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The best thing about black and white ink – you can take it to just about any design.
The first tats were done in black ink in simple designs, like tribal tattoos, which are still popular today. Now with tons of colors, women still pick black and white to make a strong statement.
You can do a tat that’s mostly black – it’ll show a bold negative space if you so desire. A thin black outline with gray shading and white highlights is simple but beautiful. And a good tattoo artist can make a tat look 3D with the right combo of the shading and white.
Black ink means many things – sometimes as a color of darkness like in skulls or monsters. Moon and stars in black and white show the vastness of space of the skin around the smallness of the celestial cluster.
One powerful tat is a black background with a white design such as a rose – if nothing else, it shows one’s dedication to sit multiple times and take a lot of ink.
The lotus flower has meaning in many religions. In Buddhism, the lotus flower is rooted in muddy water, yet reaches to the sky with beauty and life. In Hinduism, it’s named a Padma, and the open petals signify an awakening.
A white lotus flower represents purity and the goodness we strive for, which contrasts with the black outline, necessary for completeness.
Black and white inks were made for Yin and Yang. The Yin, the dark swirl, symbolizes womanliness, shadowing, the dropping of a wave; the white Yang shows brightness and energy. The joining of Yin and Yang balances light and darkness – the ultimate wholeness.
