125+ Snake Tattoo Ideas That Are Perfect

People get tattoos for a multitude of reasons. While some get tattoos to show their affiliation with a certain cause or organization, others tend to get tattoos to show love for a family member or to a religion. Some people even get tattoos to remember a certain experience or a person they love or respect. But some people just get tattoos because it looks cool, and nothing looks quite as cool as a snake tattoo inked on your body.

So if you are looking to get that awesome tattoo that is sure to make you the talk of the town, or you are looking to diversify your collection of tattoos, then a snake tattoo can be just the thing that you are looking for.  But if you can’t decide what snake tattoo to get, well then here are a few unique snake tattoo ideas that are sure to make your search a lot easier.

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Placement of Snake Tattoos

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Where you want your snake tattoo depends on your requirements. There are no specific spots where you should or should not get them. Usually, the placement depends on how visible you want your tattoo to be. If you want to flaunt it, hand and neck are the perfect spots. If you want to conceal the tattoo and show only occasionally, you can go for back, chest, hip or even thighs. Last but not least, the placement also depends on the size of the tattoo you have chosen. If the tattoo requires a large area, you have to get it on your chest or back.

Snake Tattoo Ideas

Snake tattoos are, surprisingly, some of the most intuitive and diverse tattoos that you can get. From photorealistic cobras and pythons to cartoonish and neo-traditional snake art, there is something sure to satisfy your tastes. That said, here are a few ideas for your first, or maybe your second snake tattoo.

  1. The Black And White Snakes

Snakes are very strange animals, but they hold very symbolic meaning in most religions and other beliefs. The most popular one being that of rebirth. This tattoo shows off that belief with the black (the new or reborn) tries to free itself from the white snake (the old or dying). This tattoo is also a cool twist on the original yin and yang symbol, as both the black and white snakes represent their respective values.

Other than the obvious symbolic and metaphoric meanings that this tattoo carries, it helps that the tattoo also looks really cool. So apart from a cool looking tattoo, you have a chance to show yourself off as some wise wizard atop a mountain.

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  1. Snakes and Roses

Snakes and roses, other than being a very cool name for a rock band, are some of the most common snake tattoos. The snake, along with the roses, holds great symbolic meaning for love and hatred and makes you look incredibly dark and edgy, so it’s a win-win. As roses have always been a symbol of undying love, the snake represents evil intentions and corruption of that undying love.

The tattoo is not very big, but very small either. It will make a good tattoo above the elbow, on your back, or your thighs. The monochromic aesthetic further enhances the overall dark and beautiful tone of the tattoo.

  1. Snake and arrow

The snake and the arrow tattoo is a very special tattoo as it can say a lot about the person you are. The snake and the arrow tattoo symbolizes revenge or hatred to something or someone. Other than looking awesome, the tattoo signifies that you are not someone worth messing with, or that you are on a vendetta of sorts.

The tattoo takes on a neo-traditional art style but does not make use of bright colors, or any colors for that matter. This lack of color further intensifies the seriousness of the tattoo. It is quite a large tattoo so that it will look good on places that give this tattoo ample space.

  1. Baby Snake

The baby snake tattoo is for people that want a snake design, but don’t necessarily want one with an edgy or serious aesthetic. This baby snake tattoo is very similar to the meme “snek” which is essentially a much cuter version of snakes.

The baby snake carries a very simplistic art style, which looks a child drew it. The small thin t tongue further pushes this cute aesthetic. Since this is a simplistic doodle, this tattoo can go just about anywhere on your body and can be as small or as big as you want.

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  1. Sea Serpent Tattoo

“Flex” your Norse mythology knowledge with this amazing sea serpent tattoo. Jörmungandr is the massive sea serpent, or world serpent, in Norse mythology that will inevitably cause Ragnarok. The tattoo shows the giant serpent out of the sea as it shrieks in anger.

The sea serpent tattoo carries a traditional style but does not make use of many colors. The Tattoo itself is also quite big and can only go in places like the chest, shoulders, or on your back. Overall this is an amazing tattoo to have, and can really complement your well-toned body.

  1. Snake Scales

While most snake tattoos eventually fall to snakes being stabbed or snakes interacting with other objects, there are some very unique additions to the snake tattoos; like the snake scales tattoo. This snake tattoo, as opposed to other snake tattoos, depicts snake scales underneath your real human skin.

The scales are very photorealistic, and the artist manages to add to the realism by drawing parts of skin onto the original tattoo. The artist uses a dark color pallet giving the scales a black color with a hint of dark blue to make the tattoo as realistic as possible. This tattoo will look best as a sleeve on your arms or your legs, but can also work for your shoulders and your back.

  1. Neo-Traditional Hawk and Snake

Hawks are very versatile hunters and their most common prey is snakes. Hawks manage to catch all types of snakes and make for very quick and often easy prey. This neo-traditional tattoo showcases a massive hawk attacking a snake telling a very symbolic story in the process. Other than the tattoo being a visual representation of the law of nature, it also symbolizes the fight against evil as the hawk is a symbol of power and honor, whereas the snake here symbolizes evil and malicious intent.

The neo-traditional art style really compliments this tattoo with its use of colors like black, white, and red. The tattoo is also fairly big, so it will look great on either the back or the stomach.

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  1. Ouroboros Tattoo

Show off your knowledge of ancient Egyptian Iconography with this incredibly famous ouroboros symbol. The Ouroboros is a symbol that represents wholeness or infinity and is essentially a giant snake eating its own tail. The ouroboros has two different designs, a circular one, and an infinity symbol, so it is plenty for you to choose from.

As for the design of the tattoo, all ouroboros tattoos are quite simplistic snakes with incredible detail along with some geometric shapes behind them. As for color, many artists don’t tend to add color to this tattoo, but you can try something different by adding a color of your choice.

  1. Dagger and Serpent Tattoo

Dagger tattoos always make for a very cool tattoo, but when combined with snakes make breathtaking tattoos. Dagger and serpent tattoos offer great symbolic meaning other than amazing spectacle. Daggers are often symbolic of bravery, whereas snakes symbolize evil; hence, this tattoo represents bravery in the face of evil and adversity.

This tattoo carries very traditional art style but without the use of color emphasizes on the tattoos serious nature. The tattoo is quite small and can go great with your forearm, shins, calves, or even your hands if your artist is talented enough.

  1. Neo-Traditional Cobra

Cobras are some of the scariest reptiles, rather animals, in the world. Their sheer size and their massive fangs are sure to send shivers down anyone’s spine. This Neo-Traditional Cobra tattoo makes great use of the neo-traditional art style and a wide range of colors but still manages to make the cobra look threatening.

With the inclusion of colors like ocean blue, yellow, red, and white, the tattoo boasts an incredible range of color but not at the cost of the cobra’s ferocity. As for its size, this tattoo is a little long and will look great with surfaces that compliment tattoos like this. Forearms, calves, thighs, necks, and even your back will prove to be great places for this tattoo.

  1. Snake and Lily tattoo

The snake and lily tattoo is an uncommon tattoo but is still a tattoo that holds a lot of symbolic meaning. The lily is a flower that symbolizes innocence and purity, juxtaposed to the snake that symbolizes corruption and malicious intent. The tattoo represents the corruption of innocence and purity at the hands of something truly evil.

This tattoo also takes on a Neo-Traditional look that is simply stunning to look at. Although the artist has not made much use of color for their tattoo, you can also take advantage of color to emphasize certain parts of the tattoo.

FAQs

  1. What Time Of The Year Should I Get A Tattoo?

Winter is easily the best time to get a tattoo as you can keep your tattoo covered and not risk infection or the tattoo fading.

  1. How Do I Know That My Artist Is The One For The Job?

For one, you can look at their portfolio and decide for yourself if they are capable of the tattoo that you have in mind. Or you can ask other veteran tattoo enthusiasts if your artist is good and if they ever got a tattoo from them. You can also look online and check for reviews from different people.

  1. Can I Keep My Tattoo In Open Sunlight?

No, as that lead to your tattoo fading. Try your best to keep your tattoo as far away from the sun as possible to maintain the rich color of the tattoo.

  1. Is There A Lot Of Blood When Getting A Tattoo?

Seeing how the tattoo process includes a thousand tiny needles piercing your skin in quick succession, yes there is some blood involved with tattoos. However, since you will be on anesthetics,  the needles will feel like mild tickling.

  1. Can I Remove or Edit My Tattoo If I Don’t Like It?

Yes, you can remove tattoos from your body through Q-switched lasers. But this is quite the expensive process and can put a heavy dent on your pockets. As for editing, it can be tricky to change an already established tattoo into something else. If the tattoos are similar, such as replacing a portrait with another portrait, that is still possible, but not a portrait with a scenic view.

  1. How Long Till I Can Wash My Tattoo?

Washing your tattoo is one of the core ways that you can care for it. Washing it with soap 2-3 times a day every day will ensure that you stay safe from infections.

  1. Should I Tip My Tattoo Artist?

If they have done a great job, then you should tip them to show that you are grateful for their service. You can offer them a tip of 10%-20% of the total order. You should also remember that tipping is optional and you can simply walk out without tipping.

  1. Can I Get a Tattoo Even When I’m Sick?

When you are sick, you body’s white blood cells are busy fighting off the infections that are present in your body. But when you get a tattoo, your body will need those white blood cells to heal the tattoo area properly, so getting a tattoo when you are sick is not the best idea.

  1. What Should I Wear When I Go To Get A Tattoo?

Artists like to take long sessions of one or two hours with minimal breaks. That means you can expect yourself to be lying or sitting in that chair for at least 30 minutes. So be sure to wear something comfortable like a trouser or some shorts so you can be comfortable as they are working on your tattoo.

  1. Does A More Expensive Artist Guarantee Better Service?

When it comes to tattoos, it often does. Although you can sometimes luck out and find a genuinely talented artist that will do your tattoo for cheap, most cheap artists operate at the cost of cleanliness and hygiene, so it is often not worth the risk, more expensive artists are often more experienced and take more care of hygiene and have adequate sanitary conditions.

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Conclusion

Snake tattoos are some of the most overlooked tattoos because of how gritty they sometimes are. That said, snake tattoos can be quite philosophical and endearing if you have the right idea and artist available.