body decoration. . .TATTOOS!

Vulgar,
gross,
disgusting,
stupid,
silly,
pointless,
early regrets,
immature mistakes
waste of money. . . .

these are just a few words that I have heard people use when commenting on my tattoos. Do I care? Nooooooooooo! To me, I see tattoos as art work upon the body, including my own as 2 of mine are large pieces, covering half my back and a half sleeve crawling onto the back of my shoulder. 21st century now, tattoos have become a fashion accessory and much more sociably acceptable than say 30 odd years ago.

A popular style of tattoos is of course the 'Tribal' tattoo, mostly associated with chavs..eughh! I can not STAND sleeve tribal tattoos, so much space for amazing designs..yet ruin it with a generic tribal tattoo. I see the body as a blank canvas, so much freedom to cover in any way and to be creative and have fun, obviously some don't see it that. RANT OVER!

As someone who is very much into tattoo culture and the art of tattoos, I have actually always had a keen interest into the history of tattoos, especially religious and tribal tattoos, (PROPER tribal tattoos), so as well as researching piercings for my project, I looked through my collection of tattoo magazines and books and I came across this. . .

TATTOOS - Ancient Traditions, Secret Symbols & Modern Trends' by Doralba Picerno was a present from my boyfriend and is one of my favourite books. Full of facts, stories and stunning pieces of body art, this book has been a good source of research as there is an entire section on 'Going Tribal'. 

Evidence of tattooing and various tattoo implements dating back to the Paleolithic era exists in Japan and continental Europe, providing proof that primitive forms of tattooing were practised some 10,000 years ago. Grooved bone needles, believed to have been used for the purpose of marking skin, were found with other tools in a Paleolithic cave excavation in France. But the first human remains to be found bearing tattoos are from only 5,300 years ago. This was the time a man affectionately nicknamed 'Otzi the Iceman' is believed to have lived. Found in the Northern Italian Alps, his is the oldest mummified body ever found, and it bares distinct tattoo marks.

Tattooing in tribal societies past and present has long been used to communicate a social status, to mark an achievement or an affiliation, or to invoke protection, and in ancient and in relatively recent times it has been considered an important rite of passage into adulthood and into a particular social role. Tattoos have also been used to ward off evil, to mark someones courage, for embellishment and for punishment. Early tattoos were not figurative, as they tend to be now. They consisted mostly of dots and lines which were positioned on visible parts of the body as a means of non-verbal communication.

These are a collection of images I had collected for myself and that I found off the internet which I thought were interesting and would be good references for my research when it comes to designs.

The tribal style we see today originate from various tribes like those from Borneo, the Haida, the Native Americans, the Celtic tribes, the Maori and other Polynesian tribes. The shapes and motifs of these tribal tattoos are deeply rooted in the tribe's mythology and view of the world.

The traditional tattoo artist aims to reflect the social and religious values of the tribe in his tattoo designs. Recurring themes are the rituals of the tribe, and ancestors, the origins of the worlds and the relationship with the gods in which they believe in.

With this image of the 3 gorgeous woman, I love the back piece the lady on the left is rocking out. From someone who has half of their back tattooed (in 1 painful 7 hour session), it takes a lot of dedication and passion to go through the gruelling pain of a back piece and I think this is a perfect example. The simplicity of it and the symmetrical shapes gave me inspiriation as for some of the shapes I could start putting together when I start designing, as these are well known when it comes to tribal tattoos, the traditional block, sharp edges.