The Art of Tattoo

The Art Of Tattoo

Your Mission:
-Come up with a symbolic tattoo design
-Think about the placement of the design, what part of the body is it going to be on, does it effect the design?
-You need to have a main ‘picture’ or subject. It should represent something about you/meaningful to you
-You should have Supporting details- lines, design, etc. so picture is not ‘floating’ and flows well
-You should have Value create Shading in colored pencil- fades out toward the edges
-It should be a Crisp, clear design
-Be Original, do not copy a tattoo off of the internet
-It should be about 6"x6" if you plan to enter it into the competition.

Colour Symbolism
(Colours in the Western World)
Red: excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate
Pink: symbolizes love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm
Beige / Ivory: symbolize unification / Ivory symbolizes quiet and pleasantness / Beige symbolizes calm and simplicity
Yellow: joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship
Blue: peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant
Turquoise: calm / Teal symbolizes sophistication / Aquamarine symbolizes water / lighter turquoise has a feminine appeal Purple: royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning
Lavender: femininity, grace and elegance
Orange: energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention
Green: nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigor
Brown: earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort
Grey: security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring / Silver symbolizes calm
White: reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical
Black: power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical color, mourning, death (Western cultures)
(Colours in the Eastern World)
Pink: marriage
Green: eternity, family, harmony, health, peace, posterity
Red: happiness
Grey: helpful
Blue / Purple: wealth
White: children, helpful people, marriage, mourning, peace, purity, travel
Gold: strength, wealth
Black: evil or sadness

Other Examples of Symbolism
Apple: can mean love, knowledge, wisdom, joy, death, and/or luxury
Anchor: hope, steadfastness, salvation, stability, and/or tranquility
Arrow: a highly phallic image, evoking notions of piercing, penetrating masculinity, becoming the predominant symbol of the universal Father and of fathers in general
Bell: joy and freedom Bones: the indestructible life, yet also may represent mortality and the transitory
Bridge: communication and union
Book: knowledge and wisdom
Candle: light in the darkness of life especially individual life, illumination; it is the symbol of holy illumination of the spirit of truth
Castle: enclosure, of the walled and defended city; often, the castle holds some treasure
Circle: represents the notions of totality, wholeness, original perfection, the Self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, all cyclic movement
Door: transition and metamorphosis
Earth: commonly seen as feminine, the great Mother, nourishment, fertility, infinite creativity, and/or longevity
Egg: new life, life-energy
Eyes: clairvoyance, omniscience, and/or a gateway into the soul
Feather: absolute lightness, flight, the element of wind and air Fire: consumes, warms, and illuminates, but can also bring pain and death
Flower: universal symbols of young life, beauty, lust and the realm of the erotic
Garden: an earthly paradise, soul, innocence and happiness Gate: entryway into an unknown place, or a place of great significance, it is a threshold, and may connect the living and the dead
Halo: emphasizes wisdom and life force emanating from the head, and it usually tied with the notion of the supernatural
Hand: in general it is strength, power and protection; however, it can just as easily mean generosity, hospitality and stability Heart: the locus of physical and spiritual being, compassion and understanding, life-giving and complex, love
House: a sacred place and it is an image of the universe; it parallels the sheltering aspect of the great Mother, and it is the center of civilization
Ivy: eternity and life, immortality
Key: powers of opening and closing, and denotes liberation, knowledge, mystery, and initiation
Ladder (Stairs): the connection between heaven and earth Lightning: traditional symbol of sudden illumination and the destruction of ignorance
Mask: hiding emotion and personality
Mirror: reflection of the soul; absolute truth
Moon: the rhythm of time, the cycles of the moon symbolize immortality and eternity
Mountain: divine inspiration and it is the focus of pilgrimages of transcendence and spiritual elevation
Necklace: dignity and office, but is also a binding symbol; it is the threading together, or connection
Night: ignorance, the unconscious, and latent potential, sleep, dreams, sexual pleasure, and death
Ocean: the beginning of life on Earth, and symbolizes formlessness, the unfathomable, and chaos, it can also be seen as a symbol of stability
Pearl: perfection and incorruptibility, long life and fertility
Pillar: the bridge between heaven and earth, the vertical axis which both unites and divides these two realms, it also represents stability, and a broken pillar represents death and mortality
Queen: the great feminine principle
Rain: may either serve as life-giving or life-destroying, it is revitalizing, fertilizing, and heavenly, and often marks acts of purification
Rainbow: heavenly glory, of celestial wonder, the rainbow often symbolizes transfiguration, and behaves as a bridge between earth and Paradise
River: life itself, a rite of passage that has just been completed Rock: the ultimate embodiment of permanence, stability, and reliability
Star: the presence of divinity
Sun: the absolute cosmic power, the universal Father
Thorn: sin, sorrow and hardship
Train: social life, destiny
Tree: the feminine, nourishing, sheltering image of the great Mother, evocative of eternity
Umbrella: the canopy of the heavens, shelter, and protection Unicorn: healing powers, purity and strength
Valley: fertility and life
Veil: the pre-enlightened state, hidden knowledge, secrecy, illusion, and ignorance
Water: life, birth, fertility and refreshment
Web: an intricate network of space and time, the great cosmic plan
Wheel: movement Whirlpool (Spiral): the source of life
Yin-Yang: universal complimentary opposites, dualities
Zero: the absence of all, without quantity or quality, the perfect form, the ultimate mystery

Animal Symbolism
Ant: diligence, industry, community, remarkable strength, hardworking, success, patience
Badger: aggression, healing, architect
Bat: rebirth, longevity, joy, good luck, dreaming, union
Bear: gentle strength, dreaming, introspection, power, protection, healing
Beaver: builder, accomplishing goals, family, industriousness
Bee: divine messenger, love, service, gathering, community, Goddess, rebirth
Bird: enlightenment, perspective, swiftness, vision, prophetic knowledge
Boar: bravery, honor, fertility Butterfly: rebirth, the soul, transformation, the three phases of life, joy
Buffalo (Bison): abundance, strength, determination
Cat: feminine energy, mystical power, used to keep the wearer safe in travel, wholeness, independence, psychic, and hunter
Coyote: trickster, adaptation, intelligence
Crane: transforming action, dance, meditation
Cricket: good luck charm, singing, Spring, fertility
Crow (Raven): sacred/natural law, gateway to supernatural, shape shifting, illusion, council / magic, messenger, divine trickster
Deer: graceful gentleness, sensitivity, compassion, kindness, magic, alertness
Dingo: guardian, psychic, adaptability
Dog: companionship, health, service, loyalty, protection, future prosperity, love, guardian
Dolphin: manna, joy, childlike play, helpfulness, breath of life, harmony, intelligence, self-connection, protection, sexuality
Dragonfly: good fortune, magic, vision, dreams, luck, and ancient knowledge, illusion
Dragon: wisdom due to long lives and potent magic, royalty, Emperor, eternity, courage, strength, rain,
Spring Duck: abundance, play, feelings
Eagle: messenger, spirit, vision
Elk: masculine power, territory, brotherhood
Falcon: striking, velocity, all seeing
Fish: miracles, providence, sea/water magic, good luck and prosperity, foresight, fortune, salmon in particular, are associated with knowledge
Fox: camouflage, adaptability, integration, tricksters, shape shifters, and possessors of great magic, family, survival, voice
Frog: healing, cleansing, messages, health, honesty, fluidity, purification, song, fertility
Goose: soul, leadership, guardian
Grasshopper: nobility, prosperity
Hawk: messenger, presence, precision
Heron: guardian, focus, mirror
Horse: power, stamina, speed, transportation and communication, freedom, sharing, mystery (a black horse with a white marking on its forehead is lucky)
Hummingbird: joy, pure love, celebration of life, beauty
Jaguar: shaman, integrity, self-awareness
Kangaroo: conservation of energy, timing, fertility
Koala: introspection, appreciation, transforming toxins
Ladybug: delight, trust, awakening, introspection, protector Lizard: dreaming, illumination, protection
Mole: inner knowledge, exploring the depths, lower world Monkey: movement, inquisitiveness, social equilibrium
Moose: wisdom of the stones, masculinity, voice
Mountain Lion (Cougar): balance, courage, independence Mouse: touch, trust, sensitivity
Osprey: seeking, four directions, purpose
Otter: medicine (woman), balanced feminine energy, play, go with the flow
Owl: deception, wisdom, clairvoyance, magic, intuition, hunter Peacock: wholeness, dignity, beauty, recognition, self-assurance, pride
Penguin: respect, loyalty, subconscious
Pig: rebirth and rejuvenation
Possum: spirit journeys, upper world, knowledge
Rabbit: fear, fertility, moon magic, speed, swiftness, longevity, courage, strength, humility, abundance, love
Raccoon: dexterity, disguise, trickster, magic
Reindeer (Caribou): equality, balance, frugality
Robin: growth, renewal
Rooster: courageous, warlike disposition, warmth and life of the Universe
Salmon: rebirth, plenty, wisdom
Scorpion: the “fire within” that often needs careful tending
Seal: inner voice, soul, provision, threshold
Sheep: sacrifice
Skunk: warning, reputation, respect
Snake: cunning, evil, supernatural power, creation, life force energy, renewal
Spider: destiny, fate, weaving
Squirrel: foresight, inner fire, shaman
Swan: flow, grace spirituality
Turtle: mother earth, protection, introspection, stillness Weasel: boldness, rapidity, perception
Whale: history, communication, ancient knowledge
Wolf: teacher, a guide to the Sacred, pathfinder, family, moon Woodpecker: warrior, drumming, waves

Sailor Symbols
HOLD, on the knuckles of one hand and FAST, on the other. This is said to help the seaman to better hold the riggings.
A PIG, on the top of one foot and a ROOSTER, on the other. This is said to protect the seaman from drowning, because both of these barnyard animals cannot swim so they would get the seaman quickly to shore.
An ANCHOR showed the seaman had sailed the Atlantic Ocean.
A FULL-RIGGED SHIP showed the seaman had sailed around Cape Horn.
A DRAGON showed the seaman had served on a China station.
A SHELLBACK TURTLE denotes a seaman who has crossed the equator.
A GOLDEN DRAGON denotes a seaman who has crossed the International Date Line.
PORT & STARBOARD ship lights were tattooed on the left (port) and right (starboard) side of the body.
ROPE, tattooed around the wrist meant the seaman was a deckhand.

Styles of Tattoos

Tribal (Polynesian and Maori are the traditional styles of this genre)

Old School / Sailor

Chicano (Fine Line, usually Black & White)

Asian

Biomechanical

In the past, tattoos were stigmatized due to concentration camps and criminals.....

However, today there are some really cool things you can do, just be original........

and if you are going to get a tattoo, Be Safe!

Go to a REPUTABLE studio with proper training and certification
Tattoo artist should be wearing gloves, and open everything in front of you
It should be a Sterile work area
Use common sense!
Complications can include HIV, Hepatitis, and infection if you are not careful!