photo by Flickr user Jayel Aheram

Some of the most stunning tattoos are those that are created in the classic Japanese style. Bold colors combine with rich symbolism and beautiful imagery to create a masterful work of art that wears well and signifies traditional meaning in addition to the personal meaning that the wearer associates with it. One the most well known of these traditional Japanese designs is the koi fish tattoo.

The koi fish, or carp, as it is translated in English actually originated in ancient China. The koi are said to climb waterfalls with ease grace, and should they be caught in a fisherman’s net they will supposedly lie on the cutting board without so much as a quiver, so profound is their bravery, facing death with the honor of a Samurai.

Legend tells of a magical place on the Yellow River, known as Dragon’s Point. It is said that any koi that managed to navigate upstream, facing many perilous obstacles to cross over the mystical gateway would be transformed into a great dragon. Because the mythic struggles faced by the koi were rewarded with the great honor of becoming dragons, the Chinese have long associated koi with worldly aspirations, good fortune and great wealth.

The Japanese have a slightly different take on the koi. They do not associate koiwith fortune and luck as much as they do with masculinity and strength. After all, it took great fortitude and perseverance for the koi to traverse the river to arrive at their destination. Whereas the Chinese focus more upon the end result, or that achievement of becoming something greater, the Japanese focus on the determination, power and ability to overcome adversity, the means to the end, rather than the end itself.

photo by Flickr user wahig

Westerners, being more independent and singular, have adapted the Japanese koi to be symbolic overcoming struggle and liberating oneself from challenges and adversity in the interest of self actualization. In America, we value individuality and independence much more than our Eastern counterparts do.

A well done Japanese koi tattoo is a beautiful and meaningful addition to one’s body art. The colors range from white and red to deep orange and brown, with quite a bit of black in the details of the scales. Contrasted with the blue ocean waves that symbolize the river of life that we all must navigate on our journey, the traditional intensity flourishes within the design. A well done koi tattoo packs a powerhouse of color and meaning into a beautiful and authentic image. Who could ask for more than that?

photo by Flickr user wolf94114

The back is undoubtedly the largest canvas for a tattoo on the body, capable of showcasing a wide range of tattoo sizes, whether you start small on a shoulder blade, go medium across the upper or lower back or have a custom designed full back piece planned. If you have any interest at all in incorporating a large tattoo on your back, then it might be a good idea to keep the space open until you decide what your back piece will be.

Merging smaller tattoos within a new back piece is possible, but the color quality may be different, due to age of the original tattoo and the inks used. Also, the initial tattoo may not be compatible, design wise, with a chosen back piece design. For the sake of continuity, save your back for a back piece if you think there is any chance that you may ever want one.

photo by Flickr user skalas2

People have different pain thresholds, and what may be excruciating for one person is tolerable for another. People often say that when the needle hits the bone, such as directly on top of the shoulder blades or the spinal column, the pain is more intense. Of course, the larger the tattoo that you are having done, the more irritated and raw the area is going to be, hence the greater the pain.

Opting for a larger tattoo may require you to plan for more than one sitting, having the outline done first and then once that is healed going back for the coloring and shading. If your intention is a full back piece, you may as well assume at least a half dozen or more sittings may be necessary before the tattoo is completed. Since the space on the back is so large, it really is the perfect location for a well designed, intensely detailed tattoo, a show piece of talent and beauty, whatever the content of the images you have chosen.

photo by Flickr user sky mitch

The amount of skin available for tattooing is considerable. There are plenty of body parts to choose from and people have tattooed them all. While it is becoming more common to see people with tattoos on their heads, many people still take issue with them. There are a couple of things to consider if your intention is to have your head tattooed, as the head seems to be one of the hot spots of debate amongst tattoo artists.

Some ‘old school’ tattoo artists, who’ve been in the business twenty years or more and have basically seen it all, refuse to tattoo a head, simply because the head replenishes it’s skin cells more often than other parts of the body (think dandruff) and the tattoo doesn’t wear as well over time. Other artists will tattoo a persons head if they have quite a few tattoos already and they understand exactly what they are getting into. Still other tattoo artists will tattoo you wherever you want, since it is your body and you are the one that has to live with it.

Having your head tattooed requires you to continue shaving the scalp in order for your tattoo to be visible, unless you are already bald. The plus side is that if your tattoo does fare poorly over time, you can grow your hair back out over the tattoo without any difficulty. My first tattoo was actually done on my head, by an artist that probably should have known better than to tattoo a 20 year old girl directly below the hair line as her first tattoo. He did, in his defense, advise against it, but I was full of confidence in my decision (and full of other things, too…) and very persistent, and seeing my fierce determination, he relented. At that young age, I never once though about the possibility of my hair thinning as I got older. I should have.

photo by Flickr user rubybgold

When it comes to pain, the head can go either way. Since the skin is directly over the bony skull, rather than muscle, it can be easier to deal with, but there are millions of nerve endings on the head, making it a very sensitive area for many people, especially right around the temples and just above the nape of the neck.

Tattoos on the head will heal without incident, but you want to refrain from shaving your head until the tattoo is completely healed, at least four weeks or so. Sunlight is a tattoos mortal enemy, so if you want to show off your tattooed head, no matter if it is a sunny day or a gloomy one, at least put sunscreen on it.

Individuality is important when it comes to tattoos. Though my hair has grown out and the tattoos on my head are no longer visible without some knowledge of them being there, I still appreciate where I was in life when I had them done. If I had to make the decision to have my head tattoos be magically absent or to have to go through the entire process again, I’d do it again. The only thing that I would change would be the time and effort that I put into considering who the artist would be. If you are going to get tattooed, no matter where on your body you intend to put it, do your research, and choose an artist that is worthy of marking you for life, rather than whomever just happens to be in the local tattoo shop on that given day. Years down the road, you’ll be glad you did.

It’s a common exchange played out hundreds, even thousands of times per day. Someone compliments another persons tattoo, and then expresses their desire or plans for a tattoo as well. Invariably, the one with the ink will say something along the lines of “Once you get one, you’ll want another. Tattoos are addictive!” What makes so many people say such a thing, and why is it that so many people that have gotten one tattoo will turn right around and immediately plan for their next one?

photo by Flickr user illryion

We live in a world that is full of addictions, some of which we don’t even realize that we have. While some of these addictions can be harmful and even deadly, not all of them are bad. Think about the fluttering in your stomach that happens when you are about to meet up with a new lover. Excitement, nervousness and desire course throughout your body in anticipation of seeing them again. It’s what fuels the relationship, in the beginning at least. It’s quite a physical addiction, and very powerful. It changes lives.

Our bodies are amazing machines, capable of producing billions of different chemical combinations. Endorphins are one such substance. These narcotic-like chemicals are produced by the pituitary gland and function as stress relievers and pain killers. Like opiates, they affect our level of happiness, changing our mood, bringing contentment and a positive attitude. So what triggers these endorphins? Strenuous exercise has been found to kick the endorphins into overdrive, as do pain and excitement.

Getting tattooed is exciting and it is painful. Both of these triggers can jump start the production of endorphins in your brain before the tattoo machine is even turned on. The actual risk of danger in getting a tattoo is very low. The equipment used is brand new, sterilized and sealed for your protection. Even so, having someone hunched over you who is most likely covered from head to toe in tattoos themselves and who is repeatedly puncturing your skin with needles containing ink that will be on your skin forever can be slightly intimidating, at least the first time. It is most likely the fear and excitement of the unknown that triggers the endorphins during your first tattoo, along with the pain of the experience. But whatever it is, those natural narcotics kick in and by the time your tattoo is done, you feel joyful and amazing. Perhaps it’s because you just got a great tattoo. Perhaps it’s because your body is reeling with endorphins. Perhaps it’s both.

photo by Flickr user ste3ve

The feeling may not last forever, but the artwork does. Once you get a taste of living with some truly incredible artwork on your body, you realize quite quickly that you have already broken the seal, so to speak. You’re now a person with tattoos, so you may as well get another one. You’ve crossed some kind of invisible line, and there is no going back.

Remembering the excitement of getting your tattoo and the sensation of it, painful yet somehow comforting, combined with the appreciation that you have of the art form and your growing love for the pictures that grace your own skin, you’re very likely to end up right back in the same chair a few months down the road, adding to your collection. If tattoos are addictive, then let it be so, for the world needs the artful displays of living, breathing canvases adding interest, color and whimsy to our societal landscape.

photo by Flickr user ragz1138

The imagery of a skull tattoo can be regarded as beautiful, disturbing, angry, rebellious or even devotional. Throughout the ages, the image of the human skull has typically represented danger and the dark, hidden elements of our fragile human life. The empty gaze sees nothing, revealing the common thread that has us woven into the one inescapable journey that we will all eventually take.

The shape and structure of the human skull is immediately recognizable, evoking a sense of humility and power; a knowingness that death is a fate that we all share. Gazing into it’s dark, hollow eye sockets, we are humbled by the realization that we, too, are fleeting. For this reason, skulls have been seen as symbolic of death even though we each walk through our entire lives with our own skulls functioning as the core of our expressive and animated faces. They are the foundation of every smile, every spoken word. To fear the skull is to deny your life, for without it, what would you be?

Perhaps this strange duality is one of the reasons why skull designs are some of the most popular tattoos chosen. Grim reapers are often seen as somewhat demonic and more macabre, leaning towards the understanding that we all will die and garnering an acceptance of that simple truth. But skulls can also be representative of the end of a relationship, or of a phase of one’s life that has come to fruition.

photo by Flickr user miss birdnest hair

Though skull tattoos can be symbolic of endings, specifically the ending of life, they certainly are not limited in the way that they are viewed. They can also represent the new beginning that comes with the casting off of ones physical constraints. Calaveras, as they are called in Mexico, are revered and used as memorials to those who have been loved and lost. Whimsical skulls are created out of sugar and decorated with bright colors and designs. These ’sugar skulls’ are then offered with song and joyfulness to relatives and friends who have made the transition out of earthly life and into the realm of the spirit.

Skull tattoos have taken root in every tattoo style. You will find them in color, in black and gray, simple or complex, with expressions that are as varied as the human emotions themselves. Whether they represent one’s affinity for the darker side of life or have been chosen in honor of someone who has left their physical body but remains firmly embedded in the heart and memories of the wearer, the skull design brings us face to bony face with our own mortality and gives us pause to reflect upon how we are choosing to spend our brief time while we are here.

photo by Flickr user Ink Nerd

The process of choosing a tattoo design will be different for everyone. Movies and television have given us scenarios of intoxicated people comically stumbling into a tattoo parlor on a whim or a dare, often ending in some cartoon character being forever colored into their skin. Bear in mind that if you are obviously drunk, no self respecting tattoo artist will tattoo you. They know, as should you, that the decision to get tattooed lasts a lifetime, and they certainly do not want to be blamed for you waking up the next day with a hangover and a scab forming on your new tattoo of tweety bird holding a machine gun.

Put some effort and thought into what you want. Give it a little time. Getting a tattoo on the spur of moment just to have the experience rarely results in anything truly meaningful, unless you are going through tremendous life changes and want to commemorate them forever. Start picking your design by looking at pictures that strike a chord within you.

photo by Flickr user moroccanmary

Flash art is a great way to begin to get ideas for what kind of image you want to have to represent this part of your life. Artists generally provide several notebooks of flash art, including various animals, symbols, fairies, dragons and skulls. Looking at these images, you will begin to get a sense of what it is that excites you, and when beginning with a flash drawing, you can always customize your chosen image with add on’s and color changes. Talk to your tattoo artist about what it is you like about the flash and what you would like to add. This will insure that no one else is walking around with your tattoo.

Perhaps the most meaningful designs are those that the individual comes up with on their own. Tattoo artists usually love the challenge of bringing a clients vision to life, first on paper and then on skin. Many tattoo artists say that, by far, custom work is the most satisfying, and they often put much more focus into the design elements to really make the design pop.

photo by Flickr user phillipe leroyer

Begin creating your design by looking at your life. What has meaning in your life right now? Is it a person, a situation, or a feeling? Put a picture to it. It could be a combination of pictures. Play around with ideas without making any one of them wrong. There is nothing permanent about this process. Try to allow each aspect of your design to have meaning for you. This forms a personal bond between the images and a vision of your life that you want to represent, and creates a tremendously personal experience between art and wearer.

Of course, not everyone wants a completely unique design. Some people just really like the way that classic tattoos look, and they want to replicate that look on themselves. For example, swallow tattoos and Japanese koi fish have a look about them that many people adore. They, too, can be customized to the wearer. At the very least, find meaning that holds true within the scope of the design that you choose, even if you don’t come up with it yourself.

Identifying with your tattoos comes naturally when you have chosen imagery that you love, or have strong emotional reasons for the imagery that you chose. Tattoos do not define us, as some might want to believe, because we are far more than the pictures that we put upon our skin. But tattoos can certainly introduce other people to our intensity, our pride, our love, our personal battles, our strength, our sense of humor and our spiritual nature without us ever having to say a word.