Blog

Thanks to their astounding beauty and endangered status, tigers (panthera tigris) have invaded the hearts and minds of people across the globe. The tiger has also managed to get "under the skin" of many men and women and the traditional body art of tattoo. Clawing forth out of their human hosts or stalking across arms, backs or thighs, the tiger has become a coveted image to bear. White tigers, tiger cubs and saber-toothed tigers all stare out at us from human flesh, testifying to their eternal qualities of strength, courage, and at times- ferocity.

Tigers Today
It's sad to note that then population of tiger tattoos more than likely far outweighs the actual number of tigers surviving today on our planet. It is estimated that there are only an estimated 5000-7500 tigers of all varieties alive in the wild. In the last 70 years alone, three subspecies of tigers have become extinct: the Bali, Javan and Caspian tigers. Once a coveted "treasure", the skins, bones and lives of tigers are now all currently protected by national laws and penalties. Tigers can still be found in their natural habitats in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and possibly even China.

Tigers are by far the largest of all big cats, with the largest subspecies, the Siberian tiger, weighing in at 500 pounds or more. The smallest of the breed is the Sumatran tiger, with the males weighing in at only about 250 pounds. In the tiger world, the males of the species nearly always outweigh their female counterparts. 

Solitary and primarily nocturnal creatures, only mothers and cubs (whose family unit is known as a streak) live together for any amount of time. To avoid any potential disputes, tigers will mark their territory in the jungles and forest by using acts like scratching on tree trunks, and the standard feline practice of "spraying". And when it comes time to for their night-time stalking and hunting, the tiger is well equipped. Their night vision surpasses human ability by 600%!

It has been these natural abilities and strengths that have inspired the world around them with tiger related myths, legends, rituals and homage.

The Mind Behind the Design: Tigers in Myth, Legend and Dreams
The tiger has inspired man for as long as the two have shared the earth. The fear has been one that has morphed itself from terror, aggression, admiration, emulation and protection. And the most popular and magical of all of these myths come from the very land of the tigers themselves: Asia.

China and the 5 Mystic Tigers:
In the lore and legend of the Chinese, the world is ruled over by five unique tigers. The first is the red tiger, who ruled the South, Summer and Fire. The second is the black tiger, ruling the North, Winter and Water. Third comes the blue tiger, in charge of the East, Spring and Vegetation. Fourth is the white tiger, reigning over the West, Autumn and all Metals. Above them all, sits the Yellow Tiger, who is the ruler of the Earth and all of its different energies.

The Tiger in Chinese Astrology:
Recent and future Years of the Tiger include: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, and 2010.

Individuals who are born in the Year of the Tiger are often born leaders with a slight tendency to be loners or who enjoy frequent "time to themselves". Their primary focus in life is to follow their ambitions and to always maintain control.

Full of courage and born masters of seduction, these lovers also have the ability (and desire) to fight the good fight unto even the most bitter of ends. Moody or sensitive, Tigers need to learn to apply the Greek principle of "The Middle Way", and lean towards practicing moderation in all things.

As an Asian symbol, the meaning of the tiger is quite diverse. In Asia in general, tigers are associated with the power and might of Kings. In Korea, the tiger is referred to as the "King of the Animals". In India where Hinduism prevails, Shiva in the form of the destroyer wears the skin of a tiger while riding atop a tiger's back. The Chinese use images of tigers on charms in an effort to ward off evil, and during the Chou dynasty, pictures of tigers hung in rooms of pregnant women to protect their unborn children. The power of the image of the tiger has made it an ideal choice in the world of tattoo design.

Tibetans and the Na-his (of the Yannan province) people of China believed that they were descendants of tigers. And to the people of Asia at large, tiger attacks were often viewed as a person receiving a divine punishment for their sins. It was also popular to hear legends of were-tigers, the tiger's equivalent of the werewolf. 

Tigers: A Western Perspective
In the Native American culture, the tiger is regarded as a very powerful totem spirit. This spirit is most renowned for its passion, power and devotion. It is also the symbol of darkness and the New Moon. If you were to suddenly find yourself befriended by this lonesome totem, you should be on the lookout for new adventures and a new awakening of passion and power. As such, the totem's power lends to us a strong sexual energy and eroticism.

However, it is also associated with the water, and because of this shares all of the element's properties including:

Healing
Power through Gentle Flow (going with the flow)
Feminine Energies

The tiger is also plays its part in the world of dream interpretation and symbolism. Tigers in our sleeping dreams represent our driving force in life, or to be more primal, our basic urges. To dream of a caged tiger indicated that we have these urges and forces under control. Dreaming of tigers can also be a way for your subconscious mind to give form to its feminine qualities, vengeance or cunning.

Choosing Your Tiger Tattoo Design
You'll find the tiger a very versatile figure in nearly any kind of tattoo. There are tiger tattoo designs where the tiger is clawing its way outside of your skin. You can choose a more simplified, tribal style design for your tiger, and position it across your back and shoulders. Tigers pair well with dragons, snakes and other big cats like panthers and lions.

To pay tribute to children, you could choose a tiger cub design.

Or design your own tiger streak, with the addition of siblings and (unorthodox) the father. You can choose from Chinese tiger designs, or the ancient saber-tooth tiger. Or, you can simply choose a tattoo design that is inspired by the tiger. Such designs include images such as:

Tiger's eye (gemstone)
A tiger lily
Tiger sharks
Or simply give yourself stripes, with a tiger skin tattoo.

Whatever shape or form the tiger within you takes, it is just waiting for you to let it emerge.

Show me more Tiger Tattoo Designs

Since long before the beginning of recorded history, the tattoo has been a symbol of rebellion. Outcasts, slaves and outsiders bore tattoos proudly and not so proudly throughout history, shaping the way that modern society has viewed tattoos for decades or even centuries. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the role of tattoos changed in Western culture dramatically. However, there is still a tinge of rebellion about even the sweetest, and that is one of the things that makes tattoos so appealing to many people in addition to them being personal artistic statements and a way to commemorate important events or people in our lives.

In ancient Japan, working men, gang members and criminals bore tattoos. The criminals were tattooed without their permission as part of their punishment, and their tattoos, which were often on the face or forearm, illustrated their crime. These highly visible tattoos kept these men (and sometimes women) on the outskirts of society, and they were unable to participate in community activities and often spurned by their families. One Japanese emperor actually gave a man a tattoo instead of the death sentence, which just goes to show how serious these tattoos really were when it came to impacting one's life permanently. However, not to long after Chinese historians started documenting Japanese history and Japanese tattoos, other members of society who also felt outcast or downtrodden began adopting the art. Many heroes in Japanese novels at this time had tattoos, and gang members who believed that they were fighting the government or established for justice or just because they had no other choice or way to live started getting tattoos as well. Japanese tattoo art spread from gang tattoos to the working class, and while it was and still is a highly secret and intimate act, Japanese tattoos and Japanese tattoo designs are now some of the most beautiful in the world. However, their innate beauty and powerful violence make them a favorite of many people who want to express their individuality through a tattoo today.

In Europe, the tattoos had the same role. They were largely the domain of slaves and criminals, and they were not optional for these sects of society. However, as overseas exploration and travel grew popular and more successful over time, sailors began to get tattoos and bring the elaborate tribal tattoos of natives and other savages back to home port with them. This art was certainly not adopted by the aristocracy of the day, but it was quickly incorporated into many working class cultures as a way to feel like part of a different world where the rules and opportunities might be different. Even today, tattoos are largely favored by men and women who travel and appreciate other cultures. While they are certainly no longer only the realm of sailors and military men, tattoos in Europe and in the Western world are often a way to express how one feels joined to another culture or another part of the world through a certain tattoo design. 

In America, the tattoo has long been a symbol of individuality and often has been taken to extremes to indicate rebellion against societal norms, parents, the man and organized government and religion. Tattoo art is uniquely suited to rebellion in America in particular for several reasons. For starters, it is illegal in nearly every state to get a tattoo without a parent's consent if you are under the age of 18. Naturally, this makes many teenagers long for a tattoo and devote serious brainpower and energy to getting one before they turn 18. Also, traditionally tattoos have been discouraged if not outright forbidden in many professional arenas. As a result, people who get tattoos, highly visible or otherwise, are viewed as daring and a little less bound by societal conventions than those who refrain from adorning themselves with tattoo designs. Of course, in America as in other countries, certain types of tattoos and tattoo placements are also used to indicate a variety of underground brotherhoods, such as gang tattoos, prison tattoos and recovery tattoos. It should be noted that after the tragedy on September 11, 2001, that tattoos have become strikingly more mainstream. The loss of life and the tragic aspects of the events on that day led many people to make a new (for them) statement in a way that they never would have considered before: they got memorial tattoos for their fellow Americans who died that day. These sentiments have led to an increased acceptance of tattoos in many highly professional workplaces and made the tattoo itself far more mainstream so that its content, rather than its pure existence, is now what determines the rebellious nature of a tattoo.

There is a lot of literature out there about how to get tattooed safely. There are a lot of factors that can be potentially health- and life-threatening when it comes to tattoo safety, so you should always make sure that you are being responsible and wise when it comes to getting a tattoo. Never rush into the process, and always investigate the tattoo studio where you are getting tattooed thoroughly before you actually sit down and submit to the needle. Many people and groups who do not like tattoos or approve of getting tattoo designs on your body have published a great deal of a safety oriented literature that is basically designed to scare you away from getting a tattoo at all. In reality, tattooing, when done properly, is a completely safe and harmless way to decorate your body in a personal and unique manner.

Here is a comprehensive guide to tattoo safety that will help you determine just how safe, clean, sanitary and perfectly responsible your chosen tattoo studio is:

Ask about sanitizing equipment

There are parts of every tattoo gun that are exposed to bodily fluids. As a result, tattooing equipment should be sterilized using an autoclave following every use. Autoclaves are the only type of sterilization equipment that have the heat and pressure necessary to kill all types of blood-borne bacteria and infections. If a tattoo studio uses ultra-violet light (as do some nail salons) or any other method of cleaning instead of an autoclave, then you are not fully protected from other peoples potential infections. While the autoclave may not be visible from the front of the studio, you should be able to view it if you make the request politely. If you are not allowed to see the autoclave or are told that the equipment is sent out of the studio for sterilization, then you may want to reconsider your choice of tattoo studios.

Ask about sterilization techniques

While it is important that a tattoo studio have an autoclave, it is equally important that they use it correctly. For example, tattoo tubes, which are the part of the tattoo gun that holds the needles in place, can come in one-piece units, multi-piece units or disposable units. If the tattoo tubes are made of multiple pieces, they should be disassembled before they are autoclaved. Failing to do this can result in tiny bacteria surviving the autoclave process in the cracks and joints between the pieces of tattoo tube. Anything that can be taken apart before sterilization should be.

Watch any disposable equipment get opened

Tattoo inks, plastic tattoo tubes and some types of tattoo needles are disposable, and come pre-packaged in sterile packages so that they can be used immediately upon opening. These types of equipment do not need to be sterilized in an autoclave because they are only used once and are delivered to the tattoo studio in their own personal sterile environment that remains uncontaminated until the seal on the package is broken. However, if your tattoo studio is using pre-packaged, sterile equipment, then you should be able to watch the tattoo artist open the packages so that you do not have to worry about whether or not the equipment was actually used before. Tattoo ink also must be discarded after each use because dipping the tattoo needles in the ink unavoidably gets blood in the ink because the needles will get bloody as your tattoo progresses.

Avoid deliberately dangerous behavior

Of course, the best way to stay safe when it comes to tattooing is to not engage in dangerous tattoo behavior. Never tattoo yourself at home, whether you are using a homemade tattoo gun, a sharpened needle, a ballpoint pen or a flame-sterilized knife. None of these items can be fully and safely sterilized to the point where you are not at risk for blood-borne illnesses if you penetrate your skin and introduce the bacteria on the item into your body. Also, never share tattoo needles (or any other type of needle for that matter). You should never use tattoo ink that has not been approved by the FDA, and you should also never get drunk or high before getting tattooed, since both of these things can interfere with your judgment and make you more likely to participate in dangerous tattooing practices.

Of course, probably 99.9 percent of all tattoo studios take your health and safety at least as seriously as you do. As a result, when you are asking questions about sterilization, sanitary practices and responsible equipment usage, you should always be extremely polite. While it is unwise to simply assume that everyone you encounter has as high a safety and sanitary standard as you do when it comes to tattooing, it is unprofessional and highly impolite to imply that a tattoo artist “whose living and reputation, not to mention their conscience, depend on their professional adherence to safety guidelines” does not adhere to safety regulations. Always be deferential when asking these questions. Remember, you are looking for red flags, but you do not need to assume they are there. In all likelihood, your tattoo studio is just as concerned â”if not more so” about health and safety as you are.

A monkey is a primate closely related to an apes like chimpanzees and orangutans. They range from 5 oz to 77lbs in weight. Some living trees while other live on the savannah. Their diets differ from species to species but mostly contains fruits, leaves, nuts and small animals and insects. The many species of monkey have varied relationships with humans. Some are kept as pets, others used as model organisms in laboratories or in space missions. They may be killed in monkey drives when they threatened agriculture, or serve as service animals for the disabled.

In religion and culture, the monkey often represents quick-wittedness and mischief. Monkey brains are eaten as a delicacy in South Asia, China and Africa. In traditional Islamic dietary laws, monkeys are forbidden to be eaten. However, monkeys are sometimes eaten in parts of Africa, where they can be sold as ''bushmeat''. Hanuman, a prominent divine entity in Hinduism, is a monkey-like humanoid. He may bestow longevity. The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature. They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted monkeys in their art. 

In the Chinese zodiac, the Monkey is super-quick and multi-talented, but has a tendency to be an opportunist. The over confident monkey could end up losing face. Monkey legends tell of its rise to godly status and of its misadventures down on earth. From his position of power, monkey often wreaks havoc, which calls down the wrath of the gods. Once put in his place, though, the monkey learns from his mistakes, resulting in his wisdom.

Mayans in Mexico and Guatemala glorified the monkey as a patron of the arts, and took him as a symbol of knowledge and prophecy. The ancient Aztecs associated monkey with the sun.

In ancient Japan, the monkey was the messenger of the gods. Monkey was the symbol of a harmonious marriage, fertility and safe childbirth, as well as protector against disease and demons. It was believed to be the Japanese monkey who made famous: ''Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil.'' A famous legend tells of the monkey who accompanied a monk on his historic journey from India to China carrying the holy Buddhist teachings. In Buddhism, the monkey is an early incarnation of Buddha but may also represent trickery and ugliness. Buddha chose the monkey as the best companion a monk could have -- being smart, courageous, and able to protect the monk from demons and evil spirits long the way. It is also one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolizing greed, with the tiger representing anger and the deer lovesickness. The ''Mizaru'' or three wise monkeys are revered in Japanese folklore.

As a tattoo motif, you'll see it leaping over various parts of the anatomy, sometimes as a Chinese kanji. Monkey tattoos represent agility, fun and frivolity. If the tattoo incorporates the three wise monkeys, it symbolizes peace, wisdom and protection. 

Show me more Monkey Tattoo Designs