken.

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Design Your Tattoo

Designing your own tattoo can be a great choice - instead of winding up with the same old tattoo parlor design that everyone else winds up with, you'll have a unique, personalized image that truly represents your personality and style. However, designing your own tattoo isn't all fun and games. Be sure to think about the following aspects when designing your tattoo:

1. Location, location, location

The type of tattoo you design will be limited, in large part, by the area of your body it's going to be applied to. If, for example, you're designing a full back piece, you'll have a lot more lee-way in adding design elements than if you're planning a small tattoo for your ankle. In addition, if you work in a professional field, you may want to consider a somewhat tame design if your tattoo will be placed in a location that isn't covered up by your clothing. It's sad, but some business people may prematurely judge you if they see a skull and crossbones sticking out over your collar.

2. Think balance

One of the biggest aspects of good tattoo design is balance. You want your tattoo design to have a certain visual flow to it - lopsided or unbalanced tattoos tend to look unprofessional. So consider adding circular elements to your tattoo design, or work with mirror images to give your tattoo a more professional look. If you're having trouble implementing this concept in your design, ask a friend with a graphics arts background to give you some pointers. Remember, spend some time on your design - you'll be wearing it for the rest of your life.

3. To color or not to color?

Deciding whether or not to add color to you tattoo design is no small matter. All black tattoos tend to age better over the years, since some colored inks tend to degrade at different rates. At the very least, you'll need to plan for periodic touchups throughout your life to keep the design looking its best. On the other hand, all black tattoos can look harsh against the skin - especially if you're very pale - so it may be in your best interest to consider incorporating color into your tattoo design.

Tattoo Patterns

Why is doing research on tattoo patterns important before getting a new tattoo? There are many reasons for that but the number one reason I think is because it's a permanent mark on your body. Even though now days there is laser removal technology but it's still not 100%. So to simply put it, you don't want an ugly mark on your body for the rest of your life.

Another recommendation I have is don't tattoo your boyfriend/girlfriend's name on your body. It's just too high of a risk. Not jinxing anyone here but what if something in the relationship didn't work out and it's time to move on for a new relationship? You can imagine trying to explain that one would be pretty difficult. I've actually heard a guy say "it's my mom's name!" but seriously, who would buy that?

The purpose of researching tattoo patterns is to find something you like, or something that'll give you an idea of what you like to have. I personally like to find a few different tattoo patterns I like then try to combine them into a very unique and cool looking design.

I generally don't just pick a tattoo design and put it on my body cause I don't think that's special enough. I like to be different and I like to be unique. Tattoo is a way of expressing your attitude and personality so why do you want to be like everybody else?

I do have one piece of original tattoo which is a Chinese character that translates into the word "devil". While we're on the subject of tattooing foreign language on your body... Please... Have someone who can actually understand that language to look at it before you get it inked. I had a friend who tattooed bunch of nonsense on his body because there was a chart in the tattoo shop that "supposedly" translated A-Z into 26 Chinese characters. And very brilliantly he thought, Chinese must spell the same way as English!

Guys please don't make stupid mistakes like that which will end up embarrassing you for the rest of your life. Just spend some time and look though some tattoo patterns carefully before you make a very important decision.