Tattoo Designs For Men

Tattoos are now becoming more popular than ever to make a personal statement and more and more designs are being created which includes many new tattoo designs for men. Most of the old type designs have completely changed in looks. The doors have been flung open for new designs and more ways of expression.

Here is a small list of the most popular mens tattoo designs:

* Wing Tattoos
* Celtic Arm Tattoos
* Tribal Tattoos
* Japanese Tattoos
* Sailor or Old School Tattoos
* Cross, Animals or Font Tattoos

Wing tattoos usually include ones depicting, eagles, hawks, vultures and the like and are placed on the chest or shoulders.

Tribal tattoos derive from the Polynesian and Haida tribes. These tattoos often are representing forms of strength, masculinity, and power. They also use dark lines and curved or angular edges. The tribal designs are usually very bold in statement and range in size from small to large.

Perhaps the most ancient of them all is the Japanese tattoos. Once designers started using colored ink they became increasingly more popular. Especially when it came to the designs of Dragons, Koi fish, and Kanji. These particular tattoo designs represent strength and courage and can be placed anywhere on the body. Originally they were rather large tattoos that we often placed on the entire body or the back because of their great size. However today they are just as popular but have become smaller pieces of beautiful artwork.

In the western part of the world the most commonly used and seen tattoo design is that of sailor or old school tattoos. These tattoos are being redesigned into more modern styles that are much bolder with edgy bright colors. Some of these tattoo designs include: pinup girls, nautical and star designs. Normally these are chosen for their special meanings and are placed on the arm.

Maori Tattoo Art and Traditional Maori Tattoos

For the Maori, who are indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, tattooing holds a sacred significance to them. Their permanent body and face markings called moko, was an important milestone between childhood and adulthood. Today the style of Maori tattoos are becoming more popular because of the intricate curved shapes and spirals that make these some of the most creative designs to be had.

Tattoos of the Maori would be full face designs, as the head was considered the most sacred part of the body. Warriors would also sometimes have swirl tattoos on their buttocks and down their legs to the knees. Instead of needles the Maori used knives and chisels and the ink was applied by means of incisions. At puberty is when a young man would get his first tattoo, and then more would come to celebrate important events in his life such as rites of passage and to make himself more attractive to women. Enduring these painful tattoos was a sign of status, strength and courage. Tattooing was a very important Maori ritual that would include music, chant and fasting. Women were tattooed less frequently than men and their tattoos would usually be on the lips, chin or shoulders.

For the Maori, each pattern of their tattoo is a symbol of personal identification showing their rank, status and ancestry. If you are interested in this type of tattoo, you should never copy their designs. If you desire to have a Maori style design, you should find a tattoo artist that has experience with these types of tattoos and he or she can design one for you that doesn't have the symbolic meanings that are sacred to the Maori.

Today popular locations for a Maori tattoo is the arm, the top of the shoulder and down the arm, legs, the occasional buttock, on the back, and lower back for women. However some people do choose to have Maori designs on their chins and faces.