There is always a little bit more to the story and here is some of it..
I decided to post my response to a comment I got on my last entry as a post itself since I seem to be getting interest in why/how this was come up with.
Seeing as it only took me around 2 years to design a lot of thought was able to be incorporated into it. However, the pieces of the puzzle themselves have kind of been in play for a lot longer a time than that.
The Ying Yang with the Overlain Peace Sign:
I've been drawing this since something like 7th grade (I still have some of those sketches laying around). Even back then, some 9 years ago, the thought behind it was "Without Balance There Can Be No Peace." Since then I thought that would be cool to incorporate into some sort of design or tattoo. Was more of a fun thought at the time than anything else though.
The Dragon Guardians
I've always been a bit obsessed with these mythical creatures and what they stand for: Strength, Courage, Wisdom, Resourcefulness, Security, Loyalty, and Devotion. This (along with how cool they look) is why I chose them. They symbolize what is needed in order to protect the balance.
The Celtic Knot
I've also always loved Celtic Knots and what they symbolize as well as their connection to my heritage. Incorporating one into the tattoo itself was an afterthought though. Once I had already decided I was going to create the tattoo and had the main design with the dragons around it, there seemed to be something missing. Something needed to balance the whole thing out or two things would happen:
1. It would look a bit out of place as a tattoo as well as seem unfinished.
2. The tattoo itself would contradict the whole point behind it (balance).
That's when I decided a Celtic Knot would be perfect, but it took ages to find the right one to put as a background without overshadowing the main design while still being a large part of it.
The Colors
The only thing that took longer than the design itself was deciding the colors to use. I knew I wanted the dragons to be separate colors because of the idea that there is always more than one solution as well as to remind me never to rely solely on one thing. I must have looked through a hundred different color combinations as well as info on what they mean when applied to a dragon until I found the ones I used. I'm quite happy with it though. The only thing that I am still back and forth on is the absence of white in the design. I originally was going to add white highlights into each dragon symbolizing a connection between the two as well as finish the other side of the ying yang. The problem is that when dealing with a tattoo white tends to not like to take to the skin well and with the summer coming up I'm not sure if it would have the proper time to heal so that it would show up. The Artist suggested that the tone of my skin works well as a white substitute though. Plus it got me to thinking that it adds to the symbolism by making me as much a part of the balance portrayed as the tattoo itself. Showing that I am a part of everything I am trying to achieve.
Seeing as it only took me around 2 years to design a lot of thought was able to be incorporated into it. However, the pieces of the puzzle themselves have kind of been in play for a lot longer a time than that.
The Ying Yang with the Overlain Peace Sign:
I've been drawing this since something like 7th grade (I still have some of those sketches laying around). Even back then, some 9 years ago, the thought behind it was "Without Balance There Can Be No Peace." Since then I thought that would be cool to incorporate into some sort of design or tattoo. Was more of a fun thought at the time than anything else though.
The Dragon Guardians
I've always been a bit obsessed with these mythical creatures and what they stand for: Strength, Courage, Wisdom, Resourcefulness, Security, Loyalty, and Devotion. This (along with how cool they look) is why I chose them. They symbolize what is needed in order to protect the balance.
The Celtic Knot
I've also always loved Celtic Knots and what they symbolize as well as their connection to my heritage. Incorporating one into the tattoo itself was an afterthought though. Once I had already decided I was going to create the tattoo and had the main design with the dragons around it, there seemed to be something missing. Something needed to balance the whole thing out or two things would happen:
1. It would look a bit out of place as a tattoo as well as seem unfinished.
2. The tattoo itself would contradict the whole point behind it (balance).
That's when I decided a Celtic Knot would be perfect, but it took ages to find the right one to put as a background without overshadowing the main design while still being a large part of it.
The Colors
The only thing that took longer than the design itself was deciding the colors to use. I knew I wanted the dragons to be separate colors because of the idea that there is always more than one solution as well as to remind me never to rely solely on one thing. I must have looked through a hundred different color combinations as well as info on what they mean when applied to a dragon until I found the ones I used. I'm quite happy with it though. The only thing that I am still back and forth on is the absence of white in the design. I originally was going to add white highlights into each dragon symbolizing a connection between the two as well as finish the other side of the ying yang. The problem is that when dealing with a tattoo white tends to not like to take to the skin well and with the summer coming up I'm not sure if it would have the proper time to heal so that it would show up. The Artist suggested that the tone of my skin works well as a white substitute though. Plus it got me to thinking that it adds to the symbolism by making me as much a part of the balance portrayed as the tattoo itself. Showing that I am a part of everything I am trying to achieve.