When choosing a symbol or drawing for a sketch of a tattoo, one should not forget that temporary tattoos do not exist, the chosen sign will remain with you for life (if you do not specifically reduce it with a laser).
When choosing a sketch for a future tattoo, each person is guided exclusively by their own ideas about aesthetics. However, there are styles in the art of tattooing in which the executed drawing not only decorates the human body, but also carries a special meaning, some information about its owner, so the choice of a symbol for a tattoo is a very important process. It is ideal if the person draws a sketch of the tattoo himself or first discusses the drawing with a trusted master who can give practical advice.
Eastern theme
When choosing symbols for yourself in the form of Japanese or Chinese hieroglyphs, you should first check the translation of the tattoo, or, on the contrary, make a translation of your own life principle or an important phenomenon for yourself into hieroglyphs and only then go to the master. By the way, very often in tattoo parlors, beautiful sketches in the form of oriental symbols can turn out to be a meaningless set of words. Other oriental symbols that are widespread in the world (yin-yang, infinity sign, Om sign) can be chosen without any doubt, since they always look good and carry a positive semantic load.
Choosing an ethnic tattoo
When choosing a tattoo in an ethnic style, it is better to focus on the meanings of certain symbols in the mythology of the people. So, the tattoos of the North American Haida tribe represent animals - totems of the tribe: a crow, a bear, a wolf, a killer whale, and each of these creatures had a certain character that could convey to the carrier. Polynesian tattoos ("Maori style") are characterized in a similar way. The Celtic style can be considered relatively meaningless, although very beautiful, which is perfectly used both as an independent phenomenon and as a frame for serious "semantic" tattoos.
Choosing a religious or sacred tattoo
The choice of a tattoo on a religious theme can vary depending on the preferences of the person himself. But it should be remembered that in the countries of Southeast Asia, a tattoo in the form of a Buddha will be censured by everyone around. A tattoo drawing on a religious theme can be made in the form of a symbol (cross, crescent), an inscription, or in the style of realism.
A particular difficulty in choosing a tattoo arises when you want to "fill" any sacred symbol from among various specialized tattoos, which, for example, include the Thai and Cambodian Sak Yant. Such a tattoo can only be applied by a master - ajan, who has the right to refuse to work if he is not sure of the moral qualities of the client. A sacred tattoo obliges its owner to take the vows that the master leads.