Princeton.edu defines the word "realistic" as "aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are." Realistic tattoo design requires the work of a good artist and should accurately depict a real-life person, animal, place or object. Hair might be a concern in the calf area for a realistic tattoo.
Idealistic tattoos symbolize an object in an ideal way. While realistic tattoos are picture-like, idealistic tattoos portray an object that is clearly recognizable, but in an "ideal" way. An example of an idealistic picture is a white cloud drawn with perfect round edges in front of a flat-blue sky. Any object can be drawn in an idealistic fashion.
You can tattoo a paragraph, a quote, or a simple and personally meaningful word on your calf. For example, if there is a statement your grandfather always said and that has significant meaning to you, use it for a tattoo. This tattoo can be placed anywhere; the calf is no exception.
Chinese and Japanese symbols have increased in popularity. These "symbol" tattoos are attractive because the Chinese and Japanese use carefully crafted calligraphy in their writing. According to Columbia.edu, Chinese symbols are referred to as "characters." Rather than using many letters to create a word or phrase, each character has a meaning. People can also use symbol tattoos to show religious interests or membership in a group.