Key Tattoos. Tattooing is a booming industry and growing every singleday. Now there are even TV shows dedicated to the art thatare catching fire. When you look around, tattoos areeverywhere! Now you see them on people you know, seethem in advertisements, and even on famous celebrities. Sowhat makes a great tattoo? Of course it is great design, butthere is one very big component that is critical to a reallystunning and beautiful tattoo.

Tattoo Shading. Tattoo shading is the part of the tattoo where a twodimensional tattoo becomes a three dimensional tattoo. It is the part of the tattoo where flat lines take shape and holds acertain degree of depth to make the tattoo “pop” out. Thereis even a whole style of tattoo shading now that focusesonly on black and grey tattoos…no color, just black andwhite.

Throughout history tattoos were used for many purposes,always personal. Sometimes plain like simple lines anddots, sometimes elaborate or pictographic these served asstatus symbols, amulets, signs for religious beliefs,declarations of love and loyalty and in some cases forms ofpunishment or exile.

The sky is the limit when it comes to designs. You canreference old timey keys, or use sharp tribal patterns to setout a vicious shape. Small Key tattoos can easily be hiddenin public, or you can incorporate keys into a larger designwith ease.

A standard dragon tattoo can become a lot more unique if itis clutching onto an ornate key. Straight lines of the additioncan end up enhancing and adding direction to anotherdesign. Lock and key tattoos often symbolizes the lockingtogether of two people. Usually this refers to couples,sisters, or friends. For added effect the lock or key usuallincorporates a heart somewhere in its design. This is notalways the case though.

If you see someone with a lock and key tattoo, ask them what it means to them. Most people are more than thrilled to talk about their tattoos.If you have never gotten a tattoo before, add a key or othersmall symbol into the design. Some simple planning can goa long way. Ask the artist to start with outlining and inking inthe smaller design. This way if you’ll have a place whereyou can take a break, or quit while still having a nice (albeitsmaller) tattoo.

Fixing or removing tattoos is a painful process which canleave scaring that looks worse than the original design. Besure to take all the time you need before you dive in. Tryexperimenting with different designs on paper, and be surethat the picture you love now, is something you will still lovenext decade.

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