Memorial Tattoos; more beautiful tributes to loved ones that have passed

Memorial Tattoos part 2

Following on from last week, the tattoos in this post are a special tribute to loved ones that have passed. Much like last week these tattoos have deep personal meaning to each individual that has shared their story.

 A Beautiful Rose

This tattoo belongs to Jay Simeon. Jay chose this beautiful black and grey/dot work rose piece to symbolise his grandmother, who had sadly passed on.

"Basically my nan died on 19th December 2016. I was going to get this tattoo for her regardless, but it’s now a memorial tattoo. Her favourite flower was roses and I symbolised her with that."

The image of a rose in tattooing is one of the most traditional. They can be used to represent love, but in Jay's case the use of roses in his tattoo had a deeper, more spiritual meaning, as he goes on to explain.

"Every time I saw them it would remind me of her. The month she died, bear in mind it was winter. We had our rose tree blossom, the day she died the roses died. Then the day after they blossomed again. Mad right? Especially because they’re summer flowers. Therefore I got it done for her."

Jay has further plans for his tattoo. But this piece is solely for his grandmother.

"I’m making it into a sleeve soon. But the rest of my forearm will be shaded roses. Different to that style because she used to stand out against the crowd for her wacky style and her sailor mouth haha. Her grave also stands out which is why I’m going to book the next roses as shaded ones instead of line&dot work "

A beautiful tattoo for a lady who sounds truly amazing.

A Tribute to her Father

Sarah Mckie had this tattoo to pay tribute to her father.

 

"My dad passed away on 26/11/14. I'd always had him in my life and faced many difficulties including alcoholism then in the last 3 years of his life he stopped the drink, smoking and he even started going to the gym Unfortunately it was too late and his heart wasn't the best and he passed away in his sleep"

 

When a person is really trying to turn their life around, it is nothing short of a tragedy that this has happened. 

 

The Loss of a Best Friend

 

Emily Richardson got the initial of a dear friend to mark her loss.

 

"It's a J on my wrist for my best friend Juna. She committed suicide on the 12th of June 2017. I moved away before I was old enough for camera phones so we only had a couple of photos together. So I decided to get her initial as a sort of memorial for her. It reminds me of her 24/7 and brings back all the amazing memories I have of her."  

 

This is a touching example of the beauty, of the permanence of a tattoo. To dedicate a part of your skin to another forever is a bold statement, but one that I am sure Emily will never regret.

 

 

One More Light Goes Out

 

 Hannah 'Bennington' Turek is what can be described as a super fan. When I saw her tattoo I knew there had to be a story behind it, and here it is.

 

"I got the bottom one (the insignia with the flames) in mid February, 2016 at Dragon Tattoo Studios in Wakefield.
At the time, I had just entered a competition to meet Linkin Park in LA and thought I was in with a reasonable chance of winning. I'd loved Linkin Park's music for almost ten years at that point, since hearing some of their stuff on my mum's iPod at 8 years old. As I got to high school and got to understanding and relating to the lyrics, I found solace in their stuff and became really dedicated to their stuff.

I used to draw it on my wrist every day and my mum always said that when I was 18 if I still wanted it, I could have it as long as I could pay for it. So I did. I went to get it as my first tattoo and had a man called Danny Jones (he still does all my tattoos) and he was asking about the band and such. I told him I was going to show it to Chester and get all of the band's signatures to get tattooed around it."

Sadly Hannah did not win the competition. But she didn't let that stop her. She continued.

 

"I didn't win the contest, but the following year in March, Linkin Park announced an LPU acoustic show in London to promote their new album, One More Light. I immediately booked my transport and went down to London and ended up winning! I met Mike and Chester and showed them both the tattoo. Chester said that it was awesome and I had never been happier."

 

"Then, July 20th happened and I wanted a tribute to Chester. I took the One More Light logo and added the flames and the lyrics to One More Light as well as Chester's signature in the middle."

 

Unfortunately on the 20th of July Chester Bennington took his life. This sad event affected many fans who hold him in their hearts. Much like Hannah who chose to represent her loss in this piece on her arm. 

"It means the world to me. I genuinely believe that music gives us solace and helps inspire ourselves to carry on. The day that I met Chester and Mike was undoubtedly the best day of my life and I'm truly grateful I had the opportunity to show him how much their music means to me. I don't know now that I'll get any more Linkin Park tattoos but I'm glad it'll forever be a part of me."

 

Due to the medicinal power of music, musicians can be important figures in a person's life. It is their voice that gets you out of bed in the morning, picks you up when you are feeling down, or empowers you. This is why the loss of the likes of Chester Bennington is so heavily felt.

 

Original tribute to his best friend

 

This original idea for a tattoo was a tribute to the beautiful young girl in the picture. Her best friend Sam 'Jimmy' Wood got this to represent what she meant to him.

 

"My best friend passed away when she was sixteen, she had leukaemia. She never got to do the things she wanted to do in life, learn to drive a car, buy her first home, nothing. Although she had an amazing time when I took her to our high school prom. My tattoo is pretty nerdy haha, she always used to say I was really geeky haha, it’s a loading symbol from a computer, which means I’m waiting to see her again."

The use of the computer icon is so original and has a deep meaning to Sam who lost his best friend at such a young age.

 

 

These beautiful tattoos are personal and unique. The loss of a loved one is a hard time for anyone, many seek solace in body art as this is a permanent reminder of those they love so much. Getting a tattoo will by no means dull the ache but it is a way to pay respect and to carry a part of said loved one with you always.

If you can relate to any of the stories in this or previous posts please let me know and drop a comment below. If you have a story to share you can do the same or alternatively contact me via email clearinkaftercare@gmail.com or through my facebook page @naturalaftercare or on instagram

@clearink13.

Next weeks post will be tattoos with a sense of humour. Check it out and find out what this means.