Portrait Tattoos

Portrait tattoos of newborn babies, lost loves and even famous celebrities commonly grace the backs and shoulders of tattoo lovers around the world. Celebrity tattoos go back at least as far as the pinup girl tattoos during World War Two and maybe even further back in time, though it is difficult to know what kinds of portrait tattoos may have been popular in ancient Greek and Roman days. For the Asian tattoos, portrait tattoos go back for literally thousands of years when the faces of warriors, their ancestors and even worthy enemies were inked on to the Warrior’s body.

Pictures of tattoos featuring portraits show us that portrait tattoos do go back at least as far as the history of the camera and thus, it is relatively safe to say that the portrait tattoos likely extend even further back in time than that even in the Western World. Face tattoos and mask tattoos featuring portraits may be a relatively new kind of tattoo in the western world but the traditions once again go back much further than that in the Eastern World. East Indian portrait tattoos often featured pictures of the gods that were being celebrated and worshiped by the local population. While portrait tattoos like this were generally only found among the most devout followers, they were (and are) still a fairly common occurrence.

Some portraits on the more feminine tattoos feature the faces of angels, fairies and even the portrait of Jesus tattoos are very common. Some of the more masculine portrait tattoos and mask tattoos will feature more ominous or imposing features and creatures. The Bull tattoos were fairly common in the Latin American countries in days past and these often were expressed with a full portrait tattoo painted on the person’s face to give them the appearance of a bull. Although, some evidence suggests that these were often supplemented with headgear made from the bull itself and were used primarily during ceremonies of one sort or another.

These days, the portrait tattoos are increasingly common based on the photographs or pictures of living persons and some of them are very detailed in nature and appearance. The portrait tattoos of girlfriends and children are often done in tattoos of many colors that give a much more realistic appearing tattoo. While it may be doubtful that any of these portrait tattoos will ever be mistaken for a real person or even a photograph strapped to someone’s back, chest or arms, they do make for some very creative and beautiful tattoo art forms.

Portrait tattoos of lovers or friends are probably not a very good idea especially if the level of commitment is not yet secure. Most of the portrait tattoos are not small tattoos that are easily covered over or erased. Some of the large portrait tattoos can cover an entire back or chest area and leave very little room even for any highlights like the small eagle tattoos, angel tattoos or other supplemental tattoos that highlight the bigger tattoos. Still, if you do decide that you want to look at the portrait tattoos, consider getting one of someone that you are likely to love and respect for the rest of your life.