One of the tattoos that have stood the test of time is the skeleton tattoo. Tattoo enthusiasts have always been so enthusiastic about this tattoo because of its versatility. The tattoo can be adapted to be spooky, or even funny with different styles and colors.
The skeleton tattoo features simply a skeleton, or just a body part of a skeleton. This can be realistic, spooky, or even just a fun colorful tattoo. It comes in all shapes and sizes. It has been associated with many things by tattoo enthusiasts.
Thanks to the immense popularity of this tattoo, you’ll find tons of designs on the internet for this tattoo. You would be rightfully lost in all these designs. But we’ve gathered some of the most beautiful skeleton tattoos for you in this article.
Let’s start then.
Contents
- Spooky Skeleton Tattoo Designs
- Skeleton Hand Tattoo
- Skeleton Key Tattoo
- Cowboy Skeleton Tattoo
- Dancing Skeleton Tattoo
- Snake Skeleton Tattoo
- Fish Skeleton Tattoo
- Skeleton Finger Tattoo
- Skeleton Arm Tattoo
- Butterfly Skeleton Tattoo
- Simple Skeleton Tattoo
- Mermaid Skeleton Tattoo
- Praying Skeleton Tattoo
- Skeleton Face Tattoo
- Small Skeleton Tattoo
- Dinosaur Skeleton Tattoo
- Traditional Skeleton Tattoo
- Skeleton Lovers Tattoo
- Cute Skeleton Tattoo
- Frog Skeleton Tattoo
- Bat Skeleton Tattoo
- Skeleton Foot Tattoo
- Dragon Skeleton Tattoo
- Cat Skeleton Tattoo
- Mariachi Skeleton Tattoo
- Bird Skeleton Tattoo
- Pirate Skeleton Tattoo
- Cartoon Skeleton Tattoo
- Skeleton Samurai Tattoo
- Virgin Mary Skeleton Tattoo
- Skeleton Head Tattoo
- Skeleton Kissing Tattoo
- Skeleton Smoking Tattoo
- Skeleton with Flowers Tattoo
- How To Do The Perfect Skeleton Tattoo
- FAQ
- Conclusion
Meaning Of Skeleton Tattoo
Over the years of this tattoo being trendy among tattoo enthusiasts, the skeleton tattoo has been connected with many different meanings. One of the major meanings that tattoo enthusiasts gave to this tattoo was its spookiness. Thus the tattoo had become a fan favorite during the Halloween season.
Another more apparent meaning that was given to the skeleton tattoo was the association with death and mortality. The tattoo also represents death and the idea of the impermanence of life. So this tattoo also encourages some to enjoy the most of life.
But at the end of the day, the skeleton tattoo is a personal thing to do. So the tattoo may also have some personal meaning according to the wearer. The tattoo may be a tribute to a loved one or just done for aesthetic reasons.
Spooky Skeleton Tattoo Designs
The skeleton tattoo is a classic design for tattoos. So there are a lot of designs out there that you can do. To help you in this daunting task of choosing a tattoo from all these designs, we have gathered some of the best tattoo designs that have come through our studio.
Let’s have a look at these designs. Shall we?
Skeleton Hand Tattoo
There are various interpretations of the skeleton hand tattoo. This tattoo can feature a skeleton hand done on the wearer’s hand. This tattoo is often done with some intricate details. The tattoo symbolizes the fleeting nature of life and how we are just made of bones and blood on the inside.
The tattoo can also be interpreted as a skeleton hand drawn on any other part of the body. This tattoo can feature the skeleton hand with some other elements done on any other part of the body.
The skeleton hand on other parts of the body typically features elements such as a butterfly, or a flower. You can customize the design with elements that you prefer and with different colors. But the tattoo looks best with a black and gray color scheme.
Skeleton Key Tattoo
Like other skeleton tattoos, the skeleton key tattoo can also be designed as a funky or spooky design. This tattoo features a key and a skeleton. The skeleton can be holding the key or the key can be integrated with a skeleton. The options can be endless.
You can either do a tattoo with a skull as the handle of the key. Or you can choose to do a confused skeleton holding a key. One of the popular iterations of this tattoo is a skeleton key with a heart.
This tattoo can be done in many ways. You can do this tattoo in a traditional style or colorful way to make it look funky and fun. But if you are looking for a dark and broody tattoo, you can do a black and gray tattoo with realistic features of a skeleton.
Cowboy Skeleton Tattoo
If you want to show your love for cowboys, you can check out the cowboy skeleton tattoos. This tattoo combines a typical cowboy tattoo with a skeleton. This tattoo may represent different things from the impermanence of life, or the risk that comes with the rugged lifestyle of a cowboy.
You can go ham on the customization of this tattoo with different colors, shapes, and sizes. So this tattoo may have all the features of the cowboy tattoo like a cowboy hat, gun, or a whip. You can even have the skeleton riding a bull or a horse.
With the incredible customization options, the cowboy tattoo is also a tattoo that you can get anywhere on the body. If you are looking for a bigger tattoo, you can get the tattoo on your shoulder, chest, or back. Or you can get a simpler and smaller tattoo on the wrists, or forearms.
Dancing Skeleton Tattoo
The dancing skeleton tattoo is funky and fun. This tattoo features one or more dancing skeletons. Unlike other skeleton tattoos, this tattoo can feature bright colors along with some playful poses. ,
One of the more popular iterations of this tattoo would represent the skeletons from the song “Spooky Scary Skeletons” from Disney. But you can get the tattoo in different poses, such as a skeleton dancing with a woman, another skeleton, or simply a skeleton dancing alone.
The dancing skeleton tattoo can be a playful design that you can do to be a conversation starter piece. So, you can get this tattoo on the visible parts of the body. The most popular placement for this tattoo would be on the shoulder, chest, or back.
Snake Skeleton Tattoo
This is another tattoo design that has gained much popularity among tattoo enthusiasts. The skeleton snake tattoo features the skeleton of a snake on the body. The snake skeleton tattoo often represents a rebirth or a renewal.
The tattoo can depict a snake only made with bones. This tattoo can also feature some other elements like a rose, a sword, a skull, or any other design that the wearer prefers. Some of the popular designs of this tattoo include the snake swirling around a sword, or the snake circling down to bite its tail.
The snake skeleton tattoo is fundamentally spooky. So the common color scheme for this tattoo would be only black and white. But, you can always go for a colorful tattoo if you wish to do so.
Fish Skeleton Tattoo
The fish skeleton tattoo is similar to the snake skeleton tattoo and it features the skeleton of a fish. This tattoo can also be done in two ways. YOu can either do the tattoo as a simple design with minimal details on the skeleton. Or you can get the tattoo in a detailed fish skeleton form.
If you love the ocean this could be a good tattoo to do. Or if you want a thematic tattoo where you want to show the effects of pollution killing fish, this tattoo can be the perfect way to show your support for ocean life.
There is little scope for customization to the actual fish skeleton tattoo. But you can add some other elements surrounding the tattoo. You can do a school of fish swimming together, or add some seaweed around the fish skeleton. As this is a gloomy tattoo, the tattoo is often black and white.
Skeleton Finger Tattoo
The skeleton finger tattoo is another design that has won the hearts of many tattoo enthusiasts. Similar to the skeleton hands tattoo, this tattoo features the skeleton on some of the fingers. This is a great option if you don’t want to commit to the full skeleton hand tattoo.
The skeleton finger tattoo represents the idea of mortality and the thought that life is not permanent. To stay true to this theme, the tattoo may have some other elements like a clock done on the other fingers or on the hand beside the skeleton finger tattoo.
This tattoo is a broody one. So, the tattoo is done in simple black and white. But if you want you can add other elements around the skeleton fingers in color. But if you are just doing one skeleton finger we’d suggest keeping the tattoo in black and gray with some realistic details.
Skeleton Arm Tattoo
The skeleton arm tattoo is similar to the skeleton finger and skeleton hand tattoo. This tattoo can be done in two ways. You can either do the tattoo on the arm to make your arm look like a skeleton arm, or you can just get a skeleton tattoo on your arm.
The most popular iteration of this tattoo is just drawing a skeleton on the arm. As the arm is a very visible place on the body, the skeleton arm tattoos are often very detailed and done with some great colors.
The arm tattoo is also incredibly customizable. You can add many elements to the tattoo and pose the skeleton in many ways. You can either do a simple skeleton tattoo with only the skeleton. Or you can add elements like guitars, cowboy hats, roses, and guns with the skeleton to give it some pop.
Butterfly Skeleton Tattoo
The butterfly skeleton tattoo is another popular tattoo design that has also become very popular. This tattoo features a butterfly with a skeleton in different poses. This tattoo may represent the contrast between life and death with the butterfly representing life.
One of the most popular designs for this tattoo is a skeleton with butterfly wings. You can add other elements to this visual such as the skeleton holding another skull. Or if you want to be funky, you can add a magic wand to the skeleton’s hand and a magic hat on the skull.
You can get really creative and show a butterfly rising from a skeleton’s body representing popular shows like the “Last of Us” TV series. Although skeleton tattoos are often done in black and white, this tattoo is often done in color to show off the beautiful butterfly wings.
Simple Skeleton Tattoo
The simple skeleton tattoo features a skeleton with a minimal outline in a small form factor. The tattoo can feature just an outline of a skeleton done with a single needle, or a fine-line needle. This tattoo simply represents the concept of mortality.
This tattoo can offer little customization. You can choose to add some outlines of flowers, or butterflies to the tattoo to give it some definition. As these tattoos are pretty minimal, the most popular placement for these tattoos includes the forearm, wrist, and ankle.
Mermaid Skeleton Tattoo
The skeleton mermaid tattoo is a very popular and unique design to do. This tattoo simply features the skeleton of a mermaid showing half the skeleton of a human with the skeleton of a tail attached from the hip down.
The tattoo can mean different things to different people depending on the wearer. This tattoo can either represent the impermanence of life. Or the meaning can be interpreted as the duality of beauty and death.
As a unique and creative tattoo, you can easily customize the tattoo with some other details. For example, you can either add a trident to the skeleton mermaid’s hand to go with pop culture references. Or you can add a pearl or other sea creatures with the mermaid to go for a meaningful sea theme.
Praying Skeleton Tattoo
The praying skeleton tattoo is a favorite among people who are spiritually devout and want to show their devotion. This tattoo features a skeleton kneeling down on its knees with its hands clasped together in a praying stance.
The tattoo can be interpreted in many ways. You can interpret the tattoo as a symbol of devotion to your religion. Or you can interpret this as a way of searching for spirituality and the acceptance of death.
This tattoo is a very customizable design as you can add other religious elements to the tattoo. You can add a cross, a bible verse, Mother Mary, praying beads, and other elements to the tattoo.
Skeleton Face Tattoo
The skeleton faces tattoo features the features of a skeleton face. This tattoo can also be designed in two ways. Either you design an entire skeleton face tattoo on the face of the wearer. Or you can do the skeleton face on any other part of the body.
If you are going for a skeleton face tattoo on the face, just be remindful that face tattoos can be extremely painful and tough to maintain. But if you do end up doing this tattoo, it can be a bold and daring tattoo design.
On the other hand, if you are looking to get a skeleton face tattoo on any other part of the body, then you can get the tattoo done with some intricate details. You can play around with the colors of the tattoo or simply keep the tattoo in black and white.
Small Skeleton Tattoo
The small skeleton tattoo features some simple and minimal skeleton figures. This can be a playful iteration of the skeleton tattoo with just the outline of a skeleton. This tattoo also represents the impermanence of life in a small and minimalist form factor.
The small skeleton tattoo can be customized with other smaller elements. You can choose to add the outlines of a flower, a butterfly, or other elements to give the tattoo some definitions. You can also play around with the color schemes of the tattoo.
Dinosaur Skeleton Tattoo
If you are looking for something really unique and fun, then the dinosaur skeleton tattoo can be a great option for your tattoo arsenal. This tattoo features exactly what the name suggests: the skeleton of a dinosaur.
If you have a thing for history or prehistoric things, then the dinosaur skeleton tattoo is just for you. Some of the most popular tattoo designs for this tattoo include the Jurassic Park logo or a simple T-rex skeleton logo.
The dinosaur tattoo represents the impermanence of life and the passing of time. So, you may get this tattoo if you want to show these themes. Or you can just get the tattoo for its unique and fun visualization.
Traditional Skeleton Tattoo
If you love the traditional American tattoo art style, then this tattoo could be for you. This tattoo follows the traditional American art style with muted colors and bold black outlines. This tattoo can also feature other elements in the traditional style.
These tattoos feature a skeleton in a funky art style done with some great colors. These are some of the most colorful tattoos for skeleton tattoos out there. You can add flowers, coffins, butterflies, or other elements in the traditional style to give the tattoo some more life.
Skeleton Lovers Tattoo
This is a very simple and unique tattoo that features two skeleton lovers in an embrace. The tattoo can show two skeleton lovers in a warm embrace or kiss. This is a great tattoo if you want to show eternal unconditional love.
This tattoo can be a great way to show your love to someone and can have elements like their initials or your anniversary date with the tattoo. This tattoo can be colorful, or simply done in black and white to keep the tattoo minimal.
Cute Skeleton Tattoo
This is another skeleton tattoo that features some cute elements. These tattoos are usually simple and minimal. But they can be grand like the skeleton lovers’ tattoos. You can add this tattoo on your forearm, wrists, or on the shoulder to show off the cuteness.
Frog Skeleton Tattoo
The frog skeleton is another gloomy tattoo that you can do. This tattoo features the skeleton of a frog in black and white. This tattoo can be placed anywhere on the body depending on your choice. But the best position for this tattoo would be on the forearms.
Bat Skeleton Tattoo
The bat skeleton tattoo is a design that stays true to the Halloween nature of the skeleton tattoo. This tattoo features either the skeleton of a bat or a skeleton with bats flying around the skeleton.
Skeleton Foot Tattoo
Similar to the skeleton hands tattoo, the skeleton foot tattoo features the foot of the skeleton. This tattoo can also be done in two ways. You can either do a skeleton foot on your foot in a realistic style to show the acceptance of death. Or you can get the skeleton foot on some other part of the body.
Dragon Skeleton Tattoo
If you are looking for a unique dragon tattoo, then you cannot go wrong with the dragon skeleton tattoo. This tattoo features a dragon’s skeleton in black and white or in color. You can add the tattoo on the forearms, or you can do a sleeve tattoo covering the entire arm with the dragon skeleton.
Cat Skeleton Tattoo
The cat skeleton tattoo is a funky design that features a cat’s skeleton. This tattoo can be customized with the cat sitting in different positions. You can get the tattoo on your forearm or shoulder for maximum visibility.
Mariachi Skeleton Tattoo
The Mariachi skeleton tattoo is a Mexican classic that features the iconic Mariachi playing the guitar. You can get this tattoo anywhere on the body including your forearm, chest, or shoulder to show your love for Mexican music.
Bird Skeleton Tattoo
This tattoo features the skeleton of a bird. You can get the tattoo with the bird’s skeleton anatomically correct, or you can do different poses with the bird’s skeleton. The tattoo is mostly done in black and white.
Pirate Skeleton Tattoo
Thanks to pop culture references like Jack Sparrow the pirate skeleton tattoo has become very popular. This tattoo features a skeleton in a pirate costume holding a pirate sword or boarding a pirate ship.
Cartoon Skeleton Tattoo
The cartoon skeleton tattoo is a really cool design featuring a cartoon character’s skeleton. One of the most popular designs with this tattoo is SpongeBob’s classic skeleton tattoo. Or you can simply do other cartoon characters in their skeleton form.
Skeleton Samurai Tattoo
The skeleton samurai tattoo is a unique design that features a skeleton of a samurai. The tattoo can incorporate other elements from the samurai tattoo including a samurai sword, armor, and other weapons. This tattoo is often done in the Japanese art style with a pastel color scheme.
Virgin Mary Skeleton Tattoo
If you are looking to do a Virgin Mary tattoo but want to make it unique, the skeleton tattoo is the way to go. The tattoo can feature Virgin Mary’s skeleton in the Chicano style. You can put this tattoo on the forearm, the shoulder, or any visible place on the body.
Skeleton Head Tattoo
This tattoo simply features a skeleton head or a skull. You can pair this tattoo with some flowers, leaves, roses, and other elements to give it some spark. This tattoo can be done on the neck, shoulder, chest, or back depending on the wearer’s preference.
Skeleton Kissing Tattoo
Similar to the skeleton lovers tattoo, the skeleton kissing tattoo features two skeleton lovers embraced in love and kissing. This tattoo can be done in color or it can be done in black and white to keep things simple.
Skeleton Smoking Tattoo
This is a classic meme tattoo featuring a skeleton smoking a cigarette. This tattoo looks incredibly fun and will surely start some conversations among friends. Thanks to the fun nature of this tattoo, this tattoo is often done in vivid colors or the American Traditional style.
Skeleton with Flowers Tattoo
The skeleton with flowers tattoo is an elegant tattoo featuring a skeleton with flowers sprouting from its body. The tattoo is often done with vivid colors and some great detailing. You can get the tattoo done on the forearm, or the sleeve for maximum visibility.
How To Do The Perfect Skeleton Tattoo
This video shows a big skeleton tattoo done on the entire arm. The tattoo artist goes on to trace the design on the arm with a stencil. Then the artist moves on to doing the outline of the tattoo with a fine line needle too. Then the details are done with a broader needle to fill in the highlights and shadings. After the entire arm is covered, the artist cleans up the workspace.
This video shows what you’d expect if you were to get a skeleton tattoo on the arm. But this video is also a good representation of what you can expect if you want a skeleton tattoo in general. Of course, in different placements, the process would vary a little. But the fundamentals would be the same as this video.
FAQ
The skeleton tattoo can be done in a multitude of ways. You might want to know some more things about the tattoo or the tattooing process. To help you in this regard, we have gathered some frequently asked questions regarding the skeleton tattoo.
Q: Is the skeleton tattoo only for Halloween?
Answer: No. Skeleton tattoos are not only for Halloween. You can get the tattoo anytime you want if you like its meaning, or just for its aesthetic purposes.
Q: Are skeleton tattoos painful?
Answer: Yes, by nature any tattoo is painful. But the skeleton tattoos are not more painful than any other tattoo. The pain level for the tattoo depends on the placement of the tattoo and the complexity of the design.
Conclusion
To wrap up, the skeleton tattoo is a popular tattoo that has been out there for a long time. Tattoo enthusiasts have given this tattoo several meanings over the years. It has been seen as a scary thing to do or a great motivator to live life to the fullest.
Thanks to this huge popularity, the tattoo has seen many designs, shapes, and sizes. We’ve created a comprehensive list of designs in this article so you can easily choose one for you, or just do some mixing and matching to create your unique tattoo.