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Though tribal tattoo design as an art form is waning amongst
indigenous people, around the world, there is a growing awareness
of body art.
Zen and The Art of Tribal
Tattoo Design...
The art of tribal tattoo design doesn’t just involve creativity
but a passion for it. Both, artists of tribal tattoos and
people who have it done are rather intense people and
I find it really isn’t for the faint hearted.
Tattooing is an almost cult art and the Zen thing about tattoo
design is that it seems to give a person who is so inclined
an almost Zen like state of satisfaction. It involves a lot
of concentration and commitment. The art of decorating the
body with a tribal tattoo design dates back to the early Ice
Age.
Although tribal tattoo design as an art form is waning amongst
indigenous people, around the world, there is a growing awareness
of body art. Each tribal tattoo design pack is unique and
carries its own special meaning and is usually a religious
symbol, talisman, charm or just an adornment.
People seem to wear their tattoo designs almost like a badge
of honor. Another interesting thing about tribal tattoo is
that there is almost a stereotypical type of person who is
into it. I cannot imagine the average office executive sporting
a tribal tattoo! It takes a certain conviction (not that office
executives lack conviction) and a motorcycle, rock music lifestyle
and passion to court tribal tattoo design… and that isn’t
necessarily a bad thing!
Discovering Tribal Tattoo
Design...
If you are a novice, like me and don’t quite know what tribal
tattoo is all about, there are some extremely informative
books dedicated to the art of tribal tattoo design. Most of
the books I came across have great graphics and with a fair
amount of text related to a particular tattoo design. In fact
most of the good books on tribal tattooing are like a lesson
in anthropology. My search for books on tribal tattoos led
me to
Tribal Tattoo Design by Andy Sloss
Tribal Vol. III by J.D Crowe and Tattoo Art
Tattoo by Dale Durfee
Tribal Encyclopedia by Terisa Green
Maarten Hesselt Van Dinter’s book on Tribal tattoo design
gives you a cross cultural history of tattooing, tattooing
technology and commonly expressed motifs. The artwork in this
tribal tattoo design book is extremely detailed and the text
academic in nature.
Apart from books, getting online is a good way to learn more
about tribal tattooing. I came across great pictures of tribal
tattoos. Armband tribal tattoos, tribal owl tattoo designs,
tribal samurai mask, circular tribal designs and low back
tribal designs.
You don’t have to be a tribal tattoo fan; just discovering
it as a work of art is extremely interesting and informative.
The Lawsonia Plant and
Tribal Tattoo Design...
Getting a tattoo is least painful when done on fleshy parts
of the body. It is extremely painful on the bony parts that
are just covered with skin. Either way, having a tattoo done
on your body is not child’s play and a lot of thought has
to go into it. If you are like me both wary and intrigued
at the same time by tattooing, you could choose to have it
temporarily done.
Henna, which is from the Lawsonia Plant, can be used to draw
a tribal tattoo on the body and this lasts for a few weeks
which is perfect for the fainthearted! The real thing is done
by stencils, flashes or by free hand, which apparently is
more challenging and gives more unique results. Tribal tattoo
is a whole different world... one that is nonetheless exciting,
creative and individualistic.
Sandhya Thukaram
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