How to Find Quality Tattoo Designs Online and Not Get Cheated

If you are looking for tattoo designs online the chances are you have been disappointed so far. There is so much garbage out there it is difficult to know where to start and who to trust.

Think about what you are really after. Most people just want to find beautiful, original, tattoo designs from a reliable site with plenty of images that they can return to. But how can you tell if the design quality is any good with out handing over some hard earned cash beforehand?

Obviously looking at the site homepage should give you some design examples. But it helps to know a bit more. Check out actual feedback from people who have already handed over that cash and don't just get it from the site itself. They are not going to show anything negative.

Check out the site's online reputation. How many monthly visits does it get? How many customers does it have? Then compare it to other sites that offer similar packages. Ask yourself if you are really interested in the bonuses. If you are an experienced tattoo enthusiast then you probably won't need or read an ebook on basic aftercare or choosing your first tattoo.

Some tattoo design sites have extras that are not just ebooks. Some include additional features such as customized lettering, a tattoo artist directory or a translation widget to translate phrases in to other languages.

Many sites have a community that you can get and share ideas and advice. Of course this is a personal thing but think about what are actually looking for and whether the extras have real value for you.

Finally, don't forget that most reputable sites will offer some form of money-back guarantee, especially membership sites and those selling ebooks of design collections.

Dragon Tattoo Gallery

I grew up around dragons. No, not the mythological ones, although I think I would have liked to. (If they were anything like Draco - the dragon from Dragonheart). No, I was one of the products of the 1980's - the decade of Dungeons & Dragons. I have had more crazy adventures with my brothers and sister to haunt me for a lifetime! Moreover, from one D & D player to another - never let your older brother be the dungeon master - they always cheat!

I never really got into the whole mysticism behind the winged creatures, but my sister became the resident expert in our home. (That is, if you do not include my fire-breathing mother when she was angry!) My sister soon began to collect the small Dungeons & Dragons figurines - specifically dragons. When 1994 rolled around, she got her first dragon tattoo on her upper left shoulder.

She never got a whole lot of dissension for getting a dragon, as I did when I got my fairy tattoos. One artist actually asked if I were a lesbian for getting tattoos of naked women on my legs! What the heck? Why wasn't my sister accused of the same thing, since it seems like dragons tend to be seen more on men than women? Hmm - I must still have some unresolved sibling issues buried somewhere! Anyway, her reason for enjoying dragons as much as she did actually had her stumbling for an explanation.

"I've always liked the idea of dragons, and I think it all started when I saw the movie The Neverending Story. In that movie, the dragon looked like an albino golden retriever. After that, I started to like them because of their need to protect and guard treasures. I don't know - I guess I just liked the idea of dragons being impervious to pain and danger. Oh, and I also liked the idea of frying my enemies to a crisp!"

Dragons tended to originate, once again, from oriental backgrounds. Some believed that dragons protected the deity, Buddha, and the Buddhism religion. Impervious to fire, dragons were considered gods of water and the sea, with certain powers to influence rain and storms in general. There were four guardians in such stories - one for each direction - North, South, East, and West. The Northern guardian was named Genbu, a green dragon that brought winter. Suzaku, the red dragon of the South, was the bringer of summer. The Western white dragon, Byakko, brought fall to the lands. The Eastern guardian, Seiryu, was a blue dragon associated with spring.

Perhaps many love the dragon lore because it, like much of the creatures of the Orient, shrouds itself in the mysteries of life, and the values that one must adhere to in order to attain true understanding of ourselves. (Gads, I feel like Jack Handy, of Deep Thoughts, or something!) Either way, they are construed as courageous creatures that protect and stand up for what they had been given charge of. Why not ink one on?

The Various Means of Tattoo Removal

There are many reasons why people may want tattoo removal. Perhaps you've had a girlfriend's name tattooed across your chest, only to find out that she's cheating on you.

Maybe you've gotten a new job that requires you to look more refined and than the body art that extends past your shirt sleeves will allow.

Some folks even find that they are allergic to their new tattoo shortly after they get it. Whatever your reason for wanting to remove it, there are several options available.

Laser tattoo removal is quickly becoming the most popular method for removing tattoos. Using a laser to break up the pigments that make up the skin design beneath the skins surface, the doctor is allowing the body to act as its own eraser.

Once these pigments are broken up, the body's natural defense mechanisms begin to expel the waste through the bloodstream. This process usually takes several weeks. This removal approach usually takes several visits to the doctor.

Another common method of tattoo removal is called dermabrasion. A small grinding wheel is used to peel the outer layer of skin off. Once the skin is gone, then the doctor can remove the flaking layer of ink.

This method is usually quite thorough, but does have a few drawbacks. First, it can be very painful. Even though the area will be numbed for the actual procedure, it can still hurt for several days following the procedure.

Excision works well in situations where the skin design is small. The process involves an outpatient surgical procedure in which the doctor actually cuts out the body art. Carefully placed stitches close the wound for minimum scarring.

When this method is used on larger tattoos, it usually takes several times to complete the job. The doctor will start in the middle of the large body art and work his way to the edges. In extreme cases, a skin graft is used to help heal the resulting wound.

Salabrasion is the oldest method of tattoo removal. Similar to dermabrasion, this method uses an abrasive technique to scrape away the outer layer of skin that houses the skin design pigment.

Since this method has been around quite a bit longer than the more technically advanced versions of tattoo removal, it is a little more rudimentary and doesn't use any complicated equipment or tools. The tattooed area is numbed with ice or a local anesthetic.

The tattoo is actually removed by rubbing the area vigorously with a rough block or a block wrapped in rough textured gauze. This type of removal approach usually requires repeated treatments.

Regardless of which type of tattoo removal you may think is best for you, you should ultimately consult your doctor before making a final decision. Each of these methods has pros and cons and requires careful consideration.

After looking at all of the options, some people simply decide to keep the body art, or even add to it, in order to change whatever they didn't like about it in the first place.

Snake Tattoo Designs That Look Great

Most people who contemplate a tattoo do so for a very personal reason. They not only have a message to portray but desire for a one of a kind inking that is rich in history and might have something to do with myths and legends, such as snake tattoo designs.

The snake is associated with evil, deception, immorality and devastation. Snake tattoo designs are popular because they also are a symbol of evil and represent the Christian story of Adam and Eve in the Garden where the snake tricks them into disobeying God by eating of the fruit.

Snakes are viewed as the keeper of the underground since they often reside under the earth's surface. The snake does have some positive meanings attached to it. Many cultures around the world consider the snake to be rich in knowledge and wisdom. Native Americans hold the snake in high regard, and the ability of a snake to fight its enemies is a sign of strength and power. Also the snake is a Chinese zodiac sign for individuals born in certain years.

So snake tattoos are very flexible in nature, they can have a meaning attached to it that is unique to the individuals wearing snake tattoo designs. Some of the most popular designs are rattlesnakes and cobras. Snake tattoo designs are a popular choice to use with other designs such as a skull, or with other animal tattoo designs like panthers and tigers.

You have many options when designing your tattoo, and you have equally a number of options when considering where to have your tattoo placed on your body. The arm, wrapped around your leg or on your back these tattoo designs can be in several colors, usually dark with bold lines which improves the artistic beauty of these designs.

Snake tattoo designs are usually large and detail oriented which makes it difficult to design. I would recommend you consider online galleries because you will need a true professional to design a great snake tattoo. When you opt in to the good galleries (usually a small fee) you will have access to higher quality designs and better artists via the forums you can be part of. This is where the experienced tattooist and tattoo enthusiasts hang out. I have my preferences on which are better, but I will defer to your judgment, I only recommend that you don't cheat yourself of the opportunities to have a better tattoo, after all, it will be part of you for a very long time.