Tattoo Designs For Guys 2011

A lot of men are looking for some unique tattoo designs. They often get flames, skulls, daggers, and pinup models as tattoos. However, Japanese arm tattoos have recently emerged into the industry, and many men and women both all around the world have taken an interest. Men in particular appreciate sleeve Japanese tattoo designs. They are cool and look great on arms. Here are some ideas to help you choose the right full arm design.

Sexy Tattoo Designs for Women

While at one time tattoos were more popular with men, in recent years tattoos have becoming increasingly popular with women as well. Although they were initially considered socially unacceptable for women, with the variety of celebrities that are now sporting elaborate tattoos, they are becoming more acceptable and popular for women. Of course most women want to go with a feminine design that will add a beautiful touch to their body.

Tattoos for women are usually much prettier and a bit smaller than tattoos for men. Some of the most popular tattoo designs for women include flowers, butterflies, and beautiful Celtic designs as well. Usually tattoos for women are not as aggressive and heavy and the lines tend to be thinner and lighter for women as well. However, as tattoos for women becoming increasingly popular, gradually many women are starting to go for larger tattoos as well.

As tattoos for women are getting larger, more women are going for beautiful hearts, Celtic roses, tribal tattoos, stars, and a variety of other designs. Women are also becoming quite experimental when it comes to their tattoos, with some of them coming up with their own designs, and some women going for tattoos that are quite large as well. Usually you can find all of the most popular designs for women at a female tattoo gallery.

If you are planning on getting a tattoo, you may want to consider checking out online tattoo galleries for some great ideas. Remember that when you get a tattoo it is going to be with you for a very long time, so you definitely want to choose something that looks great and that you really love. This is no time to pick out something that you only kind of like. There are many great designs available today, so be sure you pick out a design that you really love.

One of the best places to look for tattoo designs for women is at an online female tattoo gallery. Online galleries allow you to shop for a great tattoo at your own convenience. You can browse through hundreds of tattoos from the comfort of your home, and when you find one that you love you can purchase the design for a great price. Most tattoo shops are quite limited when it comes to female choices, so it is definitely best to shop at online female tattoo galleries to find what you really want for your tattoo.

Lotus Flower Tattoo Designs

Trying to come up with a design for your next tattoo? Have you thought about a lotus flower tattoo? If not then you might want to read this article and consider it. These tattoos are very hot and for good reason. They are a very flexible design and full of a rich and deep symbolism behind it. They work equally well for men and women and can be placed just about anywhere on the body you might want a tattoo.

Benefits Of Lotus Flower Tattoos

Lotus flower tattoos work well for a variety of reasons. First they can be sized and placed just about anywhere. Of course they make super sexy lower back tattoo designs but they can also work for a man on his shoulder. They work well on a leg, calf, hip or just about anywhere and on either sex. This makes it a great tattoo design. It is also full of brilliant color making it a wonderful design that really stands out. It can easily be enhanced with vines, water, or even certain gods or other religious symbols. It can also be sized from really large for a full back design to really small for the top of a foot design. No matter where you want your next tattoo or what size you want it you might want to consider a lotus flower tattoo.

The Lotus Flower In Tattoo Design

Every person of course chooses their own tattoo designs carefully and they often have some reasoning behind the choices they make. So a lotus flower can mean one thing to a person and then something else to another person. It is always that way with tattoos the symbolism and reasons for getting the tattoo are as individual as the people who get them. However, this beautiful flowery design has a historical and symbolic significance behind it that attract many people to this design.

The lotus flower is an incredibly beautiful flower and one that has an amazing story behind it. Lotus flowers start down in the muck and mud of areas of still water. They grow a small bud with a vine. Over time the bud's vine starts to grown up and the bud begins it's journey towards the surface of the water. At first the bud is facing downwards towards the much and mud. However, as it rises to the surface it starts to turn itself around and point towards the sun. Once the bud reaches up and over the top of the water line it starts to unfold and the leave blossom into an incredible flower. To the Buddhist and Hindu religion this journey that the flower makes is symbolic of the journey that a person's soul must make towards enlightenment. Therefore in the world of modern tattoos the lotus flower is a symbol of exotic beauty, power, change and strength and also symbolic of a journey or accomplishment.

Additions To A Lotus Flower Tattoo

If you are thinking about getting a rather large lotus flower tattoo design then you might want to add tot he design carefully to give it some more intricacy and detail. However, you want to choose your additions are fully to make sure you stay with the theme of the design. For example a beautiful lotus tattoo could be ruined with some bio mechanical or skull design. Typically additions that work well are water as a background element. You can also add Koi or Carp fish to the design since lotus flowers are often grown in koi ponds and can frequently be seen together outside of temples throughout Japan. You can also include the lilly and other vines to add some more intricacy to the design. You could also add some other flowers to the design such as peonies or cherry blossoms which could both work well with the design and theme.

Flower Tattoos

For some strange reasons, I like designing flower tattoos more than others. Flower tattoos are mostly favored by women, they are like clothes accessories except that you can wear your tattoo to bed. It's like having a piece of art with you all the time. I find women with tattoos more appealing, sexier, more feminine and more powerful.

The image of a tattoo can be so captivating that it stirs up all our senses. You can have a Rose tattoo with a barbed wire around it and still look very good. It's Ying and Yang, loving and sweet but authoritative and intimidating. But if you are intending to ink a flower tattoo on your body, it's best to find out the meaning of the flower and what you want it to represent. You can then combine different images to give contrasting impressions of your tattoos.

I have compiled a list of meaning of flowers as a guide before you tattoo them on your body. I cannot vouch how official these meanings are, but my research has shown them to be fairly consistent. flower tattoos are permanent, so look around before deciding on one.

BABY'S BREATH: Innocence.

BALSAM: Ardent love.

BELLS OF IRELAND: Good luck.

BOUVARDIA: Enthusiasm.

CACTUS: Endurance.

CALLA LILY: Magnificent beauty.

CAMELLIA: Gratitude.

CAMELLIA, PINK: Longing for you.

CAMELLIA, RED: You're a flame in my heart.

CAMELLIA, WHITE: You're adorable.

CARNATION: Fascination, distinction, divine love, woman

CARNATION, PINK: A woman's love, I'll never forget you, mother's love.

CARNATION, RED: Alas for my poor heart, admiration, my heart aches for you, fascination.

CARNATION, WHITE: Innocence, faithfulness, sweet and lovely, pure love, ardent love, good luck.

CHRYSANTHEMUM: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth.

CHRYSANTHEMUM, RED: I love.

CHRYSANTHEMUM, WHITE: Truth, loyal love.

CHRYSANTHEMUM, YELLOW: Slighted love.

DAFFODIL: Regard, rebirth, new beginnings, unrequited love, you're the only one, chivalry.

DAFFODIL, SEVERAL: Joy, happiness.

DAISY: Innocence, loyal love, I'll never tell, purity.

DANDELION: Faithfulness, happiness, love's oracle.

DAY LILY: Coquetry, Chinese emblem for mother.

EREMURUS: Endurance.

EUPHORBIA: Persistence.

FORGET-ME-NOT: True love, hope, remembrance, memories.

FREESIA: Innocence, thoughtfulness.

GARDENIA: You're lovely, secret love, joy, sweet love, good luck.

GLADIOLUS: Strength of character, remembrance, infatuation, splendid beauty, give me a break.

GLOXINA: Love at first sight.

HEATHER, LAVENDER: Admiration, solitude, beauty.

HEATHER, WHITE: Protection, wishes will come true.

HIBISCUS: Delicate beauty.

HOLLY: Foresight, defense, domestic happiness, enchantment.

HOLLYHOCK: Ambition, fruitfulness.

HONEYSUCKLE: Bonds of love.

HUCKLEBERRY: Simple pleasure.

HYACINTH: Sport, play, games, rashness, dedicated to Apollo.

HYACINTH, BLUE: Constancy.

HYACINTH, RED OR PINK: Play.

IRIS: Wisdom, Fleur-de-lis, emblem of France, your friendship means so much to me, faith, hope, valor, my compliments.

IRIS, WHITE: Purity.

JASMINE, WHITE or INDIAN: Amiability, I attach myself to you, sensuality, attachment.

JASMINE, SPANISH: Sensuality.

JASMINE, YELLOW: Grace, elegance.

JONQUIL: Sympathy, love me, affection returned, desire.

LADY SLIPPER: Capricious beauty.

LARKSPUR, PURPLE: First love.

LAVENDER: Devotion.

LEATHERLEAF FERN: Fascination.

LILAC: Youthful, humility, confidence.

LILY: Majesty, wealth, pride, innocence, purity.

LILY, WHITE: Purity, modesty, virginity, majesty, it's heavenly to be with you. LILY,

MAGNOLIA: Dignity, love of nature, nobility.

MIMOSA: Sensitivity.

MINT: Virtue.

MISTLETOE: Kiss me, affection, to surmount difficulties, sacred plant of India.

MORNING GLORY: Loves you.

MOSS: Maternal love, charity.

NARCISSUS: Egotism, conceit, self love, self admiration, formality, stay as sweet as you are

NASTURTIUM: Conquest, victory in battle.

OAK LEAVES: Bravery.

OLIVE BRANCH: Peace.

ORANGE BLOSSUM: Purity, innocence, eternal love, marriage and fruitfulness, fertility.

ORCHID: Rare beauty, love, refinement, beautiful lady, Chinese symbol for many children, mature charm, beauty, long life.

PALM LEAVES: Victory, success.

PEPPERMINT: Cordiality.

PERIWINKLE: Friendship.

POPPY: Eternal sleep, oblivion, imagination.

POPPY, RED: Pleasure, consolation.

POPPY, YELLOW: Wealth, success.

PRIMROSE: I can't live without you.

PRIMROSE, EVENING: Happy love.

QUEEN ANNE'S LACE: Haven.

RANUNCULUS: You are radiant with charm, radiant charm.

ROSE: Love, passion, perfection. The rose was named for the Latin word rosa which means red. It has been a symbol of love since ancient times.

ROSE, BURGUNDY: Beauty within.

ROSE, CORAL: Desire.

ROSE, DARK CRIMSON: Mourning.

ROSE, HIBISCUS: Delicate beauty.

ROSE, LAVENDER: Love at first sight, enchantment.

ROSE, LEAF: You may hope.

ROSE, MOSS: Confessions of love.

ROSE, ORANGE: Fascination, display feeling of enthusiasm.

ROSE, PEACH: Desire, gratitude, apprecation, admiration, sympathy, modesty.

ROSE, PINK: Happiness, appreciation, admiration, friendship, sympathy.

ROSE, DARK PINK: Thankfulness.

ROSE, LIGHT PINK: Grace, gladness, joy, perfect happiness, please believe me, gratitude, admiration, gentility.

ROSE, RED: Love, passion, respect, courage, I love you, beauty, pure and lovely, prosperity.

ROSE, DEEP RED: Un-selfconscious beauty.

ROSE, SINGLE, FULL BLOOM: I love you, I still love you, new love.

ROSE, BUD, SMALL: Pure and lovely, beauty and youth, a heart innocent of love.

ROSE, THORNLESS: Love at first sight.

ROSE, WHITE: Innocence, purity, secrecy, I am worthy of you, silence, friendship, truth, virtue, girlhood, humility spiritual love, but of the soul, reverence, charm, happy love.

ROSE, WHITE, DRIED: Death is preferable to loss of virtue.

ROSE, YELLOW: Joy, friendship, true love, decrease of love, jealousy, try to care, freedom, slighted love, shows "I care", joy, gladness.

ROSES, BOUQUET, MATURE: Gratitude.

ROSES, RED & WHITE TOGETHER: Unity, flower emblem of England.

ROSES, YELLOW & RED TOGETHER: Happiness, congratulations.

ROSES, YELLOW & ORANGE TOGETHER: Passionate thoughts.

ROSEMARY: Remembrance, purity, rebirth.

SAGE: Virtue.

SALAL: Zest.

SCABIOUS: Unfortunate love.

SMILAX: Loveliness.

SNAPDRAGON: Deception, gracious lady, presumption.

SPEARMINT: Warm sentiment.

SPIDER FLOWER: Elope with me.

STAR OF BETHLEHEM: Purity.

STATICE: Sympathy, remembrance, success.

STEPHANOTIS: Happiness in marriage, desire to travel.

STOCK: Lasting beauty, bonds of affection, promptness, you'll always be beautiful to me.

SUNFLOWER: Follows the sun as it grows, adoration, haughtiness.

SWEET WILLIAM: Gallantry, smile, finesse.

THYME: Activity.

TUBEROSE: Dangerous pleasure.

TULIP: Perfect lover, frame, flower emblem of Holland.

TULIP, RED: Believe me, declaration of love, fame.

TULIP, VARIEGATED: Beautiful eyes.

TULIP, YELLOW: Hopeless love, there's sunshine in your smile.

VIOLET: Modesty, faithfulness, innocence, understated beauty.

VIOLET, BLUE: Watchfulness, faithfulness, I'll always be true.

VIOLET, PURPLE: Thoughts of you, blue love.

VIOLET, WHITE: Let's take a chance, youthful innocence.

VIOLET, YELLOW: Love of country.

WATER LILY: Purity of heart.

WEEPING WILLOW: Mourning.

WHEAT: Friendliness.

YARROW: Healing, sorrow.

ZINNIA: Thoughts of absent friends, in memory of an absent friend.

ZINNIA, SCARLET: Constancy.

ZINNIA, WHITE: Goodness.

ZINNIA, YELLOW: Daily remembrance.

The Popularity of Kanji Tattoos

Kanji tattoos are based on Japanese writing system called kanji which is one of the forms of writing in Japan. It actually came from China thousands of years ago when Japan had no form of writing. Since Japanese is very different from Chinese, they developed another sets of alphabet called "kana" in the form of hiragana and katakana, each standing for a syllable rather than a separate consonant or vowel.

Kanji on the other hand, are ideograms which have characters with their own meaning and correspond to a word. The characters are stand alone and can be combined with other characters to create more words. This makes kanji tattoo very popular since it can make a statement of its own while maintaining discrete meaning and not obvious messages. Some people use kanji characters to convert the name of their significant others and have it tattooed on them.

Kanji characters are composed of beautiful strokes of different lines which are bound within an imaginary square and represent objects or actions. They are complicated and difficult yet beautiful and fascinating. They are believed to have spiritual effect on the mind of the reader. They are favored a lot by tattoo enthusiasts because of their artistic values. They are usually use to communicate character, values or beliefs like "strength", "laughter" etc.

Kanji tattoos can be frequently found in combination with other symbols that are also of Japanese origin. The kanji characters are being used to accentuate and play up with tattoo images like cherry blossoms, koi and geisha. Even the designs that does not relate at all to Japan are also being blended with kanji characters. This is a great alternative from the obvious English words so as to create some sort of mystery.

Kanji tattoos are complex and hard to understand. Make sure that you have the right characters when deciding to have it inked on you. Tattoos are permanent so it can be very frustrating if you ended up with a kanji tattoo does not contain the message that you want to convey.

Angel Tattoo Designs

The word "angel" comes from Greek word "angelos" which means "messenger", referring to a messenger of God. Angels are important supernatural beings found in many religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Angels are thought to have set duties, with no free will or choice. For this reason, human beings are considered to be superior beings since humans have the ability to "be righteous" out of our own free will, rather than simply being "programmed" to be so.

Due to their connection to God, Angel Tattoo Designs commonly represent protection and guardianship. Another associated meaning is the everlasting struggle between good and evil (angel vs. archangel), which could represent ones outlook on his or her own life. Angels also have the ability to connect the spiritual and material world, and so these tattoos could symbolize connecting oneself with the spiritual world. Another common meaning underlying an angel design is remembrance of a lost loved one.

Popular designs include those of elegant winged creatures, flying or sitting on a cloud. Some designs may be soothing and calming in which the angel is seen holding a harp or trumpet, where as other designs may be more vulgar depicting angels holding a sword or dagger (Archangels). The best thing about angel tattoo designs is their versatility and the ability to implement them in a setting which best depicts what it is you want to say.

Angel tattoos are the most commonly searched for tattoo designs on the net, outranking other favourite designs including dragons, flowers, stars, fairies, butterflies, animals, crosses, and more.

Tribal Tattoo Designs

For centuries, tattoos symbolized the membership in groups, families, but for a few years, tattoos have become more popular. It is possible that many people have them not only for decorative purpose, so we must understand why more than thirty million people worldwide have submitted this type of self mutilation. The choice of a tattoo today can tell something about the soul of its owner; some believe that a tattoo is the graffiti for the soul...

We'll find many surprising stories about the tattoos significance and role: many sailors believe that a tattoo is a talisman against the possibility of drowning at sea. The American Indian believed tattoos protected them in battle and some Burmese people think even today that a tattoo over the heart can stop bullets.

The tribal tattoos history is a real kaleidoscope; each place of Earth where the tattoos are popular has a particular and many times surprising history, significance, tradition, and realization technique. But almost everywhere, the tattoos appeared a few hundred years ago.

The place where the word tattoo originated, were the tribal tattoo reached perfection for thousand of years is Tahiti. Here the tattoos applications are most painful, but it reached a high level of artistic endeavor. The habitants of Samoa still believe that the elaborate geometrical design of the traditional body suit is the way to show respect for the God-qualities, for others it is the rite of passage to manhood.

The ancient Maori warriors started their tattoos tradition painting their faces with charcoal before each battle. Then they began to make the design permanent, calling it "moko". It was said that a man without "moko" was a "papatea" (plain face) and was considered an outcast.

Celtic tattoos are one of the most attractive design choices. The design comes from ancient art from Ireland, Scotland and England. They are as old as the Celtic history is.
Some fifth century painted pictures are representing warriors having tattoos all over their body; the tattoos are indicating the rank or caste. Later they were also symbols of religious devotion, simply for decoration or appeal for fertility.

Celtic tattoos are not duplicating real things, they are made of sinuous lines interweaving to complete a cycle. Almost all the Celtic tattoo designs are complicated, there is neither end nor beginning to it. There are many intricate patterns too...

Celtic animal designs are unending, but some have the cords terminate in feet, heads, or tails. Many designs are presenting zoomorphic elements or spirals.

Tattoos are also largely considered the mark of the Yazuka - the Japanese Mafia. A full body tattoo can take many years to be made and costs about $50000; the tattoo complicated colored design seems to have mythic power and only some specialized masters can accomplish such a miraculous work of art.

In China the tattoos are made with designs of 2500 years old, and are representing a variety of fantastic beasts: fish, deer, dragoon. There are made for personal protection and like emblems of noble birth. Siberian tribesmen still ink symbols down their spine to cure the back pain.

In Russia, the tattoos tradition isn't so old: they were the prisoners' secret language. In Stalin's gulags, tattoos were a form of protest; today they are only a fancy accessory.

Borneo is an exotic and hard to reach place where tattoos ward off harm and disease. In the "heart of darkness" tattoos as protection gains some credibility.

Hawaii is home for some famous tattooist, like Norman Keith. He is well known "for giving the modern tattoo revolution a major boost." He began moving American tattooing towards more Japanese style, unified, custom design. He also changed the status of tattooists, bringing them out of the underground to the growing light of the artistic respectability.

In St. Lawrence Island the Asiatic Eskimo tribesmen can live past 100 and have, certainly, the last most authentic tattoos on this planet.
We can find spectacular tribal tattoos even in Queen Charlotte Islands, where the images are family history told in pictures. Animals' designs on the hands are announcing the family name.

In Mackenzie Delta small crosses on the cheeks or shoulders are keeping a tally of the taken whales. Netsilik women were tattooed in order to gain admittance to the afterworld.

In the northern Kalinga (Philippines) the tribesmen are the most ornamented people of the region; their body art is resurrected one more time.

Now let see the tribal tattoo tradition in US. Since the 18th century, merchant sailors acquired tribal skin art returning from voyages in the South Seas. Because members of the British aristocracy traditionally took to the sea, and returned with tattoos (discreetly hidden) some western tattooist set up shop near the docks. The tattoos become exotica for the upper classes. Later, the port city tattooist began inking criminals, fiefs and prostitutes and tattoo became mark of lowlifes. This is the reason way for hundred of years the tattoo remained underground. The tattooist was considered as an outlaw and the tattoo was imprisoned by persecutions and prohibitions born of myriad fears.

Now the tattoos are made using modern and secure devices, capable of 125 pricks per second. The designs are presented worldwide using the most spectacular advertising tools.

Whether it is on an arm or ankle, a butterfly or tribal symbol, a piece of body art no longer holds the lure of rebellion it once did...