Creativity is the essence of art and tattoo art is not untouched by this fact. With the passage of time, creative tattoo artists are working on new and innovative techniques and bringing them ahead for discerning tattoo lovers. One of these latest techniques has introduced watercolor tattoo designs. They are closely linked with watercolor paintings, as is suggested by the name. Vibrant hues, subtle shades and gentle colors are the hallmarks of these tattoos. The aesthetic beauty as well as symbolic meaningfulness of these tattoos has made them a popular choice among men and women around the world. They look absolutely unique and are bound to draw attention, solving the real purpose of bearing the pain and monetary cost of having a tattoo inked.
Technique of Watercolor Art
Watercolor tattoos are based on the technique of blending traditional tattooing with watercolor paintings, which gives it an absolutely different look as compared to the traditional tattoo. The technique as well as the tools of inking the tattoo is completely same, but the only difference between the two is the end result, which looks more like a watercolor painting rather than a classic tattoo design. As in the watercolor paintings, we see more of shades, splatters and blurs rather than defined shapes and outlines, the same kind of effect becomes visible in watercolor body art. The image looks free formed instead of being outlined with defines lines in black ink and the shading in between is lighter in color as compared to the regular tattoos. So if you are looking for something new for a first time tattoo or a unique option from the other tattoos which you already have, then watercolor body art would be an ideal option for you.
Cons
The shading of a watercolor art tattoo is comparatively lighter than a classic tattoo, which gives an impression that the tattoo gets faded with the passage of time. The fact is that they may require tough up after some years, which may be sooner than a conventional tattoo, which puts these tattoos at a slight disadvantage. Still, there is not much difference between the two and the watercolor tattoos, too are long lasting and permanent in nature, though its lighter appearance may cause a mild deception in some cases.
Placement Ideas
The most important aspect of tattoo art, in addition to choosing the right design, is its right placement. Basically, the place for having a tattoo inked is determines by the size of the tattoo. A larger tattoo looks good at large surface areas such as back, stomach, rib, chest, thighs, legs and shoulder, while smaller and more delicate designs are featured on small areas such as ankles, legs, wrists, neck, spine, back of the ear and even on fingers. The idea is to grab attention, whether the size of the tattoo is big or small. It should just be eye catching enough to convey the true attitude and feelings of the bearer.
Popular Watercolor Tattoos Designs
There is a great variety in designs available in case of watercolor body art as there it is in case of regular tattoo designs. It all depends upon the skill and creativity of the tattoo artist, who can create some brilliant designs with his imagination and mastery of the art. The technique of watercolor art depends upon his expertise in creating some amazing effects which resemble brush strokes, creating effects like dripping and splattered paint, or even, images which look like portraits. Some designs may also possess the quality of resemblance to a crayon design, creating an awesome impact. Here are some popular designs:
- Floral Tattoos – One of the most amazing water color tattoo designs is the one which includes different kinds of flowers such as rose, lotus, sunflower, daffodils and lilies, to name just a few. Rose symbolizes love and beauty while lotus stands for purity and piousness and including these floral designs in watercolor art can create an absolutely stunning and eye catching impact. Vibrant colors dripping out of soft black outlines can make a unique picture of these floral patterns, which is quite different from regular tattoo designs.
- Butterfly Tattoos – Butterflies, which by nature, exhibit a vibrant color palette, make an ideal element for being used in watercolor art. These colors can be exhibited in the form of a watery design, but still carry the amazing appeal for complete artistic look. As compared to the solid and well defined design tattoos, the butterfly tattoos create a unique and soft impact.
- Feather Tattoo – The feather tattoo has an alluring quality because they have a flowing and attractive shape, which looks beautiful wherever it is placed on the body of the bearer. In contrast to the normal feather tattoos, watercolor art tattoos can be made to look more attractive and softer with the use of bright splatters of color. The paint can be made to come out of the edges of the feather to make it look even more stylish and unconventional as compared to a regular one.
- Wolf Tattoo – Another cool option among the design elements considered for this art is that of a wolf design. A wolf is considered to be the symbol of strength, independence and loyalty and wolf tattoos created in the form of watercolor art create an amazing impact on the viewer, as it is entirely different from the classic wolf tattoos. The use of bold but blotch colors, which have a dripping quality, gives a soft and lifelike effect to the design, making it a delight for the onlooker instead of an element associated with ferociousness.
- Rain Tattoo – Rain tattoos can be the best element to be used designs as the falling drops of rain make the perfect choice for being depicted in watercolor form the splashed of color depict the falling rain drops to perfection, creating an impact which is totally stunning and unique.
- Fish Tattoo – Fish make a popular choice for watercolor designs because both the fish as well as these designs, have a flowing quality. Usage of bright colors as well as splashes to depict water can create an eye catching fare in fish tattoo designs. The artist can either create the whole design or have the fish tattoo inked in the conventional way and the background done in watercolor form.
- Hummingbird Tattoo – The hummingbird is a wonderful object which can be depicted in the form of a watercolor design because it flaps it wings at a very fast speed, giving it a blurry impact in its movement. This makes it ideal to be displayed in the form of the blotchy and blurry impact, as in case of watercolor art.
It may seem that color is the most important element of watercolor designs, but surprisingly, they can look great in conventional black and grey colors too, as in case of traditional tattoos. The difference between these two types of watercolors lies in the detaining of the design; while color tattoos become prominent with the help of use of splashes of vibrant colors, the black and grey tattoos get their attraction value on account of right use of intricate detailing. The blurry effect is used to the advantage and to create a different look in the simple traditional tattoo designs which uses bold sketching and outlines.
The best thing about them is that they do not require a proper design; in fact, they give the artist the creative freedom to bring out something amazing by making use of simple splashes of color, which may be made to drip down the body of the bearer. They are a way to unleash the creativity of the designer and enable them to create stunning visual delight to make the body a canvas and the tattoo a complete masterpiece. Almost all kinds of elements can be incorporated watercolor art, some of them are musical instruments, birds phoenix, dove, swallow, dragonflies, bow, ribbon, infinity sign, cross dragon, lion, stars, sun, moon, disney, dreamcatchers, arrows, compass, trees, angel and wings.
Final Words
Watercolor tattoos are a unique form of tattoo art, which creates tattoo designs in the form of blotches and splashes of color, rather than bold and defined outlines. Nearly all kinds of design elements can be incorporated, but the end result is really determined by the skill and expertise of the tattoo artist.
