16 Tattoo Illustration Designs

Not everyone can tolerate the pain of getting a tattoo, some people have a high threshold when it comes to pain and there are also others who are overly sensitive to it. In relation to this, let’s speak about how people in this modern generation are still very judgmental when it comes to those with tattoos. Many people today still create the wrong impression when they see someone covered in tattoos, and this is actually not a determining factor as to who a person is. A person could and should never be judged based on how they look; after all, you can never judge a book by its cover alone.

Tattoos are a form of art and also a way of expressing one’s self, and people can do whatever and however they want with tattoos just to be able to express themselves. If you are planning on getting one, you need to be fully aware that these markings are permanent, which is why you should never take this art for granted and you should always think carefully on how you want to express yourself to others through the art of tattoos.

To provide you with an inspiration for your tattoo’s design, we have an entire collection of tattoo illustration designs below that you may want to check out. There are various themes for the tattoo illustration designs below, which range from floral themes to animal ones. If you actually aren’t planning on getting a tattoo but are simply looking for unique illustrations, you may still be able to use the designs below and incorporate them on your projects. Go ahead and check out the illustration designs below to get yourself started.

Gothic Tattoo Illustration Designs

To those who wish for a dark and Gothic theme for their tattoo illustrations, you may want to check out the designs above. There are four tattoo designs to choose from which includes an illustration of a skull and an illustration of a rose bud.

Tribal Reptiles Tattoo Illustration Design

Here is a bundle of cute animal tattoo illustration designs of reptiles and amphibians that you may want to check out. But unlike realistic representations of these creatures, the ones on this set of illustration have a somewhat tribal-inspired design, and tribal designs are a common theme when it comes to tattoos.

Sugar Skull Tattoo Illustration Design

Bundled Rose Tattoo Illustration Designs

Whether or not you are into plants (but who isn’t), you may enjoy this bundle of 25 tattoo illustration designs that are all about roses. Though this bundle of rose tattoos has a common theme, the way the roses are being illustrated differ from one design to another, which means that the entire 25 rose designs are totally different and unique from each other.

What Is the Definition of Tattoo?

A tattoo is considered as a form of modification on the body that involves inserting ink or dyes into the dermis—which is the second most superficial layer of the skin—though there are also tattoos that only involve the outermost layer of the skin. Depending on the type or layer of skin involved, some tattoos are temporary and some are also permanent. Tattoos have also been categorized into being purely decorative, symbolic, and pictorial. Decorative tattoos, as the name suggests, hold no definite meaning; symbolic tattoos have a particular value depending on how the wearer sees it; and pictorial tattoos hold a depiction of an item or person.

What Is the Definition of Illustration?

An illustration is a form of art that portrays a visual interpretation of a person, an object, or a scenery. Illustrations are designed to be integrated in published media which includes but is not limited to books, teaching tools, and animations. The word is actually taken from a late Middle English term which means “illumination, or intellectual enlightenment.”

Ribboned Anchor Tattoo Illustration Design

If you want to incorporate text on the tattoo illustration (take note, “on” the design, not over or under), then this anchor tattoo illustration design is a good pick. The illustration of the anchor on the design is loosely wrapped in a blank ribbon which can be used for writing text. You may use this ribbon for writing a simple word, a name, or even a brief quote.

Bundled Sailor Style Tattoo Illustration Design

Mermaid Octopus Tattoo Illustration Design

If Ariel had Flounder and Sebastian, then the girl on this awesome mermaid tattoo illustration has an octopus for a friend. This would be a perfect tattoo design for those whose professions require them to be at sea or underwater most of the time.

Whiskered Dragon Tattoo Illustration Design

We previously mentioned that a tribal theme is seen commonly among tattoo designs, but there is also another very common theme aside from that. Many people, regardless of the race, find dragon-inspired designs to be cool and empowering, which is why many people go for this tattoo design with a flat illustration.

A Brief History of the Art of Tattoos

The art of tattooing has been practiced all over the world since the Neolithic times. Historians have uncovered a lot of evidence when it comes to the practice of tattooing by the early inhabitants from the preserved skins of mummified people, ancient art, and also archaeological records. To date, the oldest concrete evidence of tattooed human skin takes us back to between 3370 and 3100 BC. Tattooed mummies have been discovered in 49 archaeological locations from all over the world, which includes Alaska, Siberia, Egypt, and Mongolia.

For some countries, tattooing is treated as some from of punishment while some also look at it as a form of honor. In China, tattoos have been considered as a barbaric practice, wherein it is being applied on the faces of criminals and prisoners. Rarely, in most periods in Chinese history, slaves were also tattooed to display ownership.

In Japan, the art of tattooing was first seen to be for both spiritual and decorative purposes during the Paleolithic period. But between 1603 and 1868, Japanese tattooing was practiced by people to communicate their status in society. But by the early 17th century, it was then seen as a form of punishment and was widely applied to criminals.

In modern times, people have already accepted the practice of tattooing as a form of art, though there are still some who aren’t very open-minded about the practice and still think of it as a barbaric practice. Though for some, most especially in professions that require utmost formality, it would heavily depend on the design or the appropriateness of the tattoo to determine if a person is deemed ideal for the position.

Peace or Fight Tattoo Illustration Design

Love Mom Tattoo Illustration Design

If your parents, especially your mother, has nothing against getting yourself inked, then why don’t you show your mother how much they mean to you with this rose tattoo illustration design? For those who are interested in getting this tattoo design but wish to address it to someone else, the name on the ribbon can be freely changed depending on your preference.

Tribal Heart Tattoo Illustration Design

Abstract Heart Tattoo Illustration Design

Here is another love tattoo illustration design that you can use for expressing love, but this one has a more tribal theme to it. You may want to get this heart tattoo placed somewhere on your deltoid or somewhere across your forearm, and you may or may not include a name of a person on it, it’s all really up to you.

Bundled Monochrome Tattoo Illustration Designs

Christian Cross Tattoo Illustration Designs

And to those who are religious but wish to get themselves inked, here is a perfect tattoo illustration design for them. This design consists of a cross in negative space, which is surrounded by small crosses. There is really nothing bad to say about this tattoo illustration design.

A Few Tips before Getting Yourself Inked

• Always be familiar with your own body and know your pain tolerance.
• Start with a small-scaled design before proceeding to large ones.
• Get to know the tattoo artist before actually handing them over your skin.
• Never settle for cheap tattoos because these may be risky either on your health or on the quality of the design.
• Choose a design wisely because these will stay with you for the rest of your life.
• Don’t hesitate to ask questions to the tattoo artist. You have all the right since it is your body that they will be working on.
• And also, don’t hesitate to inform the tattoo artist beforehand your preferences on how you want your design to appear. You may even do it during the process if you want to add a few more details on the design.

Now that we are about to conclude this article on tattoo illustrations, you should already have chosen a design for the tattoo that you want for yourself, or you want to incorporate on one of your projects as a form of graphical element. You actually don’t need to worry about the illustration designs that you have just seen because they have been created by this generation’s world-class graphic artists, who have made these designs conveniently accessible to people at a reasonable price.

With regards to the format of these tattoo illustration designs, most of these are actually made using vector graphics, which is the format of choice for many graphic artists of today. The reason why graphic artists prefer to work with vectors is because these are actually much better at adapting to changes, especially in size. Unlike pixel-based raster graphics, vectors are made up of numeric codes that are capable of retaining their quality even after undergoing a lot of modifications. Aside from that, vector graphics on a design allow users to edit specific elements individually without having to make alterations to the rest of the elements.

With the high-quality graphic illustrations made available at a low price, why else would you want to go to any other website to look for the designs that you need? We already got you covered by gathering these designs up ourselves and providing them for you here on our website. The only thing that’s required from you is to choose the best tattoo illustration design and to download it. So what are you waiting for? Do it now.