Octopus tattoos may be one of the most unusual tattoos for you to get, but in recent years they have surfaced as a trend in the tattoos industry. Octopus tattoos appear in one of the unique ways and have quite flexible designs. Tattoo artists use their creativity and add different elements to come up with exotic octopus tattoo design ideas. Hence, there are countless octopus tattoos designs out there that will blow your mind.
Besides their outlook, octopus tattoos also have very symbolic meanings which encourage people to get it tatted on their body. If you plan on getting an octopus tattoo, we’re here to help you out with some of the trending octopus tattoo ideas. You will also find their meanings and placement guide to make your tattoo selection a breeze. So what are you waiting for? Continue reading this article and enjoy your octopus tattoo hunt.
The Meaning behind Octopus Tattoos
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Octopus tattoos may look like they are just some traditional sea creature tattoos that any sea lover would want to get. But, there are many profound meanings associated with octopus tattoos that compel people to get this tag. Octopus tattoos have a deep connection with history. One of the most eye-catching traits is its spiritual meaning, which is a sign of healing yourself.
An octopus is usually able to heal itself with the help of its unique abilities. This way, you get inspiration to develop the skills and have the courage to overcome all your challenges.
Octopus tattoos also have a religious meaning and affiliation. Christians believe that the octopus is a demon from the sea that blocks you from seeing all the good things in life and takes you into darkness. Many people also see it as a blurred line between good and evil. Hence, people often get octopus tattoos to showcase how they had a dark past but eventually got over it and found the light and themselves.
Many cultures give a lot of preference to this mighty sea creature, and you will find its significance and cultural link in different tribal octopus designs. The Polynesians give great importance to the octopus as they believe it represents the ruler of the sea, known as Kanaloa. So to give respect to Kanaloa, the Polynesians would often get a tribal octopus tattoo.
Octopus tattoos also symbolize freedom as they are more likely and able to free themselves from different traps, situations, or settings. There are many other countless meanings associated with an octopus tattoo, such as devotion, mental intelligence, physical strength, escape, illusion, sensitivity, nonconformity, transformation, and otherness.
With such a meaningful background behind an octopus tattoo, it is hard to miss out on something like this, especially if you are in search of gaining some meaning in life artistically. Any octopus tattoo design you get will carry some strong meanings; hence, you can never run away from the meaning and significance of an octopus tattoo.
Placement Options for Octopus Tattoos
Your body is a canvas; hence you can paint it with any octopus tattoo wherever you want. The versatility of octopus tattoos designs allows the wearer to get in on any area of the body. The best and common placements for an octopus tattoo are the legs, back, and arm. These areas are ideal as they help emphasize the tentacles of the octopus, which is one of the main features of the octopus.
This specific feature helps determine it’s an octopus tattoo, hence if you want to make that obvious, you must consider getting it in any of these placements. There are other placement options as well for octopus tattoos. If you have selected a large-scale design, you can also consider getting it on your thigh, stomach, or ribs.
Small or medium-sized octopus tattoos would look good on your hand, neck, or upper chest. No matter where you get your octopus tattoo tatted, it will look unique and lovely as ever. Just make sure you choose the right placement according to the design. Once you find the perfect octopus tattoo design from below, choosing an ideal spot for it will become much easier.
Octopus Tattoo Ideas
Geometric Octopus Tattoo
For a creative tattoo look, you can opt for this geometric octopus tattoo. This tattoo helps you flaunt your creative side with an interesting geometric touch. This tattoo consists of a black outlined octopus with grey shading, and a few color inked geometrical shapes in the background.
Some of these shapes appear on the face and body of the octopus. The geometrical shapes enhance the look and give an additional touch to the tattoo, making it unique and more presentable. Both women and men could perfectly slay this lovely tattoo.
Skull Octopus Tattoo
If you are searching for a dramatic or bold tattoo, look no more as this skull octopus tattoo has all the dramatic vibes. This tattoo includes black and white octopus tentacles with some grey shading – but in place of the octopus’s head, there is a skull face. This tattoo includes a lot of detailing and contouring to bring out the realistic feature; hence you must get this tattoo done from a tattoo artist with good experience in realistic tattoos.
The skull in this tattoo represents mystery and human intellect, while the octopus symbolizes powerful characteristics. Both these meanings combined give out a very strong vibe. So if you want to go for something this dramatic, there is no way you should be missing out on this tattoo.
Octopus Tentacle Tattoo
Do you want to showcase one of the main features of an octopus in your tattoo and achieve a cool look? This octopus tentacle tattoo is the best design you could go for. You may find this tattoo simple, but the simplicity speaks a lot due to the meaning behind this tattoo. It consists of an octopus tentacle inked in black and grey with the right shading and contouring.
You can include more than one tentacle if you like, but a single tentacle tattoo looks cooler, especially when you get it done on your leg or forearm. The tentacles are one of the most important physical features of an octopus, which symbolizes its special abilities. This tattoo symbolizes regeneration, as the tentacle of an octopus tends to grow back when it disengages one of them to escape or survive.
Octopus at Sea Tattoo
For an over the top tattoo look, you can try out this octopus at sea tattoo. This tattoo is a brilliant piece of art, and you can tell a skilled professional tattoo artist has executed it with precision. In this tattoo, there is a ship inked in black and grey and against it is a realistic-looking octopus inked in white, grey, and black, with its tentacles in the water while the head is out. The artist has used white and grey ink to beautifully portray the sea.
This tattoo could mean many things; for instance, it could describe your life at sea, or showcase how the octopus is the king of the sea and manages to get away from every obstacle. No matter whatever meaning you portray with this tattoo, you must get it if you want to accessorize your body with a true piece of art.
Mermaid Octopus Tattoo
This mermaid octopus tattoo is one of the most mystical tattoos you will ever come across. This tattoo consists of an orange inked octopus with a lot of shading with brown ink and other colors. Below the octopus is a mermaid inked in steel grey with long hair and a prominent cleavage. This tattoo is all about details, which helps give it an old cartoon vibe feel.
The octopus and mermaid are two important and powerful creatures of the sea. Hence, these elements, combined together in a tattoo, may speak a lot and be of great significance to many, especially those who have spent most of their time at sea.
Discreet Octopus Tattoo
You may come across only big octopus tattoos as they are quite trending. But if you want to go for a subtle tattoo look with minimum detailing, the best option for you is this small discreet octopus tattoo. This tattoo includes a small octopus outlined in black with and a few dot works to add some texture to this tattoo.
You can always make this tattoo a bit bigger if you do not want something too small. The best part about this tattoo is you can get it tatted anywhere without anyone noticing if that’s what you want. Keeping the flexibility of octopus tattoos in mind, it would be a mistake not to get this tattoo.
Blue Octopus Tattoo
If you do not want to add to many colors in your tattoo, go for this blue octopus tattoo. This tattoo includes a black outlined octopus filled with different shades of blue ink. The light and dark blues combination looks amazingly good in this tattoo and gives out a unique look. You can always opt for another color if you like, but the blue color adds more meaning to this tattoo. The blue in this tattoo represents the sea and may indicate a person’s life spent at sea or their appreciation for sea animals.
Tribal Octopus Tattoo
Tribal octopus tattoos are very common and have a deep association with the Polynesian tribe. If you feel connected to this tribe and want to show off your tribal roots or admiration, you must try out this tribal octopus tattoo. You will come across many tribal octopus tattoos designs, but this one has got to be the best.
It consists of a black and grey inked octopus made out of different tribal designs such as swirls, triangles, halfway circles, and many others. The tribal designs add a classic feature to the octopus tattoos and look great on men.
FAQs
How much do octopus tattoos cost?
Different tattoo parlors charge different prices for octopus tattoos as the cost depends on the size and design of the tattoo as well as the place you are getting it done from. If you like minimalist designs and opt for a small octopus tattoo, it will charge you around $100 or less. For a bigger octopus tattoo that includes a lot of elements, parlors set high rates, i.e., around $400 or even more. Some tattoo artists charge hourly, which is $150. This could also make a major difference in the price.
Is it okay if there is ink leaking from my tattoo?
It is entirely normal if ink drips from your tattoo a few weeks after you get it. This is very common, and there’s nothing you need to do about it. The leakage happens typically when the tattoo artist doesn’t pack the ink into your skin properly. Hence, it would be best if you chose an experienced tattoo artist who will fill all the ink in your skin.
Is it necessary to tip my tattoos artist?
You should tip your tattoo artist if they do an amazingly good job with your tattoo as tattooing isn’t an easy art, but it sure is cool. You must tip your tattoo artist with at least $30-$50 if you are getting a big and descriptive tattoo. It is always a nice gesture to tip your artist; however, it is not obligatory.
Conclusion
Getting a tattoo is one of the most memorable experiences in life, and it is a must that you do it the right way and enjoy it at the same time. For that, you will have to choose the right tattoo design, and if you fancy octopus tattoos, the ideas mentioned above must have helped you. With so much variety in octopus tattoos, you have the freedom to choose a design that appeals to you the most, especially with the beautiful meaning they hold. So step up your tattoo game and get an octopus tattoo ASAP!