This mandala moon.
Delicate and intricate designs like the one above are incredibly elegant. It is important to understand how tattoos age though before you commit to a design of this nature.
This rose.
A rose tattoo can be as simple or as complex as you choose. This design is somewhere in the middle, which gives you the best of both worlds. Not too complex as to become indistinguishable as it ages, yet just enough detail to give it dimension from a distance.
Leaves.
Lindsay April’s leaf tattoos are this summer’s super trend. Who needs flowers when wandering vines are so much more interesting? Most of Lindsay’s work features the use of simple green leaves, but this autumn transition is simply divine.
These sea creatures.
If you’ve had a stressful day, I highly recommend heading over to Youtube and watching the video titled Kuroshio Sea – 2nd largest aquarium in the world – Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. It’s about 5 minutes of gigantic fish tank viewing accompanied by super relaxing music. Watching fish swim is incredibly therapeutic.
This colorful fish.
Of course tattoos are considered art. But sometimes certain designs are considered more “artsy” than others. This would be one of those designs. But on a more serious note, creative illustrations like these are infinitely more interesting than examples of hyperrealism.
Roses.
Out of all of the designs on the list, this is by far my favorite. Any tattoo from Dragon at Bang Bang is something to celebrate. But landing one of his gorgeous floral designs is really something special.
This whale.
Here we have another outstanding example of art in ink at its finest. Matteo creates these wonderful illustrations of animals with sections of exposed skeleton. From whales to long-extinct dinosaurs, I always look forward to his latest rendition.
This black ink peony.
When it comes to floral tattoos in general, I’ve always been of the mindset that less is more. But if you absolutely have to make things a little more interesting, then a semi-hidden face may be the way go ;). In the wide world of ink, peonies are just as popular as any other floral variety.
This butterfly.
This butterfly is so extra that it almost isn’t a butterfly—which definitely isn’t a bad thing. Ana Abrahao has a unique style that’s impossible to confuse with any other. Random dots and dangling chains are always a welcome sight on my Instagram feed.
This cosmic cat.
The love that people have for their pets is well represented in ink. Dog and cat tattoos are everywhere on Instagram it seems. The designs that stand out the most tend to be the most creative ones. This well-dressed kitty is creative, playful, and about as adorable as could be.
