The world of tattoos is quite deep than just the aesthetics that you see on the surface. A lot of tattoo buffs like to go stylish with tattoos that carry some significant meaning.
There are plenty of choices available for both men and women to choose something that depicts their personality or thought process. Some universal choices have been consistently used by tattoo enthusiasts all over the world.
One such great design is the Wolf tattoo. It is extremely popular for its quite complex but highly attractive style with lots of variety to choose from. If you start to explore this tattoo style then you will find a whole new world of its own. This is exactly what we will be trying to facilitate you within this comprehensive wolf tattoo guide.
What does it mean to have a Wolf Tattoo?
A wolf tattoo symbolizes familial loyalty, a display of strength, and devotion. The wolf is regarded as a pack animal. For every prowl or the lone wolf, there are believed to be tens of more who work well within their family unit. This is the concept that makes for brilliant and highly compelling body art in the form of tattoos.
Wolves are believed to be extremely ferocious but also naturally loyal creatures as well. They use to hunt in a pack and rely on one another for the sake of their survival. Their family structure is defined quite clearly having completely enunciated roles and responsibilities.
Some of the tattoo enthusiasts go for their family wolf pack body art, either having a protective image of an angry, snarling wolf or a single wolf paw tattoo. For a few other buffs, such a tattoo could be some definite part of their aspirations and dreams as well. There are some extremely authoritative motifs seen in the Native Japanese tradition, American or perhaps the Celtic tattoo of the type. They are believed to be linked quite closely with the moon and sometimes the world with its illusions and visions.
The Best Wolf Tattoo Ideas
The wolf tattoos are preferred by both men and women alike. It is just a matter of personal preference. If you have decided to go for a wolf tattoo then the key thing is to choose the most lucrative design. You may go with a wolf design with its wolf body or you may go for the wolf’s face only. However, having the wolf is more desirable as it has a huge impact. To make your life easier with the selection of the wolf tattoo, the following are the most popular ideas to choose from:
one lone wolf depicts someone with a very independent and strong kind of personality. A lone wolf naturally is known as one with no pack at all. They are quite dangerous and usually much stronger than a whole pack of wolves. If you are someone who has gone through life a lot with surviving and also succeeding with your different skills then this is an ideal option for you. You may think about pairing it with some other design to kind of neutralizing such a strong impact.
Tribal
Animal symbols seem to be a top choice when thinking about going for a tribal tattoo. The black and the bold lines used with such designs make your body art look more unique. In the tribal style, you may think about going for a running, howling, or snarling wolf design for an incredible impression. More details could be added with unique shapes for making it a much more versatile option.
Geometric
Geometric designs have recently become immensely popular in the body art world. The same goes for the wolf designs where the lines and angles used could make a beautiful design with a minimalist look. The geometric designs are also known for having some hidden meaning as they are believed to be among some of the oldest known symbols in human history. Such geometric design with the subject animal would help in representing you as a symbol of protection, freedom, and one developing a connection with nature.
Simple
The simple designs of the wolf tattoo are thought to be extremely suitable for those men who have an honest and straightforward personality. One common option is to go here with a single-line type of wolf body art. That will be a minimalist design that employs usually black ink only. Therefore, it will make a grand choice if you are the one with a corresponding sense of style. Don’t be scared to try this design and worry about its simplicity. If you do it right then it will still be an eye-catching design that will be capable of capturing the true nature of the wolf.
Small
If you are only interested in giving a subtle kind of a tribute to the animal by applying it to your personality then go with a smaller design. The small designs are also desirable as they could be placed at any suitable spot on your body. Try to keep the smaller designs as simple as possible as applying too many colors and considerable details wouldn’t be that much visible as compared with the large size tattoo.
Celtic
Wolves are known once to be native to Ireland. They have appeared in Celtic mythology quite frequently. A few of the Celtic tribes are often heard claiming themselves to be the descendants of the wolves. A Celtic wolf tattoo makes great sense and impression. It combines the wolf’s image with the signature twists and knots of the beautiful and pleasing Celtic art.
Native American
In the cultural traditions of the tribes of Native America, wolves hold a very special place. They are commonly linked with strength and courage along with loyalty as well. If you are the one with the Native American heritage then this could be complemented with a wolf tattoo paired up with some tribal symbols. It could be the feathers, war bonnet, or the moon and the sun.
Japanese
In Japanese folklore, wolves are considered to be highly protective. They are specifically believed to watch over the travelers. The native Japanese wolves are the ones in a smaller size as compared to those in the USA and Europe. They were thought to be the kami spirits’ messengers and due to that, they are symbolized with the bells. The same is used in the Japanese traditional rituals for getting the much-needed Shinto gods’ attention. If you like the concept then go with the Japanese wolf tattoo with the conventional Irezumi art style which will give a much better and modern look.
Howling
The howling wolf tattoos make a very cool and attractive design which is largely preferred by people all around the world. Apart from the aesthetics, such design could be very meaningful as well. One of the most renowned ‘calls of the wild’ is the howl of the wolf. Wolves howl because of a couple of reasons. First, for the sake of developing a communication link with their family or pack, and second, they how to mark their specific territory. So, it means that if you go for a howling tattoo wolf then it will mean that you are quite strappingly connected with your ‘pack’, which includes your family friends, and all of your loved ones. It also shows that the person is a strong one and not afraid for standing their ground and then also to speak their mind.
Colors to choose for your wolf tattoo
The wolf tattoo is the one that goes best in black and white/ grey colors combination. However, if you like to have it more colorful then you may go for the striking color design options. To make this selection easier, you need to keep a few things in mind. The idea here is to understand the undertone of your skin. It is the initial color of your skin. In this category, you need to consider three undertones which namely are cool, warm, and neutral.
The tattoo enthusiasts with cool undertones or fairer skin could experiment with any color for their wolf tattoo. It will just be a matter of personal choice and preference for them in terms of selecting the right color. There is no other obstacle for them at all. However, the only color exception for them will be yellow. It is because such color for the cool undertone people doesn’t translate as desired and the tattoo may look like a scar.
If you have a warm sun-kissed undertone with much glowing skin then darker colors for your wolf tattoo will be much more suitable. The darker colors chosen here would look much better than those with cool undertones. If the best colors for the warm undertones are to be named then Dark blue, red, green-black, and purple are the ones for you.
Finally, those with neutral undertones could have a mix of both. This is a consideration where your tattoo artist could help you a lot after examining your skin. You can take the advice and discuss the best color options for your body.
Placement of the best wolf tattoo on your Body
If you are considering wolf tattoos then there are many different ways to go about them. You can choose to go for a small wolf tattoo on the hand or maybe a big wolf tattoo right under your sleeve. If you are more into a medium-scale wolf tattoo then it would highly likely be your forearm to get the desirable body art done and it looks best there too. This strategic placement of the tattoo will do a lot of storytelling about yourself and your personality in a very natural manner.
A lot of people, especially men prefer to go for a wolf tattoo on the hand. This is quite a bold approach who are interested in frankly expressing themselves to the whole world.
If you want to have such a design on your chest or your thigh then you may opt to go right in between a small and a huge tattoo of the kind. This would go best in the watercolor design. The subject area would provide the tattoo artists with a much bigger canvas not only to maximize the space for the wolf tattoo but also to incorporate a combo of other designs as well. However, the design could be such that the wolf can go on to express the bigger story here.
If you have any suggestions, preferences, or confusion in mind about the placement of the tattoo on your body then you don’t need to worry at all. This is where your tattoo artists could give the best advice. You can reach the expert and share all your ideas and preferences. The tattoo expert could then suggest the placement and would give all the logical reasoning for it. The same goes with the selection of colors where again the tattoo artists could be of great help with their professional advice in the matter
Video Credit: Wiwi Style
Conclusion
Wolf as we all know is a symbol of power, strength, endurance, and grace. This is exactly what it would dub about your personality if you choose to go with one of those. The lithe flow of the movement right under the fur, its loyalty, beauty, and the extremely protective mentality are the key elements of a wolf. It gets universal respect.
This is one big reason for the wolf tattoo to gain so much popularity. If you are convinced to go with a wolf tattoo then you need to choose one from a range of designs with different styles and colors. A very critical decision in this regard will be to choose that which body part, you would like to have this tattoo.
All other aspects of tattooing remain the same just as what you need to think or care about with any other tattoo. Your chosen tattoo artist could be the best guide that which wolf tattoo will suit you and where to have in your body.
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