Yakuza tattoos are a source of fascination for many tattoo lovers. The high level of secrecy surrounding the tattoos, combined with the painful method of “hand-poking” the designs and the association with the Japanese underworld gives yakuza tattoo art a mysterious appeal. The History of Japanese Yakuza Gang Tattoos The history of the yakuza [...]
National Geographic takes a look at the link between the historical tradition of tattooing prisoners in Japan and the full body tattoo suits worn by members of the modern Yakuza gangs.
Shawn Will is a tattoo artist from Houston, Texas who works at Red Dagger Tattoo Studio. In this speed tattoo video, Shawn Will inks a guy’s calf with a skull surrounded by art supplies. In the tattoo design, the tattoo artist has creatively used the skull’s cheek bone as a pencil holder. This is a [...]
This video shows tattoo artist Kuba Krzemiński at Crazy Fresh Tattoo studio in Stockholm, Sweden. Using time lapse photography, Kuba shows off his tattooing skills, taking the viewer on a body art journey from drawing the design to completing the tattoo. The tattoo artist uses three colors of tattoo ink; black, white and a caucasian flesh [...]
Iron Man is a Marvel comics character that first appeared in the comic Tales of Suspense #39 in 1963. This iron-clad superhero has been celebrated for decades, inspiring a wide variety of fan art such as Iron Man tattoo designs. Iron Man Tattoos Symbolize Strength The story centers around Tony Stark, a billionaire genius who is [...]
Car tattoos are a recent tattoo design choice, as cars have only been around for little over a century. Whether car tattoos are of classic, vintage automobiles or sleek and modern racing cars, the symbolism remains the same; the tattoo owner is expressing his love for cars, speed and the joy of driving. Vintage Car [...]
Mandalas are sacred circle designs that are used in religious and cultural ceremonies. They are often used in meditation rooms, prayer rooms and churches as a symbol of spiritual calm and eternal love. Mandalas can be used as colorful tattoo designs to express a spiritual, balanced attitude towards life. The Art of Mandala Tattoos Mandala [...]
Star tattoos are often chosen by those going for their first tattoo. The appeal is that star designs can be small, decorative and have positive meanings attached to them. A single star tattoo can be added to over time to create a scattering of stars across the skin, similar to the Milky Way. Star Tattoos [...]
Pin-up girl tattoos, aka pin-up tattoos are tattoo designs that use a sexy girl or women as the subject of the tattoo design. Pin-up tattoos are considered to be “old school” – that is, a classic American tattoo style that was popular before and during the Second World War. Oo-la-la! Ladies in Ink Pin-up girl [...]
Wings are a popular tattoo design for placing across the shoulders and upper back. The wings can resemble those of insects, birds, dragons, demons and angels. The meaning of the wings tattoo depends on what creatures the wings come from, the color and pattern of the wings and whether there are other symbols or objects [...]