World of WarCrafts: Warcraft tattoos
by Anne Stickney 
Feb 24th 2011 at 3:00PM
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page.
Tattoos can be fun, if painful. Sometimes they act as reminders of special times in our lives; sometimes they are odes to people or things that we love. I have a couple myself, though none Warcraft-inspired as of yet. I keep thinking about that Horde symbol, though ...
Today on World of WarCrafts, we've got a few updates to our Warcraft tattoo gallery and a few words from Eldomon of <Skull marks the Treasure> from the Darkmoon Faire server (EU-H). Check out the gallery below for the new additions as well as tattoos from times past, and follow us after the break for more!
Why a Warcraft tattoo?
What makes a person pick up a Warcraft tattoo? "I've been working on a book about Warcraft from a literary and sociological study point, and during that study, I wound up writing a chapter on the way it structures both factions just like sports teams. This has really gone to a new level in Cataclysm, where the themes of loyalty, honour and so on are bound in with the factions. So I thought, why not treat your faction just like a football team," Eldomon explained.
"People get tattoos of their football team to show the exact same type of dedication and loyalty to their teams. Perhaps it's down to Garrosh. Something about him just inspires the characters in the game, so what's not to love?" he said. So was this Eldomon's first tattoo? "The tattoo itself was my first, certainly not my last (I doubt I'll get another Warcraft one though -- one's enough!), and I already have ideas for a second," he said.
"Given how people had talked before about them being painful, I was amazed how much it wasn't. It was mildly annoying
and scratchy to get, but I've had dental work that was more painful," he admits. "If that's the only reason people have to not get one, definitely reconsider and go for it!"Reader Fie went with something a little larger and a little more ornate. This black dragon covers the length of Fie's back and then some! "Not much of a story behind it, other than being a fan of Twincruiser's artwork," Fie said.
Twincruiser is better known as Michel Koiter, one of the Sons of the Storm. Michel passed away in March of 2004, but his memory lives on in game at the Shrine of the Fallen Warrior located in the Northern Barrens. His artwork has also been preserved on the Sons of the Storm website, including the piece of artwork used for Fie's tattoo. You can read more about Michel Koiter on the Sons of the Storm website, as well as take a look at the gorgeous illustrations he produced in his gallery.
Whether they were procured on a whim or for sentimental reasons, tattoos are a constant source of eye-catching art. Do you have a piece of Warcraft ink? Send it in -- we'd love to add it to our gallery!
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including arts and crafts, fan art, WoW-themed recipes, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by emailing anne@wowinsider.com with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. Filed under: World of WarCrafts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
JT Feb 24th 2011 3:06PM
Obligatory link to the Red vs. Blue Tattoo PSA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2pSt2gACrc
thpthpthp1 Feb 24th 2011 3:09PM
Only 1 alliance tattoo? Ouch.. For the Horde!
qteam3d Feb 24th 2011 3:53PM
It's often said that Horde players are more serious and dedicated to the game. Here's proof.
Billlop Feb 24th 2011 4:38PM
I dont think its that. I just think the people who play alliance are either one end of the spectrum or the other. (either kiddies or mature adults) wheras most Horde players fall inbetween. That in between demographic are the ones most likely to get tattoos.
blissfire Feb 25th 2011 8:49AM
Also, back to the fact that the Horde symbol is just cool. On my primary server, I have 9 Alliance characters and 1 Horde (just for seeing how the other half lives, etc), but if I were to get a WoW tattoo, I might just get the Horde symbol because a) as mentioned, it's just cool, and b) you can consider it a general symbol for WoW, regardless of your faction loyalty.
I wouldn't regret it, because my tattoos are like images from a scrapbook or a home movie. These are things I've loved, whether they're still part of my life or not, and the nostalgia and memories are there every time I take off my shirt. =)
long duck dong Feb 24th 2011 3:22PM
I want a tattoo of myself on myself but taller
Zahira Feb 24th 2011 3:46PM
Maybe it's because I work in a tattoo shop (I'm a body piercer), and I have 27 tattoos, but the tattoo you chose as the article photo is poorly done. The line work is shakey. Whoever is the owner of that tattoo should go back to the place and speak with the owner and demand it be fixed.
The dragon photo in the article was beautifully done, whoever owns that piece should go thank their tattoo artist as it was beautifully executed, and because tattoo artists always like to know when they get press of any kind.
Xayíde Feb 25th 2011 7:49AM
No really, these people are retarded. (No, not because they have WoW tattoos!!)
Most of those tats are hideous!! Crooked lines, some look like Kindergarten pictures... Look at the first two!!
If you are going to have yourself tattooed, be ready to spend some money on it and give it to someone who is actually an artist.
The coolest one though by far is the last one. Really, it's really REALLY cool. The ripped skin effect is wild.
Ebrion Feb 24th 2011 3:24PM
Just a week ago i got marked for PVP on my shoulder. For the Horde!
loosewiring Feb 24th 2011 3:31PM
I have video game tattoos, and I can honestly say that I do not regret a one.
For me, it's not so much a statement of the game, but of a point of my life. I look at a tat I have from a game whose fandom I've mostly fallen out of, and I don't go "omg I don't like that game as much anymore I'm an idiot", but "hey, I made a lot of friends through that game and had a great time and learned a lot during that point in my life".
People think that everyone who gets a game tattoo will live to regret it, but that's simply not the case. I'd love to get a WoW tattoo- I plan on doing a whole sleeve of various game tats, and they're not just about how much I love the game, but a statement of who I was at the time that I got it. Sure, I might grow up to be 70 (hopefully I get to that age) and look at my tats, at the games that have come and gone, and I may grow out of gaming at some point in my life. But I won't regret putting a mark on myself to remind me of who I was and what I liked, what friendships I've made and what I've learned.
My tattoos are more of a roadmap, I guess. To each their own, but don't assume that everyone regrets getting ink.
thatguy Feb 24th 2011 3:32PM
Such a bad idea...
Elmouth Feb 25th 2011 3:11PM
Such a retarded idea
Tirrimas Feb 24th 2011 3:53PM
I wouldn't mind getting a small Horde symbol.
Gorelord Feb 24th 2011 4:01PM
I went to see Cannibal Corpse a couple months ago...lead singer George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher has a big Horde logo tattooed on his forearm, so when he is belting out lyrics with the mic in his right hand, it's staring proudly at the crowd. Looks pretty badass, imo.
Corpsegrinder kind of looks and sounds like an orc, so it seems approriate.
For the Horde!
Gorelord Feb 24th 2011 4:08PM
appropriate* even
WTB [Updated Comment System], pst price.
MusedMoose Feb 24th 2011 4:01PM
Never fails - there's always someone in a WoW tattoo article saying the same things and making the same assumptions. People get tattoos for all kinds of different reasons, and - surprise, surprise! - not all of those reasons are that they were drunk or it was a stupid kid thing.
I know some people get tattoos that they later regret. But people also get tattoos that they spend a lot of time on, whether it's designing the art or deciding on the design or what-have-you. Before I got my tattoo, I printed out the image I wanted and put it where I would see it every single day, to be sure that it continued to mean something to me and that I wanted it on myself for the rest of my life. I saw that image every day for five years. So when I finally got it inked on, I knew it would always be important to me. And y'know what? It's a symbol from an anime series, which some people would consider just as bad/geeky/lame as a WoW tattoo.
So, yeah. Narrow-minded assumptions are, in fact, narrow-minded. ^_^
Drakkenfyre Feb 24th 2011 4:02PM
I have no criticisms of these, people, but thinking Garrosh as an inspiration? That's not exactly the kind of inspiration you need.
johnthediver Feb 24th 2011 4:19PM
I will be getting a large tropical reef scene tattooed on my leg from knee to ankle. In that reef I will have a tiny murloc hanging out on the rocks. Kind of a little joke as part of my scuba tattoo.
Swifteye Feb 24th 2011 4:24PM
I am so, so tempted to get a WoW tattoo... pretty much the only thing stopping me is my currently tight budget. You really get what you pay for when you get a tattoo, so I really want an expensive one from an artist who knows what they're doing... I have three non-WoW tattoos that I'm happy with, and for all of them I tipped 50%... so if you're looking at a $400-500ish tattoo and a $200 tip, it's definitely something that's going to take a while to budget, heh.
I don't support either faction enough to brazenly display their symbol... I mostly play Horde, but I've been known to dabble in Alliance on occasion, and I'm really not invested in the ongoing OOC warfare. Both factions have tons of cool people and tons of douche-rockets; it's just like real life!
I think if I could have any WoW tattoo I wanted, I would commision one of my favorite artists to draw lineart of a lovely Draenei woman and a down-to-Earth, farmgirl-pretty Tauren holding hands. They're my two favorite races, pretty much the only races comprised entirely of peaceful, non-petty, non-vindictive folk... I think they're both nice to look at, and I think it'd pleasantly illustrate the fact that I like both factions and wish they could find peace.
Maybe I'll find the money to do this someday! Thanks for reminding me that this is actually something I'd like to do! ^_^
Saeadame Feb 24th 2011 5:21PM
Make sure it's a Horde Tauren, those Grimtotem lot are black sheep.