Tattoo

Lower Back Tattoos

Does Getting a Tattoo Hurt?
Yes. It hurts. A tattoo is a process involving a needle (or in most cases, a grouping of needles) uncturing your skin. Your skin is laced with a network of nerves that will be traumatized by the perforations involved. On the other hand it is not that bad. Many people have said it feels like a bee sting. This is inaccurate. Bees leave a toxin in your skin that makes for intense discomfort for a good 15 minutes. A tattoo does not do this. A tattoo is most accurately described sensationally as “someone scratching a sunburn”. A sort of irritating pain.
There are many factors that contribute to the amount of pain involved in a tattoo. The two primary catalysts are the artist performing the tattoo and the area of the body one is getting attooed on. Certain artists are considered “soft” while others are named “heavy handed”. This is a reference to the combination of the speed of the tattooists’ machine, the depth of the “needle hang”, and the willingness of the artist to hit and re-hit an area of flesh. A person looking for an artist should not necessarily look for the softest artist around necessarily. Many times these tattooists run too soft and do not give very permanent tattoos.

The most sensitive areas of the body to be tattooed are the areas with the most nerve endings. Ignore the comments made by peers about bony areas being the worst or that fatty areas are the best. This has nothing to do with it. The most sensitive areas are the abdomen, neck, groin and the outside of joints (the “tendon areas”). The least sensitive areas of the body are the outer extremities. The outside of the arms and legs are designed to bump, abrade, scratch, and defend. These are the least sensitive areas of the bodies to be tattooed.

The worst places to be tattooed are the: genitalia, throat, stomach, ribs, neck and sternum.

pictures of tattoo

pictures of tattoo

pictures of tattoo

The history of Japanese tattoos goes way back - they have been around for many, many years. This doesn’t mean however that they are necessary the right ones for you. You see there’s a catch with these tattoos. They’re very big, often covering the entire back, they are awfully expensive and they come in their own flavors, inspired by the Japanese culture.

Japanese tattoo

Japanese tattoo

Sun Tattoo

Hawaiian tattoos and body art have a history of thousands of years and experience a renewed popularity since the 90s, together with other tribal tattoo styles. Aloha!

There’s more to Hawaii than flowers and leis, after all – the Hawaiian islands are part of a larger chain, the Polynesian Islands, which include other island cultures such as the Maori and the Samoan, tribal communities with a rich tattoo tradition.

Tribal Hawaiian arm tattoo
All of these cultures were famous for their tattoo art. Modern tribal tattoos are based on the traditional tattoo art of the Polynesian islands, and Hawaiian arm tattoos represent both the popular culture of Hawaii and the older tribal traditions.

In a sense, it’s natural that Hawaiian tattoos are so popular right now. Other Hawaiian designs and styles – like Hawaiian shirts – have had their day and currently have a strong retro appeal. Hawaiian arm tattoos are also a manifestation of the resurgence of ‘Tiki’ culture, so popular in the 1950s and 60s.

Hawaiian Tribal Tattoos
Tattooing was an important aspect of the Hawaiian culture, just like anywhere on the Polynesian islands. The Hawaiians even have tattoo gods and each time a member of the community gets a tattoo, prayers had to be done in the temple.

Hawaiian tribal tattoo art, known as Kakau, has been practiced for thousands of years and for a variety of purposes:
* Personal identification: unlike other Polynesian tattoo styles, Hawaiian tattoos are used for personal identification (instead of ceremonial purposes).
* Talisman: tattoos were believed to offer protection.
* As a symbol of mourning for a loved one.
* Adornment

Kukui Nuts, Used in Hawaiian Tattoo Ink

The Hawaiian tribal tattoos were mostly black, the tattoo ink was made of a mixture of kukui nuts and sugarcane juice.

Getting a tattoo in a tribal community was not a very pleasant occasion, modern tattoo equipment was not part of tribal life. Instead they used sharp and pointy parts of animals, like bird beaks and claws, that were connected to a branch and hit with a mallet.

The Hawaiian tattoo designs are larger compared to other Polynesian designs, and bolder as well. Typical Hawaiian tattoo designs include:
* Lizards: the Hawaiians had a great respect and fear for lizards.
* Sea turtle tattoos
* Dolphins
* Tropical flowers
* Arrows

Typical spots for tribal Hawaiian tattoos:
* Male: the legs, arms, face and torso
* Female: the hands, wrist and tongue

In the beginning of the 19th century, when European settlers arrived in Hawaii, the art of the Hawaiian tattoo slowly vanished until its renaissance in the 20th century.

Flower Tattoo Designs