The meaning of the male tattoos
Men more often than girls when choosing a tattoo accentuate the meaning. While for women the graceful drawing on the body is primarily an ornament, men more tend to express themselves, to show the world their "self" through a tattoo.
Photos of meaningful tattoos:
Images can tell about what subculture their owner refers to, the kind of his activity, religious beliefs, values, worldview, personal characteristics, social status, stages of life's journey.
Men's tattoos are usually brutal, aggressive - they are associated with strength, power, determination.
Although, of course, a romantic option can also come across.
The most popular images:
| Category | Examples |
| Wild Predators. | Tiger, lion, panther, wolf, lynx, fox, bear |
| Large herbivores | Bull, rhinoceros, buffalo, deer |
| Birds | Eagle, swallow, owl, owl, raven, pigeon. |
| Reptiles | Snake, lizard |
| Arthropods | Spider, scorpion |
| paraphernalia | Cross, anchor, emblem, lighthouse, steering wheel |
| Elements | Flame |
| Flowers | Rose, plant ornament |
| Masks | Joker, Gorgon Medusa. |
| Human Images | Portrait of a woman, celebrities, icons, angel, knight, samurai, bogatyr, valkyrie, gladiator |
| Inanimate objects | Stars, skull, skeleton, spider, feather, crown |
| Weapons | Knife, dagger, sword, pistol, revolver, axe. |
| Symbols | Triangle, eye, Rose of the Winds, sun. |
| Sea creatures | Dolphin, shark, starfish |
| Patterns | Bracelet, barcode, various ornaments |
| Mythical creatures | Dragon, unicorn, griffin. |
Tiger, panther, eagle, lynx
Graceful, deadly representatives of the cat family prefer people with a strong will and a combative character - because these animals have always been associated with the image of a warrior - fearless, valiant, enduring, courageous, aware of military cunning, a true leader. The same can be said of fans of the eagle - the symbol of victory.
The lion, the bear, the crown.
The lion is known to be the king of beasts and the bear is the master of the taiga. A man who chose the image of these animals distinguishes some kind of power in character and at the same time a quiet self-confidence, gravity, commitment to tradition. And, of course, the crown speaks of the desire to lead and control.
Fox, deer
These pictures are chosen by those who are fond of the East. In Japan and China, these animals are symbols of wealth, nobility, self-improvement.
Bull, rhinoceros, buffalo
These mammals represent strength, protection, power and unpredictability. The presence of human tattoos in the form of a bull is often evidence of a criminal past.
Owl, owl, raven, wolf, snake
All these creatures are united by night, mystery, wisdom, magic, loneliness, loyalty.
Dove, swallow, feather
These feathered birds are a sign of hope, peace, good news, purity, reconciliation, forgiveness. Tattoo with these birds can mean the beginning of a new life, faith in the best.
Spider, scorpion, skulls, spider web
Tattoos with a death theme are incredibly cool and look menacing.
Sometimes a scorpion and a spider mean drug addiction.
Marine themes
The nautical theme is popular primarily with sailors. The image of the ship protected against shipwrecks, the anchor protected against death, and the dolphin was considered a symbol of good luck in navigation.
But this cute friendly animal is also a romantic one. Love for the theme of the sea gives away a romantic who dreams of adventure, travel, danger.
Cross
The cross was drawn on the body back in pagan times - then it meant the union between a man and a woman, with the advent of Christianity was added religious meaning - and later military themes. Today it's one of the most popular tattoos. The cross is also tattooed in memory of a loved one.
The flame
In ancient times, fire was a source of fascination, and people were worshipped by fire, associated with the gods. The flame - the destruction to the ground, the frenzy, death, war - at the same time, life, light, warmth, creation.
The main feature of this tattoo is that it can be interpreted as a symbol of a person's unbridled will, a passionate person, who hates routine and wants to live each day as if it were his last.
Flowers, ornaments
Uncomplicated floral motifs in men's tattoos usually go as a supplement to the main drawing. Tattooing in the form of a bar code, a variety of geometric ornaments usually serve simply as a decoration without any subtext.
Fantastic creatures
Such original tattoos attract extraordinary personalities.
Faces
Someone whose portrait is scrawled on the body is an object of worship - whether it is an icon, a mysterious stranger or a rock star.
Weapons, warriors.
Military business - a typical masculine occupation since the beginning of time, a passion for weapons, admiration for military valor are reflected in the tattoo.
Tattoo of the sun
The glorification of the sun is an ancient human phenomenon, and the celebration of the sun through tattoos is almost as old.
We've all heard the story that the first humans saw the sun rise and concluded that it was a powerful god. The bright star in our sky has captivated and enchanted us even before we could express our feelings in words. Since time immemorial, the sun has been a symbol of the source of life, new days and opportunities, sustaining power and even passionate love.
Sun tattoos can be literal images or cartoon images, symbolic representations or spiritual icons.
Inscriptions
The most popular are:
- Abbreviation;
- Hieroglyphics;
- Latin, English;
- Old Russian, Cyrillic;
- runes;
- Arabic ligature.
Tattoo inscriptions carry philosophical and religious meaning, express the principles of life, can tell about the state of mind and the past of the person. Often these are the names of lovers and children. Young guys spearhead the names of sports clubs and musical performers.
Abbreviations are most common in prisons. Such tattoos encoded status in society and "thieves' concepts".
Hieroglyphics are very fashionable today, these concise black and white writings look elegant.
Latin is a classic; for a long time Latin inscriptions were the only ones made in a foreign language.
But today any languages of the world are used for tattooing, including ancient ones, runic script, ligature - the main thing is how it will look.
Great look and large samples, and small letters of intricate script.
Photo of runes, hieroglyphs and inscriptions:
On the Zone.
In the zone, the tattoo, or rather, the tattoo shows the status and the reason for the convict's term, as well as the number of his time and years. The dagger plays an important role:
- A dagger wrapped in a snake, or piercing the skull, means that its wearer has lived a life of struggle, stealing. More often struck the ringleaders of thieves' gangs and gangs. Thieves in the law over the head of the snake is stuffed with a crown.
- A dagger wrapped with a thorny rose means that its owner is a murderer who spilled blood for treason, and the murdered may not only be a woman.
- The rose and dagger depicted on the grill speaks of the convict's article - hooliganism.
This is the meaning of this tattoo.
Themes
The main themes of men's tattoos are:
- military;
- Related to professional activities;
- Related to subcultures;
- prison;
- On the motives of your favorite movies, comics;
- folklore, ethnic;
- deeply personal themes;
- for beauty.
Tattoos in the army are worn only by those who have served - this is one of the few categories of tattoo, where behind each drawing stands the life journey of the person, the trials he had to overcome.
Each branch and subdivision of the army has its own symbols. A knowledgeable person will be able to read from the tattoo in what troops, what rank the person served, whether he participated in hostilities.
In certain cases, a tattoo can save a soldier's life - if it's a blood type number - or you can recognize your own by the tattoo.
Scorpion means that the man has been in a hot spot. And it's also a symbol of bravery, fearlessness, willingness to sacrifice his life for others.
Bat on the background of the moon, the dome of the parachute, the skull in the beret - intelligence and special forces.
Parachute, winged sword, beret on a shield, wolf with wings, parachutist on the background of the plane - Airborne troops.
Anchor, dolphin, ribbon, parachute dome - Marines.
White bear (in the Northern Fleet), anchor, sailboat, helm - navy.
Tattoos associated with the profession were applied back in the Middle Ages. Now it is found more rarely, but still people of some professions - railroad workers, electricians, musicians still emphasize their involvement in their favorite case.
Different subcultures have their own specific tattoos. Punk tattoos have skulls, fire, the sign of anarchy; bikers have club emblems; club symbols are used by fans; emo and goths like death and night attributes; rappers often have inscriptions and quotations; anime fans have colored cartoons; representatives of radical right-wing groups have spiders (in the West), runes in combination with Nazi symbols.
Photos of subculture tattoos:
Prison tattoos are called partak. They are usually letters, images of animals, birds and objects - as well as religious motifs. Partak may be given by force. A body art for the criminal world is a biography and a personal portrait painted on the body.
Favorite characters from movies and cartoons are painted more often in the West than in ours. The most popular are Spider-Man, Captain Jack Sparrow, fantasy characters.
Folklore, ethnic motifs often serve as decoration, and also speak of the owner's interest in folk culture. Celtic ornaments based on folk art are also popular.
Rhinoceros .
This animal with a stern temperament, so the image represents masculine strength, endurance, power. The rhinoceros is full of contradictions - it can peacefully graze in the meadow, and in the next minute engage in battle with a predator and trample it. For its unpredictability, some people compare it to Mother Nature. More often the rhinoceros is depicted on the shoulder or calf. The animal's horn is a sign of strength and immortality. There were beliefs that he is endowed with magical properties. The rhinoceros is virtually invulnerable thanks to its thick skin and powerful horn, so the tattoo can be seen as a talisman or totem against evil forces.
stylized rhinoceros
rhinoceros on the leg
Style, color and size
There is a huge variety of tattoo styles today. Everyone finds cool ideas for themselves. There are both exclusively monochrome and colored techniques; easy patterns that even a non-professional can handle, and complex execution that results in real works of art.
The main styles:
- artistic - graphic, watercolor, etching;
- animation;
- abstraction;
- Genre classics - blackwork, oldskool, dotwork, linework, tribal;
- historical - India, Egypt, Maya, Maori, Polynesia, Haida;
- cyberpunk;
- new-school, psychedelic;
- steampunk, biomechanics;
- thrash, horror;
- ethnic ornaments - Celtic, Slavic, Scandinavian;
- typographic fonts.
Art styles are closest to realism. Watercolor tattoos are especially beautiful:
Cartoons:
Abstract drawings:
Blackwork - monochrome black art; Oldschool - old school, the first wave of popularization and development of the art of body art; Dotwork - the entire sketch is executed in dots, and linework - in lines:
Treble is probably the very first tattoos. As a rule, the sketches are small, concise and easy to execute:
Historical themes are the most complex and also some of the most beautiful:
Cyberpunk. Geometric shapes - trapezoid, circle, square, triangle - are popular in cyberpunk:
New School style is similar to psychedelic - strange, bizarre plots, unusual combinations of colors, shapes, and designs:
Steampunk and biomechanics are related, both combining mechanical elements with parts of the human body:
The horror genre has managed to win over its audience:
Ethnos:
Tips for Sketching.
To quickly choose a sketch for small tattoos on the arm, it is worth deciding on:
- the place of application;
- size;
- Type of tattoo (ornament or picture);
- The task of the tattoo;
- The number of small tattoos that you plan to apply.
Those, who already have tattoos should choose sketches of small tattoos, which look harmoniously with the already imposed. Also define with stylistics of drawing: tribal, minimalism, abstraction, graphics, oriental, geometry, and also a font (before the inscription).
When it's hard to choose a drawing on your own, a proven way is to ask your master. He will help to decide on the idea, creating a sketch of a small tattoo and the stylistics of performance.
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