Blog posts of '2015' 'June'

Kelly Osbourne has numerous tattoos all over her body and is always adding to her growing collection. She has a skull and crossbones design tattooed on both feet. She also has a pair of small angel wings on her shoulder blades. (This tattoo is very much like the same one that Nicole Richie has.) Osbourne sports a tattoo outline of a star on the back of her neck. Stars are popular tattoo subject in the celebrity world and outside it. They symbolize hope, spirit and truth. She has a tiny pink heart on her hip and another tiny pink heart on her little finger, which she shares with ex-boyfriend Bert McCracken. Hearts are common symbols of love and so it's fitting that she shares this one with her ex-boyfriend. Some of Osbourne's tattoos refer to her parents. Osbourne has a padlock and key tattooed on her left forearm with the word "Daddy" and "This too shall pass". She says that she got it during a time when her father, rocker Ozzy Osbourne, was really ill. It means that he has the key to her heart and that all troubles are temporary. Across her back, between her two pink angel wings, there is a tattoo phrase "Je Vous Aime la Maman" or "I love my mommy" in French. Osbourne also has a tattoo of her brother's name, Jack, on her left wrist. Jack also has her name tattooed on him. On the back of her right forearm is a tattoo of musical keyboard. She has told interviewers that she doesn't remember how or when she actually got this tattoo. "The sad thing is I don't remember getting it and I don't know how to play the piano."

Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born October 27, 1984) is an English television personality, singer and actress. She is the daughter of Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne and television personality Sharon Osbourne. The world was first introduced to her during the hit reality TV show about her father and his family, "The Osbourne's". She began making music and released two albums that met with critical acclaim and relative success. Osbourne has also done some television acting, notably "Life As We Know It" and stage acting. Although her numerous tattoos haven't prevented her from working, they have made it harder sometimes. "I have to go in an hour early every day to get my tattoos covered up," Osbourne explains. "It's such a process, because the stuff they put it on with is like water color paints, so you put a layer on and it dries, and then another layer, and then another. They have so much stuff to cover it up - it takes so long, it's so weird."

Michael Phelps shows his dreams for Olympic glory with a multicolored Olympic ring tattoo on the right side of his lower stomach. The five intertwined rings represent the unity of the five inhabited continents (with the Americas regarded as one continent). And the colors (white, red, blue, green, yellow and black) were chosen because each nation has at least one of these colors in its national flag. Phelps also has another tattoo on the left side of his lower stomach that is a version of the University of Michigan logo, his alma mater. The University of Michigan is known for its sports wins, especially in football, ice hockey and basketball. University of Michigan athletes and coaches have participated in 26 out the 28 Olympic Games held since its inception.

Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30, 1985) is an American swimmer. He holds seven world records in swimming and has won 14 Olympic gold medals, second only to a Russian gymnast who has won 18. Phelps also holds the record for the most gold medals with the eight gold medals he won at the 2008 Olympic Games, beating swimming legend MarkSpitz. Although he is the current "golden boy" due to his historic wins in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he has continually been questioned by the press about taking performance-enhancing drugs. In response, Phelps signed up for Project Believe, a project in which U.S. Olympians can volunteer to be tested more than the guidelines of the Games. During the Games, Phelps was tested nine times and passed all of them. 

As many tattoo enthusiasts can tell you, going under the gun can become quite addictive. Not everyone is able to stop with just one or two, but proceed on to receive elaborate, large scale tattoo designs. Sometimes it will begin as a quarter sleeve design. Then, after a little while longer, it will become a full sleeve. It can even spread from there.

It can become quite an investment, not only of money, but of time too. These rich, colorful designs require a bit of ink, and the ink requires a bit of patience! But the results are well worth it.

Full scale tattoo designs are like a window into another world. These designs open up such a wide variety of possibilities. From fantasy to science fiction, and even on into a terrifying world of horror, complete with monsters, demons and devils, you can find yourself carried to strange and unbelievable dimensions.

So, how do you go about choosing a full scale body tattoo design? Well, it helps to start out with a lot of imagination, and a good grasp of the principles of "exterior design".

Sometimes, a small, simple tribal tattoo design may be what inspires you to take that giant leap into the world of the human canvas. There are also people who receive their inspiration from Hollywood and the media. Spending a few moments (or hours, or days) pouring over pictures in a recent tattoo gallery publication doesn't hurt either.

But, obviously, in order for someone to go to such levels, there's got to be a compulsion.

For some people, it's the thought of the attention (both positive and negative) that their full body art designs will gather. People across the country with full scale tattoo designs are an elite group, who often compete with one another for awards and prizes for the most beautiful, scariest or even the most bizarre designs.

Others, who are both artistic and sadomasochistic, do it for the sheer pleasure of this beautiful trademark. Faithful and true to their own inner inspirations, they endeavor to fully achieve and realize their own amazing creations.

Additionally, there are large numbers of people who simply wake up one day and have suddenly gone from having had "a tattoo" to having the ability to say, "I am a tattoo." These designs, while not originally worn with any connection between their lizard on the ankle and the lips on their hips, suddenly become an all encompassing melting pot that somehow just works.

Of course, despite their beauty and popularity, you'd be better off closely examining the virtues and drawbacks of venturing into this extreme realm of the tattoo world. While it is possible to have tattoos removed, changing your mind after full-body tattoo art is hardly an option. The time, cost and side affects of tattoo removal would make it nearly impossible for someone wishing to remove the effects of their "wild oats" stage. It should be understood before you go under the gun that once you get your full body tattooed, what's done is done, no turning back.

Still not scared?

Well, then it sounds like you've got your heart set on joining the ranks of famous icons like: 

Dennis Smith, who is renowned for transforming his human body (through the use of tattoos and various surgeries) into that of a tiger, his get-up comes complete with fangs and whiskers.

Fred Durst, of the band Limp Bizkit, has extensive tattoo work across his body, including a picture portrait of Kurt Cobain on his chest and some really impressive full sleeves.

Rapper 50 Cent is covered with ink, including his arms and a gorgeous, colorful centerpiece that covers his back.

Angelina Jolie, who is well on her way to covering her entire body with tattoos. Her latest design was a truly authentic Thai tattoo of a tiger which spans most of her back.

Whatever reason has prompted you to join the ranks of the extremely tattooed, be sure to take the opportunity for a little introspection. It would be far better to chasten yourself for NOT getting full scale body tattoos than it would be to get the job done and hate yourself for it later.

Many people have always wanted to get a tattoo, but found that their fear of having a messed up tattoo was far greater than their desire for a piece of expressive art. In the past, a tattoos final look was largely subject to the ability and interpretation of the tattoo artist, which may be great for tattoo collectors who love accumulating tattoos that fit a variety of different styles and that can be clearly identified by their unique looks, but can be pretty intimidating to a person getting their first tattoo or who has wanted a tattoo for years but has always been too afraid that they will not like it once they have it. Fortunately, now there is a solution. Tattoo stencils help you work with your tattoo artist to get the perfect look and the perfect tattoo in the perfect location on your body. Tattoo stencils take the guesswork out of tattoo art, which is precisely what many people want when it comes to permanent ink on their bodies.

Of course, in order to use a tattoo stencil correctly, you need to know a little bit about them. A tattoo stencil is a transfer that a tattoo artist applies to your body in the location that you want to get the tattoo. That transfer is a line image of your tattoo, and it is often extremely detailed. Tattoo stencils are used by a tattoo artist to guide the formation of your tattoo and help them stick to the image that they designed or that you selected and purchased from a portfolio of tattoo flash. A stencil can help a tattoo artist insure that their rendition of a tattoo design is identical to the image of your dreams.

In order to use a tattoo stencil to the best effect, you should follow some simple guidelines:

Make sure that your tattoo artist is okay with tattoo stencils.

Some artists feel that their tattoo designs are so personal and intimately associated with their art that they cannot be guided by a tattoo stencil and create an acceptable tattoo design. An artist who feels this way obviously will not feel good about working with your pre-selected stencil, so make sure that your tattoo artist is comfortable with the tattoo stencil that you have selected and with tattoo stencils in general. If they are not, then consider selecting another tattoo artist so that you can have a good and reliable tattooing experience. This is a matter of personal and artistic taste, so you must not take it personally if the artist feels that they cannot in good conscience use a tattoo stencil. However, if your heart is set on a certain tattoo design, then you need to make sure that design is what you get. You owe it to yourself and the part of your body you are permanently decorating to be sure you get exactly the look you want.

Always use an artist-approved, original tattoo stencil.

Many people try to trace designs so that they do not have to purchase a tattoo stencil. Even if you plan to alter the image of the stencil slightly yourself or have it customized by your tattoo artist, you should always start out with the original artwork by the original artist. This keeps the integrity of your tattoo design intact and also helps insure that the tattoo design has all of the details that attracted you to it in the first place. If you attempt to replicate or trace a tattoo stencil, then you will likely find yourself sporting a second-rate tattoo that does not meet your expectations.

Get a color guide.

Tattoo stencils are great, but those that come without a color guide are kind of like only having half of the directions to a destination. A color guide that is designed by the original tattoo artist and that comes with a tattoo stencil will help a tattoo artist not only get the lines right, but achieve the same patterns and shading that make your tattoo so special to you. While every artist is a little different and your tattoo will definitely be unique to you because of the way that the ink interacts with your skin tone and because of the interesting personal reasons for getting it, having a color guide will help insure that your dream tattoo and your real tattoo are the same. For example, photorealistic tattoos are nearly impossible to replicate without a color guide, as are most other even slightly delicate color schemes and palates.