Are you an art lover or a committed artist? From small pieces to bold designs, these artistic tattoos will capture everyone’s attention.
The word “artist” may remind you of Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Claude Monet. Their works reflect both their talent and their personality. Today, there are millions of artists: illustrators, musicians, photographers, sculptors, etc. But the essence of art remains the same. It’s a way of self-expression. And the medium doesn’t really matter.
Tattooing is the same. And what’s a better way to combine different forms of art than getting an artsy ink? A canvas doesn’t need to be a piece of white paper. Your body can be the best place to showcase your love for art. Whether you are an art lover or a creator, artistic tattoos will be a token of your passion.
An artsy tattoo can be as simple as a paintbrush or shades of paint. Or it can be a sophisticated painting on the skin. Stay simple or go big; the possibilities are endless.
Haven’t made up your mind? These fantastic artistic tattoos will give you some ideas.
Disclaimer:This tattoo collection is for inspiration only. Please do not copy the artwork. If you love these tattoos, follow artists and show them some support.
Artistic tattoos for artists and art lovers
A shade of starry night
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Not a fan of large-scale, intricate tattoos? This small shade tattoo gives you a glimpse of the famous Van Gogh masterpiece. It proves that small tattoos can be captivating, too.
The Beijing Jingshan Park landscape tattoo
Pantone color card arm tattoo
Artists and fashion designers are familiar with the Pantone colors. It sets the trend with its color of the year. This creative arm tattoo features Monet’s Waterlilies in a Pantone color card. It artistically represents the wearer’s aesthetics.
Sunflower by Van Gogh
Sea in the starry night
Van Gogh’s paintings show up in a lot of artistic tattoos. But instead of copying the painting, this tattoo from Tattooist Fluffy transforms the art into waves under the moonlight. It shows how a tattoo can pay tribute to the classic and be creative at the same time.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Girl with a Pearl Earring was the most well-known work of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. A realism portrait turns out to be a symbol of modern art and an evergreen inspiration for tattoos.
Vermeer was known as the painter who infiltrated accurate perspectives in his works. But this portrait, however, was all about a girl in front of a black background. It draws our attention straightly to her gaze. Her crystal-clear eyes and half-opened lips make her seem caught off guard. It looks like a photograph taken in a split second instead of a painting that might take hours or days.
Glass of gold
Girl with a Pearl Earring is so iconic that it is recreated again and again as tattoos. And this is one of them.
The tattooist puts the painting in a glass. The pearl earring looks even shinier in the reflection of water. And the golden ornament floating on top matches the color of the girl’s headband, creating a sense of luxe.
The girl wearing mask
What a fun but realistic twist to a classic painting. The girl is not only wearing a pearl earring but also a mask. Three years ago, this adaptation might not make sense. But now, it becomes painfully relatable.
Girl with bubble gum
The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso
The Old Guitarist is one of the signature works of Pablo Picasso during his blue period. Picasso’s works are known to be abstract, making people guess the meaning behind them. But The Old Guitarist, however, is apparently gloomy and sad.
During his blue period, Picasso was poor and depressed. And that’s why he was drawn to subjects in similar situations. The entire painting and the tattoo are in blue or grey-blue, except for the yellowish guitar. It symbolizes the old man’s only hope – music. A tattoo like this one captured both an artistic aesthetic and sympathy for the unfortunates.
Poppy Field
The Garden of Earthly Delights is a painting by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. The painting was created between 1490 and 1510. The painting is a triplet, meaning that there are three different paintings: the left, the center, and the right panel. Each of them depicts a complicated Christian scenery where characters and symbolisms pile up on top of each other.
This tattoo is based on the left panel. It was originally a tower in the center of a fountain, right behind Adam and Eve. It is not easy to replicate the details of a sophisticated painting. But tattooist Eunyu managed to put the colors and lines together in harmony, recreating a scene of art. We have interview Eunyu on how she designed her tattoos. You can check out the interview here.
Poppy Field
Poppy Field is one of the most well-known works of Monet. The artist was mesmerized by the summer view of Argenteuil, where he once lived. And he turned the scene into a breathtaking painting.
With proper techniques and coloring, the tattoo captures the essence of the artwork. But it also adds a twist. The painting is framed in a window and turns into beautiful scenery at our fingertips. It pays tribute to the original artwork in a creative way.
Tattooist Ovenlee has created a collection of dainty and sophisticated tattoos. Check out our interview with her to know more about her work.
Books and paint
Books and the color palette are two of the must-haves for art students. If you are one of them, this dainty tattoo will be a token of your identity.
Blocks in colors
Mark Rothko was known for his paintings of rectangles in colors. He believed that shapes and colors were the pure forms of art. So he chose them as the subjects of his paintings instead of other objects or people. If you resonate with Mark Rothko’s philosophy in art, these colorful block tattoos may be for you.
Color wheel tattoo
If you are a painter, an illustrator, or a designer, you will be dealing with colors on a daily basis. This makes the color wheel perfect for artistic tattoos, celebrating the spectrum that fuels your creativity.
The melting Lisa
Magic happens when tattoo artists inject creativity into classic art. This Mona Lisa tattoo is a great example. What a fun and visually impactful twist!
Alien Lisa
Have a dark aesthetic that you are not afraid to announce to the world? Then, this creative alien Mona Lisa is for you.
When sculpture meets music – A Venus tattoo
René Magritte tattoo
René Magritte is one of the most influential painters. His surrealist art style is reflected in most of his work. From the mysterious man in a suit to the apple floating in the air, he challenged perceptions again and again.
This tattoo pays tribute to the artist by combining The Schoolmaster and The Happy Donor in a collage. It opens the gate of imagination and invites the viewers into Magritte’s weird and fantastic world.
The Lovers by René Magritte
Love and kisses are not rare subjects in art, like The Kiss of Gustav Klimt. What’s special about Magritte’s version is the meaning behind it.
This tattoo replicates The Lovers, one of Magritte’s most identifiable works.
In the painting, the love birds are hugging each other and kissing. But their faces are covered with a white cloth. It depicts the fact that sometimes love can be blind.
The Happy Donor
This is another artistic tattoo based on René Magritte’s The Happy Donor. In the original painting, the man is standing in front of a wall.
However, in this tattoo, the tattooist paints out the background and focuses solely on the man and the calm countryside setting that fills his silhouette. It creates both serenity and fantasy in one tattoo.
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
Created by American painter John Singer Sargent, the painting features contrasting colors with attention to detail. I can only imagine the work going into this tattoo. And it turns out to be a perfect replica.
The painter that gets painted – A Van Gogh tattoo
Starry night in the mirror
Ophelia by Hohn Everett Millais
Ophelia was created by British artist John Everett Millais and was considered one of the most influential paintings of all time.
Millais was a perfectionist. And the painting Ophelia showed his impeccable attention to detail, especially in the flowers.
It’s also worth mentioning that the painting was completed a decade after the invention of cameras. Yet it was more visually sophisticated than photography at that time. Turning such an elaborate art into a tattoo isn’t easy. But the tattooist has done the mission impossible.
Venus de’Medici sculpture tattoo
The painter’s toolset
Pencils and paintbrushes are must-haves for painters. This minimalist stencil tattoo serves as a reminder to keep forging in the pursuit of art.
Poppy Field by Monet
Poppy Field is one of the signature work of Claude Monet. It captures the sunlight and the vibrant colors of nature. Want to bring liveliness to the skin? Monet’s art would be a good idea.
The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí
First created in 1931, this surrealism painting has an immense influence on the art world. The original painting portrays a dreamy landscape. As a tattoo, the melting clock drapes around the table’s edge and creates a unique three-dimensional effect.
The flow of colors
Shapes, lines, and color combinations are three things that make a tattoo unique and stunning. And this abstract wave tattoo is the perfect example.
Put it down
Every now and then, you will come across stunning tattoo art. But ink designs that give you a good laugh are rare. And this tattoo is one of them.
The Starry night
This tattoo recreates the famous Van Gogh painting – The Starry Night. Compared to the original artwork, the tattoo is in a circle rather than a rectangle. It matches the swirls in the painting and fits perfectly on the skin.
A gradient shade of paint
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Artistic tattoos aren’t always intricate. This small colored tattoo features glossy gradient colors. The transition and the glow make it look like an actual paint stain.
The Empire of Light by René Magritte
The unrequited love
If you love art but don’t want the whole painting inked on the skin, these matching artistic tattoos may be what you are looking for. The artist removed the background of Echo and Narcissus, and made the two main characters center of the tattoos. However, these are not romantic tattoos for couples.
Echo and Narcissus was created by John William Waterhouse in 1903. It recreated the Greek mythology of Narcissus. He was the son of the river god and was extremely self-absorbed in his beauty. The maiden Echo fell in love with him, only to find out that the love is one-way.
Narcissus later became the origin of the word narcissist, referring to those who only care about themselves and their public image.
Van Gogh portrait tattoo
A landscape tattoo inspired by Thelma & Louise
This tattoo draws inspiration from the 1991 movie Thelma & Louise. It recreates the landscape in the movie, and brings us back to that wild road trip.
The artist’s palette
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Can’t decide which color to use on your next tattoo? How about all of them?
A Chinese ink wash painting tattoo
Ink wash is a technique to paint with black ink, the same type used in Chinese calligraphy. The black color and simple shapes together create a poetic feeling to the iris flower tattoo.
Which of these artistic tattoos do you like the most?
Hope you’ve found one or two designs for your next ink. Leave a comment and let me know which one do you like the best!
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