30 Artistic Watercolor Tattoos That Are Living Works of Art

For those after a tattoo that is both colorful and unique, it’s hard to go past watercolor tattoos for your designs. The lack of a black outline makes each watercolor tattoo look just like a painting, rather than a stylized picture. These tattoos often look so much more real than a traditional tattoo simply due to the coloring.

Watercolor tattoos are no different in their execution than any other tattoo but they are completely different in their design. Watercolor tattoos have an artistry to them that is unmatched and will certainly turn your body into a living walking work of art. To get an idea of the beauty of this style and to decide whether or not you want to get one, here are some of the best watercolor tattoos around.

Butterfly

Butterflies are perfect for watercolor tattoos because they are so full of color that the muted watercolor hues still look great. The blotchy watery design flows throughout the butterfly wings and then splatters off the edges for a grungy artistic look.

Wolf

The wolf is a strong spirit that is popular with tattoos because of its solitary beauty and its loyal nature. This wolf watercolor shows the unique artistry and style of the watercolor design. The colors are bold but blotchy and it looks like the paint is just dripping down the chest. Since watercolor paint is very thin and does drip easily these tattoos take on that same life and quality.

Rose

The rose is a design that works for nearly any style of tattoo and this symbol of love is one of the most popular tattoo designs. However, it does create a stunning watercolor tattoo as well. The red color of the rose dripping out of the black outline turns a very basic and normal tattoo into one that is in a category all its own.

Negative Space

One way to make a watercolor tattoo that is truly stunning and has a design that is one of a kind is to create a negative space image. This means that you have a design, like the deer in this tattoo, and then have the paint splatter around the design. The negative space left behind shows the image while the gorgeous splashes of color highlight the image in an unexpected way. This is a perfect choice for artists or those with a creative spirit.

Feather

Feather tattoos are great choices for a watercolor design because the flowing shape of the feather. The feather can be turned into a work of art with bright splashes of color. The paint colors can splatter outside of the feather for an edgy look. To add even more style and character to the design the splatters of paint can morph into birds flying away.

Paint Splatters

Watercolors are so stunning when done in a tattoo design that they do not even need a design to complement. You can simply have splashes of bright watercolors to drip down your body or just as splashes and swirls of color. The color is so vibrant and the splashes so realistic that you look like you just left the art studio. Therefore this is a choice that no painter would ever regret.

Fish

Fish lend themselves perfectly to watercolor tattoo because the liquid nature of the color is just like the water where the fish makes his home. The choice here is to do the fish normally and have the background as watercolor or do the entire design in watercolor. The free flowing splashes and bright colors stand out to create a visually stunning masterpiece of art.

Rain

This is another way to use the unique nature of watercolor tattoos to the best advantage. The dripping nature of watercolor paint creates a perfect rainstorm. In this tattoo the silhouette of a kissing couple protected by an umbrella is underneath a mesmerizing rainbow rain. The splotches of color are just dripping down like real watercolor paint would to create the rain. The thing to remember about watercolor tattoos is that often the design is a little rough and ragged without any clear boundaries or definition. That is what makes this style of tattoo so unique and so beautiful.

Owl

The owl design has become a popular choice because the owl is such a dignified creature and being splashed with color just becomes a gorgeous tattoo. The owl starts with a basic outline that can either be bold and rigid or it can be jagged. Then the watercolor paint just splashes over the outline. The watercolor effect is created from the fact that the outline still shows underneath the color.

Humming Bird

Humming Birds are also great choices because the way a humming bird flies. The humming bird flies by flapping its wings so fast that they are little more than a blur. Therefore the blurry nature of watercolor tattoos are just perfect to create a blurred, colorful image of a humming bird.

Black and Grey

While many watercolor tattoos are all about the colors that are splashed across the skin. An amazing watercolor tattoo can be created in a black and grey design as well. This design is a combination of intricate details with splashes of watercolor, but it is all done in black and grey. The flowers and circles are done meticulously with clean straight lines. But the watercolor effect is added and it looks as if someone just spilled water on the design and caused the ink to blur. It is a one of a kind effect that takes a very skilled artist to create.

If you are interested in a watercolor tattoo it is important that you find an artist that is skilled in that style of tattooing. Often this is a design that has to be done freehand so you won’t even be able to see the watercolor effect on the stencil and it will only be apparent once it is being done. So it is important to do your research before going to just anyone for this style of tattoo art.