A wonderful idea for interesting tattoo work can be achieved with hand wrist tattoos.
Tattooing the Wrist and Hands
There are many people that enjoy wearing bracelets, but they dislike the daily chore of putting them on. Others may be allergic to most metals or dislike the feel of leather on their skin.
If you want a jewelry inspired tat, you don't have to get a tattoo that goes all around your wrist. Sometimes a single piece of artwork that can easily be hidden with wrist bands, long sleeve shirts or button down dress shirts is best. Other styles of wrist tattoos can be extended to the hand to create the look of a "slave" bracelet.
There are a few things to consider when getting hand wrist tattoos:
- Tattooing the wrist and hands can be a very painful experience since the area is close to bone, tendon and veins. With this in mind, you should expect a different experience when tattooing those areas than you would have getting your forearm tattooed. Only go to an artist you trust and one that does not use a heavy hand to tattoo.
- The size of the piece is fairly limited due to the size of the area you are getting tattooed.
- You have a higher chance of needing ink touch-up over time since these tattoos are more exposed to the sunlight, and your wrists are always moving.
- Healing time on the wrist is somewhat longer than other places on your body. Most tattoos take, at maximum, two weeks to heal. A tattoo on the wrist can take an added week or two.
- If you decide to tattoo the palms of your hands, be aware that the tattoo will not be permanent. Over a fairly short period of time, sweat and use of your hands causes the ink to fade.
Hand Wrist Tattoo Ideas
There are a great many tattoo ideas for either the wrist and hands that vary in style.
The Wrists
The size of the area being tattooed does not always limit the choices. When you think about the wrist, the first thing that comes to mind for many people is a bracelet. A bracelet design can be pretty much anything that you want it to be. The bracelet can look like a real bracelet, or be something completely different. The basic idea is that a bracelet tattoo goes completely around the circumference of the wrist. Getting a set of jewels is one possibility with many variances including size of stones, the setting or style. You do not have to go all the way around your wrist. Like a sleeve tattoo, you can do a wrist tattoo in pieces. If you find something that you like, for instance a moon and stars design, you can begin with that on either the top or bottom of your wrist. Once you decide on a band style, add it to the rest of your wrist to connect the central piece.
There are some standards that are available in tattoo shop's flash books. Flash is simply a widely used design that is part of a larger collection. Many flash designs include designs specifically meant to be band tattoos. These tattoos can be used around the arm, ankle and wrist. They can also be expanded to fit around the calf or thigh, or shrunk down to go around the finger. The smaller you go on some of the designs can ruin the detail that is otherwise present, so see how it looks before going that route.
Some of the standard styles you will find in flash books include:
- Celtic Knot Work
- Stars
- Barbed Wire
- Butterflies
- Hearts
- Jewels
- Tribal
- Birds
- Fairies
- Crosses
- Thorns
You can also combine several designs together in order to make something unique. A string of crosses could be combined with thorns to create a religious tattoo. You could use the same technique to combine hearts with thorns or barbed wire..
The Hands
Tattooing the hands can be a very painful and fruitless process. Many tattoos on the hand fade quickly over a shorter period of time as opposed to other locations. The most common type of tattoo that you will find isn't permanent at all.
Henna is a popular style of tattooing that stains the skin and can last for several weeks. It originated in the Middle East and is still popular today. The practice is also very popular at Renaissance fairs, flea markets and state fairs. It involves using an all natural plant paste to dye the skin. The designs are very intricate and usually wrap around the hands and fingers.
Slave or bondage tattoos are also gaining in popularity. The tattoo begins around the wrist, goes completely around, and is then connected to a tattoo on the finger. Many of these tattoos are on top of the hand and typically go from the middle finger at the first knuckle, and over the top of the hand to the wrist.
Other popular hand tattoos involve marriage as the subject matter. Many couples, in addition to the traditional rings, will get ring tattoos on the appropriate fingers.
