Chinese tattoos are becoming more prominent every day, and there are many reasons for their successful appearance on the body art scene. the rich culture comes with a plethora of seductively attractive icons that are guaranteed to garner outstanding public recognition.
Chinese tattoo calligraphy is linguistically superior to all other written languages.
Each divine character contains a captivating level of depth that naturally displays a soft personality. Some of these enticing letters inherently convey more meaning than complete English sentences. As a result, this exotic ink format allows for understated statements and cleverly different philosophical messages.
Chinese tattoos can also incorporate existing artwork from the country’s endless repertoire of art. the region’s extensive oeuvre of lavish masterpieces can quickly turn into beatific ink.
Another avenue for Chinese tattoos is to use quotes from the area’s greatest thinkers. These teachers include Lao Tzu and Confucius. his ingenious ideas remain relevant to modern minds and can quickly strike a chord with the masses.
To enlighten your mind about the uplifting power of Chinese tattoos, I have put together an extensive style guide with examples. take a look at the samples below to realize your amazing inked destiny.
This full back tattoo shows a Chinese warrior monk. The artist has created layers of the finest quality in this tattoo, from the gray shaded dot work of the monk’s head to the crisp green details in the bamboo that stands out against the black background. however, the Buddhist mala beads stand out the most, they have been engraved in a way that makes them literally shine on the skin: a masterful use of black ink and technical work with white highlights.
wow. a spectacular representation of the monkey king in battle. This colorful tattoo features a wide range of inks skillfully worked across the image in different patterns and formations to make a tapestry of body art. Note that the white and gray highlighted clouds are beautifully executed, as is the red and black feather on the lower half of the tattoo.
here, the featured image looks like a chinese new year dragon tattooed along with clouds. uses a great balance of black and gray with some negative space to help create the look of the cloud. the use of muted yellow and aqua colors is good and could be applied more throughout this sleeve tattoo to give it better contrast.
The intricacy of the dot work in this Chinese demon tattoo creates a great shadow. it’s intense and time consuming, but creates a different feel than traditional grayscale shading that works well in the limited space available. the highlights of red help the sinister look of the creature, while the upper part of the tattoo uses Polynesian tribal elements as it is incorporated with the other art of the subject.
This is a great piece of Chinese text body art. The font for this leg tattoo is delivered in style, nicely drawn from the leg in sharp, vivid black ink. adding a diffuse black shadow around the text helps the image of the man stand out from the leg, and is done in a way that it doesn’t tie in with the other tattoos on the subject’s leg.
A sweetly unfolded Chinese calligraphy style text tattoo. the artist has effortlessly conjured up the impression that the body art has been painted on the inner biceps with a horsehair brush rather than a tattoo needle.
The form of this text tattoo contrasts with the clever application of calligraphy style. This inner forearm tattoo appears to have been cut out with a continuous splatter of ink, a difficult feat to accomplish with a needle and gun.
a bold and complex Chinese dragon. the artist has created different facets of the ink by using clever shading effects when drawing the scales. They have also paid close attention to detail using lots of white ink highlights on the face, claws and scales. this intensifies the contrast between black, shadow, and even negative space.
it is a pity that this tattoo is not finished for this image because it is becoming an attractive full sleeve tattoo. the flow and shine of both ladies’ hair stand out so far – it’s clear that the artist is emphasizing bad elements of the anime/cartoon style in the black line work. she will probably contrast this part of the tattoo with bright colors on the lantern and the robes.
a very pronounced Chinese text tattoo perfectly etched in an awkward spot. the artist has done well to make the text flow down the subject’s ribcage to the hips without making the ink look forced.
This is a full chest tattoo showing a variety of cool ideas in execution. I love the contrast between the fiery colored leaves and the flat, matte black of the left chest. it works well against the image of the warrior with his sword raised and his hair blown back by the wind. there is a tremendous level of detail in the elements of his clothing: the filigree on his leather boots is well done.
Intricately shaded scales make this Chinese dragon tattoo go from good looking to great. the artist has meticulously created small scales, then colored and shaded each one, giving the dragon a chain mail armor effect, nicely highlighted with flourishes of white ink and occasionally negative space applied.
This is Chinese text tattoo human scrolling app. they are all well drawn, uniform in size, and spaced in black ink. the piece resembles the foreign language flash card found on the wall of tattoo parlors, but lacks the translated meaning below in English.
An interesting Chinese full back tattoo in black and grey. Traditionally, the bull symbolizes perseverance, dedication, and hard work, making it a good focal point for this large-scale tattoo that does an excellent job of creating levels of shading on such a large piece of body art. /p>
This unfinished pair of monkeys will make a great finished sleeve tattoo. the juxtaposition between the bright, detailed colors with the simple black of the upper arm is a fresh expression of contrast that will be further enhanced when the top jumpsuit robes are finished.
wow. this is a swinging chinese text tattoo. it almost looks like a combination of ink and smoke floating over the subject’s skin to create a message. having clever pieces of negative space creating gaps in the calligraphy gives the tattoo a unique flavor, and the black shading across the text is reminiscent of a section of the great wall.
adding the burlap bag-like detail in the cross hatches and a lot of ink splatter at the end of the text creates a spectacular piece of text. the use of these additions provides a sense of scale and fills the image without replacing the message of the calligraphy.
This stylized amalgamation of a dragon wrapped around the red-faced monkey king forms a stunning tattoo, enhanced by an unusual placement. An image like this could be full or half back, but the artist has limited the tattoo to the far left if the subject is from the back, with only the dragon’s snout in the center and wisps of smoke to the right.
The text tattoo on this piece is well supported by the use of pink colored ink on the flower which creates a nice contrast between the thin image and the wide, black writing.
The use of watercolor technique combined with abstract elements helps this inner bicep tattoo work strong. the pink to black shading, with fine pollen in between, adds beauty to the flower. having the ink run around the flower gives it a well-balanced overall look.
This foo dog sleeve tattoo is a great piece of body art. what is a foo dog you ask? It is a stylized creature of oriental mythology in charge of the protection of the temples and their surroundings. Foo dogs look like a furry mix of dog, dragon, and demon, so they work well aesthetically and spiritually as tattoo inspiration. The eyes, mustache, and teeth in this example are great ways to create different tones and patterns within a standard foo dog image.
Having more fluid Chinese writing over a previous tattoo works for this piece. it looks like the color stamp black ink writing cover below looks no different than how it goes on a sealed envelope. the result is nothing spectacular, but it is quite interesting to look at, and the translation can be important to the essence of body art.
This beautifully rendered full sleeve tattoo uses exceptionally deep black and gray shading to create different layers within the tattoo, starting with the highly detailed warrior on top made to appear cast in stone. the tattoo changes to his horse from here: it’s shaded with a thicker technique and moves in a different direction before transforming back into a Chinese castle. the transition ink uses a large swirling cloud pattern built with alternating gray and negative spaces before settling on the solidity of the castle pattern. near the doll, warriors fight below the castle walls in a heap of shadows. This is an epic story tattoo!
The sharply drawn black lines within this sleeve tattoo allow different portions of negative space to form a variety of flowers. the artist has been able to give it the illusion of fill by working within the piece to incorporate the non-tattooed space to make images as an alternative to color fill, particularly in the top flowers, the sun rays in the middle, and the leaves and flowers lower. also. it’s a clever way to create a tattoo whose strength is flawless skin.
The alternating clarity between two types of Chinese calligraphy works to make this an eye-catching chest and stomach tattoo. the smallest characters are sharply drawn, think black lines etched with typewriter precision. this contrasts nicely with the large character who seems to have been lazily painted with a thick, wide brush, and is more art than communication.
I love the center line of this Chinese tattoo. scribbles the ‘page’, losing ink before it runs out in a realistic ink-like fashion. making a tattoo other than a tattoo is a brilliant skill that the artist has been able to apply to this work of art.
this is a one of a kind full back tattoo featuring the legendary chinese general guan yu (he was a bad guy who helped china end the han dynasty and is very popular in chinese cinema and literature). it’s impeccable body art, from the emerald-colored robe that intertwines with the golden armor, to the stylized gray clouds that swirl behind him, to the broad blade that rests low to the ground. the level of detail, clarity, and sharpness in every tattooed inch pushes the price to well over $5,000, but for an unforgettable piece of art like this, any price is a bargain.
This is a beautifully drawn almost minimalist Chinese tattoo. I love how the piece works within the circular border to unfold aspects of water color enhanced by unique black ink line work. it’s simple, but hugely effective, right down to the two white ink stains used to convey a clear view of the building.
This text tattoo looks like a parchment list drawn on the skin, with the characters drawn cleanly in black ink from a single needle.
This cool foo dog tattoo is holding a pearl, just like a dragon would. These are nice looking tattoos because they mix the serious with the absurd in all styles of ink. the eyes and facial features clearly capture the expression, while the flowing, wavy beard is another key feature to the success of this half sleeve tattoo.
Not many abstract dragons around here. This grayscale tattoo is executed with a brilliant commitment to shading and intense detail, however it is very difficult to decipher as a complete image. the artwork would be more striking if the subject had chosen a style that put more emphasis on a recognizable face.
now this is a very bad chinese dragon tattoo. the artist, by leaving much of the subject’s back intact before filming in the rustic village, creates the impression that the flying lizard is running overhead, waiting to attack. The dragon is a dark and intricate tattoo that benefits from interspersed white ink to lighten and sharpen the details of the fangs, scales and claws.
another guan yu tattoo delivered with impeccable skill. this one uses crisp black line work balanced by effortless shading to create the entire back piece. the detail of his inlaid metal breastplate and the dragon flowing down the subject’s left past the general and his magnificent beard are masterful.
Having seen many Chinese and Hong Kong movies, it is wise never to underestimate the skills of a warrior monk. he has been cleverly brought to life in this full back tattoo, with a kind but kicking face that you would expect to see in the real thing. using the wide, broad face of the monk to then move on to the sinuous, closely coiled, slightly separated scales of the serpentine dragon helps to contrast the facial focal point and balance the artwork.
This is a cool demon tattoo on the lower leg that could be a bit cross-eyed. the use of wide, flowing lines and shadows really accentuates the evil of the beast, as do the sharp little shark-like teeth.
a cool old school dragon. The artist here has etched scale after scale effortlessly into this full sleeve tattoo, and he did it in a way that shading this guy would dampen his display of skill. Instead of using shadow work to fill the image, the tattooist has cleverly used an oddly shaped negative space as a well-crafted alternate fill that balances the dragon’s slippery darkness.
This is a unique calligraphy tattoo that appears to have been carved in blood. I love the contrast between the slick black characters and splashes of bright red, like a Chinese serial killer leaving a message for detectives at a crime scene.
what does a chinese dragon tattoo mean?
In Asian cultures, the indomitable dragon is one of the most popular and enduring images used in body art. In China, the dragon usually tattooed represents power, strength and wisdom.
Dragons are considered an overwhelmingly positive masculine force in Eastern culture and are associated with rain.
There are nine different types of Chinese dragons in folklore, which are also related to the mighty no. 9 in numerology. Each of these dragons have different characteristics and personalities that can be translated slightly differently when incorporated into tattoos.
Visually, Chinese dragons can be identified by their more sinuous appearance than Japanese and Western dragons, which tend to be stocky and strongly built. Chinese dragons also have drooping or flared wattles around their mouths and fangs.
The Chinese dragon is often depicted clutching a pearl in its claws or prominently displayed under its chin.
what does david beckham’s chinese tattoo mean?
David Beckham, a former soccer superstar, is one of the most recognizable tattooed men in the world.
She sports a black line Chinese text tattoo that runs from her left breast to her hip in a straight line.
is a proverb that translates as: “death and life have predetermined appointments; riches and honor are from heaven.”
