The Greeks are said to have formed the zodiac tattoo designs and signs nearly two thousand years ago and very little changes have taken place since then. This has inspired many artists to draw the zodiac signs in different manners keeping to the main theme and this has evolved with time. This means that you have innumerable choices before you if you are planning to ink a zodiac tattoo.

Western Zodiac Signs: The twelve signs of the Roman/Greek zodiac wheel are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. The symbols of these signs are used as zodiac tattoo designs and not only people belonging to a specific zodiac sign, but other people also ink in these designs for its representation of personality. Some may feel a little inhibited to ink signs like a crab which represents Cancer. If that is the case you could go in for the glyph of the symbol. For example if you are an Aquarius and you do not want an elaborate design such as the water carrier, you can just draw the glyph which is two wavy lines that run parallel to each other. Similarly if you are an Aries and you do not want the symbol ram you can go in for the glyph which is an extended “V” which represents the horn of the ram.  This option can be adopted by people who want to go in for smaller tattoos too.

Chinese Zodiac signs: The Chinese zodiac sign is defined by the year you are born. That is to say that there are twelve animals, each designated to a year and follows a twelve year circle. They are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Lamb, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. According to Chinese beliefs the animal designated to the year you are born has an influence on your character and personality. So, if you are an animal lover, you could go in for the animal that represents your Chinese zodiac sign.

Japanese Zodiac Signs: The Japanese zodiac signs are similar to those of the Chinese and follow the same patterns except for the change in language. This means that the animals are expressed in Kanji and this may cause slight changes in representation. Hence you need to take care to see that the Zodiac tattoo design and the Kanji lettering match each other. For example a bull could become a cow in Japanese signs and this would make a change in the symbol too.

Tattoos were considered taboo by the Hindus just like many other major religions. Today, times have changed enough for people to accept the body art for its fashion statement or symbolism. Sanskrit is no more a spoken language and the ordinary Hindu or a Buddhist will not recognize a wrist Sanskrit tattoo design with Sanskrit alphabets from any other lettering.

Why are tattoos more accepted today as against the olden days? Well probably the answer lies in technological advancement, more exposure to cultures and practices across the world, a slightly more open mindedness to accepting tattoos just as anyone would accept piercing holes in the ears or nose to adorn jewelry. In the olden days, tattoos were done by unprofessional people in an unprofessional manner and with unsterilized needles. We do not know how many people must have suffered skin infections or some disease due to infected needles. Perhaps all this led to people being scared of tattooing and it became a taboo.

However in this modern age we have highly professional artists, with sterile parlors and equipments who do a good job of tattooing. People go for tattooing as if they are going for a hair trimming. The internet clearly provides you all info about tattoo art and how safe it is and how it is done and the fear of the unknown has disappeared. With most people having access to the internet tattooing is now no more a taboo. So you can now choose any tattoo you want, be it wrist Sanskrit tattoo designs or Chinese lettering or Japanese design or tribal designs.

Sanskrit lettering Tattoos are best inked on the wrists. The word “Om” in Sanskrit is said to represent the all-powerful. The sound “Om” is used for “pranayama” or deep breathing exercise which helps increased blood flow in your entire body. Sanskrit language looks best written in thin lettering letter rather than using bold and thick lines. Hence you can search for a good saying in Sanskrit and ink it around your wrist like a bracelet.  An example could be a Sanskrit saying “Sathyameva Jayathe” which translated means “truth alone wins”.

A pink lotus which is called “Padma” in Sanskrit and represents purity, spirituality and will power to face all turmoils is a good wrist Sanskrit tattoo design, just like a lotus whose roots are in dirty and filthy water and the flower blooms on the surface untouched by the filth.

Fascinating Origin of Tribal Tattoo Designs…

Tattoos have become the expression of an individual’s ideologies, his personality or representation of a value or a social message. For many people it is also a statement of fashion, a decorative body art that enhances their personality.

To cater to this kind of a varied clientele tattoo artists create innumerable designs of different types, colors and shapes and these keep changing overnight just as the clients change. However, this kind of jet speed changes does not affect the popularity of the old and classic designs like tribal tattoo designs. These designs have a timelessness about them which makes them popular even to the people of this day and age even though the tribes that created these tattoos may or may not exist anymore. People of this generation choose a tribal design mostly for their fascinating effect and not really knowing the origin of the tattoo design nor its value or why it was worn by those tribesmen.

A brief and fascination history of tattoo origin: In ancient days all tribesmen wore tattoos on their body. Each and every tribe had their own unique designs which they could identify. For example if a tribal were to enter the territory of another tribe, they would at once recognize him as belonging to another tribe with his tattoo designs. This would help them to be on guard until they discover the reason for his arrival.

While some of the tattoo designs would be a decorative display on their skin, most of the other tattoos would have relevance or a specific significance. For example the chief of a tribe would have more tattoos on him and they would be unique. Similarly the tribal tattoo designs also connoted their virility, strength and courage. Any courageous action on the part of a tribesman earned him an extra tattoo to show off. Warriors would have tattoos inked on them every time they won a war. So, this meant that the more tattoos they had, more wars they have won proving their physical strength and bravery.

Some of the designs were inked to keep evil spirits away and some tattoos were believed to protect them from what were considered as serious disease and long ailments. Some of the tattoos were a part of enhancing personality. Maori tattoos, Samoan tattoos, Celtic tattoos, Native American tattoos, Philippine tattoos and Borneo tattoos are tribal tattoos to name just a few. Tattoos were also inked on women by many tribes and this was usually done as a ritualistic action. Sometimes the tattoo inking on women depicted their coming of age.

With so much history, it is no wonder that people of today hanker after tribal tattoo designs. The only thing to make sure is that you know the proper history of these tattoos so that you do not make a mistake in choosing what you want, what you want to convey and what suits your personality best.

Do you know the reason why tribal flower tattoos are so famous? The tattoos on men were usually to show off their power, vitality and their status in that particular tribe. Each time a person would win a hunt or a war or achieved something in the eyes of the people belonging to that tribe a special tattoo would be inked to proclaim his achievements. Hence, more the tattoos, the higher his status.  Some tribes believed that the tattoos protected them from evil spirits and some felt that they could cure certain diseases. Tribal people were also worshipers of Mother Nature and the five elements.  Plants, leaves and flowers were used by tribes for medicinal purposes, for religious rites and for decoration. Perhaps that is the reason why tribal flower tattoos are so popular.

This kind of ancient cultural symbolism, deep rooted meaning and its decorative value has made flower tattoos very much in vogue amongst tattoo lovers. Each and every flower that grows on the earth has a beauty of its own, an exclusive color and symbolic value. Fashions change, trends come and go, designs keep changing according to whims and fancies of people, but flower tattoos maintain their intrinsic value. Tribal tattoo designs come in bold dark lines accentuating body shapes and giving a feeling of depth. The vibrant colors of the flowers along with other tribal designs will make for striking tattoo designs.

Most of the tribal designs come in black or very dark brown colors along with deep red color. To these designs you can add the flower of your choice. If you are very respectful of a certain tribe, then you could perhaps read a little about that tribe and what were the flowers used by them. Then, you select a flower from that to portray your personality or represent your feeling of oneness with that tribe. Tribal flower tattoos look very elegant on the arms or at the back.

Some of the more popular flowers used by the tribes are hibiscus, lily, rose, daisy, lotus, jasmine etc. You can check out some designs on the net, magazines or at tattoo parlors or get a professional tattoo artist to help you out. Artists are quite good at extending a flower design into a tribal tattoo design that makes it more mysterious and enticing and unique. Just make sure of the meaning you want to convey, identify a good artist and also make sure that you do not do any misrepresentation of a tribal design. Decide on the size of the tattoo you would prefer and the placement area before you go to an artist to get your tribal flower tattoo inked.

Tribal Lettering Tattoo: Tribal lettering are really ancient, unique and eye catching. There are many fonts available that will suit tribal lettering like old school lettering styles, Celtic calligraphy, Gothic style of lettering or the indentation style of lettering. Just choose the saying you want to ink and match it to one of the tribal lettering styles and you will have a classic antique style tattoo that will make people stop and read and admire your tattoo.

Calligraphy Tattoo Lettering: Calligraphy is a beautiful method of blending thick and thin lines in you writing strokes. The strokes are long and curved with alternating thick and thin strokes and words are written without breaks in the alphabets. The calligraphic style of writing can be incorporated in any script of your choice and they will look attractive.

Arabic Lettering Tattoo: Yet another script that has style, splendor and uniqueness is the Arabic script. A great specialty about this script is that it is written from right to left and there are more than eighteen shapes in Arabic letters. Arabic tattoo lettering is a great favorite among celebrities and this has made the modern youth follow the path trodden by their heroes.

Hebrew Script: One of the oldest languages in the world, the Hebrew script is rather unusual and stylish. Celebrities such as Posh Spice and her husband David Becham, Madonna, Christina Aguilera and many others have chosen to wear Hebrew script tattoos to show their exclusiveness.

Chinese Lettering: Hieroglyphs are Chinese inscriptions that use pictorial representations to communicate. They are quite mysterious in character, are loaded with meaning and have been popular for a long time. Chinese lettering tattoos have always conveyed very deep symbolic values with small words and are a great favorite among tattoo lovers.

Japanese lettering: Usually called the Kanji lettering, these tattoos are like the Chinese lettering tattoos. Full of meaning they are sometimes known to have dual messages. Kanji letters are striking and another hot favorite with tattoo enthusiasts. Similarly there are many ancient scripts and other written or graphic styles of communication that can be used for tattoo lettering like Sanskrit script, Greek lettering etc.

1. Flower tattoos: This is the best option for young girls and it can be placed anywhere depending on what you want to convey. For example: for a sexy look – lower back or just above your buttocks. For a naughty look – around your belly button. For a girlish look – around your ankle. Roses are a top choice for flower tattoos.

2. Tribal Tattoos: On the lower back or like an arm band tribal tattoos would look good and do not bother about anyone commenting “tramp stamp”. There is no such thing when you carry your tattoo with attitude. It is your body and your wish and most normal people have better things to do than comment on tattoos. You can also combine the tribal tattoos with flowers of your choice. Usually more common amongst men it has now become very popular with women too.

3. Butterfly tattoos: Gentle beautiful creatures they spread warmth wherever they fly. Butterflies are symbolic of love and procreation and a natural selection for tattoos especially for women who revel in motherhood. You can use multiple or striking contrast colors for your butterfly tattoo design for girls.

4. Star Tattoos: Yet another popular tattoo design is the star. You could ink a five pointed star, six pointed star, nautical star or shooting star or you could even represent the galaxy with tiny stars interspersed with one or two larger stars. The inside of the wrist, on the hip or foot, at the side of the waist etc. are good locations for a star tattoo. For a lighter effect you can just have the outline of your choice star.

5. Foot tattoos: A little painful while inking because it is a non-fleshy area, foot tattoos nevertheless look elegant and attractive. It is also easily covered if required. Similarly, it also lends itself to be extended upward to the calves if you want to make it elaborate. Flower tattoos, butterfly tattoos, star tattoos etc. look great with stilettos and flip flops.

6. Hip tattoos: Great when girls wear a bikini, it gives them an ultra-sexy and inviting look. Hip tattoos are placed in such a way to attract attention to the pubic area and flowers, butterflies are the usual choice.

7.  Wrist tattoos: The wrist is a small area and hence naturally the tattoo design for girls is also small. Star, names or some significant symbol are great choices for girl tattoos. Butterflies, flowers like a single rose too would look good.

Tattooing has become very popular among women of today and there are so many stylish tattoo designs, that you will find it quite a task to choose the right one. Let me suggest a few tattoo designs types that women may like.

Flower tattoos: There are many flower tattoos to choose from like, rose, lilies, petunias, hibiscus, orchids, lotus, sun flower and so on. However the rose is the most popular and without doubt the most stylish. The rose can be tattooed anywhere on the body and the side of the ankle and on top of the foot are the current favorite locations.

Celestial tattoos: The sun, moon and the stars have always fascinated the human beings and tattoos of these celestial beings have a magical quality. They are not only decorative and attractive but also symbolic. A crescent moon and a half sun are attractive lower back tattoos and a number of stars can depict a woman’s favorite number or the number of children she has.

Name tattoo designs: Though popular, name tattoos have contradictory feed back.  There are some who swear by it and say that they love it and will always have it. And there are those who regretted the decision of inking name tattoos. So, make sure the name that you are inking is something you will always want to have and cherish. The favorite and most stylish tattoos are names of children or of someone very dear who has passed away. Inking names of partners are a bit dicey though. We never know what will happen in the future and I am sure another partner does not want to see the name of a former partner.

Portraits: Along with names you can also combine the portrait of that person to give the tattoo more emphasis. There are many tattoo artists specializing on this kind of tattoos. However, all the rules that apply to name tattoos apply to portraits too; so tread this path very carefully.

Tribal Bands: Tribal band tattoos are always cool and nice to have. Women can have it as a lower back tattoo or an amulet type or anklet style. You can also combine it with flowers or butterflies to make it more enchanting.

Butterflies: They are some of the most elegant and stylish tattoos that women can have. Butterflies are colorful, beautiful and graceful creatures and the same characteristics can be attributed to most women too. So, with so many choices out there for women tattoo, you cannot really go wrong. Just follow your hunch and select a tattoo that will suit you and enhance your personality.