Future Icons for Translation

Our Fragrant Fruit, OUR trademark and the common annoying topic of questions towards foreigners : Have you tried durians?




A gorgeous Chinese lionhead doorknob as found in our relic collection. And why not, since lions mean so much to us?




Don't leave him out! Let's make him a cult figure again. ;)








Hindhu Deities






And for sure, people should start getting our batik designs found on the gorgeous uniforms of Singapore Girls as tattoos!
And from there, as Singapore is a relatively conservative countries filled with many rules and uniforms, I am inspired to design bodysuits that would be beneficial for professionals, or even students (tsk).




Just so because no one would be left out of the fun of tattooing! :)

I was pathetic... :( (Exhibition pieces)

My 2 Posters. The one on the left was an earlier version.
It was thought to be incohesive; the problems being the unsuitable type and the 'merlion' tattoo was not relating well to the background.

But the final product, on the right, proves itself to be too complicated.
I have added Vanda Miss Joaquim tattoos on her arm, winding in a spiral towards a flower she was holding.
The merlion at the background was meant to give the poster its context. But it was felt to be slightly too imposing.
I felt it was funny, having it looking as though it is being smacked on the face by the national flower.






Now this is my final product:
A chart of tribalised tattoos, depicting our local icons and the sarcastic meanings behind each design.

Of course I will continue with this project, knowing that my research has a lot more room to grow.

I aim to be able to design bodysuits with local emblems, and also the bodysuits themselves, which would allow locals to hide their tattoos perfected under their clothings.

tattoo as identity

toothpastefordinner.com

My problems with tattoos are that:

1) There are too many 'tribal' tattoos

2) There are too many generic tattoos

3) People do not seem to care enough about the history behind certain symbols

4) Bad typography (like mine)

5) Terribly translated chinese tattoos (hehe)

My angsty elaboration on point 1 for this post begins...

Yes, the devil penguin is smart to suggest making a book about tattoo designs and stories. I think it is only right that someone should make a solid tattoo designs guide so people would have a better idea of what they are getting tattooed onto their bodies.

Largely, my hatred lies with the epidemic of tribal tattoos, both well and badly done. The popularity of this style irks me, especially when it is not referred to as a "tribal-style tattoo" but as a "tribal tattoo".
It is very tempting for me to be caustic to these people by questioning the name of the tribes they belong to. If you have a tribal tattoo, you probably have a tribe, no? If not, why are you trying to look as though as you belong to a tribe? So be it, if you like the design, but to call it your tribal tattoo is something else.


wah...so tasteful and scary...
(from http://www.tribalshapes.com/categories/evil-creatures/1.html)

I hope that people would have more respect towards tribal tattoo as an art form with their centuries deep cultural roots. Look at the maoris. They know what they are getting. How about those who got them inked at random? And how about those who are only concerned with "tribalising" designs by drawing, for example, a butterfly (ugh) with tasteless and painful looking tapering strokes and curves with sharp ends?

If I belonged to a tribe, and have a tattoo that is exclusive to that of my culture, the last thing I would like is to have wannabes sprouting out from every other corner of the world, emulating my culturally-rich design when they are not even aware of the significance of the artform in the first place.



So there, get your tribal tattoo today!

The Butterfly Fever

via http://www.tattoosymbol.com/articles/butterfly.html

"Butterfly Tattoo - For most people, when they think about tattoo imagery, the subject matter of insects probably does not spring immediately to mind. In fact, it's probably not even a close second. Yet one of the most popular designs being done today, probably ranking right at the top of those being done on women, and a symbol that has even come to typify the tattoos of the 90s, is the butterfly. While tattoos that use butterflies surely do capitalize on their great beauty and diversity, they are also highly symbolic creatures in many cultures, including our own. Beginning in the east though, in Japan, one butterfly stands for young womanhood while two symbolize marital bliss. To the Aztecs of ancient Mexico however, the butterfly stood both for the souls of dead warriors who had fallen on the battlefield and the souls of women who had died in childbirth – the two most noble deaths of which an Aztec could conceive. In Christianity it likewise stands for the soul which has escaped the confines of the flesh. In the west, as elsewhere, the symbolism of the butterfly centers upon its unique transformation. From one existence as the slow and crawling caterpillar, then to the dormant and captive chrysalis or cocoon, and finally the rebirth into a light and airy winged creature, the metamorphosis of the butterfly is one of its most powerful and uplifting meanings. Accordingly, over time, the butterfly has also come to represent not only beauty itself but also the transitory nature of that beauty and indeed of all life. Despite their enormous variety and their delicate and detailed coloring, their embellishment in tattoo art may well rival that found in nature."

I bet most of the people who have a butterfly tattoo or some sort will not really care or even know about the stuff mentioned above.
Look at the above image; are you not sick of these generic copy and paste designs yet?
I do personally know people who simply print tattoo designs off the net and use it as it is.
Does it not matter if someone else whom you may not want to have anything to do with is having the same design?
Gosh, I am thoroughly sick of mindless butterfly tattoos, especially on the shoulder.
Let's look at some more reasons to have a butterfly tattoo:

via http://hubpages.com/hub/Butterfly_Tattoo_Designs

"Butterfly tattoos are one of the more common tattoos among women. Butterflies can represent something pretty or something more meaningful.

Butterflies can symbolize various things depending on which culture you look at it.

In the Japanese culture, butterflies are seen as the personification of one's soul, whether it be living, dying, or dead. It is, also, thought that if a butterfly enters your guestroom and sits behind the bamboo screen, a person whom you love is coming to see you. But, at the same time, butterflies in large numbers are bad omens.

In the Russian culture, butterflies can represent a woman or grandmother.

In Greek, butterfly means 'soul.'

In China, 2 butterflies flying together is a symbol of love.

Butterflies can, also, symbolize:

Rebirth
Change in one's life
Luck
Freedom
Nervousness"

Nice, I would definitely choose 'Nervousness' as my reason to have a butterfly tattoo. Although I guess a spider would be more suited in local context for it.
GAN JIONG SPIDER MAH!

Anyhow, from a previous site which I have read and cannot remember the link now, the butterfly is also said to symbolise an attitude of not taking life seriously. Though I have heard too many times that 'a rose is just a rose', and one has every right to tattoo anything just because she/he likes it and is just getting a butterfly inked on impulse, I guess that works too. If you don't take life as seriously, I guess you won't take permanent body markings seriously either.

Oh, I do see a whole lot of galleries and e-books on butterfly tattoos online as well. It just shows how generic and iconic a butterfly tattoo is.

I now end this post with my favorite and seemingly pretty intelligent excuse:

via http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_a_butterfly_tattoo_symbolize

"In paintings, particularly Dutch Renaissance (sp?) butterflies stand for fleeting love (Jacques Louis David, Cupid and Psyche). "

Why I got a tattoo

I don't know why I picked this topic of research, but somehow I feel that perhaps I could relate to tattoos well enough to do so.

No, I am not a tattoo collector; nor do I think I have that level of commitment to be one. Perhaps that is why I only have a tiny one behind my left ear. It's discreet enough and it says "Strange". It is already smudgey after 7 months and 4 days, condition almost likening to tattoos done years ago. :(
Too bad. I gave an apprentice a chance to practise on me and paid for it nonetheless.
Hopefully he gets better (he has to!) and my 'bravery' has contributed to his progress.

Why "Strange"? Or why tattoo at all?

I have had serious doubts on getting a tattoo, and even till now I still have them.
Believe it or not, I am a Christian. Though its tough to see that from my conduct,
I do worry about stuff like that. I have hesitated and thought about it so much that I was sick of doing so. And to top it off, if people are making such a big deal out of it, it must be either horribly traumatic or damn good. Either ways, I was curious, and more so with the ongoing rise of tattoo culture all thanks to "Miami Ink" and "LA Ink".
My mother did not know until I showed it to her out of rebellion one day.
I told her that I need to do what I want.

I think everyone is rather sick of the stories that come along with tattoos on those above mentioned TV shows. And some comments on Youtube sound like this:

"Why do they fucking need stories as an excuse to get a tattoo?
Why can't they get a tattoo just because they want to?"

I think its true. But in a way, I do understand why people need a reason, or an excuse. Say if your inks are just body decorations, meaning that there is a lack of depth in its content, it would be an annoying scar to keep when the trend has passed. We all know that trends come and go, and most people do not keep their old clothes unless they possess a certain amount of sentimental value. So likewise for tattoos, it is definitely easier to commit to a design with sentimental value and therefore the existence of the stories behind them.

As for "Strange", it is my excuse/reason to indulge in this trend as this word carries certain meanings for me.

ONE: My cat's name is Stranger, and I have no difficulty committing to animals, and sadly, this doesn't ring true in the case of my relationships with human beings.
He is a dying cat, and this is my way of keeping him with me.

TWO: My siblings used to call me "Emily the Strange". Just because they find me Strange, and I had that haircut the character has. The funny thing is; Emily's bestie is actually her black cat named Mystery. At some point I shall adopt a black cat and live out this fiction. :)

THREE: I think it is good to be strange and find things strange. That way, you won't lose your amazement with life too quickly and lack the motivation to live.

So, the conclusion : Did that tattoo change my life?
Yes only to a certain extent. The pain is fun, and addictive to a degree, and I am glad to have experienced it. Luckily, I am happy with it so far. Does it make me smile when it reminds me of my baby? Yes. Did it motivate me to be amazed with stuff? No, because I still want to die or not do anything most of the time.
I don't think people change from the outside in, maybe they would alter their actions with a WWJD bracelet(What would Jesus Do?) upon seeing those initials worn on their hands. But hey, for this you can't blame me! Simply because I have my tattoo placed somewhere that I can't even see! Ha, nice try, me.

do I really have to do this?

The origin of the word tattoo is from the Samoan word tatau, meaning "open wound".[1] The OED gives the etymology of tattoo as "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From Polynesian (Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan, etc.) tatau. In Marquesan, tatu." The word tatau was loaned into English, the pronunciation being changed to conform to English phonology as "tattoo".[1] Sailors on the voyage later introduced both the word and reintroduced the concept of tattooing to Europe.[2]

Tattoo enthusiasts may refer to tattoos as "Ink", "Tats", "Art", or "Work", and to tattooists as "Artists". The latter usage is gaining greater support, with mainstream art galleries holding exhibitions of both traditional and custom tattoo designs. Copyrighted tattoo designs that are mass-produced to tattoo artists are known as flash, a notable instance of industrial design. Flash sheets are prominently displayed in many tattoo parlors for the purpose of providing both inspiration and ready-made tattoo images to customers.

The Japanese word irezumi means "insertion of ink" and can mean tattoos using tebori, the traditional Japanese hand method, a Western style machine, or for that matter, any method of tattooing using insertion of ink. The most common word used for traditional Japanese tatoo designs is Horimono. Japanese may use the word "tattoo" to mean non-Japanese styles of tattooing.

From the Awful wiki,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo

First

and Danne said, "Let there be blogs,"


therefore.