Dragon Design Tattoos

It is no wonder that dragon design tattoos have been very popular. Books dating back hundreds of years make mention of these mythical beasts, so it should come as no surprise that people are wanting dragon tattoos. Although dragons first appeared as menacing, terrifying creatures; they have now often have a softer look and ‘feel’ about them. Since there has been a transition in the way dragons are seen, no one should be amazed at the multitude of dragon design tattoos to be found. With so many websits to search for them, let’s look into how the dragon came to be, and the finest place to find dragon design tattoos.

Traditional thought is that the dragon first showed up in Chinese totem poles as the numerous tribes emerged. Every body part of the dragon in Chinese design is taken from a different body part of another animal…

• Horns of a deer
• Head of a camel
• Eyes of a demon
• Neck of a snake
• Stomach of a clam
• Scales of a carp fish
• Claws of an eagle
• Soles of a tiger
• Ears of a cow

The Chinese are not the only people to have dragons in their ancient stories; there are many Asian cultures that have dragons in their legends, those being Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. Each culture has their own unique perception on the physical appearance of the dragon. Dragon design tattoos are very in style in the far east, but have become increasingly popular in the west in recent years.

The first westerner believed to get a dragon tattoo is King George V of England. In the British navy, young George traveled to Japan and was quite taken with the culture, and more to the point, the dragon tattoos he saw. Upon returning to England, he sported a dragon tattoo. After assending to the throne, and the public saw his tattoo, the popularity of Eastern tattoos grew tremendously.

Within the last few years, dragons have made their way into modern literature in fantasy books and films, and so become more a creature in peoples’ minds. Books such as ‘Dragon Lance Chronicles’ and ‘Dragonriders of Pern’ to movies like ‘Harry Potter’ have dragons featured prominently in them and have spurred peoples imaginations; be they young or old. People who never would have thought about getting a tattoo are now getting dragon tattoos of every shape and size.

In deciding on a dragon design tattoo for yourself, you should do research to establish what exactly you desire in your dragon tattoo. Do you want some big badass mean looking tattoo? Or are you looking for something softer? Keep in mind that you can always take one part of a dragon and combine it with another to form a unique tattoo. Do you like the wings of one, the head of another, the tail of yet another? Presto! You have a dragon design tattoo like no one else. Always keep in mind that a dragon tattoo always represents loyalty, protection, and strength, and that is true even if you chose a small, sleeping dragon tattoo!

All across the world, dragons have been the subjects of myths and folklore for centuries. Perhaps that’s why dragon tattoo designs are some of the most popular tattoos on earth.

Dragons can exude all sorts of emotions, from rage, to loyalty and adoration. Moreover, since so many cultures boast their own adaptations of what dragons look like and how they behave, individuals looking for dragon tattoo designs have a enormous variety to pick from.

Dragon folklore are supposed to have began the Far East, in nations such as China, Korea and Japan. In these stories, dragons were usually used to guard items, such as wonderful treasures. This was done to keep unworthy people from trying to get items that they didn’t deserve. The way dragons were illustrated in this instance shows that they were not the fire breathers many view them as.
Instead, they were reliable, steady, and mostly docile.

When producing dragon tattoo designs from eastern traditions, artists normally keep a similar body figure and face. Chinese dragons have very long torsos with shorter legs. In fact, the dragons look more like snakes or sea monsters than the dragons in European fairy-tales. The eyes are usually harsh looking and are intended to display wisdom. Color is one of the main aspects of dragon tattoo designs.

As the eastern culture has always added grand colors to their dragons, several artists favore dragon tattoos to be in full color. Also, dragon tattoos just seem to looksuperior in color. Most color dragon tattoo designs will have bright, warm colors like red, orange and gold.

Another popular type of dragon is that which could be located in medieval times in Europe. Back then and even nowadays, dragons were in numerous
legends, many of which referenced the dragons in wicked ways.

For example, we all know the fables of knights sent off to battle the terrifying dragon in order to rescue the distraught princess.

There were also accounts of dragons randomly attacking and obliterating towns, killing hundreds on innocent citizens. Bearing that in mind, it’s easy to see that dragons at that time were quite different than they were in stories centuries before.

Finding and creating unique dragon tattoo designs inspired by medieval dragons can be tricky. That’s because this sort of dragon is not nearly as trendy of tattoo as Chinese dragons are.

But don’t worry! Any accomplished artist can aid you in coming up with the perfect medieval dragon tattoo designs. For the most part, medieval dragons have short upper bodies with long, powerful tails. The wings of the dragon are much larger than the ones found on Chinese dragons because they got more use out of them. The colors for medieval dragons are kind of dull; generally, artists will utilize dark reds, purples and greens. But sometimes, they don’t use color at all!

The variations in the two main breeds of dragon tattoo designs are abundant and rather clear. It’s not just the colors, shapes or sizes. The dragons have such unique temperaments and reputations; this is a good way for you to determine which style you want.

Match your personality with one of the dragons. Tattoos are entirely about individual style.
Therefore, if you receive one that’s exactly like your personality, you will adore your dragon tattoo!