Top Tattoo Designs For Men and Women in 2010 - Early Predictions I Stake My Reputation On - Part 1

Samurai Tattoos

Yup you read that title right even though it is still very early in the year it is easy to spot to top tattoo trends and what will be the hottest in tattoo designs for 2010. These trends are so hot that one cannot ignore the big spikes in searches that will produce this year's top tattoo designs for both men and women. So here is our vote or prediction for the whole 2010 and even into 2011 year in the world of tattoos.

There are so many here it is a bit hard to narrow them down as it look like the entire field or world of tattoo designs will continue to grow by leaps and bounds throughout the next two years as it has for the past 5 or so years.

Japanese Tattoos

Japanese tattoo designs are catching on big time. They have always been around and there have always been artists that specialize in creating authentic Japanese tattoo designs here in the west however, it has typically been more a fringe movement and had fewer devotees. However, this will change in fact it already has. Right now it is a micro trend of sorts with some short spikes of growth but it is going to catch on huge over the next year. This will include Japanese cherry blossom tattoos, koi fish, Geisha and Samurai as well as dragon designs. Most of these will be used on the popular locations on the body found below.

Ambigram Tattoos

Ambigrams are hard to explain if you have not seen them before. It is a very visual puzzle that just can't explain or translate well in words as funny as that might seem since they are made up of words. Ambigram tattoos are essential the art of taking two word designs and then putting together so a person can read one word when the tattoo is held upright and another word when it is flipped over. These are very popular and tie well into the whole literary and word tattoo trend as well as they work and look great on the forearm which is also a pretty popular location right now.

Literary And Word Tattoos

Of course there are so many different ways to refer to these tattoo designs there are the simple one word tattoos on the wrist that celebrities like to get. There are the foreign language tattoos and even the sayings and poem tattoos. This would also include the whole kanji, Arabic and Celtic tattoo designs. Anything that features writing or letters as the main part of the tattoo would fall into this category and it is currently one of the hottest trends and quickly growing bigger by the day.

These are some of the most popular trends right now based on what people are looking for, search engine trends and feedback from tattoo shop owners. They are provided here to give some ideas to those looking for what to get tattooed. However, it is never advisable to just jump blindly on the bandwagon because someone said it was popular. Instead find thing that you like and if it matched with one of the designs then great. These are meant to spark your own original and unique tattoo designs and ideas. These are trends that interestingly enough are equally popular with both sexes male and female.

If you are seriously considering getting one of these hot tattoo ideas then it is best to check out online the huge amount of tattoo design resources out there. They can give you more ideas and resources and even designs to get started in creating your own unique high quality tattoo.

The Most Popular Side Tattoo Ideas and Designs For Men and Women

Samurai Tattoos

Side tattoos are currently really hot. They are one of the top most requested tattoo designs by both men and women these days. They are easy to cover up when needed but also very easy to reveal when it is desired. They have never been incredibly popular before but have been in the world of tattoo designs for a long time. Thus side tattoo ideas and rib cage tattoo designs have become some of the most searched for and requested tattoos out there.

Here are some popular and cool ideas that can work well for both men and women to get your own ideas going. These of course might not be exactly what you are looking for but they will at least get your own ideas going and get some thoughts rolling through your head to help you over the creative block. You can then take the ideas you like and tweak them to fit your own unique tattoo design.

Japanese Tattoos

Of course it is hard to miss the quickly growing trend of currently hot Japanese tattoo designs. Those of us here in the west that have always loved Japanese tattooing arts are finally cheering as the rest of the tattooing world realizes and now better appreciates the beauty of traditional Japanese tattoo designs. The Japanese have been tattooing for centuries and way before the Americans and those of us in the West. They have therefore further perfected their art and the elements of design. The deep symbolism and foreign feel about these designs give them an air of mystery and a real lure for anyone casually looking through a series of Japanese tattoo designs. Not only that the themes and designs in most Japanese tattoos can work equally well for both men and women. Koi fish, Dragons and Geisha all work well for both sexes. Samurai and Angry Gods work well for men while cherry blossoms and goddess work well for women.

Literary Word Tattoos

Literary tattoos have been titled or called many different things yet they are all kind of one and the same design. Any tattoo design with a word or words right now is very hot. IT doesn't matter if you call it a saying tattoo, a word tattoo or a literary tattoo they all are basically incorporating words into the design as the prominent feature. This is relatively new in the area of tattoo designs since in the past tattoos were always graphical pictures with a few words as embellishment at most. Now the main part of the design and the embellishment of it is all a word or lettering design. It seems that literary tattoo designs work very well coming on up the side of the body. It provides a large canvass area for extensive and intricate work to be done on the font.

Old Classics In Retro Styles

Another very popular trend and series of designs for the side tattoo that is great for both men and women alike is the old classic tattoos. Things like nautical stars, pinup girls, anchors, and sail boats are the types of designs that being talked about here. Now these are not the same exactly as the ones your grandfather that was in the Navy has. Although they give a throwback to these times and tip their hats off to these early tattoo pioneers and designs. Instead they take many of the same designs, tweak and update them a bit with more detail and then add color ink to the designs that were originally done in black only. This really breathes new life into some beautiful classic tattoo designs and they are very popular among men and women alike.

5 Trendy Custom Tattoo Designs

Samurai Tattoos

Visible tattoos on your body reflect an important aspect of your personality. This is the reason that different people opt for different tattoo styles, sizes and colors. Some like big, bold tattoos that are very visible while some go for intricate designs strategically placed on their body. Though many people like to get a traditional tattoo done, there are a few hot trends that you can follow if you want to get a custom tattoo designs inked on your body.

1. One of the hottest trends in custom tattoo designs is Japanese designs. These tattoos have been around for quite a while now and have gained popularity among tattoo enthusiasts. The most crucial things in getting a Japanese design is finding an expert and skilled designer who can offer quality work for these types of custom tattoo designs. Dragons, samurais, koi fish, and Japanese (or Asian) writing, or text, for such things as love, strength, peace, and any number of other meaningful sayings are some of the most popular Japanese tattoos.

2. Another trend that is picking up quite well is the retro theme in tattoos. These include the 1940s and 1950s great American symbols and classics. Tattoo experts can suggest you some of the old-fashioned pin-up models, panthers, eagles, and other symbols as tattoos that take you back to those times. If you find the right designer to do your custom tattoo design, there is a lot of scope to represent your choice in your personal style. Check the online websites for the best deals.

3. Arabic and Celtic tattoo designs are also becoming very popular these days, especially in Hollywood. They are simplistic yet tasteful. These include one word tattoos, foreign language tattoos, or tattoos of poems or particular sayings and proverbs. Any custom tattoo design that features writing or letters as the main part is currently one of the hottest growing trends in the market. Let the simplicity of your saying define your custom design tattoo.

4. Something for the ladies. One of the fastest growing trends in custom tattoo design for the ladies are flowers. They are delicate and feminine and each flower has a history behind it that can be used to express one's feelings. Find an experienced and a knowledgeable designer to help you find the right design that expresses who you are and suits your body style the best. What's more, choosing vibrant colors and adding vines and stems can give you an incredibly feminine looking custom tattoo design. Let your imagination run wild on this one as you have a lot of options to choose from.

5. There is another popular style in custom tattoo designs that is hard to explain, but is really cool and exciting to look at. It is called the Ambigram. An Ambigram is made by aligning words in an extremely creative manner. The design is then tattooed on the body with such a style that if you see it from a different angle, if looks and means special every time. However, it takes a good, creative tattoo artist to design and ink a nice looking Ambigram tattoo.

You can check the online tattoo sites to know more about any of these styles of custom tattoo designs.

Japanese Tattoo Designs and Their Meaning

Samurai Tattoos

Japanese Tattoo

If you live in the western part of the world, I am sure you are fascinated with the Japanese culture from the east. Having the unique and awesome type of art, Japanese tattoos are widely admired and seen as a flexible tattoo design.

You can actually choose from the Japanese characters or the symbols with certain meanings. Popular designs like that of the typical Japanese house during the Meiji era, faces of some excellent representations of samurais, the ever famous "Sakura" flower, dragons and fire with a Kanji symbols with them are still in style.

Don't know exactly what these things are? Well, if this is your first research in choosing a Japanese tattoo then you have to read all your researches carefully so you could choose the right tattoo for you. Continue reading and know more about the Japanese tattoo perfect for you.

If you prefer a simple but striking Japanese tattoo, a Kanji character is just right. Japanese writing is in two forms, Hiragana and Katakana. The cursive way of writing is Hiragana, which is most popular among women, and the simpler type is Katakana. Both of these styles of writing descended from Kanji. Kanji are the characters that came from China which are also used in the modern Japanese art of writing.

Aside from that, the ancient or traditional Japanese house is also another possibility. The houses are built with that remarkable scale-looking rooftop, wooden walls with a thin paper-designed sliding doors and large stone footpath leading to the front door. Typically, traditional houses have great landscapes outside their territories. Bamboo trees are often seen in the surroundings.

This bamboo tree can solely be another Japanese tattoo design for you. If you tend to be closer to nature, Sakura flower is the trademark of the Japanese culture. The tree bears eye-catching flowers and it is indeed magnetizing.

For a strong-willed type of person, images of a samurai or even the sword alone can give you the right attitude. In Japanese history, the art of tattooing is also prevalent in the old times. This is a sign of bravery and belongingness to a certain group. But then, tattoos became out of the picture that Japanese use tattoo for criminals.

They brand them with these markings to give an identification of a wrongdoer. As a result, these people bearing tattoos formed a gang that became known as the yakuzas.

Sounds great, right? It's time you decided from those varieties of tattoos mentioned and feel the culture in the deepest of your skin. Choose well on the design for your tattoo means "Japanese forever".

The Most Creative Tattoo Fonts

Samurai Tattoos

Are you planning to have a tattoo that has characters and words such as name tattoo? Make sure you do the proper research in order to get the best suitable tattoo fonts. Tattoo designing is a serious art. Since tattoos are generally for a life time and are parts of your body, getting the best possible is the right approach.

You can choose from huge range of fonts available. You can generate and select various types of font by using your computer. Combining tattoo fonts with your tattoo design and check out the final design is very easy with computer. Print out your selected tattoo designs and show it to your tattoo artist for advice. This will help your artist to craft your favorite tattoo design on your body.

When it comes to tattoo fonts, Fiery and Icy styles are most sought after. If you want to have a cool personality these fonts are the best. Several popular designs utilized from Old English. Usually people prefer eye-catching tattoo fonts for obvious reasons.

But, do you really know the main reason these tattoo fonts are used? Usually, people use them in name tattoos. Most tattoo fans love this kind of tattoo design. These are also used to add the names of beloved ones such as parents, children, or person who has died. There numerous other reasons behind the use of tattoo fonts.

Kanji Japanese calligraphy tattoo fonts are also very popular. Initially Kanji calligraphy was used to write on bones. Today, among Japanese who prefer to give old charm to their tattoos, the rounded and natural Japanese calligraphy is more popular.

However, Kanji has evolved along the time and has diverged into two diverse styles: SOSHO Kanji and MINCHO Kanji.

MINCHO Kanji in Japanese is just like Times New Roman in English. In Japan, it's the most frequently used font in print. It's is more formal and gradually becoming popular in other media's such as Billboards in Japan.

On the other hand, SOSHO Kanji is relatively more modern, cursive Kanji style and used to create smoothly flowing lines. You can see SOSHO Kanji fonts in the movie "The Last Samurai". You will find SOSHO Kanji style at martial arts training centers as well.

A perfect tattoo means perfect combination of design and tattoo fonts. Therefore, before you choose tattoo fonts, it's crucial to understand the right meaning. Research and pick carefully in order to get the most unique tattoo fonts you love the most. The style of use of tattoo fonts tells a lot about personality.

Japanese Tattoo Designs For Women - A Guide to Choosing the Right Design

Samurai Tattoos

In recent years, there has been a revival with Japanese tattoos. This revival is understandable, as Japanese artwork can be very beautiful. Some of it can be traced back for thousands of years! These days, they are popular for both men and women. If you are a woman who is interested in Japanese tattoo designs, here are some tips that will help you with your choice.

Understanding the history

Tattooing is a tradition in Japan that dates back to several centuries. During most of those centuries, the art wasn't accepted by most people. In fact, tattoos in ancient Japan were usually associated with criminals. There was even some branding going on in regard to criminals. The branding continued on during the time of Yakuza (gangs). The gangsters would get tattoos to mark their chosen lifestyle.

In recent decades, many young Japanese men who aren't associated with any gangs have been getting tattoos, as the art is becoming more and more mainstream. This art is going through a sort or rebirth amongst the Japanese and the trend is spreading more widely to Europe and North America. Now, many men and women of all ages are starting to get Japanese tattoo designs.

The designs for women

Here are some of the most popular designs that look great on women. You are free to choose any design you want, of course, although there are certain images that most women tend to prefer.

The cherry blossom

Perhaps the most well known flower in Japan, the cherry blossom is admired for its beauty and delicacy. They symbolize how life can be both fragile and beautiful. Even the Samurai would admire the cherry blossom and write poems about the flower. These days, many women are choosing to get cherry blossom tattoos. Just look for images of the flower and you will understand why they are so admired!

Geisha tattoos

Men and women both include Geishas in their Japanese tattoo designs. They are more than just "pinup" models; they are very classy, cultured women that were trained to carry the traditions of the Japanese culture. They were beautiful and very talented. They were taught to dance, sing, play instruments, pour tea with perfection, and entertain in general.

Some tattoo designs depict both a Samurai and Geisha meeting, often sitting facing one another and drinking tea. If you want a strong, female image as part of your tattoo, then you could always consider the Geisha.

The koi fish

This fish has a lot of positive qualities. It is a symbol of perseverance, strength, and spirituality. There is a myth that the koi fish often swim upstream to the heavenly gate, where they turn into a flying dragon and take off into the sky forever. These amazing fish are viewed as brave individualists since they go against the flow of nature and end up being rewarded for their bravery.

Japanese tattoo designs with koi fish are usually drawn in bright orange and golden hues, combined with the blue sparkling waves in the background. Obviously, it's a beautiful blend of colors, so if you want something that stands out, then this is something you should consider getting.

Finding the right design for you

Whether you want a traditional or modern recreation of a Japanese tattoo, then you need to consider the aforementioned designs. There are tons of other popular designs, including Kanji characters, swords, and the lotus blossom. These are just some ideas for Japanese tattoo designs to get you to think creatively.

Popular Sleeve Tattoo Ideas and Tips

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One of the most popular types of tattoo is the sleeve tattoo. These tattoos are not just arm tattoos, like what most people know. They are tattoos that look like sleeves because they cover a large area of one part of the body (e.g. an arm or leg) with little or no skin showing.

The designs of sleeve tattoos are very intricate and complicated. Usually, they are colourful and depict several images with some unusual designs or patterns. These are popular among boys, especially those who belong in a rock band. But these days, you will see many girls sporting sleeve tattoos on their arms or legs.

If you are also planning to get a sleeve tattoo for yourself, here are some popular sleeve tattoo ideas.

If you are into Japanese culture, you can combine different popular Japanese tattoos for your sleeve tattoo such as cherry blossoms, kanji or Japanese characters, koi fish, and samurai designs. Old Japanese culture includes ancient tattooing. And what better way to bring that culture back to life than by using Japanese designs for your tattoo.

For females who want to have sleeve tattoos, floral design is a great sleeve tattoo idea. Different styles and patterns of flowers interwoven with leaves and twines can be a very interesting sleeve tattoo design. Flower sleeve tattoos also give you a chance to use bright colors for the flowers. Some nice flower tattoos that you can use for your sleeve tattoos are hibiscus and roses. For the rose tattoo, this can be both feminine and masculine, depending on how it was drawn.

Celtic tattoos usually feature knotworks that are very intricate and detailed. This knotwork covers one whole arm or leg. Some artists can draw animal tattoos using these knotworks. Celtic tattoos usually come in one color but it is up to you if you like to have a colourful celtic tattoo.

One of the most popular sleeve tattoo ideas, especially among young men, is the tribal tattoo. Heavy black lines are one of the most obvious features of a tribal tattoo. The color of the tattoo is black and if you used a colored ink instead, it might seem a little different.

As you probably know, these tattoos are large and their designs or patterns are very complicated. You have to know that the larger and more complicated the tattoo is, the more expensive it will be. You also have to know that a popular artist will more likely ask you for a higher payment.

Do not rush the tattoo artist in finishing his or her job. You should know that drawing a sleeve tattoo is a difficult task to make and may even take several days to finish. You need to go back to the tattoo shop for several sessions.

Sleeve tattoos are nice to have especially if you like the big kind of tattoos that cover one big portion of your arms or legs. However, you should choose carefully which design you want to have for your sleeve tattoo because it cannot be easily hidden if for some reasons you do not like it.

Popular Japanese Tattoo Meanings, Symbolism and Designs

Samurai Tattoos

There has been a phenomenal growth of traditional Japanese tattoo designs in the past few years. It used to be that tattoos were relegated to the Yakuza or Japanese gangs and the criminals in the society. Just the site of a tattoo used to and still can strike fear into people. However, Japan is a rapidly changing country and they are starting to see the value in tattoos and more and more people have a deep respect for them. For most tattoo artists and tattoo enthusiasts alike Japanese designs have always been sought after. Here are some Japanese tattoo meanings and design ideas to help give you a guide of some possibilities if you are interested in getting such a design.

Cherry Blossom Tattoos

For the Japanese the cherry blossom is seen to represent life itself. The flower is a thing of great beauty. It is strong in that is pushes itself and blooms in harsh conditions and climates and often comes out when the snow is first melting. Yet it is paradoxically fragile at the same time. It is fragile because it will only last a few days and then it will fall from the tree and land in the snow. The Japanese view this as a representation of life itself. Life should be lived to extreme beauty and everyday should be lived to it's fullest. Yet one must always be aware of the possibility of death and therefore with the eventuality of death live life even more fully. This is a great tattoo and a symbol that is laden with powerful reminders and a great guide to how each individual should live their life.

Koi Fish Tattoos

Koi fish are probably the second most powerful symbol in tattoo designs in general but also fro the Japanese. Koi fish can been seen in front of almost every temple throughout Japan. The myth states that the Koi fish swim back up stream against the current to eventually read a bridge or a gate. If they can make it to the gate they are turned into dragons and magically fly away to start a new life. The symbolism behind this design is one of perseverance which is a very deep and important concept for the Japanese. In fact they have many more words to describe perseverance, effort and sticking with something in the language then we do in English.

Hannya Masks

Hannya masks are scary looking and demonic masks. The mask comes from the famous Kabuki plays in Japan and it depicts a women who has been consumed with rage over a lover or someone that has not returned her love. There are different variations as each Kabuki play has a different interpretation. At any rate these masks represent a jealous women. However, they have been widely used in Japanese tattoos and also here in the west. When they are used in tattoo in it is believed that they will ward of evil spirits and bring good luck to the person wearing it. Japanese will also sometimes but these up for display high in the room of their house to ward off evil spirits.

Samurai

Samurai of course lived by the code of Bushido. There is not enough room here to full explain the code of Bushido but it deals with living life to the fullest, being prepared to die in service and being loyal and strong. The concepts of Bushido are pretty much at the heart of all Japanese values and morals and also what is taught to most young kids over and over again through stories. You could say the code of Bushido is the heart of the Japanese culture and beliefs. Samurai's and samurai tattoos of course are the best symbol of these beliefs.