Tattoo Designs - Tribal Tattoos

So you want a tattoo. You have your eye on one of those impressive tribal armband tattoos. They are nice. But whatever tattoo you chose, you want it to compliment you. Not insult or demean you. Tattoos are as old as mankind. Ancient Egyptian tattoos found on 5,000 year old mummies predate the pyramids. But ancient tattoos weren't just for adornment or self expression like today. They often served more practical purposes. They often had a spiritual significance, ancient warriors used them to declare their military affiliation and rank. On civilians tattoos denoted social rank and importance, or lack of same. For example, the Greeks placed tattoos on their slaves that broadcast the fact that the bearer should not be accorded the rights of a freeman and was in fact another person's property. While Greek spies used tattoos in espionage to smuggle coded messages in plain sight.

This tradition of practical tattoo use survives to this day in gangster culture. Gangsters desire to permanently mark themselves to show absolute devotion to their gangster family, and hopefully to strike fear in their enemies. Even though the gang-bangers know police find tattoos better than fingerprints, and unsurpassed for identifying them in a noninvasive manner at a distance. And despite the fact that wearing one gang's tattoo in another gang's territory could get the wearer killed. Again, traditionally tattoos can show devotion.

But how would you like to pick out a striking tattoo design, commit it to ink as your "forever statement", and only then find out it that it holds you up to ridicule, or is gang related and exposes you to sudden death?

For example, one of the most popular guys at my gym is a black guy I'll call "Pete." His nickname is "Lucky." Lots of us have tattoos and so when Pete announced he was taking the plunge we congratulated him. Tribal armbands are very popular in our crowd and he showed a marked interest so we assumed that would be his choice. But the personal choice involved in the tattoo selection is part of the allure so we made suggestions but didn't interfere or press him on his choice.

By James Small

Eagle Tattoos - Fun Facts About Eagle Tattoos

There are a lot of people who go for eagle tattoos when they decide to get ink done. This article will give you the information you need to know before going out and getting one:

* The eagle mainly symbolizes three things. Freedom. Strength and independence and this is why an eagle is such a favored choice among many tattoo enthusiasts.

* It is always best when you understand your personal symbolism when you get an eagle tattooed on your body. It is typically the men who go for getting an eagle tattoo and is generally considered as a solid kind of body art to get.

* By far the best kinds of eagle tattoos are those that are large and are usually placed on a person's arm or the whole length of his back. It is a design that is most striking when placed on a larger area of the body where there are lots of spaces that an artist can work around in. It is also important to understand that realistic looking eagle tattoo designs can be achieved using thin or fine lines rather than bold, aggressive lines. This is because an artist can achieve a lot of detail using fine and thin lines.

* The American bald eagle is a quite popular type of eagle tattoo design as it is an iconic symbol for a lot of nationalistic Americans. It is also worth noting that there are a lot of army veterans who are in possession of this particular type of tattoo. They do this to honor the services that they have given to their country. It is a symbol of their patriotism and this is achieved by adding in the colors blue, white and red into the overall tattoo design. Under any circumstance, people who get an American Bald eagle tattoo design is naturally thought to have a strong national responsibility towards his country.

* People who get this type of eagle tattoos end up either looking at their best or achieving an edgy look that is very striking. Certain artist styles are also able to give this particular design an uplifting and passionate feel because of the very strong feelings of freedom that it gives. In this design, the eagle is always recreated in a way that it is always holding on to something with its claws or talons. This design works best with stationary eagle tattoos. For those who are interested in adding a slogan with their tattoos, some of the best and well, most commonly preferred slogans are: Proud to be, Born Free. The Latin phrase: sic semper tyrannis, Flying free and a couple other more different phrases.

* For people who prefer to have a tattoo of an eagle in flight, artists do not necessarily put in slogans that declare freedom. The fact that the eagle is in flight speaks this message more clearly and loudly than any slogan would. This particular design already sends out a message of freedom to the viewer.

By Russell Reugh

Skull Tattoo Designs - How to Create a Unique Skull Tattoo

There is literally a limitless amount of tattoo designs out there, but one of the coolest and yet rarely seen ones is skull tattoo designs. The reason we like these tattoo's so much is because you can take them and make them mean so many different things and no matter what you do to them they will always to cool. In this article you will learn how to design the perfect skull tattoo for yourself.

By David Wesenburg