Minimalism: the meaning of style and its features
Minimalism is the most popular style, embodying a modern lifestyle.
Most people believe that the simplicity and conciseness of style best expresses individuality, because it manifests itself in different ways: in clothing, in design and even in lifestyle. A feature of the minimalist style is that a person puts more meaning into the content than into the outer shell. Although simple, it holds great significance. The manifestation of style is to discard all that is unnecessary and give meaning to something that is truly important.
Minimalism style as a separate direction in the world of tattoos
The minimalist style in the world of tattoos was marked by the appearance of small, simple tattoos. They are called mini tattoos, they are especially popular among teenagers and even adults. This style suits everyone, is not divided by gender and does not attract attention.
Small drawings can sometimes tell a lot more about a person than a tattoo covering the entire back, while maintaining some mystery.
Features of a mini tattoo
Mini tattoos are as precise as in geometry. Body designs in the style of minimalism have precise and even lines, straight lines, dots, and geometric shapes. Even a simple tattoo, technically executed, can require a considerable amount of skill.
In addition, a feature of such tattoos is the predominance of monochrome and small sizes. Mini tattoos are rarely found in color variations; they are often made in black.
At the same time, the meaning of a tattoo in the style of minimalism is enormous. With just one symbol on the body, a person can forever capture good memories or an important event.
Features and Benefits
Minimalism (tattoos for girls in this style are very popular and in demand) has firmly occupied its niche in tattoo art. By applying such images, you can emphasize your individuality by choosing symbolic, intricate abstract figures.
Tattoos in this style are often a trial for those who are taking their first step into the tattoo industry and want to unobtrusively try to apply a design on the body, without fear of the negative consequences that can occur when applying a full-scale composition that has a deep meaning. When applying a minimalist tattoo, there will be no problems with the existing stereotype that drawings on the body are directly related to the criminal environment and are often condemned by society.
The word “minimalism” comes from a Latin word and translated into Russian means “smallest”. The name of the minimalism style does not indicate the size of the image. The component of the word “mini” relates directly to its content and imparting meaning.
Minimalist tattoos are characterized by monochrome and laconicism.
This style is reflected in the following directions:
- fashion;
- design;
- interior;
- architecture;
- linguistics.
In the minimalist style, several different execution techniques are most often used:
- minimum number of parts on an average-sized area;
- maximum number of parts in a minimal area;
- depiction of complex symbols in the simplest forms.
The first type of application is most often the application of geometric abstractions, which may resemble alien drawings. These can be sketches made in the form of diagrams that do not have careful drawings and small details.
The second type of minimalist tattooing is combined with the style of realism. Most often these are photorealistic images of animals, birds, insects or various objects that look natural.
The third type of tattooing is the most common. With such an image, the drawings may be similar to children's scribbles, which may have similarities with fairy tales and fantasy. This could be engravings of ancient peoples, on which drawn ornaments and symbols are drawn.
Sometimes tattoos in the style of minimalism have a special deep meaning that is understandable only to the wearer.
Minimalism (a tattoo for girls is sometimes applied to an intimate place) is the most ancient style used when applying a tattoo. At the time of the birth of the art of applying drawings to one’s body, complex and multi-colored sketches were not used. For volumetric and multi-layered images, there were no necessary tools and pigments for tattooing.
The most common in ancient times were letters or symbols. Previously, they were applied to the body as a distinctive sign for people in certain circles or as a designation of a person’s type of activity. As a rule, this was the mark of slaves, convicts or recruits.
Subsequently, the minimalism style began to be actively used in limited areas, in the army or prisons. Recently, the style has become fashionable and is widely used among people of various ages, gender and social status.
Tattoos in the minimalist style are usually simple, but varied. In this style there are no restrictions on the plot; the main thing is consistency and simplicity of the sketch.
Sample images:
- dragonfly in the form of a shadow;
- outline of the animal's head;
- anchor or heart;
- cobweb or floral design;
- letter or phrase;
- cross or bird;
- schematic vectors, lines and points;
- diagrams of the solar system.
The image of a barcode has become very popular lately.
Main themes of minimalist tattoos
The theme of tattoos in a minimalist style does not have any special restrictions, but there are the most popular and common images that people prefer to imprint on their bodies.
- Symbols. These can be numbers, letters, or even just a dot.
- Simple geometric shapes. It so happens that even an ordinary triangle can have great meaning for a person.
- Flowers. There are petals, sakura flowers, clover, peonies and the like. And everything is small in size, laconic, elegant and incredibly beautiful.
- Simple images or diagrams. Depicting an animal using outlines in a schematic form is minimalism. Moreover, such a tattoo will look interesting, unique and is unlikely to get boring, unlike a full-fledged drawing.
Rib tattoo for men
Among men, tattoos on ribs are very popular and often representatives of the stronger half of humanity use monochrome black and white tattoos. The most popular tattoo on the ribs for men is the image of a ship under sail, sailing on the waves. Once upon a time, such a tattoo was used by sailors so that in the event of death he could be identified and buried, as sailors should be buried. But today such a tattoo will tell about the freedom-loving character of its owner. Popular rib tattoos for men include images of religious subjects, crosses, wild animals and birds, and inhabitants of the deep sea. Also popular are images of a dragon, a skull or a naked girl. Today you can find men's tattoos depicting flowers, such as irises. This flower symbolizes courage and strength. Among men, tattoos on the ribs in the form of various inscriptions are very popular. Unlike women's tattoos, men's lettering tattoos are applied in a more aggressive style.
The most popular mini tattoos
Despite the fact that the style does not imply adherence to a specific theme, there are the most common images that are made in a minimalist style.
For example, the most common small tattoos are paired tattoos. Yes, yes, you heard right. Many couples choose simple designs that represent their feelings and affection towards each other.
Tattoos can be the same or complement each other. At the same time, it is worth noting that a paired mini tattoo will be easier to redo or simply remove if suddenly the relationship is destroyed and you want to get rid of the tattoo.
The most popular designs in the style of minimalism in the form of tattoos: yin-yang, infinity sign, small hearts, sun, moon, flowers, simple geometric shapes - rhombuses, triangles, numbers, etc.
Determining the location of the tattoo on the ribs
A tattoo on the ribs will look good and beautiful both from the front and from the back. The main condition is that it be in harmony with the rest of the existing tattoos. The tattoo can start directly on the ribs and smoothly move to the stomach, back, thighs and buttocks. It does not matter which side the tattoo will be located on. But if you have chosen a mascot tattoo, there are some restrictions when choosing the side to apply the image. According to religious rules, the left side is a symbol of evil and negativity, and the right side symbolizes goodness and strength. But all rules have their exceptions. For example, the image of a dolphin on the left side denotes loyalty and devotion. A yin-yang tattoo on the right side symbolizes wisdom and the ability to unravel any mysteries of fate.
The meaning of minimalism in tattoo art
Of course, the meaning of each tattoo made in the style of minimalism has a certain and, in most cases, purely personal meaning. The meaning of even a simple triangle can contain a lot of content, which you will only learn about from the owner of the body pattern. Beautiful images are very rarely applied to the body thoughtlessly; almost every mini tattoo is of great importance.
Moreover, the philosophy of minimalism is not only inherent to girls; contrary to popular belief, many representatives of the stronger sex are very willing to apply simple and uncomplicated designs to their bodies. At the same time, they can tell a lot about the owner.
Rib tattoo for girls
Tattoos on ribs among girls are very popular today, this is especially noticeable during the summer beach season. The main advantage of such a tattoo is the ability to put it on public display or, on the contrary, hide it from prying eyes. A body pattern on the ribs will perfectly emphasize the beauty of a woman’s figure and abs, which is why tattoos on the ribs are often applied by athletes and girls who keep fit in the gym. A tattoo in the form of an inscription, flowers, birds or feathers would look great on a woman’s side. The inscription can be short, consisting of several words, or voluminous, containing several sentences. Such tattoos can often be found today on Hollywood stars. Also very popular among the fair sex are small tattoos of hearts, moon and sun, roses or lilies. It is beautiful and fascinating to see an image of animals on a woman’s side, for example, a cat or a lioness. If a girl chooses a tattoo with images of birds, this will tell about her lightness of character and a certain airiness of nature.
“You need to know places”: where is the drawing applied?
Often, the presence of mini tattoos is invisible to others; in addition to the fact that the images themselves are not large in size, many people prefer to apply them in places that are easy to hide under clothing. A mini tattoo is like the personification of mystery; you not only need to unravel the meaning of the design, you also need to manage to find the design.
You can apply a mini tattoo on any part of the body, but the most popular are the neck, collarbones, arms and fingers, ankles and feet. Small tattoos can often be seen in these areas. Large tattoos are found on the forearm, under the chest, on the hips, and on the arms from the hand to the elbow.
“Mini tattoo” mission: choosing a design and artist
To begin with, everything depends on your idea and imagination, so first of all, you should decide what you want to depict on your body. There are quite a lot of different photos of tattoos in the minimalist style on the Internet, and the artist will always be able to offer his own sketches and ideas.
However, it is worth remembering that despite its simplicity, the style is technically difficult to execute, as it requires precision in detailing and application. Therefore, before choosing a master, you can familiarize yourself with his portfolio of works. This can be done directly from the master, or in most cases on a profile on social networks, where many masters now actively share their works and achievements.
When choosing even a small image, remember that it can loudly “shout” about what you are always silent about.
