Hawaiian Tattoo Designs - Cool Tattoo Ideas

Aloha! Hawaiian tattoo designs and body arts have a long history of more than a thousand years. But, it wasn't until the 1990's and when celebrities started bearing them, only then these tattoo designs started coming back into fads.

In the Hawaiian culture, getting a tattoo is looked upon as a very important ritual. It was such an important part of their life to the extent that the Hawaiians even pray to a tattoo god each time someone in the community gets a tattoo.

And not so much for fashion purpose or simply to look cool, Hawaiians only get tattoo for a few purposes:

• Mourning For A Loved One - For remembrance of a love one lost
• Talisman For Protection - To protect and ward off evil spirits or enemy
• Personal Identifications - Identify themselves as a community or group

Therefore, most Hawaiian tattoos have a certain meaning or significance behind it.

Comparing to their neighbors from other islands within the Polynesian chain like Maori and Samoan, Hawaiian tattoo designs tend to be larger and bolder in size and colours. Few common Hawaiian tattoo designs are:

• Arrows
• Flowers
• Dolphins
• Lizards (Hawaiians have great respect for lizards)
• Sea Turtle

Besides these traditional tattoo art works, there are the much "cooler" Hawaiian band tattoo designs. The Hawaiian band tattoo design is very popular amongst tattoo lovers today because of the "modern" yet traditional look that it has.

If you want to look for unique and exclusive Hawaiian tattoo art works, go check out my blogs on the hottest and most talked about tattoo galleries online from the link below!

NBA Players Are More Well Known For Their Cool Tattoos

Pro athletes have now set the standard for the ultimate in incredible and amazing tattoo designs. I'm not sure when the transformation happened, but it seems like all the athletes from pro football, pro baseball and especially pro basketball have their entire bodies tattooed with some of the coolest tattoo designs you can think of.

I think pro NBA players are more celebrated for their tattoos because obviously you can see their tattoos better than any other sport because of their uniform. It has become so common to see a NBA player with tattoos on their arms, back, chest and even their neck that it sometimes looks kind of funny when you see someone with bare arms.

Back in the day you would never see someone like Magic Johnson or even Larry Bird with their entire arms and neck area tattooed. It just wasn't something you saw from players in that time period. I always try to make a note when I see someone that doesn't have a tattoo. Some players may have personal reasons for not wanting to deface their bodies like for religious reasons or for their own personal beliefs and some probably just don't want to deal with the pain that goes along with getting a "tatt."

I personally think that it looks kind of cool when basketball players have tattoo designs that are visible on their arms or on their neck. Most players like to represent their home town, their nicknames, cool designs or even their family members and loved ones with their tattoos. That may be why you see more everyday people that are deciding to finally get their first tattoo.

Professional athletes have always been looked at like role models. It's easy to see why so many teenagers and young adults are getting tattoos especially when you're a huge fan of a basketball team and your favorite player is completely tatted down. It's definitely the new way to express yourself and what you're all about. Some of the more popular players that are tattooed are Kobe Bryant, LaBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Mike Bibby, The Bird Man, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenyon Martin, Chauncey Billups, Larry Hughes, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.

Cool Tattoo Ideas - 4 Japanese Ideas

When it comes to cool tattoo ideas you can't get much cooler than Japanese. Japanese tattoos can be called irezumi or more correctly horimono and are often very colorful and highly detailed. Getting a good one pretty much guarantees kudos from people due to their exotic origin and great design.

1. Koi - Nishikigoi
Now you may think it odd to have a fish tattooed onto your body but in Japan these fish are considered to be living ornaments and if you see some of them you'd have to agree. These tattoos are often done swirling in a mass of colorful waves.

2. Geisha
Geisha women train from an early age to be perfect entertainers and hosts to their guests. Mastering skills such as music, art, dance and much more over many years. Their style of dress and make up is famous the world over and a traditional geisha tattoo done well can look incredible. The key with geisha is subtlety. Avoid going for something excessive and over the top as you'll be a laughing stock if you have a geisha riding a dragon firing ice arrows.

3. Anime
Anime is everywhere in the US with a never-ending stream of fans and artists. Not only are they cool - they never fall out of fashion. You could get a character designed for you or choose one of the many already in existence. Akira perhaps? Be careful not to choose something too popular though as you'll risk looking like every other anime obsessed fanatic out there. Most tattoo studios have someone capable of producing good quality anime designs from scratch so check out your local studio to get ideas on anime designs.

4. Dragons
One of the most popular forms of tattoos is the Japanese dragon. Which is understandable considering the powerful look of the beasts and the huge range of possibilities available. Green, red, yellow, blue, black and everything in between with great detail throughout. Be sure to research dragon tattoos thoroughly though as certain aspects can have specific meanings. Such as the number of 'fingers' on the claws or the color of the dragon. The last thing you want is a dragon that represents female fertility.

Cool Tattoo Design - Lettering Styles For Text Tattoos

The art of tattoo in today's time define the attitude of a tattoo lover. It now gains popularity as a way of expressing their thoughts, beliefs, their attitudes toward life, ideals, or someone's name very close to their heart. Despite of various trends, the most famous and in demand designs consist largely of written text. More often it's a name, date, or scripture. There are numerous -Cool Tattoo Design- Lettering Styles for Text Tattoos that you can choose. The right tattoo lettering font depends on your preference and the length of the word. This makes your body design as unique as the person who owns it.

There are some considerations to take for your -Cool Tattoo Design- Lettering Styles for Text Tattoos comes out clean and just the way you want it. Don't assume that because lettering is so common, it must be easy for any tattoo artist to do it. There are artist who excel more in lettering than the others.

Once you have decided the right wordings for your - Cool Tattoo Design- Lettering Styles for Text Tattoos is the next most important decision to make. There are many tattoo lettering styles and designs that are available. Choosing a perfect one for you can be a tedious job. There are two most common and maybe the most popular style of tattoos lettering-the scripture (or Cursive writing) and the lettering in block. Consequently, Celtic tattoo lettering, Japanese tattoo lettering and Tribal tattoo lettering are all popular choices. The Chinese tattoo lettering style is also very popular. Because of the beauty of its letters that are available in a variety of fonts and sizes, and also the meaning behind the words.

There is a saying "a picture is worth a thousand word". Nevertheless, one word is enough to describe everything. Bear in mind that tattoo is a permanent body design. Not choosing the right tattoo text no matter how excellent the design is can ruin the whole effect. Your tattoo font style must be clear. It is always better to consider the advice of your artist.

It is of utmost importance to pay close attention to the skills and experience of your tattoos artist. Tattoo lettering is a very complex procedure, thus requiring professional or skillful tattoo artist. Take extra steps to check the experience of your artist. A skillful artist does not leave out various details especially the spacing between two letters. It may seems too trivial but is speaks at length about the talent and experience of the artist.

The recent and perhaps the excellent form of tattoo lettering being used today are the ambigrams.. An ambigrams is a word that is written in such a way so that it can be read from any direction. This is new but is gaining popularity and considered as the latest craze in the tattoo industry.

Cool Tattoo Designs For Arms

For those guys who are interested in getting tattoos, it is most usual that they choose to get tattoos on one of their arms or both. Most often, guys go for a tattoo on both arms are one of the most popular places that guys get cool tattoo designs inked on. Having tattoos on arms are mostly favoured by men because the tattoos can be displayed easily and there are a lot of different designs and sizes that can be placed in several parts of both arms. Whether the design will be placed on the forearm or upper arm, still the designs that you can place on them are endless.

With that being said, what then, are tattoo sleeves? Sleeves are tattooed on the whole length of the arm, or in some instances, only on the upper arm and usually consists of art work that surrounds the entire length of the front arm as well as the entire length of the arm's back. This creates a sleeve effect made of art work. There are some guys who choose to have several cool tattoo designs to make up the sleeve while there are some guys who opt for a single design running the entire length of the arm.

When you decide on which arm tattoo to get done, it is very important to consider just how far up your arm that single tattoo would reach. Consider if the arm tattoo will cover the shoulders too. These are just some of the few things that you would need to think about when you are getting a sleeve tattoo also to be sure that you would be able to make the most out of the tattoo that is being done on you.

Arm tattoos are generally more popular in men than it is for women because of the larger area that the artist would be able to work on in men when it comes to the designing aspect of the tattoo. A man's arms, being a larger area than a woman's is a great place to create an art work that is either a single design or a combination of several designs.

The thing about having cool tattoo designs in the arms or having tattoo sleeves done is that these designs could not be easily completed in one sitting or session. Usually, an artist does the outline of the designs and completes the outline first. And then, within multiple sessions, an artist can slowly fill in the colours and the designs. The most important thing about getting tattoo sleeves from the start until everything is completed is that you have to be sure about the designs that you would have done and that this is something that you are not going to have a change of mind later on. Tattoos are permanent and while there are procedures that make tattoo removal possible, this would normally cause more money, would take longer to do and be more painful than having the tattoo done in the first place.

Top 2 Cool Tattoo Cross Designs For Men and Women

Tattoo cross designs are one of the most popular religious symbols available today. However, tattoo cross designs are used for more than religious meaning. Some of these tattoo designs can be used as a fertility symbol or even as a symbol of healing. When it comes to crosses there are many pieces you can choose from. Take a look at 2 cool tattoo cross designs.

1. Celtic Crosses: Celtic tattoo designs are usually always in high demand because they are some of the most popular tattoo designs. What makes celtic crosses so cool is the never ending and never beginning intricate knot work that makes up the design. The celtic cross tattoos are beautiful and symbolize constant spiritual development.

2. Christian Cross Tattoo: The christian cross tattoo is also another popular cross tattoo design. The cool thing about these designs is that they can be artistically interpreted into two main crosses. The latin cross which is simply a wooden cross and the crucifix which is the cross with Jesus on it. With these designs you can customize them to be as original as possible.

With either of these two tattoo cross designs you can add anything you want to make it original. Other cool tattoo cross designs include an in loving memory tattoo, or rosary beads with the cross at the end. You could also try making a cross tattoo design out of something that would normally not be seen as a cross. Two swords crossing each other or a skull with blades crossing through it are some ideas

Tattoo Asian Trendy and Classy

Tattoo Asian is incredibly one of the most common and popular tattoo types being used around the globe when it comes to body art as a whole. Although there’s been a drastic shift in the trends and perceptions about different tattoos in the societies, tattoos still are stereotyped as a stamp of being different from the society. People who wear tattoos were taken as followers of individualistic approach and are usually tagged as rebels. For example in China, tattoos were used to trample a prisoner for criminal offense and to differentiate him from the civilians as being a criminal. However the contemporary view is very opposite. Now tattoo is a sign of being “young”, “creative” and somebody who’s is “passionate” about life.

Among all the tattoo types the one we are discussing i.e. tattoo Asian is popular on it’s being expressive yet elegant at the same time. There are several categories, which depict different themes. For example definitively speaking about femininity which may sound different to different people, is a certain whimsical softness; to others it may mean a quality of female elegance and style, to others still it can have a more modern meaning of strength and power. Feminine tattoos are an artistic depiction of both a certain amount of delicacy and the firmness that goes hand-in-hand with getting any piece of body art.

Tattooing is used for various purposes including spiritual and decorative like it’s used in Japan. There it is considered as one of the most important type of art which includes most abstract writings to their simple language. Today it is also considered as one of the coolest body markings of all the time. From having abstract pictures to decorate their body, people are now moving back towards the relatively older culture of tattoo Asian.

About the symbolism and significance of tattoo Asian there are endless possibilities as to which type of tattoo would be suitable to what kind of person depending on which characteristic he/she wants to highlight or enhance about him/her.

The Welsh Red Dragon Tattoo

The Welsh Red Dragon is one of the single most popular tattoo designs for those of Welsh heritage and family roots in Wales, as popular as the Rampant Lion is with the Scots, or the Lion Standard with the English. A symbol with a rich and ancient heraldic past, the Welsh dragon tattoo design contain a fascinating history - just one of the many reasons it makes such a wonderful and powerful tattoo symbol that represents Welsh heritage.

The red dragon and dragon tattoo art has been prominent in the folklore of most cultures, so many physical characteristics are present or absent in great variations around the world and include combinations of numerous animals. The Welsh national flag has a dragon on it it has two equal horizontal stripes, white above green, and a large red dragon passant. The dragon standard was perhaps first seen in Britain in the shape of the "draco" a standard carried by the cohorts of the Roman legion. There are many adaptations of this dragon ranging from ones that looked exactly like the Welsh flag to more stylized versions.

Folklore says that red dragon represents Wales and the white dragon represents the invading Saxons.

In the end, both dragons get drunk with mead and are buried in the center of the island of Britain, at Oxford, in a stone coffin. The white dragon comes to symbolize death, with its absence of color, and the red takes on the role of anger. In Arthurian legend, Uther Pendragon, the father of King Arthur, was supposed to have used the dragon as his symbol in war. Even today, the Wesh red dragon is a part of the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales.

In later Christian iconography, the dragon appears most often as a symbol of the devil.

It can be very important to understand the meaning or symbolism behind dragon art tattoos or the Meaning of Celtic Knot Tattoo so you, your friends, your clients, or anybody for that matter, knows the symbolism of their Welsh dragon tattoo designs before selecting one.

Origin of Tattoo Art

Tattooing was very common among all tribes across the world. Tribal people used animal bones as carving tools/instruments in tribal tattoo art. Tattooing was an accepted norm among these tribes although it was a painful process.

Most designs of tribal tattoos were replicates of animals, flowers, and other shapes as seen in nature. You can perceive these tribal tattoo pictures instantly. Tribal tattoo designs encompass tribal rose tattoo, tribal crosses, tribal dragon tattoos, tiger tattoo, turtle tribal tattoos, and lots more.

Tribal tattoos art and tribal tattoos designs do not depict any significant meaning in the modern world of tattoo designs. Tribal tattoos were essentially abstract tribal art forms put together with curves and lines. Ancient tribal tattoo pictures were in typical black colors. Recent depictions of tribal tattoo designs display innovative colors and tattoo designs like skull tattoos, star tattoos, heart tattoo designs, fairy tattoo designs, tweety bird pictures, lettering tattoos, and similar more.

Where to Tattoo?

Getting tattooed requires lot of forethought and planning so that you do not regret later. You can get tattooed on any part of your body. Arm tattoos, ankle tattoos, foot tattoos, thigh tattoos, tattoos on the lower back, abdomen tattoos, and tattoos on your legs, just name any part of your body and tattoo artist will start working on tattoo design.

You can browse through tattoo designs available on tattoo galleries, tattoo magazines, tattoo books, or scout the Internet for tattoo pictures and tattoo patterns. If you have any tattoo ideas, make your own tattoo design on paper and present it to your tattoo artist to carve it on your body.

When to get tattooed?

It is a common misconception that summer months are ideal for tattooing. As you wear short pants and expose major part of your skin in summer, tattooing may seem easier. But the heat can cause lot of discomfort while scripting any specific tattoo design on your body. Hence, winter is the best time to get tattooed.

Tattoo designers are able to work better during the cool months due to the low and comfortable temperatures. Tattooing is a long drawn process and you should remain seated in a tattoo studio for many hours. Certain tattoo designs could require many sittings. Winter is the most comfy season to remain seated indoors.

Most tattoo parlors are less crowded during winter and you do not have to get into a waiting list or even sit in studios for two or three hours awaiting your turn. All tattoo designs irrespective of specific tattoo art, tattoo ink, or body part tattooed require certain healing period. During this time, your tattoo may look extremely revolting and ugly. The cool winter season helps you keep your tattoo design covered comfortably allowing it to heal naturally. During the healing period, your tattoo design undergoes many stages like peeling, scrubbing, and similar others. Summer months may cause lot of irritation.

Body Art Tattoos

Body art tattoos are a way to make a personal statement and are not just a fad. It does seem that the tattoos are catching on more amongst younger people. You see them on rock stars and other celebrities, as well as various cultural icons. It has become a rather common thing for individuals to change their personal body image with body art, especially since doing so is not as negatively viewed as it was at one time. Body art is no longer reserved for bikers. Find ideas or download designs at tattoo me now, check out your tattoo design for inspiration.

Finding the perfect design

You definitely don't want a cookie cutter design and it may be ideal that you not choose from the wall poster at the tattoo parlor because you may miss the opportunity to have a very unique design. You want a tattoo that is going to be personal to you and you want to be able to live with it. It is true that you don't have to have a tattoo for your entire life, but you would rather have something you are going to always love so that you don't have to someday pay for its removal.

Here's what you can do when finding the perfect body art tattoos:

· Examine your own personality. Are you funny, mysterious, elegant, or bold? You may fit in one or more of these categories, but knowing where you fit can help you to find the tattoo that will reflect your personality.

· Determine whether you want a design that is popular or something that is 100% your own. Some want popular designs for the recognition they gain and others want to be unique. What is popular now may not necessarily be popular twenty years from now, so choosing what is trendy at the moment should be done with caution. Find a unique and personal design at your tattoo design today

· You can explore previous designs done by the tattoo artist or you can search the Internet. There are plenty of places for you to look in order to find the right design.

· Trust your feelings when you want a specific meaning behind your body art tattoos. Don't worry about what others think or how they will interpret your tattoo.

· Think about the colors you wish your tattoo to have. You can have any color you want, so don't be afraid to use some. However, you do not want to overdo it because the tattoo may not look so nice in the future.

What is Gothic Fantasy Art

Gothic tattoos are a major characteristic Gothic look and the Gothic fantasy art. It represents the special sort of subculture that influenced mostly youngsters in both the United States and Europe simultaneously during the late 1970s. Unlike what many people think these tattoos do not concern ill will or evil but are a representation of mythological characters and religion that people practiced during medieval times. These tattoos have distinctive features that differentiate them from other kinds of tattoos.

Now you may be wondering what kind of tattoos are characterized as Gothic tattoos or Gothic Fantasy Art. This is exactly where it gets complicated. The people who are into the gothic culture have a very thrilling, diverse, and imaginative interests and tastes that are well reflected in their tattoos. Gothic cross tattoos are very popular and are usually covered in a lot of decoration, this is their way of celebrating the beauty of death.

A Gothic tattoo can be classified into two categories. They are:

Gothic fantasy art tattoos: images like the dragon, fairies, and the like are a major part of 'Fantasy Tattoos'. These Gothic tattoos represent the interest and the beliefs of the people in medieval times. The images are inclined to be mythological and imaginary in nature.

Occult tattoos: this second category of Gothic tattoos deals with what may be called 'Occult'. These images are associated with white witchcraft also known as Wicca, the Viking Runes, The Tarot, and other magic craft and prophesy.

Images like 'Pentacle' (the five-pointed star), the 'Athame' (a double-edged blade used for white witchcraft), and images related to the four elements (fire, water, earth and air) fall under the Wicca tattoos.

Many think these occult Gothic tattoos to be evil, but let me tell you this is a very wrong notion. These images are not evil and have nothing to do with 'Satanism'. They are signs of prehistoric religions that Gothic tattoo enthusiasts dig out and celebrate by getting them etched on their bodies.

Design Tattoos - The Beauty of Body Art

Once reserved for bikers and promiscuous women, tattoos are now found on millions of people - regular folks like you and me. Getting a tattoo is almost becoming commonplace, and it has opened a whole new field of employment, as well. If you are the artistic type, you may want to consider the possibility of learning how to design tattoos. Many people consider their tattoo a work of art, and many tattoo artists are reaping the financial and emotional rewards of having living canvasses. In recent studies, people who design tattoos report a very high satisfaction rate with their chosen profession, and a good tattoo designer is worth his weight in gold to any tattoo parlor.

How do you learn to design tattoos? You should start with paper and pencil as early as you possibly can. When you are in school, take art classes and practice drawing as much as possible. If you have a love of art and a talent for creating beauty on paper, you may be just the person someone needs to design tattoos.

If you have already gone through school and have a flair for art, you too can learn to design tattoos. Contact a local community college for classes in art or even in tattoo art specifically. They are becoming increasingly more common. Check out some books and websites devoted to the art of tattoo design. Go to a local tattooist and ask about the possibility of submitting some of your work or learning under his tutelage. You never know, maybe you were meant to have your art walking around every day. Maybe you were meant to design tattoos.

The Allure of Star Design Tattoos

When deciding what type of tattoo to get, a good choice is always star design tattoos, because you have many different possibilities with this type. There is a wide range of areas where you can put a star tattoo art. These range from the lower back to the hip and even shoulders or arms.

There are many different types of stars that you can get, giving you a multitude of choices. If you are leaning towards getting a star, first decide what type you want and then decide location because there are some stars like a shooting star that would look better as a shoulder star tattoo rather then on your lower back.

Another thing that you need to decide on is how many points you want your star to have, especially if you are only planning on having one star instead of a cluster. You need to decide what you want the star tattoo meaning to be. You also need to take into consideration the direction that the star will be pointing. The reason for this is that different directions mean different things. An example of this would be the pentacle. The pentacle is a five pointed star where the top point is facing up and it signifies the Wiccan religion and represents energy and life. Now if you accidentally turn this upside down it creates an entirely different meaning. This type is actually the exact opposite and represents satanic meaning and a darker side. So make sure you know the origin of the direction and you have it pointing the way you really want it.

There is other star tattoo art as well. Like the Star of David which has six points and another star that's used as a magical symbol which also has six points called a hexagram. There is also a seven pointed star that is often placed inside a box to symbolize finite and a fairy star or septagram. This one is also a symbol of magic. Most star tattoo ideas hold a religious meaning to them like the eight pointed star known as the Star of Redemption or Regeneration.

Now that you know stars by themselves hold a lot of meaning and can be quite beautiful, you need to decide if you want a single star or a combination. Well, the star is great by itself it can also be combined with other symbols like the sun and/or moon. When putting different shapes together it can take on a more fairy tale appearance so take that into consideration when deciding. Another option is using various size stars together in designs like shooting stars. Regardless of the reason behind the star, if you are going to have a multitude of stars in one area it is always a good idea to use different sizes. This makes the star design tattoo more appealing. Some really good locations on the body to consider are star arm tattoos and star ankle tattoos.

Stars hold a truly magical meaning regardless of the religious meaning behind them and are extremely beautiful to look at. They are often called the diamonds of the sky and for good reason. They are often times associated with dreams and draw in our attention. They allow you to really express yourself as an individual and can be quite powerful.

Design Tattoos - Create Using Oriental Lettering

One of the cool things about many of the newer online tattoo sites is they offer you the ability to design tattoos to meet whatever message you are trying to convey through your body art.

Sites like Chopper Tattoo offer the ability to use traditional oriental lettering in whatever arrangement you desire to create an original message, statement or work of art you would like to have tattooed at your local shop. This is a far cry from the old days where you would go into your local shop and they would only have the standard selection of oriental phrases that millions of other people have as well. Not very original and you also run the risk of getting something that may not really mean what you think it means.

Being able to take the wording and symbols from a online resource and assemble them yourself allows you to design tattoos that you know what they mean and are exactly what you want to say. You can also design tattoos for personal work by requesting certain designs in detail and have them made up and placed on the site for you to download and carry in to your local artist to have done for you.

I personally love what the new online sites have done for those that want to design tattoos either for their own, as a gift for someone else or even a young artist trying to build up a portfolio of designs for his customer base. Any artist that can design tattoos has a distinct advantage over one that is stuck with using whatever artwork they can find out there that every other artist is using as well

I recently had some artwork done on my lower leg in Japanese symbols and in searching through tons of pages I founds various symbols that all seemed to mean the same thing. Using my Chopper membership I was able to verify the correct symbol, make modifications to fit the look I wanted and print it out for my local shop. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to look and it made me feel like I had a hand in the design tattoos process.

Celtic Design Tattoos - Pure and Powerful Art

Celtic design tattoos, both because of their ancient historical symbolism and because they are simply among the most beautiful tattoos in the entire tattoo universe, are among the most requested of all tattoo designs. Both men and women of all ages have become intrigued with the aura surrounding Celtic design tattoos, and are hoping some of it will rub off on them.

The inspiration for Celtic design tattoos originated in Great Britain, dating as far back as drawings from the sixth century which appeared in manuscripts of Scripture which was copied in elaborate calligraphy by the Christian monks of the period. The manuscript decoration was extremely ornate, but Celtic design tattoos can be as intricate or as simple as their wearers desire.

The Monks responsible for the Celtic manuscript had the responsibility of combining the pagan imagery of the Celts with their accepted Christian symbols, to aid in the evangelization of the Celtic peoples. The Celtic design tattoos which most clearly illustrate this blending of symbolism is the Celtic cross tattoo, which is a traditional Christian cross with a circle at its center said to represent the ancient Druidic symbol for the sun.

Celtic design tattoos are most often known for their fascinating knots and interlacing, or "plaitwork" which will entertain viewers endlessly as they try to unravel them. The Celtic knot is another Druidic symbol, evoking the unending cycles of life and death, and the perfect and eternal circle.

The universal appeal of Celtic design tattoos, in fact, many lie in their abstract nature. With flowing spirals, squares, and geometrical forms, they are more of an attempt to create an emotion in the viewer rather than to be representational art.

One of the most delightful elements of Celtic design tattoos, in fact, is in their portrayal of animals. The animals in Celtic design tattoos are as complex as the Celtic knots; cats, deer, dogs, lions, tigers, birds and dragons are portrayed when the lines and thread of plaitwork, instead on forming eternal knots and loops, end with the depiction of animal heads, feet and tails. Many of the animals are inspired by medieval depictions of animals, and have a highly appealing air of whimsy.

The shamrock, of course, is one of the oldest Celtic design tattoos; while for the Irish it signifies excellence, and even has religious significance as a sign of the Holy Trinity, it is most widely known as a good luck charm. Those of Irish descent are especially fond of using an Celtic Shamrock tattoo to display their pride in their heritage.

The one drawback to having Celtic deign tattoos done is that they demand a tattoo artist with an exceptional amount of skill. Their symmetrical designs require a precise outline and steady had in the inking process, and some of them can take hours to complete. But done properly, Celtic design tattoos are true works of art!