When I first saw embroidery tattoos on Instagram, I had to do a double take. I hadn’t seen anything like it before, to the point where I wasn’t even sure if it was actually a tattoo – it literally looks like someone has sewn straight onto the skin. While I’m not suggesting you go about turning your body into a tapestry by sewing your skin yourself, I would suggest you take a look at all the incredible designs out there – they really are something else!
Embroidery dates all the way back to Greek mythology, with works in China being dated to the 5th-3rd century BC – that’s a very, very long time! Tim Beck was one of the first artists to turn this very traditional concept into the much more modern concept of embroidery tattoos. His first client was someone who wanted a ‘patch tattoo’ (look out for this, it’s just another phrase for embroidery tattoo) that looked exactly like his Grandad’s real patch. Beck has been tattooing for 22 years, and says how much he loves his job – to him, every day is different and every person’s request is different.
One of the most popular embroidery tattoo designs on Instagram is that of Rogelio Vazquez’s, a tattoo artist based in Dallas. While his multicoloured bird creation is extremely eye-catching and received over 10,000 likes, Vazquez is certainly not the only embroidery tattoo artist around. This artwork is becoming a huge sensation, particularly in the United States, and its delicate-looking nature means this should come as no surprise, really. With it taking around the same amount of time as a regular tattoo to complete (unless you want lots of colours), why not stand out and go for this look instead?
I say that it takes the same amount of time as a regular tattoo, and it does. But do be prepared – if you’re looking to have a sleeve done, it could take several hours to complete. If you’re not feeling like sitting in the chair for that long, small embroidery tattoos can be just as cute. In fact, they might appear more meaningful than having a larger one.
It might seem like embroidery tattoos all have a similar sort of design, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Whatever you want, your tattoo artist will do their best to tailor their artwork to your needs, even to the point where they don’t all have to look as if they’re knitted. Some simply appear as if they have large stitches instead, or you might even want to drag someone else with you and opt for matching pieces. What better way to reinforce your friendship? Just remember, the tattoo artist will love experimenting, and they’ll be used to altering the textures and fine details for their customers’ liking.
Embroidery tattoos are generally safe, they just carry the same risks as getting a normal tattoo does. As usual, I’d recommend that you really do your research and make sure that this is what you really want – after all, you’ll have it on your body forever! However, from cute Disney characters, general cross stitching or your typical rose flowers, the world really is your oyster when it comes to design. What’s even cooler is that it’s going to appear 3D!
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