Kids Names Tattoo

[BrookR70]

I'm searching for ideas for a tattoo with my kids names incorporated. I know there are lots of sailor jerry flash pieces with blank scrolls for names, but those seem to be geared more towards lovers/wives.

The best idea I could come up with was a lucky horseshoe with two scrolls around the edge with their names inside the scrolls. Hadn't thought about what image should go inside of the actual horseshoe.

Does anyone else have their kids names tattooed? If so, what sort of image is it?

Thanks

[Tornado6]

What do your kids like? Boys, girls? Are their names already images, like Hunter or Iris?

[jen7]

I saw one that was each child's handprint and name.

[BrookR70]

George (most likely...he needs to be born first) and Charlotte are their names.

What do your kids like? Boys, girls? Are their names already images, like Hunter or Iris?

[Descendent]

I really like symbolism for this. A horseshoe for a gal who rides a horse or likes horses, etc. Banners can be incorporated into almost anything. But I'd look for some sort of symbol that would remind you of your kids. Sounds like you're on the right path though.

[therockingchairyears]

I second Descendent. I personally would get a tattoo of something that represents my kid as opposed to just text with a random image.

Both of my sisters have tattoos of my nieces/nephews names and they're awful. Might be an unpopular opinion but I've never seen a name tattoo that made me go "Wow thats awesome"

[abeukeveld]

I'm with the others on this one. An image has such much significance and subtlety, and is much more personal, but just theirs names is more just stating the facts, if that makes sense. But eh, that's my opinion.

For example. I have a tattoo dedicated to the city of Calgary and my time living there. Its a wild rose, Alberta's provincial flower. Has a little bit of symbolism to it, and hold allot of meaning personally. On the other hand, I could have just gotten the words "Calgary" on my hands, but there's not a whole lot to that. Its just "Calgary". Its stating a fact. There's no mystery or symbolism to it. I think a pure image dedicated to each of your kids would mean allot more to you in the long run if you found a significant image to represent them as.

[Graeme]

Can I suggest finding a tattooer who does really nice script and just getting their names done simply and beautifully? I don't really understand all the posts above suggesting the necessity of finding a representative image here: it's your child's name, it has way more potent symbolism on its own than any design you could think of.

[BrookR70]

Not sure I want Elsa and Anna tattooed on me. Kids interests change faster than the wind. Any "meaningful" image will only be temporary.

I may have to think about Grame's idea just for the simple fact that I could save that space for something cool like a man burning at the stake.

[marley mission]

here's mine...

[HettyKet]

I'm with pretty much with @Graeme on this too.

I'd never planned to have any reference to my children in a tattoo, wasn't something that even occurred to me, but as it happens I ended up with one anyway.

Amongst the reference I took in before we started my arm was a copy some old botanical type drawings of eggs and nests, they weren't meant to refer to anything in particular - I just like the images. So, a few sessions in he pulled out a stencil he'd drawn up of a nest with 2 eggs in, 'you have got two children, haven't you?' he says... Well, if he'd not said that I'd probably never have associated it with them. But he did and now I have a progeny centered tattoo, which is nice. No names though.

- - - Updated - - -

The only photo I can find is quite blurry and possibly not fully healed, here:

reference:

- - - Updated - - -

uurg - curse of the massive photos. Sorry. This is maybe better. Maybe.

[Tornado6]

I agree that their names (probably) won't change, and your own children are exempt from any "no name tattoo" rules. If you like tattoos of words, just get their names. (And maybe leave room so your third child doesn't feel left out ;) )

This is my tattoo "for my son". If I got it based on his interests, I'd have Blues Clues, a tank, a monster truck, or any one of a million video game images. It doesn't have his name either. I know his name. :)

This is a wood sorrel, and in the language of flowers it means "joy and maternal tenderness."

But beyond "what it means", I have a tattoo I really like.

[losParanoyas]

I have my kid's names, but I didn't dwell on any meaning or specific reference to their personality or interests. I got my son's name before we even knew we wanted another kid. I was down in Austin visiting a friend and went to Diablo Rojo and picked a sacred heart off the wall. Leo changed it a bit based on things we talked about and threw "Ethan" in the banner. Really just because I like catholic imagery. And then when my daughter was about 4 years old she started giving me crap about having Ethan and not Ruby, so when Kore Flatmo was drawing up my cover up, I asked him if he could just toss in a banner with "Ruby" on it...bam...problem solved. I actually really like how it turned out. She was floored then...and still thinks its the best thing ever.

[tatB]

Name your kid dragon or tiger or panther or rose . Those words would look beautiful as a script tattoo.

[tacitapproval]

"Hi! This is my daughter, Bendy Skull-Shaped Lady."

[SeeSea]

I have a girl crush on @HettyKet's sleeve.

[Tornado6]

I have a girl crush on @HettyKet's sleeve.

I know! So many goodies, and so well composed.

[HettyKet]

[blush] thank you @SeeSea & @Tornado6. I feel very lucky!

[sophistre]

@HettyKet, that's your arm! I remember seeing that a looong time ago when I first started lurking, and being pretty smitten with it...and then I forgot whose arm it was. I would never have thought I'd like themed collections, but I guess I do, because I love this one, and there's an arm on somebody around here with a bunch of...uh, hmmm. Are they oni faces? They're masks of some kind, I think. ...argh, my memory is like swiss cheese. Anyway, I love that one too.

[HettyKet]

@sophistre how flattering, thank you! I think you must have been lurking on the Negative Space thread (here) - the mask collection is on @robz, pretty sure there's a photo of it on that thread.

[squirrel]

Ive got designs in mind for my kids. For my boy ill get his name in bold old english from my armpit down to my hip his name only has 5 letters an theyll be bout 3 inch each with a reference to his star sign in the backround. Hes aquarius so im goin for a possiden theme. For my daughter im gonna have her name in a fancy script along my collar bone connecting to a neotraditional rose goin up my neck. I do like the combination of pictures and writing.

[Suiren]

I have thought about getting my son's name in theban font and incorporating some symbolism from the alphabet too. It is just an idea for now though.

[LizBee]

This is interesting to me because I had my childrens' names in script around my ankle (the three names fit perfectly) but that was about 13 years ago and it looks really boring now. A straight script font without any artistic elements at all, like it was printed out using a word processing program. I have a consultation next week and want to see what I can do to embellish the script, add to it, enhance it in some way.

One of my girls was extremely horse-crazy for the first 12 years of her life, and now, at 14, she could care less about them, so I'm glad I didn't use symbols for my kid tattoos - there's way more to her than her prior love of horses. The symbolism could be something that means something to you, yourself as the parent and how you feel about being a parent.

I have a real connection to bees, throughout my life in several different ways, and I have a bee tattoo already - am thinking about getting three smaller bees surrounding the larger bee to symbolize me (Queen Bee) and my three girls.

[Suiren]

One of my girls was extremely horse-crazy for the first 12 years of her life, and now, at 14, she could care less about them, so I'm glad I didn't use symbols for my kid tattoos - there's way more to her than her prior love of horses. The symbolism could be something that means something to you, yourself as the parent and how you feel about being a parent

That is a reason I also find it hard to decide. Symbols like favorite cartoon characters can change over time. But I feel even my symbol as a mother could change so the only everlasting design I can think of really is script...^^ But I have some time to think about it. I have thought of working the script into a design that looks like a upper arm bangle/ cuff possibly or some sort of symbol.

[LizBee]

@Suiren I think using a cool font that is attractive just by the pattern it makes when spelling out names in a certain way is a great way to go, and something I'd definitely consider if I would do it again.

I don't regret my tattoos, because it was what made sense to me at the time, and that time is documented permanently, which is totally fine, but now I'd like to make the simple script more visually attractive without covering it up. If I were to do it again I'd have taken more time to consider how to write out their names.