Whether your interests lie in Steam Punk or in robotics, biomechanical tattoos can offer you a peek into a different world.
Biomechanical Art
Illustrator H.R. Geiger is the inspiration behind biomechanical art and tattoos. His work has been featured in the Alien movie series, and has served as inspiration for tattoo enthusiasts everywhere.
The black, gray and dark tones of his robotic creations blend perfectly with the skin to allow tattoo artists the chance to create unique, three-dimensional tattoos. From here, it's only a short span to begin to seek these images inside the body.
Biomechanical Tattoos
A biomechanical tattoo is stylized to show the viewer what is imagined to be beneath the skin, rather than on it. The beginnings of biomechanical tattoos are the image of an opening in the skin. The skin may appear to be ripped, torn or eaten away by acid to reveal the inner workings.
What awaits the viewer inside this optical illusion can vary widely, including:
- Detailed images of muscle, bone and tendon
- Mechanical gears
- Skeletons created of metal
- Mechanical levers
- Plastic tubing
- Microchips
- Animals
- Butterflies
Placement of Biomechanical Designs
Biomechanical tattoos are perfect for any area of the body, but their placement should depend on what you wish to display "beneath" the skin.
Metal Bones
If specific bones are being highlighted as titanium rods, it makes sense to choose bones of the spine, neck or leg for their intricacy and strength.
Gears and Cogs
Gears and cogs within biomechanical tattoos work well when placed over moving parts. A hip for example, with the hip bone meeting the socket, is the perfect place to display gears or levers instead. Likewise, the heart, lungs and areas of the skull can showcase gears within a biomechanical tattoo.
Butterflies
Having butterflies within your stomach is a popular image. Make it true by giving the viewer a glimpse inside your abdominal region to what flutters within.
Animals
Fish can be swimming in your blood stream or a pair of wolves eyes can peek out from your back. Biomechanical designs showcasing animals can be playful, ferocious or inspiring. Creating one anywhere on the body can be a means of displaying what truly lies inside.
Plastic Tubing
Plastic tubing works well on long stretches of skin, such as arm or legs. It can also coil in areas such as shoulders or behind knees for added effect.
Images Entering and Exiting the Skin
While the vast majority of biomechanical tattoos show an image within the skin, another design is to have tubing, or robotic parts exiting one area of the skin, snaking across the body to enter at another point. Arms, legs, hands and fingers are all perfect places to showcase such a unique design.
Designing Biomechanical Art
Many biomechanical design enthusiasts believe their art is the perfect way to show off the inner self. This includes things like your spirituality, animal instincts, robotic passions or interest in Steam Punk.
When designing biomechanical tats, care needs to be paid to both the image and its placement. For accuracy, if you are tattooing a titanium skeleton on your skin or replacing tendons with levers, your images should be correctly placed. It is this fusing of imagery that makes these tattoos so successful and popular, so take the extra step to double check your placement against your design before you proceed with the ink.
Biomechanical styles are gaining in popularity after being showcased on popular tattoo shows such as Miami Ink. This personal exploration of the human body through tattoos is one that many people have chosen. If you have something you believe you should show through your skin, why not consider a unique biomechanical piece of art?
