There are many varieties of tribal tattoos, including tribal suns and stars, tribal zodiac symbols, tribal religious symbols, and tribal armband tattoos. While they are all creative forms of body art, they can also have meaning behind them, and you should consider these meanings, as well as placement when choosing a tribal tattoo design. In ancient times, tattoos were used to either mark a person as a member of a group, or to express religious, magical or spiritual beliefs. Tribal tattoos are a wonderful way to express yourself;  just be sure you believe in the statement you are making.

Suns and Stars

Some of the first tribal tattoos existing thousands of years ago were of suns, honoring the sun gods and the element of fire. Tribal suns and stars tattoos can vary in size and detail, making them a good option for just about any part of your body. The shoulders and back (just below the neck) tend to be the most popular locations for this type of tribal tattoos. A creative twist on the tribal armband tattoos is a “chain” of stars that wraps around the foot, just below the ankle, with a larger sun or star tattoo closing the chain just below the big toe.

Zodiac Symbols

The zodiac is the first known celestial coordinate system, and its use in astrology has been fascinating mankind for thousands of years. The zodiac varies by culture, with the Greek/Roman zodiac being the most popular. When selecting a tribal zodiac symbol tattoo, consider your birth sign under the zodiac you most identify with and believe in. Understanding the meaning behind your birth sign, and the respective common traits and strengths, will all you to express a very personal tattoo.

Religious Symbols

In the case of tribal religious symbol tattoos, you may want to take the time and develop your own design. Studying the symbols of tribal and shamanic religions, including Native American, African, Samoan, Maori, Ancient European will help you find a symbol that is meaningful to you. Then use your creativity, or pay a professional tattoo artist to design a unique tattoo.

Armband Tattoos

The armband is probably the most popular type of tribal tattoo, but yours can still be very unique and personal. While armband tattoos typically incorporate flames, barbed wire or knot work, you can use any of the aforementioned tribal tattoo types as well to create your own design. You can also modify your preferred design into a wristband.

In many places, it can seem like there is a tattoo studio on every block. Many of them offer similar services, but not all studios are equal when it comes to safety and artistry. The decision should be carefully considered before choosing a studio to do your tattoo because picking the wrong place can cause numerous problems and cost you more than you can imagine.

The Appearance Of The Studio

Sanitation is very important for a tattoo studio because a studio that is not hygienic can cause serious infections and life threatening illnesses in their customers. The tattooing equipment should be cleaned and sterilized to eliminate the possibility of an infection from one customer being transferred to other customers. New needles that are fresh out of a sterile pack should be used for every customer to remove the risk of contamination from bacteria and viruses. If there is anything that you see that causes you to be concerned about the sanitation at the studio, you should choose somewhere else to obtain your tattoo to ensure your good health.

The Location Of The Studio

Any tattoo studio that is located in a weird place will not be the best place to get some body art done. Whether the studio is in a tent at a rock concert or attached to a bar, these places should be avoided because they may not be regulated properly and may not hold themselves to the standards of many other studios. When choosing a place to obtain a tattoo, it is important for the studio to have a stable physical location and has been in business long enough to obtain a good reputation within the community and clientele that is willing to give the location a good review.

The Skill Of The Tattoo Artist

Any tattoo artist that works for a tattoo studio should have experience in creating different designs for different types of people. Some artists have an album or book of the different designs that they have done before to show new customers what kind of artistry they are capable of in their tattoo designs. The reputation of the studio will indicate how good their tattoo artists are at creating different types of designs and custom creations.

Learning which tattoo studios in the area is the best and most reliable can be difficult if there are a number of different studios in the area. If you know friends, family members, or coworkers that have a tattoo, ask them where they have gotten their designs and what places they would recommend. Getting an honest opinion of what studios are the best and which ones to avoid will help you determine where the best place to get a tattoo will be.

If you have tattoos (like me) then you know that people are often asking for advice about being inked. If you’re not tattooed, here is a short guide to some mistakes to avoid.

Before you go under the needle, have a look to see what the following might say about you.

Tribal Band/Barbed Wire – Upper Arm

This tattoo proclaims you as a member of the tribe, that’s true. The sad part is that the tribe in question is the “sub-literati.”

Super Hard Neck Tattoo

The placement implies anything but hardness, no matter the subject matter. This is the mark of the young man with erectile dysfunction, or at the very least, a premature ejaculator. Can you say overcompensation? Go ahead and try again. I’m willing to be patient.

Garden Variety Butterfly Tramp Stamp

Beware the secret garden below. The butterfly belies a much more sinister truth, and though the garden is sure to be properly pruned, the implication that insect life may seek exodus from the deep cleavage below may not be so far off the mark.

Look At My Boobs Sacred Heart

Frank Zappa had it right about you Catholic girls. Too many years cooped up with the same sex have you making this desperate and permanent plea for male attention that you reiterate every time you “forget” to close those top buttons.

Any Placement Of A Dolphin

Bad enough on a necklace or a t-shirt, the dolphin tattoo indicates a desire to be seen as peace and earth loving. The bad news is that you were probably inspired to get it after an alcohol fueled domestic abuse disturbance that resulted in your arrest.

Nautical Star

Would you cut it out already? The closest you’ve been to the open water is happy hour near the naval base during shore leave.

Angel Wings On The Back

In your desire to be different, you committed the error of putting puny, atrophied angel wings on your back in an indelible medium. Were they suddenly to become corporeal, you’d be left with useless nubs that make getting dressed impossible. Shows severe spatial orientation issues.

Flower On The Ankle

The design you picked out gave you a familiar, warm-fuzzy feeling. It’s unfortunate that you failed to recognize it was because it resembled the packaging on your favorite feminine hygiene product. A future of daytime soaps awaits you.

Tazmanian Devil

Any Looney Tunes character pretty much says the same thing, but Taz is the mark of the beast – as in Old Milwaukee. The calling card of the unemployable, the Tazmanian Devil shows a character deficit that pretty much guarantees you will complacently be the recipient of public assistance for the rest of your life.

Low-Abdominal, Sub-Navel Tribal

Your shirt’s too short and your pants are too low and that means we can all see your belly tattoo. With or without a belly button ring, this almost definitely indicates a cavalier approach to birth control. Pretty soon, your tattoo will be ravaged by your impending and unplanned pregnancy.

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