Tiger Tattoos

 

Sharing many aspects of symbolism with the lion, tiger tattoos are a common choice, a combination of beauty and strength. Tigers are the king of animals and a popular symbol in the Eastern world.

Tiger tattoo art can have the following symbolic meaning (besides your own):

  • Power and might.
  • Pride and beauty.
  • Passion and sensuality.
  • Cruelty and violence.
  • Purity and courage.
  • In Japan, the samurai used the tiger as an emblem, for obvious reasons.
  • Tiger images and statues are used to ward off evil spirits and bring luck to families and businesses.
  • In some cultures, tigers are believed to punish sinners.

 

Photo of a woman's Tiger Tattoo

This being said, ask yourself the question why you would want a tiger tattoo. Tiger tattoos, and especially tribal tiger tattoos, are or have been (90s) very popular, please don't get one because it's fashionable.

Does the animal have a special meaning to you? If so, tiger tattoo designs might be a good choice for you, but if not, drop the idea.

Usually a tattoo of a tiger is quite large because of the nature of the image.If you don't have a tiger in your heart, you might start regretting your tattoo some day (and let me tell you, tattoo removal is not easy, nor cheap on such a large tattoo). Think before you ink, don't go to the tattoo parlor and buy the first tattoo design you kind of like, tattoo art is supposed to stay on your body forever.

 

Tribal Tiger Tattoos

The geometric shapes and swirls of the tribal tattoo style work very well on tiger tattoos. The natural stripes on a tiger's coat, as well as the action with which the cat moves lend themselves well to be stylized in the tribal style.

 

Picture of Sompong working on
Angelina Jolie's tribal tiger tattoo

Celebrity Angelina Jolie has got a cool tribal tiger tattoo. The 12-inch long Bengal tiger is situated on her lower back and was done in Bangkok (Thailand) by tattoo artist Sompong Kanhphai. It took 2 hours to complete and was done in the traditional Thai way with a manual needle.

 

White Tiger Tattoos

The white tiger, or spectral tiger, is a ghostly image - often with thin black stripes on a coat of snowy-colored fur, and shocking blue eyes.

In the forests of the wild, most tigers that are born with a lack of pigmentation in their fur (whether or not they are true albinos), die at an early age due to starvation. The typical orange-and-black coloration, stripes included, help a tiger to stealthily stalk its prey through forest and grassland alike.

White tiger tattoos can symbolize the following:

  • The rarity of the animal can symbolize the fact that you are someone special, one of a kind.
  • You can identify yourself with the struggles a white tiger must endure to survive.

Whether very intricate and pictorial in nature or tribal and impressionist, the design blends unparalleled beauty with the predatory might that is common to all tigers.

The Siberian Tiger Tattoo

 

The rarest and largest of all tiger species, with males reaching over ten feet from nose-tip to tail-tip, the Siberian tiger haunts the forests of Southeastern Russia and parts of China .

Perilously close to extinction, only a few hundred of these majestic animals remain in the wild. Tiger tattoos depicting the Siberian tiger are symbolic in and of themselves -- power unmatched. In many Eastern mythologies, tigers are considered the kings of all beasts, much like the lion; tigers and tiger tattoos often represent royalty and mystique.

 

Popular Tiger Tattoo Combinations

Tiger tattoos are combined with other tattoo designs. The most popular combinations are those with:

  • Dragon tattoos: popular is a tiger combined with a dragon tattoo in the Chinese yin yang style. The dragon symbolizes protection (female force), the tiger means power (male force).
  • Butterfly tattoos: the face of a tiger in the shape of a butterfly is also a popular design.
  • Flower tattoos: Japanese flowers, like cherry blossom, go well with a tiger tattoo. There's also a flower called Tiger Lily, that's popular as a tattoo design.
  • The most popular spots for a tiger tattoo:
  • The back: tiger tattoos are usually large in size, the back has got plenty of space.
  • The legs: a tiger crawling up your leg is a popular tattoo design.
  • Upper arm: also a good place for a crawling tiger tattoo.

Cat Man

A man called Dennis Smith (San Diego), is turning himself into a tiger with the help of cosmetic surgery and tattoos.

A list of his body modifications:

 

Cat Man

  • He's got orange and black tiger stripes tattooed on his body from head to toes.
  • His teeth have been sharpened by filing them.
  • He's got latex whisker implants.
  • He had his lips modified.
  • He wants a surgeon to graft tiger fur on his skin.

 

Celebrities With Tiger Tattoos

Only 3 celebrities with a tiger tattoo that I can think of, let me know if you know more:

  • Angelina Jolie: see above
  • Cyndi Lauper: has a tiger tattoo on her left ankle.
  • Lucy Liu: has a tiger tattoo on her lower back.

Some people also get the design of a tiger cub tattooed. I have yet to see the first guy with a baby tiger tattoo, but it's a fairly popular feminine tattoo design.

Beyond their cultural and spiritual significance, tiger tattoos may also serve as the declaration of support for animal rights; after all, the tiger, which is the largest of the "big cats," is critically endangered, and many sub-species of the massive predator have already become extinct.

Since the tiger enjoys such significance in so many cultures, it is no wonder why tribal tigers -- and tiger tattoos as a whole -- are so popular.

Why Tiger Tattoos

Tigers are the largest and most powerful of all living cat species and easily camouflage themselves to their environment. Strong swimmers and feared by most other living things, the tiger is nothing if not a massive creature with great beauty and strength. As a result, tiger tattoos are among the most popular requests of tattoo lovers.

On males, the most common placement for tiger tattoos is on the upper arm, chest and back. Women generally prefer tattoos be placed on the shoulder, lower back or ankle. In order to recreate the animal in colorful detail, most tiger tattoos are medium to large in size. It may be possible to purchase smaller tiger tattoos if you prefer to only have a portrait-style tattoo of the face of a tiger. The cost of tiger tattoos will be largely dependent upon their size. As a general rule, larger tattoos are more expensive than smaller ones due to the fact that there is more work and ink involved in the process.

Tiger Tattoo Images

The best way to capture a unique image for tiger tattoos is to browse through wildlife magazines, photography books and/or internet photo galleries. By studying real life photos, you will have the opportunity to provide an image to the tattoo artist that is unlike the typical work that they do. Every tattoo parlor has sample tattoos for customers to choose from, but many prefer to select their images in different ways. By researching actual photos and poses of this impressive creature, individuals will be able to recreate tiger tattoos that are unlike the cookie cutter designs available at some parlors.

Tiger Tattoos Meaning

Individuals may select tiger tattoos for a number of reasons, including a show of strength, a feeling of power, a symbol of fearlessness or simply the beauty of an animal that is both respected and feared in it's natural habitat.

Before the purchase or application of tiger tattoos, an individual should make sure that the artist is properly trained and licensed to produce a safe and quality tattoo. Any tattoo, including tiger tattoos, is not to be applied by an amateur or anyone who has not been properly trained in the handling and sterilization of tattoo equipment. If you have any questions about the safety of your tattoo, be sure to ask the artist who applies it. He/she will bandage the site of the tattoo and provide you with instructions on how to avoid infection and general care for the site until it has completely healed.

 
 

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