# data[].attributes.body
Today i will use the internet to collect a range of photographs of tattoos to create a secondary evidence moodboard. I will also develop my thumbnail sketches by adding a little more detail and some colour to give an idea of my final outcome.

# data[].attributes.body
This afternoon I will be bringing all my research on the history behind tattoos together to produce evidence in my sketchbook. I will also start to produce some thumbnails in my sketchbook which I will later on develop and create my final piece from.

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout this time i will use the research given by Lucie and my own research of the history behind tattoos and different artists, this should give me a clearer idea of my preferred style of tattoos. I will use internet, books and padlet to help with this research.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lucie resource - 28 Watercolour tattoo artists

# data[].attributes.subject
Lucie resource - 28 Watercolour tattoo artists

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
28 Incredible Watercolor Tattoos And Where To Get Them

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These works of art take a special kind of skill to create. If you're looking for a capable artist, your best bet is Prague or St. Petersburg.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lucie resource - symbolic meanings of tattoos

# data[].attributes.subject
Lucie resource - symbolic meanings of tattoos

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Your Symbolic Source for Meaningful Tattoo Ideas

It's no secret, I love tattoos. So much so, I've decided to devote a section of this website to meaningful tattoo ideas based on symbolism found in ancient/indigenous cultures around the world. This is really just an extension of the work I've been doing throughout whats-your-sign.com for the last seven years (and hopefully, for many years to come).

So why am I so jazzed about tattoos? Quite simply, tattooing (to me) is a soulful practice of permanently galvanizing a symbolic tenet or belief system.

I'm consistently proselytizing about the importance of keeping a keen spiritual eye fixed on symbolic meanings for self-development and improvement. Once identified and interpreted, our symbolic phenomenon can serve as a narrative for our lives, a guide for right behavior and ideals that enhance our well-being.

To some folks (yours truly included) there are certain symbols or symbolic concepts that are worthy of submerging ourselves into for full integration into our lives. Tattooing can provide this gift of total submersion and integration into a symbolic ideal.

It's not just because a tattooed concept is permanent (although that certainly lends gravity to a symbolic idea). The process of tattooing is a ritual, essentially engraving a symbolic ideal into our being. When approached holistically, tattooing is an emotional, physical, spiritual and mental experience - a full-force experience that is truly permanent on all levels.

In time, I hope to fully develop this section of symbolic tattoo ideas into areas of tattooing itself, in which I go into deeper discussions about this concept of symbolic submersion and galvanization through tattooing.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the symbolic tattoo ideas I've offered on this website.

Note: If you've been re-directed to this page from tattoo-symbolism.com, a website I started in 2009, but have since removed from the internet (in 2011), no worries...all the information that was on tattoo-symbolism can be found here, plus more.

Categories for Symbolic and Meaningful Tattoo Ideas

Below are different classes of tattoos. From cultural and tribal tattoos to animal and flower tattoos, you'll find something to inspire your next ink adventure. Please keep in mind, these articles are written according to historical view of each symbol. You'll get an understanding of how the Celtic people viewed certain symbols as well as Native Americans, Chinese and more. And of course, each tattoo article here is written with my own opinion. But that's all these articles are. Opinions. Even though we have proof a certain symbol means something in a certain culture - doesn't mean that's the end of the line. For example: If you want an owl tattoo, but maybe you're hung up on learning the owl has some dark or negative meanings in certain cultures. I say, "so what?" A symbol (as a tattoo) is only as powerful as the meaning we give it. All this to say, I hope these articles are helpful, but please give yourself the freedom and permission to express yourself the way you see fit.

"Tattoos are like stories - they're symbolic of the important moments in your life. Sitting down, talking about where you got each tattoo and what it symbolizes, is really beautiful."
~ Pamela Anderson

Animal Tattoo Ideas

Animal tattoos are overwhelmingly meaningful. Why? Well, consider the animal kingdom. It's all about what is primal. And what is more primal than reverting back to ancient, tribal roots through tattooing? That's just one side of the story. The other reason animal tattoo ideas are so powerful is this: They each convey a unique and profound meaning. Whether a sparrow or a wolf, animal tattoos are perfectly poised to express an infinite array of meanings.

Almost all tattoos represent freedom. I mean, they're not tied behind a desk, animals aren't obligated to pay rent, and they certainly aren't chained to a cell phone. Birds, bees, bears, bass...they all roam free, without ties. As such, many of us often look to the animal kingdom to convey this sense of vast freedom.

For more inspiration from the animal kingdom, check out Animal Totems and Animal Meanings. This article will provide you with the core meanings about animals and their profound messages they have to share with us.

Celestial Tattoos

According to Dictionary.com, there are two definitions for 'celestial'.

1. Pertaining to the sky or visible heaven, or to the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere, as in celestial body.

2. Pertaining to the spiritual or invisible heaven; heavenly; divine.

The beauty about celestial tattoos is that the sky is the limit (pardon the pun). Consider: The universe is infinite. That means you have an endless playground from which to pick and choose the perfect celestial body that represents your boundless personality. From moons to meteorites, suns to stars, planets to pulsars...our cosmos has a myriad of meanings for your tattoo ideas.

Celestial tattoos aren't just about outer space. These tattoos deal with spiritual and divine concepts. If you think about it, you can't see beyond our galaxy. You can't really see spirituality either. To discover a symbol that pins down the ephemeral concept of mind and spirit is a great way to remind ourselves that even if not seen, these essential concepts are certainly real.

"Sometimes magnificent visual art takes root in the humblest of soils. Tattoos and many other non-galleried forms have hosted and fostered esthetic delights that satisfy any rigorous definition of art."
~Paul Di Filippo

Tattoo Symbol Ideas

In truth, every tattoo is a symbol. Even the airiest concepts are funneled in our minds and squirt out in physical, visual form with the end result being our precious ink. The whole idea of tattooing is highly symbolic. Ideally, one considers getting a tattoo in order to convey a symbolic concept that is meaningful and profound in his/her world.

So if all tattoos are symbolic, and all our ink is a symbol...what differentiates this class from all the others listed here? Simple. The following links to tattoo ideas are clear-cut symbols. Meaning, it is a visual pictogram created sometime in history that represents an entire culture, cultural belief system, or era in which a movement has taken place. Take the peace sign for example. That is a symbol created in order to represent a movement that started 60s. The ank is a symbol created by ancient Egyptians to represent life as well as the continuation of life.

Not sure what the heck I'm talking about? Maybe my article about symbols and their meanings might help: Symbols FAQ. This article will provide you with the essential ideals behind symbols and what they're all about.

Cultural, Mythological Tattoo Ideas

How cool is this...creating a custom tattoo from the stuff of myth and lore. I'm just not sure it gets any better than that. Why? Because myths are cultural beliefs are built on everything we've been talking about up until this point... with one caveat. A myth or a cultural belief is formed around environment (like nature, from which we can draw great tattoo ideas) plus the human dynamic. So here's the formula of a legend: Era+Environment+Human Behavior=Legend.

And how much more legendary can we get than our own tattoos? In essence, our tattoos are our own myth, our own legend, our own lore, our own culture. You get the idea. Cultural views and myths are a timeline through human history. If we adopt symbols from these histories, we are affirming the plight and pleasure of being human. To be sure, these unique tattoo ideas are fodder for fabulous ink.

For more inspiration you might be interested in my articles on god and goddess symbols: God and Goddess Symbol Meanings. This article will provide you with great tattoo ideas steeped in mythological deities.

Some Tattoo Books Avia Recommends

I hope you enjoy these articles on various meanings of tattoos. What's more, I hope these articles inspire you and give you some wicked-awesome tattoo ideas. Please keep in mind, the information in these articles are drawn from cultural, historical accounts as well as personal views.

I've had a lot of contact with tattoo artists around the world. I've also hung around a lot of folks with ink. A wonderful thing happens when one submerges oneself into the ink culture. A marvelous blend of ideas, artistic views and perspectives start swirling and everybody gets jazzed about the one-of-a-kind self-expression through tattoos. In the end, everybody I've spoken to agrees... a tattoo is a symbol. It is a symbol of who you are, what you're about, where you've been and/or where you want to go. It is my greatest wish that the information in these articles and throughout this website offer some ammunition so you can fire off the best expression of yourself to the world.

As always, thank you for reading.

May all your ink adventures be illuminating,

Avia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's no secret, I love tattoos. So much so, I've decided to devote a section of this website to meaningful tattoo ideas based on symbolism found in ancient/indigenous cultures around the world. This is really just an extension of the work I've been doing throughout whats-your-sign.com for the last seven years (and hopefully, for many years to come).

# data[].attributes.headline
Lucie resource - Meanings of tattoos (Sailor Jerry)

# data[].attributes.subject
Lucie resource - Meanings of tattoos (Sailor Jerry)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Every tattoo is a personal statement, but there are certain common meanings & associations. Find out the true meanings behind Sailor Jerry's famous tattoos

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Every tattoo is a personal statement, but there are certain common meanings & associations. Find out the true meanings behind Sailor Jerry's famous tattoos

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The history of the tattoo dates back more than 5,000 years to the Neolithic Age

New exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris charts the progress of the inking

Includes 300 photographs, tools, statues, skulls and bits of human skin covered in tattoos

Once a rare sight, spotting a tattoo on a female ankle or shoulder has become an ubiquitous part of modern life. But as this stunning collection of images shows, getting inked isn't quite the modern phenomenon it's often thought to be.

While tattoos are a relatively recent phenomenon in Europe and the US, body art has long been part of Polynesian culture and has also been found on the mummified remains of Ancient Egyptian priests and priestesses.

Now, the 5,000-year-old history of tattooing has been brought to life in a fascinating new exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly, which charts the evolution of body art over the centuries.
Scroll down for video
Although tattoos first made an appearance on the bodies of neolithic men and woman and again in the woad etchings of Iron Age Britons, they didn't reappear in Western culture until the 19th century and the first recorded body art craze which originated in Victorian high society.

Popularised by 19th century explorers returning home to the UK full of tales about the weird and wonderful tattooed women they saw on their travels, tattoos swiftly became the accessory of choice for upper class women.

Such was the intensity of the craze for body art during the Victorian period, even Queen Victoria is believed to have had one in the form of a Bengal tiger fighting with a python

By contrast, in many Oriental, African and Pacific cultures, tattoos have long played a significant part in the religious and ceremonial life of communities - and continue to do so in some.

In the West, however, tattoos were seen as marginalising and were often used to mark slaves or stigmatise wrongdoers, as was the case with Colbert's Code noir (black code) in France, which marked criminals and prostitutes.

At the beginning of the 1830s in North America, sideshows set up their caravans around the big top of travelling circuses. They were the itinerant expression of the dime museum, where fairground attractions and anatomical phenomena were exhibited: the armless and legless man, the bearded lady and the person tattooed 'from head to toe'. In these antechambers of the sensational, which often employed seasonal or itinerant tattooers, the tattooed performer moreover became a sword-swallower, an animal-tamer, a fireeater, a telepathist, a wrestler, a knifethrower.

Meanwhile Europe, which had always been fond of 'curiosities' in which the marvellous, the farce and scientific illusions merged, welcomed these artists with open arms. Thanks to these performers, the spectacle of the tattooed body entered its golden age at the start of the 20th Century.

Less willing to embrace the art, Christianity outlawed tattooing. It was prohibited in Leviticus and the New Testament, then officially repressed in 787 by the second Council of Nicaea. It was still practiced, however, by pilgrims in the Middle Ages and even today by the Copts, Armenians and Christians of the Holy Land.

But all that changed in the 1700s, when tattoos came to be seen as a mark of rebellion and free-thinking, and were adopted by bohemian society as well as members of the armed forces.

Sailors, in particular, got tattoos to mark the lands they had voyaged to: a turtle meant crossing the Equator, an anchor signified he had traversed the Atlantic, while a dragon symbolised he had travelled East.

By the end of the 19th century, tattoos had become part of mainstream society, although some still retained their original connotations. A particularly noxious part of Victorian Britain was the kidnap and forcible tattooing of women, who were then press-ganged into work as circus attractions.

Although the popularity of tattooing remained buoyant throughout the 1920s, 30s and 40s, the post-war period saw inking consigned to the wilderness once more.

Left to languish in the fashion wilderness for nearly 40 years, the tattoo next staged a comeback in the 1970s, when they were claimed by the nascent feminist movement before becoming part of the body-conscious beautifying of the 1980s and then gaining mainstream status in the 1990s.

Now, with tattooing popular once more, the Paris museum hopes that the Tatoueurs, Tatoués exhibition, which is curated by journalists Anne and Julien of the quarterly French contemporary art magazine Hey!, will prove popular.

' Tattooing is part of the common heritage of most of humanity,' say the pair. 'We wanted to do this exhibition for a long time because we feel it's important to show that tattooing has a real history and is a pure product of humanity.

'Tatoueurs, Tatoués' runs until October 18th at Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. See quaibranly.fr for more information

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5,000 years of tattoo history goes on display

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The history of the tattoo dates back more than 5,000 years to the Neolithic Age New exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris charts the progress of the inking Includes 300 photographs, tools, statues, skulls and bits of human skin covered in tattoos Once a rare sight, spotting a tattoo on a female ankle or shoulder has become an ubiquitous part of modern life.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lucie resource - history of body painting

# data[].attributes.subject
Lucie resource - history of body painting

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
designboom | architecture & design magazine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
tattoos are a type of body modification made by putting ink into the skin.

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout this afternoons lesson i will continue to finish my artist pages in my sketchbook.

# data[].attributes.body
You have shown your layout skills with your artist research page, using detailed information, and nicely rendered images, along with a mint design hew, I personally think next time you should attempt to use a wider range of materials, instead of just coloured pen. But I like the topic you have chosen hew nice one mate.

-Pug

# data[].attributes.body
Once i have completed my tattoo artist research i will begin to create artist pages in my sketch book using a range of materials to do so. This will be used a reference for my final outcome. The artist research i collect will also be the influence to my final outcome.

# data[].attributes.body
collecting research of tattoo designers these artists include David Hale, Kat Von D also collecting various art works on tattoo designers ones that had caught Courtney's eye into what she would want to achieve. these are all good idea and collections to achieve the overall goals in the finished product, this will need to be influential so others choose the design to gain popularity.

# data[].attributes.body
I will continue to finish my tattoo artist research throughout the first half of Kafui's lesson. I will use the internet for my research and collect images of the artist work as reference for my sketchbook.

# data[].attributes.body
In this afternoons session I will create a brain storm of ideas for my project. I will also begin some of the research including the styles, themes and tattoo artists of my choice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
E__Unit 7 Design Methods in Art & Design_Student Template

# data[].attributes.body
Today I will write up a rough brief outline, and complete a digital brief of my chosen topic.