I Want Maori Tattoo Design Ideas

Many people walk into tattoo shops or post messages on website boards proclaiming, "I want Maori tattoo design ideas!" This popular and artful style of tattooing is associated with the Maori people of New Zealand, and has experienced a revitalization in the 1990's to present in the West.

So where do you go for these Maori tattoo design ideas?

1. Face.

A quick way to search out these tattoos is searching for face tats. This style was used many times on the face, and a lot of face ink is based in this design.

Now, you probably don't want to get a full on face tattoo, and more modern day Maori ink are not placed on the face. But it still gives you some quick ideas of the curves and shapes these tattoos have and may get you thinking of other body part placement for these designs.

2. Specific artists.

There are artists who specialize in Maori designs and they will have a number of ideas for you. The good thing about going to an artist directly who is knowledgeable in this style, is that he or she will provide you with some designs which don't infringe on the symbolic ties that the Maori people feel unique and sacred towards.

3. Tattoo Gallery Online.

There are galleries online where you can get a ton of ideas for all kinds of ink, including Maori tattoo design ideas. These are great because you can log in then browse through hundreds of the top quality designs available, ensuring that you are not missing out on anything.

Face Tattoos - Famous People and Fears

One of the most extreme areas of tattooing is the face area. Face tattoos bring an automatic "shrill" from people on the street, and right away these tattooed individuals are differentiated as the more extreme and shocking breed. Some would also say "stupid breed", as many people can't understand why an individual would adorn his face with ink.

Almost all areas of the body you are able to cover up with. But the face is an everyday visual mainstay, and unless you wear a ski mask, your ink will be front and center all the time.

Some famous individuals who have chosen face ink, also ironically happen to be world class athletes:

Mike Tyson: The most famous being that of the boxer Mike Tyson. He has a tribal like design on one side of his face, wrapping around his eye.

Lee Priest: Priest is a very popular professional bodybuilder who has won and ranked high in many major competitions. His face tattoo is also delegated to one side of his face and it has a tribal style to it.

David Clinger: Clinger is a professional cyclist and easily the most extreme of the face tattooed athletes. He has a full on tribal design, covering his whole face.

Fears of Face Tattoos:

There is, and should be much fear of getting a face tattoo. Unlike some other area of the body, you need to be extremely sure this is what you want to do as there is no covering up, and no going back. Unfortunately it seems many individuals don't heed the warnings and develop serious regret.

There used to be a statistic out which stated face tattoo wearers had a very high rate of suicide. For this and other reasons, many tattoo artists often refuse to give out face tattoos.

Tattoo Tips - How to Avoid the Pain

Getting a tattoo can be a fairly painful process considering a tattoo needle pierces the skin 3,000 times a minute. But it doesn't have to be as excruciating as it sounds. Here are some helpful hints on how to avoid pain when getting a tattoo.

Psychological ways to avoid pain:

Practice mind over matter. If you love the design you're getting (which you should), then it should be pretty easy to focus on how beautiful your piece will look when it's done and not worry about how bad it hurts during the process.

Listen to music, bring a friend to talk to or think about something else completely. I wouldn't advise talking to the tattoo artist so much; you wouldn't want to distract them from their important task at hand.

Sit still! The job will get done quicker and with no errors. If you happen to move and the artist inks you outside of the design, they may have to modify the design, which usually means more inking.

General areas to avoid:

• Veins close to the surface
• Bones (areas where skin and bone are very close)
• Areas where the skin in thinner
• Areas with a lot of nerve endings close to the surface
• Sensitive skin that is not exposed to sun very much
• Flabby skin

Specific areas that typically hurt:

• Hipbone
• Ribcage
• Tops of feet (and feet in general)
• Ankles
• Hands
• Wrists
• Behind the ear
• Skull
• Pubic area

Basically all the sexy areas to get inked will come with some degree of pain.

Now, an individual's threshold to pain will also play a major factor in how much they can or can't tolerate. A general rule is that if you're more susceptible to pain, or if pinching or poking with your fingernail hurts, the tattoo process will not be at ALL enjoyable for you. If you can stand a medium pricking sensation on your skin (or more like an eraser burn), then you'll make it through.

If you're worried about the pain, start out with a smaller tattoo or a creative outline. The more simplistic the design is, the less amount of time it will take, and the less amount of pain you will have to endure. Once you get used to the feeling and make it through a few pieces, your body will not perceive the danger and pain to the same degree.

Now that you know where the painful places on your body are, you can avoid the pain when getting a tattoo. If you really want a tatt in a typically painful place, you can just suck it up and deal with the pain because in the end, you will have exactly what you want and the price you pay won't even matter.