Small Tattoos for Guys
While women relish the small, intimately located tattoo of the butterfly, heart, or star, men can also choose a small tattoo design from an endless ink portfolio to express themselves. Traditional "guy" tattoos of skulls, crosses, and other hardcore symbols come in small tattoo design packages, along with Japanese characters that translate to "serenity," or "love," or phrases that reflect one's personal philosophy, or favorite band. In an age of "sleeved" tattoos adorning entire limbs, and multicolored inked mosaics on chests and backs, small tattoo designs remain an alternative for the tattoo newcomer, or the guy whose workday dress code does not welcome provocative tattoos that show on hands, forearms or necks. Small tattoos on the arm, wrist, calf, foot or ring finger can celebrate a personal milestone, a spiritual or religious faith, a memorial for a lost loved one, a Zodiac sign, a tribal symbol, a long-term romance, or simply an artistic penchant for barbed wire, flowered vines or flames. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
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Personal Meaning
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Add a small tattoo design to an already established collection of ink. Take some time to reflect on what a tattoo can symbolize for you personally. Zodiac signs, your child's name, the date of your father's death, or a religious or spiritual symbol may provide more staying power in the long run. In New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures in 2005, thousands of locals chose to memorialize their survival with a fleur-di-lis combined with the date the flooding began: Aug. 29, 2005.
Shrink A Big Design
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Small tattoos can balance one another on shoulder blades. Preferring a small tattoo does not mean you have to quash the idea of a fire-breathing dragon or hulking warlock. Pare the design down to size. The barbed wire you wanted around your bicep could also work around one finger, or above the wrist. Downsizing will also save you money down at the tattoo studio.
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Keep The Peace
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Sometimes, a tattoo is not intended for public consumption. Not everyone has a job where face tattoos or wraparound shoulder blade ink score points with the bosses. Many work places have dress codes that prohibit visible tattoos or images that degrade women, such as a naked mermaid or an NC-17-rated, buxom pin-up model. Think before you get ink. Check your job's dress code or at least consider exactly who will get to see this tattoo design of yours.
Seek Artist Advice
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Tattoo artists wear their professional experience and talents on their own bodies. Trust the professionals when it comes to selecting the right small tattoo design. Tattoo artists live and breathe by the ink and they can add to, subtract from, or alter one of their designs to suit a customer's taste. Find a professional tattoo artist by doing some homework. Most states license tattoo studios, so check online for government records. Ask tattooed friends, or that neighbor who wears a Yin-Yang tattoo that you have always admired. Referrals are the way to go when finding a solid tattoo artist.
Think Twice, Get Inked Once
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The tattoo you love at age 22 might not thrill you two decades later. Don't go into the selection phase with visions of tattoo laser removal dancing in your head. Tattoos cost money and the ink is meant for permanence. Make a decision based on reality and not folly. Again, most tattoo artists welcome a customer's input.
Sketch out the dolphin that you spotted in the Gulf of Mexico or any design that brings out your smile because it is attached to an important personal memory. These days, tattoo designs can be printed out off the Internet and taken directly to tattoo studios.
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