Gangster Tattoos

Gangster tattoos are not infrequent to see nowadays. As you walk along the streets you can sometimes catch an image of a guy wearing this kind of a tattoo. What he’s trying to show off is his adherence to some criminal social group or the fact that he’s served a sentence in prison for some time.

These tattoos originated in Japan where criminals were tattooed after the release from the prison to differentiate them from the rest of the public. It was done with the purpose to make them feel ashamed of their past, yet nowadays these tats are done on people’s own free will; they are even a source of pride for their wearers for the right to wear such a tattoo is earned through difficult experiences of the past.

Gangster tattoos just like any groups of tats use different symbols in their designs and can vary greatly, but there’re some common symbols and patterns that are recognized immediately as gang tats. They are teardrops, spider webs or graffiti-style scripts. It is also common among ex-prisoners to tattoo the areas between their fingers with dots, each dot standing for a year spent behind the bars.

Gangster tattoos act as a means of identification and differentiation between different groupings, that’s why different gangs have their own tattoo designs that may include the symbol of the gang. But such tats not only make you a member of a gangster family but also help you show off your own way. They indicate not only devotion, but also individuality, a person’s unique way in life.

Not only ex-prisoners and criminals have their own gang tats. Such social groups as bikers, circus artists or gypsies have also made their contribution to tattoo art and use their own designs and patterns.

Gangster tattoos are worn to show a person’s toughness, strength and bravery. They don’t necessarily mean criminal intentions, that’s why they can be acceptable in society, moreover, they’ve become an integral part of tattoo art. So you don’t have to be afraid of every one wearing a gangster tattoo.

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Tattoos on Pigs: A Work of Art or Sick Artist’s Imagination?

” We make money not art”. It is a logo of Wim Delvoye - a Belgian conceptual artist, who thinks that Art doesn’t bring any practical use. That’s why he decided to create unusual works of art, and earn money by selling them. I should say that Wim has rather unconventional imagination and utalitarial perception of art and its function. Drawing tattoos on pigs - is one of his popular projects.

He has such a called “Art-Farm” in the suburbs of Beijing with a whole army of farmers, breeding pigs, and painters, drawing tattoos on pigs’ backs. Now Wim has 18 pigs on his Art Farm and 3 artists. Every pig has its own name and the works of art on their backs have the same titles.

The tattoos, which you can see on pigs’ skin reflect the heroes from Disney movies, symbols from Chinese legends and Louis Vuitton designs. Of course, he also draws his own pictures on pigs’ backs and is famous for doing it very quickly.

When a pig becomes mature, it means that time for it to be tattooed has come. To tattoo a pig it’s necessary to sedate it, shave and apply Vaseline to its skin. After the death of such an object of art, pig’s skin turnes into a real masterpiece, which can decorate your house. The dead pigs are skinned and the pictures from their backs in future will be represented on the canvas.

Those, who desire to possess such a work of art, don’t need to buy an alive pig, they can just obtain pig’s skin, which is sold at auction and evaluated rather high. The price for such original sample of modern art is nearly 150.000$. This may strike and even shock you, but there are people who buy these painted skins and feel very proud of them, hanging them on the walls in their bedrooms.

The results of Wim’s work are usually exhibited in Art Galleries. An extraordinary artist prefers to show the tattoos, using his alive art objects. The collectors choose the work of art they like most of all and buy it.
Many people think it’s a kind of violence to use pigs in this way. But Wim considers, that he saves Chinese pigs from butchers.

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DIY Tattoo Machines - Good or Evil?

DIY Tattoo Machines - Good or Evil? Many people are interested in tattoo art as well as in the process of tattooing itself. The process it not that difficult at all, it consists of the following steps: you choose a pattern, find a sketch, than mark contours of your future tattoo. After it is done, you paint it and yet it heals. Than correction goes if necessary.

It might seem very easy, but you need skills and experience to make high-quality tattoo. But not every body can afford a professional tattoo gun at the very beginning, so lots of amateur tattoo masters show a great interest in so called DIY tattoo machines that can be made from household supplies and engines from household appliances.

Using a DIT tattoo machine is, well, rather a dangerous trial-and-error approach to your creative work. While tattooing, you make an enormous number of holes in the skin. Each of these tiny wound may invite infections, including dangerous one. That’s why proper sterilization is a must. Heating a needle under a flame or cleaning it with alcohol is not enough. The needles must be sterilized in a machine called an autoclave that really kills germs.

Remember that the disregard of hygiene (in a tattoo saloon as well!) often leads to complications such as inflammation and never-healing wounds.

So if are brave enough to use a DIY tattoo machine, don’t save money at least on coloring agents (pigments). Cheap pigments are made of sot, ink and gel pastes with low light-reflective capability. That’s why the ink under your skin grows dim and a tattoo may as well blow out. The same concerns needles. Give you preference to original ones and don’t make them at home.

Tattoo professional assume that it is impossible to achieve a high-quality beautiful tattoo with a home-made gun. Especially if you are going to tattoo your own body. If you want one, you’d better go to a tattoo saloon. And if you’d like to devote your life to tattoo art, the purchasing of all the equipment will cost you large sums of money, but it will not be spent in vain, at least.

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Now You Can Draw a Henna Tattoo by Yourself: Henna Tattoo Recipes and More

Henna tattoo stems from the antique technique used by the women of Ancient Egypt, who spent hours adorning themselves. Later it became widespread across India and Central Asia and today henna tattoo enjoys wide popularity all over the world. These tattoos last about 2 weeks (even more with proper care), and gives you the chance to think whether you’d like a permanent one or not. The process itself is painless, and if you’ve got a steady hand and some patience, then it will be easy for you to create a henna tattoo. And should I mention the kids that are going to love the idea of having a temporary tattoo?

Below you will find a simple but effective guide on creating a henna tattoo.

Henna is a powder made of leaves of Lawsonia Alba, the plant indigenous to North Africa, the Middle East, and India. Its leaves that gathered from the lower part of the plant are used for hair and nail dye. Upper leaves have a more intensive dying effect, thus providing material for body painting. Henna should be stored in vacuum-sealed packages; otherwise it won’t provide a bright image. The tattoo’s color will also depend on the skin shade: the paler you are – the more reddish shade your tattoo will have.

Stage1: Preparing the skin

Henna tattoo will remain longer on the smooth skin, so do a peeling if needed, dab the area of the future tattoo with alcohol or alcohol-containing liquid and rub three drops of eucalyptus oil in.

Before you start you should make sure that you’re not allergic to henna. Simply put a few drops of the henna mixed with water on the inner side of your elbow and wait for 12 hours. If there’s no allergic reaction, then you’re ready to get a henna tattoo.

Stage 2: Preparing the dye

1. 30-40 g (1 – 1.5 oz) of pure green henna powder + 500 ml (18 oz) of hot water

2. 30-40 g (1 – 1.5 oz) of henna powder + 500 ml (18 oz) of water + 2 tbsp of ground coffee + 2 tsp of black tea. Add tea and coffee to the boiling water and boil for an hour, than pass through a sieve and mix with henna

3. 30-40 g (1 – 1.5 oz) of henna powder + 250 ml (9 oz) of water + 250 ml (9 oz) of red wine. Boil the water, add wine and mix with henna

4. 30-40 g (1 – 1.5 oz) of henna powder + 500 ml (18 oz) of water + 2 tsp of sugar + 2 tsp of lemon juice. Boil the water, add sugar and lemon juice. After the sugar has dissolved – mix with henna

5. 30-40 g (1 – 1.5 oz) of henna powder + 500 ml (18 oz) of water + 5 tbsp of clover. Boil the water, add clover, and steam on a slow fire for 20 minutes and mix with henna.

Mixing should be done slowly. Avoid lumps: if there are some – pass the mixture through a sieve. Henna paste should be a bit thick. If you want to make the color of your tat more intensive – you can add 1-2 tsp of lime juice.

Cool the mixture – and you’re ready to paint!

Of course, you can buy a cone with prepared henna, in that case - skip the stage

Stage 3: Creating your tattoo

Traditionally henna paint is applied with the help of thin wooden or metallic sticks, a paintbrush or a special syringe. If you are planning to use a ready-made henna paste, you can buy a special easy-to-use tube of henna.

You may draw the tattoo free-handedly or use some special techniques, if you’re no good at drawing. The easiest technique consists of the following steps:

1. Pick a design and copy it from the source on a sheet of parchment with a water-soluble soft-tip pen.

2. Apply some deodorant on your skin in the area where you plan to draw your tattoo (use the roll-on deodorant)

3. Adjust the sheet of the parchment with the drawn image to the skin and press for a few minutes. The deodorant will dissolve the pen’s pigment and the lines of the drawing will remain on your skin.

After you have applied the henna paste – let it dry for at least 2 hours. If you want it to be brighter and to last longer, then don’t remove the paste for 6-8 hours. Avoid watering the tattoo during the first 24-48 hours. Keep in mind that at first the tattoo will be of a light orange-brownish color, but it will get darker with time.

Fine points:

Henna tattoo stays longer on the places that are usually covered by clothes
While drying the image – try to expose it to the sunlight or keep it under infrared lamp in order to make it last longer
Henna tattoos drawn on feet or hands turn out to be the brightest
While drying your tattoo – dab it with a tissue moistened with mixture of lemon juice (2tbsp) and sugar (1 tbsp)
On the next day apply a thin layer of henna paste on your tattoo – it will make the color brighter
Rub in some almond, mustard-seed or sesame oil after removing henna paste. It will also brighten the tattoo
If you want the tattoo to stay as long as possible don’t rub or soap the image – simply rinse it with water. Also avoid excessive sweating
If you liked your henna tattoo – you can renew it by applying henna paste on it again before it has completely faded away
Henna is a strong dye, so be careful and remove stray drops and smudges at once with the help of a q-tip moistened with alcohol