A tattoo is a marking made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification purposes. The first written reference to the word, “tattoo” (or Samoan “Tatau”) appears in the journal of Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard Captain Cook’s ship the HMS Endeavour in 1769: “I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humor or disposition”.
Tattooing has been practiced for centuries worldwide. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, traditionally had facial tattoos. Today one can find Berbers of Tamazgha (North Africa), Māori of New Zealand, Hausa people of Northern Nigeria, Arabic people in East-Turkey and Atayal of Taiwan with facial tattoos. Tattooing was widespread among Polynesian peoples and among certain tribal groups in the Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo, Mentawai Islands, Africa, North America, South America, Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, Cambodia, New Zealand and Micronesia. Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular in many parts of the world.
History:
Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice at least since around Neolithic times. Ötzi the Iceman, dating from the fourth to fifth millennium BC, was found in the Ötz valley in the Alps and had approximately 57 carbon tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left knee, and on his right ankle. These tattoos were thought to be a form of healing because of their placement which resembles acupuncture. Other mummies bearing tattoos and dating from the end of the second millennium BC have been discovered, such as the Mummy of Amunet from Ancient Egypt and the mummies at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau.
Pre-Christian Germanic, Celtic and other central and northern European tribes were often heavily tattooed, according to surviving accounts. The Picts were famously tattooed (or scarified) with elaborate dark blue woad (or possibly copper for the blue tone) designs. Julius Caesar described these tattoos in Book V of his Gallic Wars (54 BC).
Tattooing in Japan is thought to go back to the Paleolithic era, some ten thousand years ago.[citation needed] Various other cultures have had their own tattoo traditions, ranging from rubbing cuts and other wounds with ashes, to hand-pricking the skin to insert dyes.
Tattooing in the Western world today has its origins in Polynesia, and in the discovery of tatau by eighteenth century explorers. The Polynesian practice became popular among European sailors, before spreading to Western societies generally.
Here are our top recommended sites:
ChopperTattoo :
This is a of the best tattoo sites I came across. This sites are not the typical tattoo sites with few designs and lot of advertisements. Infact all these sites contains hundreds and thousands of tattoo designs, tattoo products and related information. Many of them are membership sites. So you will be able to meet other tattoo lovers and Artists who share similar interests.
Chopper Tattoo C Huge Variety of Tattoo Art Designs
Chopper Tattoo is a website dedicated to designs that many people may want to turn into tattoos on their bodies. . Started in 2006, the only purpose of this website is to help tattoo lovers choose the perfect design for their next tattoo, or even their very first tattoo. It shouldnt be a problem finding a design you like because the database at Chopper Tattoo has nearly 4,000 tattoo designs to choose from. The great thing is that, once you become a member, you can download and print off as many designs as you want. You can even combine different designs and create your own customized tattoo.
When you have joined Chopper Tattoo, youll be allowed access to the membership area. This is where you will find tattoo designs divided into many separate categories. Once you find a design that seems to speak to you, all you have to do is select it, print it out and take to your favorite tattoo artist.
Chopper Tattoo states that they regularly update their database of tattoo designs. However, if you purchase a short membership, such as one month, you may not notice whether an update happens or not.
The best feature of the site besides its impressive collection of designs is the ease of use of the members area of the website. Its a really simple layout, and you dont have to be a computer nerd to find your tattoo design quickly.
You can search as many designs as you want to and you can also customize your search according to size, category and color. After you have selected your design you can simply download it, print it and take it your tattoo artist.
If you are an aspiring tattoo artist yourself, then you can increase your exposure because there is a section of the site that allows you to submit your designs. The section on lettering will give you a lot of ideas on different styles and lets you customize whatever ideas that you have right on to your computer.
The site also offers some bonuses; you can play games and download your favorite music while searching for a tattoo for you.
Chopper Tattoo Bonuses
Chopper Tattoo offers you three fun bonuses with your paid membership. These are:
Games: If you get tired of looking at tattoo designs, youll find a section containing eight games to play.
Music Downloads: Your Chopper Tattoo membership grants you free access to MP3Suite.com where you can visit for free MP3 downloads.
Tattoo Lettering: This is a link that takes you to a font website. If you want letters to be a part of your tattoo, this is a great addition to the membership. However, you can also search online to find free font sites on your own.
Chopper Tattoo Membership Fees
Chopper Tattoo memberships are priced reasonably. One of the things that you will like about Chopper Tattoo is its flexible membership choices. It offers three membership plans to choose from according to your need: One months membership is $19.95. This one is great for someone that just wants to choose one or two tattoos and needs a little help in finding that perfect design. If you want a little more time, choose the two month membership for a price of $24.95. For those people that plan to get several tattoos during their lives, the Lifetime membership is a bargain at only $34.00.
Why Join Such a Site as Chopper Tattoo
It may be puzzling as to why someone would want to actually pay money to join a site such as Chopper Tattoo. Part of the answer to this question is the consideration as to just what getting a tattoo means. This is a very serious decision and choosing just the right design is vital. This tattoo will be with you for the rest of your life, so you want to be sure its the right one. Of course, you can visit your local tattoo parlor and have a look at their designs, but you really dont want to go around sporting a tattoo that 100 other people in your area have. Therefore, if you have the time to sit down at your leisure and just peruse the different designs available to you at Chopper Tattoo, you can have a tattoo totally unique from all others.
A great thing about Chopper Tattoo is that it not only offers tattoo designs for people that want to have their muscles tattooed, they have a service that is created particularly for those that design tattoos. This service allows designers to post their tattoo designs on the site. If anyone chooses any of these designs, the site splits the money 75 percent with the artist. This royalty rate is among the highest online.
Tattoos,Tattoo designs
