Cross Tattoos

Cross tattoos symbolize the pain, suffering and ultimately the sacrifice given by the son of God, Jesus Christ. A sacrifice which now gives us the chance for forgiveness, salvation and the opportunity for eternal life in heaven.

Cross tattoos and crosses in general are historically a religious symbol, however nowadays they are sometimes worn as a fashion statement, appose to their original meaning.

Here we have a nice picture gallery of some top notch quality cross tattoos for you to browse through and perhaps discover a design that matches your interest.



Cross tattoos are often compliments with scriptures and other biblical objects such as angel wings and angelic items.



Cross tattoos are typically seen on the upper arm and across the back and chest.



There are so many beautiful ways of customizing these type of tattoos, such as adding a cloud backdrop, a mixture of tribal, celtic or aztec artwork, and even perhaps a portrait of the savior himself along with a few cherub angels.

Girl Tattoos Serve To Compliment Feminine Grace And Beauty

Female tattoos are a new fashion fad for the hip and chic girls. In the last ten years, the tattooing has become more socially acceptable. With the Hollywood hottest stars be it Angelina Jolie, Amy Winehouse or Megan Fox sporting their tattoos in front of the world media; it doesn’t come as a big surprise that tattoos are becoming more and more common with girls and women. They are inking their body to get the tattoos done on their body.

Female tattoos are smaller, delicate and feminine in design. They are varied and unique to match the individuality of all the tattooed girls. There are a different variety of fascinating girl tattoos like demons, vixens, pin-up girl tattoos, sparrows, sacred hearts, angel wings, tiger, butterflies, hearts, roses and cherry blossoms. Girls get their tattoos done on the lower back, left shoulder, ankle, upper breast, stomach, or bikini area. Tattoos on shoulder have more visibility and especially looks great when wearing, sleeveless tops, tank tops or halter tops. Ankle tattoos are cute and are a great accent when wearing slippers, sandals or flip-flops.
Females find tattoos sexy and attractive. It makes a bold style statement. Here are some hottest tattoo ideas for girls-

Butterfly tattoos:
The growing influence that the women have in the tattoo culture and butterflies seems to be the most popular subject for a girl tattoo.

Tribal tattoos:
The craze for tribal tattoos is same both amongst men as well as women. The most common tribal tattoo covers an astonishing array of tattoo designs like Maori, Haida and Polynesian designs.

Star tattoos:
Celebrities and rich and famous love flaunting star tattoos. They are universal and probably the oldest symbol with strong meaning.

Angel tattoos:
Angel tattoo is strong way to express one's faith and as a powerful symbol in Memorial tattoos.

Flower tattoos:
Flowers surreal and natural beauty epitomizes feminity. Each flower denotes symbolic meaning. Common flower tattoos are roses, daisies, lilies, sunflowers and cherry blossom.

Henna Powder | Spirit Vision Henna Seeks Henna Supplier.

Spirit Vision Henna is looking for a new supplier of finely sifted henna for Body Art. I prefer Rajistani henna, or Yemeni Henna.

I am able to purchase wholesale, however am not prepared to import very large quantities. If other smaller henna vendors in the USA would like to spilt an order, please feel welcome to contact me.

Thank you,

Ann George
Spirit Vision Henna

Russian Prison Tattoo - The Truth

Russian Prison Tattoos - The Brutal Truth

butterflys tattoos

 

Russian Prison Tattoos

Most people associate Russian Mafia Tattoos with David Cronenberg's award winning film "Eastern Promises" in which Viggo Mortensen portrayed an ex-con turned driver for a Russian Mafia Boss, who works his way up the chain of command only to find out there's even more corruption and deception than what he experienced within the prison walls.

His story merely skims the surface...

In reality, the history behind Russia's criminal underground was spawned from a generation of men who, due to the economical collapse of the Soviet Union, were left with nothing - turning to crime for a means of survival. As communism fell and the safety net was removed, many of the desperate ended up in Russian prison camp system, also known as the Soviet gulag, which to this day is known as one of the most infamous and hellish prison systems in history. It was within these camps that a new breed of professional criminal was born. A criminal network based on discipline, tradition and more importantly, rank.

Russian Mafia Tattoos are more than a statement...

As these networks of seasoned Russian criminals began to establish themselves from both sides of the prison walls, they would tattoo religious and neo-nazi symbols all over their bodies as a form of recognition amongst their fellow peers, but also as a means of living with their sins. It was not unheard of for Russian Mafia Tattoos to be forcefully inked on an individual whom was deemed to be untrustworthy, or an individual who was a child molester or rapist - which went against the strong religious undertones of that time.

Common symbols and their meanings...

To the naked eye most of these tattoos represent religious imagery, such as cathedrals or monasteries, but as the Russian Mafia began to migrate to New York, Philadelphia, and Florida between the 1970's and 1990's, the American authorities and secret services began to decipher the code which lies beneath these markings of worship. They realized that not only was there a system behind Russian Mafia Tattoos, but these criminals would literally use these symbols as a business card to whom the other was, and more importantly, what sins they've committed.

Cathedral or Church - Depending on the number of towers a particular tattoo has, it usually refers to the number of years, or amount of times that individual has been incarcerated.

Cobweb - Usually designated for someone who has committed murder.

Cat or Cats - If there is a tattoo of a single cat, this means that the individual was a thief before being imprisoned. If there are multiple cats this means that the individual was part of a gang of thieves.

Stars - This seems to be the most recognized tattoo in the mainstream media. If the owner has stars on each of his knees, this mean's he will never bow down or never be brought to his knees. Stars on the shoulders are usually awarded when a particular individual has reached a criminal status or high ranking within the network - such as a Captain. Different types of stars mean different things as well.

What's even more frightening, and sad, is that in modern day Russia it is estimated that 70% of the upper echelon of society, politics and law enforcement is controlled by the Russian Mafia families and criminal networks. It is said that the same percentage of banks are also ran by the mob in Russia. The fall of communism turned a once powerful and formidable competitor into a country so corrupt that it's highest offices are products of crime. It's common amongst society for people to associate criminal organizations with the Italian Mafia, but the reality is that if you ask anyone who knows anything on this topic they will tell you that compared to the Russian Mafia, Italian crime families are like pre-school - there is no comparison.

Various Back Tattoos

Various Back Tattoos

Henna Tattoo for the Back

Here is a photo of a henna tattoo on the back. This is a photo of the henna paste on the skin. The impact of the black paste on the white skin is quite striking. However, it is not advised to put henna on the back.

There are several reasons for this, and the primary reason is that the finished color will not be as dark as henna on the hands, arms, feet or legs. In fact, I do not recommend that you put henna on your back unless you are willing to go to extra effort to ensure good color.

Every ones skin type is different, and some people may get a good result for a henna tattoo on the back with aftercare. It is much more likely that I will get a complaint from a client that henna tattoo on the upper back is not very dark. There is very little I can to to correct this.

For most people, the pores of the back are small, the upper back may be oily in nature and these factors inhibit the henna from deeply penetrating the skin. It is also quite easy to smudge the henna when driving home!

Here is a photo of the Phoenix Tattoo 48 hours later. As you can see, my client went the extra mile to get a good finished color.

As henna is a heat activated dye, applications of olive oil and sunshine ( or perhaps a tanning bed ) gave the henna the extra push necessary to get dark color on the back in this air-conditioned Western world.

If you click to enlarge the photo, you will see that the darkest color is in the lower back. Sometimes it is possible to get a good finished color on the lower back... especially for women.

This pattern was a special order for a special occasion, and extra time was spent to keep the henna wet on the skin as long as possible ( lemon sugar glaze with essential oils was applied regularly over a two hour period to help the henna penetrate the skin.)

I do not offer this kind of henna at the Midnight Sun. The fee for this size and quality of work is $85 an hour. There may be some artists who are able to get a better color than I for the back. If you are out there.. please leave a comment on the blog so others can find you.

Or... feel welcome to post a tip to help us all get darker results on the back.  With all best wishes,

Ann George - Henna Artist - Spirit Vision Henna in Jacksonville, Florida

Contemporary Henna Pattern - for the active woman

Here is a photo of a henna tattoo (paste is on the skin - not black henna) for the active woman.

You will see that there is a lacy henna pattern on the palm, rather whimsical, yet incorporating traditional components.

However, the fingers and thumbs are free of henna paste, so work can continue for the three to six hours necessary to get the darkest henna color.

The palm will always show the true beauty of henna.. yielding colors ranging from rose, to red.. and in some cases, with good aftercare, black cherry red.

To ensure the darkest color, leave the paste on the skin as long as possible. It is also good to enjoy the outdoors! Heat is good for henna, water is not.

If you want your henna color to last as long as possible, no matter where you put it... the once you remove the paste, cover the design with olive oil to seal in the color & some body heat.

If you must wash anything.. please remember .. a bit of olive oil over the henna tattoo keeps water out and color in. For more information on the henna tattoo process, visit the FAQ page on my site.