Tattoo Johnny Tattoos & Tattoo Design Guide: Croatian Cross Tattoos

Croatian Cross Tattoos

Friday 10th of April 2009 12:02:05 PM [Add To This Article]

If elaborate and ornate crosses are not your thing, then when it comes to your cross tattoo design you may prefer to go with something that is a little more military in style. While of course there are thousands of cross tattoo designs that imitate and replicate extremely flowery, intricate crosses in churches and chapels around the world, it can be a little harder to find a solid, no-nonsense cross design that really represents a solid, firm feeling about your faith or that can simply be a beautiful piece of tattoo art. Croatian military crosses are ideal when you want a cross tattoo design that is serious yet beautiful and straightforward.

Croatian cross tattoos have a great deal of history, pride and symbolism incorporated into their design. Some Croatian cross tattoo patterns were originally designed for noble houses in Croatia. These designs often were featured in chapels and baptisteries in noble homes, and they often date back over a thousand years. If you are interested in this type of Croatian cross tattoo, then you might want to research your family history before selecting a Croatian cross tattoo design or Croatian cross tattoo pattern to imitate or on which to base your Croatian cross tattoo design. You might find that you have some type of link to one of the noble houses in Croatia, or that you simply identify strongly with the history of one of the old Croatian lines. These Croatian cross designs tend to be reminiscent of Celtic cross designs, but they are far more simple â€“ simpler even than the Viking version of Celtic knot work known as animal interlace. They tend to have a simple interior weave design and a bold linear border that has minimal decoration. These cross tattoo designs are ideal if you are creating a heritage tattoo and want to incorporate several different aspects of your cultural heritage into your tattoo or if you just want a simple spiritual tattoo that shows your faith.

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Croatian military crosses, on the other hand, can be highly ornate. These crosses are medals that are awarded for a variety of brave feats, valor and selflessness both during battle and in peacetime. This type of Croatian cross tattoo can actually be almost like a star in some cases, having many points that may be notched or slanted on an angle. Croatian military cross tattoo designs tend to be highly geometric and use few, if any curved lines to supplement the tattoo design. They may also contain a central cross with a â€œhaloâ€ of lines extending out from the cross to create a round appearance or a star-like appearance from a distance.

When you are selecting a Croatian cross tattoo design, you will need to consider whether you want to incorporate other elements of the military cross designs into your Croatian cross tattoo or whether you want to stick solely with the cross itself. Many military Croatian crosses are simple and elegant, but they come with accessories like ribbons in many colors and designs, checkered central medals that overlay the cross itself, or jeweled insets. While all of these medals retain a decidedly serious and masculine feel, they range in dÃ©cor from extremely plain, if you stick with the basic medal, to highly ornate if you factor the ribbons, tails and pins into your Croatian cross tattoo design.

One of the really nice things about a Croatian cross tattoo design is that it is easy to expand if you decide that you want to start simple, then elaborate on the design later. You can start out with a simple Croatian cross, then later add the supplemental rays behind the cross, a variety of ribbons and decking or even use multiple Croatian cross designs to extend the tattoo to create a tattoo sleeve. If you choose to expand your Croatian cross tattoo and want to keep in the style and pattern of the original Croatian cross tattoo, then you should be sure that all of your expansion that is directly on the cross itself is symmetrical and linear. Any extras, such as ribbons or other decoration, can be more fluid, but the cross tattoo design itself should remain simple and geometric even if the expansion causes the end result to look more ornate than the original piece.