15+ Amazing White Ink Tattoo Ideas

What is a tattoo that’s not quite a tattoo? A white ink tattoo! While you can’t usually see these designs, they show up in black ink, so that the wearer has a true secret that they are hiding – awesome! If you’re a lover of the dark and of secrets too, then check out this collection of white ink tatts.

With tattoo lovers constantly thinking of new ways to create unique and amazing tattoos, the art of white ink tattoo concepts were born. While many individuals use dermal piercings to spice up their tattoo designs, white ink tattoos bring new life to the world of ink giving you a completely different looking tattoo while standing in the presence of a black light. As such, white ink tattoos have become quite the popular request amongst club-goers and entertainers. The concept of these tattoos takes a special type of colorless ink that looks white under normal light. However, the ink stores light in a sense, making it glow in the presence of a black light. Thinking of getting some new ink in the near future? You may want to consider a white ink tattoo to add to the individuality of your tattoos – let these ideas help guide you along the way.

As you can see, white ink tattoos can often resemble and look as though the skin itself has been branded in some type of way since they can look as though the tattoo is raised from the skin. However, this is not the case at all – it more like an optical illusion. This amazing addition to the world of art presents one of the most realistic tattoo impressions possible. While some believe that this is due to the color of the ink, many tattoo professionals believe that it is a combination of realistic design, coloring and the lack of shading with darker ink that can often overpower the natural skin complexion and make shadows harder to see on the skin surface. The concept of a white ink tattoo is that when the ink work is placed under different lighting such as a black light, or sometimes even a strobe light – the tattoo appears to glow. In natural light the ink can be a bit hard to see from afar, which is why some individuals choose to place white ink over an existing tattoo and create two completely different designs!

When it comes to white ink tattoo concepts, you can opt for whatever design you may think of, but since these tattoos will have a glow affect and may be harder to see in normal lighting, many individuals prefer to get creative with their design elements. While some of the most popular white ink tattoos are flesh wounds, gore elements and angel wings – the possibilities are endless. Some of these tattoos are absolutely amazing, especially when they surface in the black light since they appear to be glowing, sometimes brighter than the black light itself.

Animals and skeletons are often popular elements amongst white ink tattoo designs. Since these elements can bring realistic value and appeal to any tattoo design, getting them done in this form seems almost like second nature! While the most famous white ink tattoos are full body skeleton tattoos that run across the entire body – these are usually done by stage performers and illusionists.Although it is not uncommon to see these tattoos on random people as well.

While white ink tattoos are pretty universally requested between both genders, males are more likely to get larger white ink tattoos than females are. Women seem to prefer using white ink tattoos to create celestial patterns and wording, while men usually opt for more creatively larger designs such as the full skeleton, snakes and in some cases jokers or card related elements.

An interesting way to showcase white ink tattoo designs are inside or in collaboration with the traditional form of ink. Many people opt to get a bit of white ink used in conjunction with a regular tattoo – whether it is color or black and grey. This can accent certain parts of the tattoo more profoundly such as skies, clouds, background scenes or even by adding certain elements into the tattoo when lighting changes.

You may also see people that get extremely creative – taking their uniqueness in tattoo designs to the very next level by using white ink over an existing tattoo design so that in the black light, their tattoo changes completely. For example, a person that has sleeves done on each arm may be tired of their design but since the tattoo is a full sleeve, there is not many ways to change or coverup the design. In this case, they may use white ink tattoo designs to go over their existing tattoo in a completely different pattern. In turn, their tattoo will exist in the regular light as normal, however when the black light turn on – you may see completely different elements. In these cases, many individuals opt for white ink tattoos in the form of a falling deck of cards, which looks sick in the black light.

When choosing your white ink design elements, you should consider how the tattoo will look in both types of light settings. While many people do not spend that much time under a black light, you will want to ensure that your tattoo can be visible in regular light, as many of these types of tattoos will look like nothing more than a skin blemish or raised branding, especially the smaller tattoo designs. For this reason is why many tattoo lovers opt for just simple wording or stars as their choice in white ink. While white ink tattoos can be covered up with traditional ink, many people admit that at certain times, in certain lighting, they may see a bit of glow coming from their tattoo, even if the original white ink design is no longer visible.

Here are some amazing white ink tattoo designs that will blow your mind, especially if you see them up close and personal! Let us be the first to tell you that this is one of the most common ways to make your ink and personality stand out above the rest, especially in the club setting. However, when caring for these types of tattoos, you may want to ensure that you speak with your artist to ensure there are no special instructions that you should be following as many aftercare products may take the glow out of the ink prematurely. Most white ink tattoo designs are intended to last up to 15 years before needing to be touched up to retain their glow in the black light.