Japanese Tattoos - Design Options

So you've decided that you want a Japanese tattoo. Congratulations. You've chosen a style of body art that's rich with symbolism and has links to ancient Japanese traditions. The majority of Japanese tattoos consist heavily of written symbols which can be divided into three main categories.

1) Kanji

Of the three types of Japanese tattoo symbols, Kanji is the most popular because it is so expressive and artistic. Each different Kanji symbol (of which there are reported to be more than 40,000) represents a specific idea or meaning. So by combining a number of different Kanji symbols in your tattoo design it's possible to create a stylish and unique tattoo that expresses an unlimited number of ideas and messages.

2) Hiragana

Unlike Kanji symbols, which represent various ideas or meanings, Hiragana is a style of writing that's used in everyday Japanese life. You'll find it used in media such as newspapers and magazines, so it's much more amenable to literal translation than Kanji.

In terms of design, the hiragana characters are more rounded than Kanji symbols, which is worth bearing in mind depending upon your artistic tastes. Hiragana writing is also known as cursive, so don't get confused if you hear someone speaking about a cursive tattoo.


3) Katakana

The system of Katakana is similar to Hiragana. Together they're known as Kana and were originally based on the Kanji symbols which existed more than one thousand years ago. Since than they've developed into their present form and both Hiragana and Katakana each have their own set of 46 symbols with which to form their words.

The system of Katakana symbols is used almost exclusively to represent words that are non Japanese in origin. These symbols are similar to the system of hiragana with the main difference being that words in Katakana have sharper edges and are much more angular in appearance.

And that concludes the three types of Japanese tattoo symbols that are available. However, there's no rule that says you have to choose one style and stick to it. You could have your tattoo designed so that it includes more than one of these styles. For example, you could have a sentence written using Hiragana that includes various Kanji symbols to enrich it with greater meaning.

But whatever option you select, it's important to take one additional safety precaution before you go anywhere near a tattoo studio with your design. As you can see from this brief explanation of different character types, the system of Japanese writing is extremely complicated and subtle.

So unless you want to walk around wearing a Japanese tattoo that looks like a bad practical joke, if you don't speak Japanese fluently, it's vital to get an accurate translation of your design from a Japanese language expert.

It's also a good idea to make sure that you find a tattoo artist who has experience forming the various Japanese characters and symbols.


The best way to find your perfect Japanese tattoo is to do your research and then think long and hard about it before you make your final decision.

Use the internet to look at as many different types and styles of Japanese tattoos as possible. Do some research on the culture and learn how the language operates. After that, spent time thinking about what ideas and meanings you want to express through your tattoo design.

Ultimately, the tattoos that people are most pleased with are those that have deep personal meaning or significance.

The Sexiest Female Tattoos Designs

Hey girls are you looking for some sexy tattoo design? Maybe you are looking for something but just not willing to go with the tramp stamp I mean lower back tattoo? If that describes you then don't worry there are a ton of other very sexy places to get a tattoo and you don't have to follow the crowd and do what so many other women have done before you. Cute and sexy tattoo designs for females can be created, designs and tattooed easily.

Sexiest Places To Tattoo

Well the list of course is somewhat individual as everyone has their own impression of what sexy is of course. There is the infamous tramp stamp and for a long time it was very sexy. In fact it is still sexy to some degree but unfortunately it is a little over done now. Come on we are no longer in the '90's anymore. So for sexy places to get tattoos for women are.

Back of Neck - The nape of the neck or back of the neck is thought to be a very sexy area of the women's body and in many cultures a very sensual spot. Just think of the Geisha in Japan that used to use white makeup on their face and neck. However, they would leave streaks of skin showing through the back of the neck to be provocative. This sounds a little strange to us in today's culture and with current clothing trends. However there has always been something very sexy about the back of the neck.

Upper back - Of course very closely related to the back of the neck an upper back tattoo is also very sexy. It is a great location for a tattoo as it can easily be covered up with a regular tee shirt but revealed whenever one so desires. Also it provides a pretty big canvas so the tattoo can be intricate and very beautiful.

Hips - Well do I really need to say more about this area? The hips have been thought of as very sexy places for centuries. The hips are much more modern then the lower back tattoo and it is just as sexy. You can choose to get something small on both hips or just one tattoo on one side either way you end up with a sexy tattoo design.

Ankles - A women's ankles are a very sexy part of the body also and can only accentuate a beautiful pair of shoes and feet. Ankle tattoo have been around for a long time but are still a very current trend and look very hot!

Wrist - This is a popular place to get a tattoo also. Especially for women who love to wear bracelets a wrist tattoo can be a wonderful addition. One word of warning though it can be difficult to cover up if that matter for you professionally.

Thigh - The thigh is another very sexy place. It is very easy to cover up and most of the time can be covered up with pretty average clothing sizes. Thus the secret of a thigh tattoo means there is a certain amount of intimacy before a person reveals their thigh tattoo and of course being let in on a secret like that is sexy in itself.

Side - Another very popular tattoo that can also look very sexy and is very easy to cover up when she needs to is a side tattoo. Women frequently get a saying going up their sides but you could also do a cherry blossom tree, a dragon or whatever you want that is long and rectangular.



Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Sexiest-Female-Tattoo-Designs-and-Locations&id=1874622

Female Tattoos Gallery

Normally female tattoos or feminine designed tattoos that are usually found in female tattoo gallery are becoming increasingly familiar and favored by women. This is largely due to the many celebrities who publicly sported tattoos that caused it to be more socially acceptable.

This female tattoo gallery has tattoos that are normally smaller and more beautiful. Hot tattoos favored by women include a butterfly, a flower or a Celtic design. These tattoos that are sported by women are also milder and not aggressive-looking. They tend to have thinner lines.

Today, women are slowly going for larger tattoos. Stars, hearts, roses and tribal tattoo designs on the lower back are becoming hot and gradually being asked for by females. Thus, a female tattoo gallery will have these designs as they are becoming more and more experimental in these new designs.

There are reports from many tattooists and female tattoo gallery that when musicians and artists get their tattoos, there is usually a particular popular placement on the body. They like to get the designs done on their lower back and stomach which suggest that most women want their tattoos to be obscure and the placement will show it to be a sexier place.

Highly recommended places by many female tattoo gallery is the lower back and the ankle as they are more popular.

Lower back tattoos are very sexy and hot for women as it seldom shows, but can be flaunted when the woman bends over. This sudden glimpse of a lower back tattoo on a woman will get you the tantalizing feeling that you're seeing something you shouldn't.

Many female tattoo gallery usually shows small ankle tattoos. Other tattoo location can be the shoulders; usually the left shoulder is considered the more feminine side. Shoulder tattoos can also be great when you're wearing a tank top or halter top in the summer.

Eventually when these tattoos come into concern, it's what makes you feel good that matters. It's going to last for quite some time so you may want to choose a really good design in the female tattoo gallery.

Nowadays, you can really get many good tattoo designs and customized pieces that tattoo artists can do. So don't be tempted to get those tattoos designs that will date really fast and end up looking sloppy.

Usually female tattoos in any female tattoo gallery are very sexy and hot. Just do a search for "female tattoos" on the internet and you can get more ideas regarding these tattoo designs.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Female-Tattoo-Gallery---Hot-Tattoos-Especially-For-Women&id=655664

New ink promises easy tattoos removal

You once adored Janie, but Laura is your honey now. That dragon circling your arm wowed your college buddies, but the executives in the office aren't nearly as impressed.

Just as the number of Americans sporting tattoos has soared in the past decade, so has membership in another group: people who want their bodywork removed. Only then do they come to know the truth -- that laser tattoo removal is painful, expensive and may not do the job completely.

Soon there may be a solution to the phenomenon of tattoo regret -- removable tattoo ink. A company founded by doctors says it will begin selling such ink early next year. The ink is applied just as with any tattoo, and will remain in place as long as desired. But if the owner later decides that the artwork has to go, it can be removed fully and safely with a single laser treatment.

The founders of the New York company making the removable ink, Freedom-2 LLC, say their goal is to help those who have come to regret permanently decorating their bodies. But backers say the technology will not only simplify tattoo removal, it will create an expanded market for body art -- since consumers can be now assured that the tattoo will come off easily and without exorbitant cost.

"I think it will open a floodgate for people who want tattoos," says Dr. Bruce Saal, a Los Gatos dermatologist who specializes in laser tattoo removal and has invested in the company. "People will say, 'I want to do something a little wild. Now that I know it's not a lifelong commitment, I'll do it.' "

But others wonder if tattoo artists and their customers will spurn the new ink if it doesn't meet their artistic needs.

Almost one-quarter of U.S. adults have at least one tattoo, according to a study of 500 Americans published September in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Of those, 17 percent were considering removal, the survey found.

Many doctors who perform laser tattoo removal, however, say that as many as half of all people with tattoos eventually want them off.

"A very high majority of people would desire to have them removed if there was a simple and easy way," Saal said.

Most conventional tattoos can be removed, but even a simple, small, one-color tattoo can require several laser treatments at a cost of around $1,000. Removals of large, multicolored tattoos can require more than a dozen laser treatments and cost $5,000 or more. And no, laser tattoo removal is not covered by medical insurance.

Multiple treatments are needed to avoid skin damage from the laser. During conventional tattoo removal, brief pulses of energy are aimed at the tattoo, heating skin cells and breaking up the ink particles. Then the body's natural ability to remove foreign particles clears away the ink fragments. The top layer of skin, however, often bleeds slightly and forms scabs. Because of the inflammation produced by the laser, only a small area of skin can be treated at one time.

There are other complications, too. Doctors often don't know which type of ink was used, at what depth the ink was applied and other factors that could help make removal easier, Saal said. (He is a member of Freedom-2's scientific advisory board.) Scarring can occur if multiple treatments are needed, and some tattoos can't be completely removed.

Some people who have gotten tattoos in recent years may have assumed that laser tattoo removal would deftly deal with any regrets, says Dr. Tina Alster, director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington and who is not associated with Freedom-2.

But, she adds, they are often stunned to learn of the cost and time involved. "They thought it would be as easy to take off as to put on -- in just one session," she said. "But now with this new dye and polymer, we will be able to remove it in one session."

Freedom-2's ink is removable because it is encapsulated in tiny beads made of polymethylmethacrylate, a synthetic material commonly used in surgical glue and in many types of artificial joints. The fact that the ink is encased in the tiny spheres doesn't affect the application of the tattoo or its appearance, says Martin Schmieg, chief executive of Freedom-2.

"Our inks look and feel and give a result equal to the current tattoos," he says.

Because of the way the beads are constructed, they fall apart when laser energy is applied, Schmieg said. Unpublished tests on humans and animals show that only one laser treatment is typically needed to fully remove a Freedom-2 tattoo and that most Q-switched lasers that doctors use for tattoo removal can be used for the job. A one-time laser treatment to remove a tattoo should cost less than $1,000, Schmieg predicts.

The new ink will be slightly more expensive than conventional ink but will likely add only about $50 to the cost of most tattoos, Schmieg says, because most of the cost related to tattooing is for the artist's time and talent.

The company will sell only black ink initially but will eventually add other colors. It is also developing a "time-limited tattoo," which will consist of ink in biodegradable polymer beads that dissolve and fade over time.

But tattoo artists may prove lukewarm to the idea of removable artwork. According to Dr. Stuart Kaplan, a dermatologist in Beverly Hills who does laser tattoo removal and isn't associated with Freedom-2, tattoo artists are picky about the colors of their inks. They care about whether they blend well and are durable. An inferior or expensive ink won't fly.

Tattoo artists are also unlikely to be swayed by the convenient removal factor because as a rule, they don't think about tattoo removal, says Sailor Bill Johnson, executive director of the Orlando, Fla.-based Alliance of Professional Tattooists.

"That's not our concern," he says. "If someone comes into my tattoo studio and says, 'I may want to remove it later,' we'd just try to talk them out of getting one."

Johnson says part of the experience of tattooing is the commitment. When someone has "Sophia Forever" inked on his biceps, the sentiment is that Sophia is permanent, just like the tattoo. Besides, says Johnson, "You make that decision in your life that you are going to put this artwork on your body. It's a statement that you don't worry about what other people think of you."

Johnson says he won't use the ink. "To me, it's a negative to the profession."

But Chris Winn, a San Diego tattoo artist, says he was instantly intrigued when he heard about the ink at a tattoo convention.

"I think it will be interesting to see the different ways this can bring in clients," he said. "I think it will bring in a group of people who love tattoos but are afraid to get them."

Source : http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/24/MNGLLN35S21.DTL

Unique Tattoo Design

One of the biggest mistakes which people often make, and then regret later, is to choose a tattoo design, simply because it looks nice on other people, because a celebrity was spotted wearing a similar design, or it looks nice in the flash portfolio.

Before making your unique tattoo design, how in the first place do you approach on your perfect tattoo? Before scanning through hundreds of websites, magazine pages of tattoo publications and through the tattoo parlor catalogues, do some internal soul searching to find out what you want. To guide your thought process, the following could help:

# Your essential beliefs:
zodiac signs, quotes, religious phrases, tribal art, modern art, mythological characters, memories of a person or place, etc.

# Purpose of tattooing:
Why do you want to sport a tattoo? Again, reasons for tattooing can help you decide on what type of uniqueness you want.

# Limitations in future:
Think of any limitation to your tattoo exposure in future. Would your place of work allow a visible tattoo?



# Significance of the tattoo design:
Every tattoo has a meaning and significance. Choose a design, whose meanings appeal to you personally.




Whatever results emanate from your soul searching, it can add a lot of value when you decide to sit down with your tattoo artist to make your tattoo unique. You could also pick up one of your favorite designs from the artists’ catalogue and add you own twist or draw your own design! The tattoo artist should be able to expand on it and come up with unique piece of tattoo art.

Needless to mention, there are thousands of design concepts to explore.