Polka Spots and Freckle Dots: Tattoo Inspiration

Tuesday, 9 September 2014

My Tattoo Wish List

Tattoos; you either love them or you hate them.

I personally love them; I always have.

While many see them as grotesque eye sores and the branding of society's offensive and unsavoury characters, I do not. I'm not offended by a little ink on a person's skin; it's just a painting on skin at the end of the day. I personally think that tattoos can be beautiful works of art, when they're done by a good artist. and I find them fascinating.

If I had the money, I would be covered in them, but at the moment I only have two. They're nothing special. I didn't get my first one until I was twenty-four because I could never decide on a design- I didn't have Pinterest to inspire me back then! I got the second nine months later, and was planning to get more when my back problems began and put a stop to it... for now! I've been making lots of plans for future tattoos over the last couple of years, and today I thought I'd share some of my ideas and inspiration.

This post is a bit of a long 'un, so grab a cuppa, sit back, and relax while I talk you through them!

Geometric Colour Wheel

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One day I will get a colour wheel mandala inked on my skin, like the ones above. I'm a complete and utter colour junkie, as most of you will know, and I think it shows in my style, make up choices, and home decor. I love to surround myself with it- the whole spectrum of bold, bright colours just makes me happy. I think a colour wheel would be a perfect way to take my love of colour to a whole new level, and it would look so fun and eye-catching against my very fair skin. It's not often you see people with rainbow coloured tattoos.

Red Fox

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Foxes have been one of my favourite animals since I was a little girl, probably thanks in part to my childhood obsession with The Animals of Farthing Wood. I think they're such beautiful animals. I was initially thinking of getting a little watercolour design, but I'm now smitten with the rainbow-coloured geometric design in the above collage; it may have to be my next tattoo.

Alice in Wonderland

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Disney's Alice in Wonderland is my favourite Disney film, and I've been a little bit obsessed with it since childhood. I've watched it so many times over the years that I've lost count. While I doubt I'd ever commit to a huge body piece like the amazing one above, (which is by far the most incredible tattoo piece I've ever seen in my life), I would love to get an Alice inspired piece.

I want to get a few characters like the bread and butterflies, rocking horse flies, the oysters, and a variety of critters from the Tulgy Woods. I've thought about getting some Mome Raths on my feet with the quote "don't step on the Mome Raths!" I'm also considering a thigh piece, like the one in the third Alice collage. I know I'll get something Alice-inspired at some point, I just need to work out exactly what I want and where.

Flock of Flying Birds

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I've been thinking about getting a flock of flying birds along my collar bones for a couple of years now, to get as a symbol of my re-found freedom and independence when I overcome the pain, and get my life back. I think it would be a good way to mark what I've been through and to act as a reminder to never take my freedom and independence for granted again.

I originally wanted something like the dandelion sketch, but it's been so over done now that I've gone off it. I want something a little more unique. My plan is to get a flock of colourful flying macaws, or perhaps a variety of birds flying together such as flamingos, toucans, pelicans, puffins, and macaws, in colour and with a little detail.

Birds on Both Shoulders

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I've also been toying with the idea of getting a pair of birds, like the tattoos above, on either side of my shoulders. I'm torn between getting the traditional swallows / sparrows or doing something a little bit different like going for macaws or flamingos instead.

Roses

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I've always liked the idea of having a rose tattoo, even if it is one of the most popular tattoos of all time. There's just something so beautiful and classic about rose tattoos, isn't there? I'm particularly drawn to blue roses at the moment, but I would love a dark red rose, too.

Florals

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Something that I am seriously thinking about getting in the future is a realistic floral sleeve, like the design above. Isn't it stunning? My dream is to get a beautiful, feminine sleeve that would make a statement and look pretty with my dresses. It would have to incorporate daisies, sunflowers, pansies, purple irises, yellow roses, and yellow tulips- all of my favourite flowers. I haven't worked out the rest yet, but the idea is a work in progress!

I also love the floral hands, but I'm a little more hesitant about getting my hands inked as it could jeopardise employment opportunities in the future. I would instead have them inked on a different area of my body, like my feet or arms.

Sasha Unisex

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My dream is to have a tattoo done by the amazing Russian tattoo artist Sasha Unisex. She creates the most beautiful water-colour style designs I have ever seen, and I'm not even exaggerating. Her designs are typically bold and colourful, with fantastic attention to detail and incredible shading. I'm regularly in awe of her work and it's astonishing that it's even possible to create such beautiful, highly-pigmented tattoos which look like watercolour paintings and are often so realistic.

I haven't got a design in mind, but I would probably be happy with almost anything she designs. I'm besotted with her lions, tigers, and whales. You can check out her work on Instagram via the source, or see more of her work on my Pinterest board solely dedicated to her designs.

Flamingos

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I've wanted a flamingo tattoo for well over a decade now, and this week I finally found a design I'd love to get- the watercolour illustration (top right). It would make a beautiful centre piece for an Alice in Wonderland themed design, too.

Bunnies

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Until they passed away of old age in 2012 and 2013, I owned two big ginger bunnies for ten and eleven years; Tigerlily and Honey.They were my fur babies and I was devastated when they passed away, even if they did live far longer than most rabbits do. I brought them home when they were eight weeks old, so after ten and eleven years of caring for them every day, they naturally left a mark on my heart. I've thought about getting little tattoos of them in their memory, inked in a similar style to the little mischievous brown bunny on the left. It would be lovely to have a constant memory of them on my skin that I could look at every day, and I think they would make cute tattoos because they were such pretty little bunnies.

And that concludes today's post of tattoo inspiration! I hope you've enjoyed reading about my tattoo bucket list!

Do you have a tattoo wish list?

Where do you stand with tattoos; do you love them or hate them?

Friday, 11 October 2013

Tattoo Inspiration: Labyrinth

There are some films that stay with you for a life time, and one of my all time favourites is the cult classic 'Labyrinth.'

I grew up watching it from a young age with my sisters, and it's one of those films which we've always been a little obsessed with. We've watched it countless times and still find ourselves quoting lines in normal conversation. "Which way do you want to go? Up or down? She chose down?!" "Did you say 'hello'? No, I said " 'ello", but that's close enough." (Yes, we're completely insane!) I never get tired of watching it, and although I've never had a crush on David Bowie in his super tight leggings, like my two sisters, I always wanted to be Sarah and make friends with Hoggle, Ludo, and the little blue worm, and go to the masquerade ball. The film is perfection... except for the Fierys- please keep them away from me, they still freak me out twenty years on!

Anyway, when I came across a Labyrinth inspired tattoo on Pinterest a few days ago, my eyes practically popped out of their sockets with amazement, leading me to do a quick search to see if I could find any more. The search came up with a few dozen results, causing me to go on a bit of a pinning binge, pinning almost every Labyrinth tat I stumbled up on. In my defence, I couldn't help it; they were all so amazing! I'm always inspired by beautiful works of art in tattoo form, and although I'd touched on the idea of getting the little blue worm tattooed on me before, the thought of getting a larger piece like a sleeve or a back piece hadn't. I'm now oh so tempted, but for now, I'll just admire them from afar, and share my favourites with you guys!