Definition of tattoo - What it is, Meaning and Concept

Tattoo has its etymological origin in the French word tatouage .The concept refers to the act and the result of tattooing : leave a drawing or a mark on the skin through the use of certain needles or punches with ink.

For example: “When I was a kid I wanted to get a tattoo on my arm, but never cheer me up” , “Juan has a Superman tattoo on his chest” , “The criminal was recognized for the tattoos on his face ”.

The tattoo is called, therefore, the drawing or the text that is made on the skin by injecting ink under the epidermis.The technique , with variations, is used for thousands of years, according to the records detected by archaeologists.

Both the technique and the purpose of tattoos have varied throughout the history .tribes of Polynesia , to name a case, tattoos were used to generate fear in enemies and to enhance someone's hierarchy or status.American aborigines, for their part, tattooed to commemorate certain events or to mark the beginning of adult life.

In the contemporary western world, the conception of tattoos changed in the last decades, before they were typical marks of the sailors and then began to be adopted by marginal people who lived outside the law .Finally, at present, tattoos are accepted at social level , even for aesthetic purposes.

It should be noted that most tattoos, which must be performed with sterilized needles to prevent the spread of diseases , are permanent: they can only be removed with laser.

Tattoo styles

Although for people outside this particular art form is not so obvious, choosing a design for a specialist to tattoo on our body is not as easy or random as deciding on a television in the electronics store, or at least it is not so for connoisseurs.There is a long list of different styles, and it is advisable to know them all before embarking on this outward journey, since we probably feel identified only with some of them; The right style also minimizes the chances of wanting to take off your tattoo within a few months, something that is not always possible or economical.

One of the most prominent styles is the Black and Gray ( Black and Gray ).As the name implies, it is based on the use of black and various ink shades of gray, although in some cases it is also possible to use white.One of its strengths when compared to styles that do not limit the color palette is the depth and mysticism that can be achieved with images in gray scales, since they invite a closer observation to understand the designs, generally very detailed and of admirable complexity.

On the other hand is the Old School style ( Old School ), which emerged as a tribute to the tattoos made by the soldiers of the North American navy, in the early twentieth century.Some of the most recurring elements are the lighthouses and anchors , always with a clear theme focused on navigation.In addition, it is easy to distinguish it from the rest by noticing the absence of degraded in its color, which usually focuses on shades of blues and reds, and the accentuated thickness of its profiles .Statistics show that it reaches a greater popularity in Anglo-Saxon countries.

The Stencil style differs from the previous two in that it requires the use of a "template" (precisely that means the English word stencil ) to apply the ink on the skin, so their designs are usually solid, without gradients, monochromatic and, given the lack of originality and spontaneity, are considered less artistic.