HOLIDAY DESTINATION TATTOOS
December is here and with winter comes the inevitable… snow? Christmas? Obsessing over what New Year resolutions to make? No, we are talking of course about the desire to escape to warmer climes. To look upon the sun just one more time. While traveling may be just a little harder this year (although not as inaccessible as 12 months ago), we thought we’d take a look at some of the most popular destinations that serve both as fantastic destinations in their own right (most of them are somewhat warmer) – and a great spot to get some commemorative ink. Bucket list for 2022-23 maybe?
Miami Beach is full of tattoo studios. Photo: AdamChandler86 via Flickr
MIAMI BEACH >>>
DYSTOPIAN-THEMED TATTOOS
We are almost at the time where holiday cheer and spirit may inspire us to see things a little brighter in the midst of the dark winter months. However many other things are still conspiring to keep us in darker spirits. So we thought we would embrace the darker mood and dive into some of the crossovers between dystopian fiction and tattooing.
George Orwell’s 1984 has a clear standing among dystopian classics. And so have themes from the book in the world of tattooing. The big brother eye and propaganda posters lend themselves as the perfect motives for styles such as trash polka, or drawing on Russian avant-garde or Soviet typography.
GEORGE ORWELL >>>
SOUTH KOREAN TATTOOS
Photo from Instagram @chenjie.newtattoo
While one can argue over the longevity and staying power of fine line tattoos, there is no denying that when done right they can be incredibly aesthetically pleasing. One of the areas of the world driving the delicate subtlety trend over the past few years is South Korea.
The practice of tattooing is still officially illegal in South Korea unless performed by someone with a medical license, and showing tattoos in public has long been taboo. However, young people feel that the ban – and the social stigma – are outdated.
Estimates put the number of people working in the tattooing industry in South Korea at about 20,000 in 2020. Korean tattoo artists have millions of followers on Instagram, and many all over the world are convinced that the style that has become their signature is the only style of tattoo they would ever get, or have even traveled to Seoul especially for a piece.
CHARACTERISTICS >>>
TATTOOS TO SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR THE PLANET
Sometimes, we get tattooed for aesthetics. Other times it’s for fun, and because frankly, we just want another tattoo. These are all perfectly good reasons to get a new piece of body art if you ask us. However, many times it is also because we are passionate about something – music, religion, political causes or other movements.
ACTIVIST TATTOOS >>>
EAR PIERCINGS TRENDS FOR 2022
We know, we know, it’s only November. But if Leicester Square and Covent Garden can throw up the Christmas lights from now, we can begin to dream of a brighter 2022 and all the body art and modifications to come in the new year. While the classics such as a perfectly placed lobe piercing or conch will always be classics for a reason, let’s take a look into the crystal ball of months ahead, and check out the predicted ear piercing trends for the year to come.
PERSONALISATION AND ASYMMETRY >>>
LION TATTOO INSPIRATION
By Chile from Vivid Ink Stafford
Lions are among the most popular motives in tattooing. Top athletes like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ben Stokes, Lewis Hamilton, Amanda Nunes, and many more have chosen the feline as a symbol of strength, prowess and general regal swag.
Super model Cara Delevingne was responsible for an uptick in finger tattoos after that TAG Heuer commercial showing off a minuscule mane. Even the writer of this post has a dotwork lion in the shape of Aslan from C.S. Lewis’ books about Narnia.
The lion is often considered as the king of animals. The Leo of the Zodiac is associated with compassion, big-heartedness, drive and natural leadership. On the flip side, the sign can be associated with impatience, dominance, and possessiveness. More than that however, lions appear in so many myths and stories from all over the world.
GODDESSES AND HEROES >>>
HOW TO TALK CUSTOM DESIGNS WITH YOUR TATTOO ARTIST
Now that you have declared ‘money for tattoo’ to all relatives at the queries as to what you would like for Christmas this year, it is time to get serious about your design. Whether you have an incredibly specific motive in your head that you have been contemplating for a very long time, or there is more of a general sort of idea and you are open to suggestions, you will get the most out of the design process if you know how to consult with your artist.
CUSTOM TATTOOS AT VIVID INK >>>
MOST POPULAR ZOMBIE MOVIE TATTOOS
To group all zombies together is actually a little unfair. There are so many different kinds – the Clickers in Last of Us, the Call of Duty Nazi zombies, the hive-dwelling vampire-like creatures in I am Legend, Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller, and the somewhat unassuming army from Sean of the Dead, just to name a few. And, of course, the zombies in Vivid Ink’s Halloween special! No spoilers.
ZOMBIE HISTORY
By Mike at Vivid Ink Stafford
The mythological undead have existed in various iterations throughout history, and the forthcoming Zombie Apocalypse has fascinated people for centuries. The terminology comes from Haitian folklore, where a zombie is a dead body reanimated through various types of voodoo or other sorcery.
However, the Western iteration of the zombie that we all know and, uhm, love (?), appeared in popculture in the late 1960s with the release of George A Romero’s film Night of the Living Dead, inspired by the aforementioned I Am Legend book, written by Richard Matheson a decade earlier.
UNDEAD TATTOOS >>>
HALLOWEEN SPECIAL – MOST POPULAR HORROR MOVIE TATTOOS
It’s that time of the year again – for ghosts and ghouls and all sorts of sorcery. No matter if you are the type to get all decked out with fangs and capes and carve pumpkins a la American, or you honour ancestors passed, or simply like to curl up in the sofa with a giant bowl of popcorn and a scary movie, Halloween is unlikely to pass anyone entirely by in our part of the world.
As we all know, tattoos and popculture go hand in hand. So, in honour of the festivities (or spookiness), we thought we’d take a look a some of the most popular horror movie characters to adorn the skin of ink-aficionados worldwide. How many of the ones on our list have you seen?
JACK NICHOLSON’S ICONIC ‘HERE’S JOHNNY’ >>>
TOP TEN MOST PAINFUL PLACES TO GET A TATTOO – PART II
The elbow might be a small part of your body. However, anyone who has ever banged their ‘funny bone’ against a sharp surface knows it can pack a punch. Of course, what you hit is not really a bone at all, but the ulnar nerve, that tells your brain what is going on with your fourth and fifth fingers. All the nerves that innervate the lower arm and hand need to pass by the elbow. Without any particular cushioning to speak of, that makes for a high-sensitivity cocktail. However, if its part of your magnificent full-sleeve plans, it might be worth suffering through.
6. HANDS AND FINGERS >>>
