Horse Shoeing

More people have tattoos now than at any time for thousands of years. In fact, it has been estimated that around one in four of the populace has at least one tattoo. Sports stars, film stars and pop idols are largely responsible for making tattoos popular. However, there are thousands of beautiful tattoo designs to choose from which makes it easy to find something you like.

Tribal tattoos are among the most popular. The original tribal tattoos were like a lattice work of black lines. Westerners usually have them on a leg or (upper) arm. However, the tribal tattoo is being modernized, so now you can find the tribal tattoo with identifiable patterns inside it. You will also see multi-coloured tribal tattoos.

Then there are the traditional style of tattoos. These are the tattoos that you might have seen on granddad’s arm. The most common of these are the anchor, the dagger and the beautiful lady. Sailors and soldiers were the section of society that wore these time-honoured tattoo styles, but these days anybody can be spotted wearing them.

Old style tattoos used to be in black or blue ink with some of them having a little red in them. However, there are many more colours available nowadays. Women tend to like the multi-coloured tattoos more than the men, who still appear to stick to the old black and blue inks. . Base of the spine tattoos are well-liked with women. Usually, these tattoos are tribal, but there are also vines, birds, dragons, dragonflies and flowers. This large area of the lower back is perfect for a larger tattoo because it is large but unobtrusive. The wearer of a lower back tattoo may keep the tattoo a secret from everybody but her closest friends.

Dragons and birds have always been popular. There are two forms of dragon: the Celtic or Welsh dragon, which is ‘square’ or ‘oblong’ like a dog or cow and there is the Chinese dragon which is longer and looks more like a lizard. The meaning of the dragon has been distorted.

The Chinese dragon is meant to confer good luck, but the Welsh dragon is intended to be fierce. Then you have friendly dragons like Puff the Magic Dragon and the dragons from a variety of films and stories of late. These dragons are frequently portrayed with a dozy smile on their faces.

Celtic tattoos are of Welsh, Scottish and Irish heritage. The Celts were heavily tattooed and painted and one Scottish tribe was even known as the Picts. Celts were druids, who worshipped nature and the oak and mistletoe in particular, but the most common Celtic tattoos are vines, dragons and crosses. The Celtic cross can be seen on tombstones and in churchyards throughout Wales, Scotland and Ireland

Using modern technology, you can have practically anything you want turned into a template from which a tattoo can be done, so if you have a favourite design of your own go and get it priced up.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on quite a lot of subjects, but is currently involved with anchor tatoos. If you would like to know more go to our website at White Ink Tatoo.