Tattoos are a unique art form because they rely on the human body as their canvas. Across the centuries, tattoos have been used as a means of expression, a way to declare your membership or allegiance to a particular group or community, and a method for transforming the way you and others perceive you.
One of the fascinating things about tattoos is that your options for experimentation with them are virtually limitless. Just when you think you’ve seen everything that can be done with ink and skin, a new technology or novel idea comes along to rewrite the rule book.
From celebrating your nostalgic hobbies, to glowing in the dark, if you’re in the market for some truly novel ideas on what to do for your next tattoo, look no further than this list.
8-Bit Dreams
Gaming is more than a pastime for many people, in fact, it can often be a way of life and a key component of their identity. For such people, opting to adorn oneself with some ink that speaks to their favorite game franchises or services can be the perfect addition to their growing tattoo repertoire.
Often, game characters are a common choice for fans, with famous mascots from Pikachu to Master Chief often requested. But others prefer to go down a typographic route. For them, selecting the logos of their favorite platforms or developers can be a fantastic choice.
Whether you’re into leading iGaming platforms like Wildz casino—in which case, you can find the Wildz logo here—or want to show off your retro credentials with an Atari or C64 emblem, most skilled artists will be more than happy to oblige.
Glow Up
Ultraviolet tattoos have been around for decades, though the older inks used for this typically contained phosphorus—a carcinogen. Fortunately, nowadays, UV inks are as safe as regular tattoo ink. This opens up the potential for some truly creative and mind-boggling pieces.
Normally UV tattoos fall into two broad categories. The first is the so-called ‘invisible tattoo’. As these inks are only visible under the ultraviolet spectrum of light, getting a tattoo with them means you can walk around with a (nearly) invisible tattoo.
People who like clubbing or going to raves will get the most utility from such a tattoo, as it is in these contexts that we are most frequently exposed to blacklights. It’s not uncommon for people to get UV face tattoos, which are subtle under regular light, but then glow under blacklight.
The other major use for UV tattoos is as a means of augmenting existing pieces. Adding UV ink can be an incredible way to add hidden layers to your favorite tattoos, giving them the ability to glow and reveal hidden details under the right conditions.
Shapeshifting Forms
One of the best things about tattoos is that they are an art-form designed to interact with your body. Unlike a flat canvas, our bodies are a rich assortment of shapes and angles that move and change shape as our musculature and body fat stretch and expand as we move.
As such, leaning into this phenomenon can open up the opportunity for some genuinely memorable tattoos. Transforming tattoos come in many shapes and sizes. Perhaps the most common are tattoos that are split across different body parts, such as hand tattoos that only form a complete picture when we place our palms together.
Other tattoos can make use of the major joints and mobilizers in our body to create optical illusions. From creating kettles that appear to pour as we move our elbow, to a shark’s mouth on your knee that opens and closes as you walk, the possibilities are virtually endless.
