
If you’re considering traditional subject matter, like a skull tattoo, take a look at this detailed backpiece for reference.See how one artist creates flower tattoos with a delicate, subtle design aesthetic, while another uses bolder, darker linework to deliver a completely different take on a floral tattoo. Nature is a wonderful source of inspiration.There are endless ways to see what other artists and designers are doing and how those custom designs translate onto skin. “I look to art books and social media for inspiration,” Salazar explains. To help remember what they were missing, they would get pin ups girls inked on them.Deciding what tattoo style you want to pursue with your work can be aided by research. During their sea voyages, sailors were alone for many months, and so they used to miss the presence of a woman even if it is just to look at her. This is another type of traditional American tattoo that originated from sailors. Some people can also use the tattoo as a sign of rebellion or to signify a form of triumph in life. The traditional skull is one of the most popular tattoos, and it is mainly used to represent death. New school tattoos and other genres of tattoo have tried to come up with new variations of the skull, but the American traditional skull tattoo still carries the day in terms of appearance. In some cases, the traditional wolf tattoo can also be used to symbolize that a person has survived a very difficult situation The traditional wolf tattoo is usually used to represent excessive greed of hunger for something important in life like wealth, success or even happiness. However, being a pack animal family and friends matter a lot as it cannot survive without them. Traditionally the wolf is an animal that represents ruthless determination due to its character. With this tattoo, there are also many variations to the design and it is combined with other elements like skulls and hearts. However, when drawn well, the traditional dagger tattoo will make an incredible tattoo design. Just like many other birds the swallow always returns to nest at the same place each year, and so this gave hope to sailors that they will also return home at some point.Ī dagger can represent many things, and it is associated with danger, death, and ferocity. This tradition was slowly adopted by American sailors who also started having it inked on them to show their sailing achievements. In the early years, swallow were used to represent a British sailors experience, and each was thought to represent 5,000 nautical miles. The water in that the ship is sailing on usually represents life.ĭepending on the message intended the waters in the tattoo may be stormy or smooth as each one can be interpreted to tell a different story about the wearer’s life.īeside from the symbolic meaning, these american traditional tattoos are fabulous, and so some people will have them inked on them for their beauty or to show their love for ships.Īlthough it is considered a traditional American tattoo, this tattoo draws inspiration from the British sailing tradition. For some people, the ship represents the wearer and so the design of the ship in the tattoo will tell you a lot about them. They could also use the tattoo to express their desire to go through life safely despite all the challenges they might come across in the journey of life.īesides from the beautiful designs that this type of tattoos comes in it also has several meanings. Sailors used the nautical star to express their desire to get back home safely from the journeys that took them thousands of miles away from home for several months. This five-pointed and two-toned star has become purely aesthetic over the years but traditionally it was a maritime symbol that was associated with navigation.
