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Monday, August 2, 2010

Old English Lettering Tattoos

Old English Lettering Tattoos

Tattoos made with words or phrases rank among the most favored styles of modern tattooing. It could be a name, a quote, or an adage, and the Old English Lettering style adds mystery, panache, and artistic sophistication to tattoos inspired by that theme.

The font commonly known as Old English is more accurately termed blackletter, a 12th century European script which dominated western Europe up till the 17th century. Blackletter is also known as Gothic Script.

A very popular form of Old English Lettering tattoos involves the use of the calligraphic textualis font. This striking font tends to represent most people's conceptualization of Old English lettering, and was very dominant in its hand-written glory throughout the European Middle Ages.

Inscriptions in this lettering style are displayed today in places as diverse as churches, museums, and libraries. As tattoos on human bodies, they make a bold and trendy statement. The next step, once you've decided to get an Old English lettering tattoo, is to think carefully about what it will say - you want to make sure you get this right, since this is a long-term commitment.

You will also decide on the size of the tattoo. Bear in mind that because of the ornate lettering style, tattoo artists will need to make the letters slightly larger in size than most other forms of lettering, to capture intricate details of the fonts.

Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs

Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs

You see written words have been a part of tattoos for a long time. However, it wasn't until recently that the words became the tattoo itself. It used to be that the words were used to embellish and enhance the tattoo design. For example an anchor tattoo might have the words "home sweet home" written under it. Another example might be the classic heart tattoo with the letters mom written under it. You get the idea here lettering used to be an extra piece to add on. However, these days tattoo lettering and literary tattoos have taken the main stage and they are no longer part of the embellishment but they are part of the tattoo itself.