So, you’ve decided that you want to get inked. Whether it’s your first time or fifteenth, you need to filter through the countless tattoo ideas to find a design you love enough to make permanent. While there are millions of meaningful styles to choose from, we do need to ask – what about an ornamental tattoo?
Ornamental tattoos are trendy these days, and for a good reason, too. Ornamental tattoos are freestyle decorative works of art that are meant to be purely decorative rather than practical or meaningful. With an ornamental tattoo, you get to play with flowing patterns, lines, spirals, and repetitive motifs.
Since ornamental tattoos take their inspiration from the ancient arts and Buddhist, Polynesian, and Celtic cultures, you might be inspired to explore the cultural and spiritual meanings of these types of tattoos, too. Ornamental tattoos can represent remembrance, social status, religious beliefs, and personal style.
Well, we’re here to help – we’ve rounded up the best ornamental tattoo ideas, from dainty designs and uplifting styles to bold illustrations and graphic symbols. Check them out down below!
1. An ornamental finger tattoo
A finger tattoo might be small and simple, but everyone agrees that ornamental finger tattoos are all the rage for a reason. Whether you’re a first-timer or someone who’s been getting inked for years, you might appreciate a set of ornamental symbols on your fingers.
2. An ornamental thigh tattoo
If you’re searching for something a little more “statement,” you might want to go for a tight tattoo. It’s a great way for you to experiment with different styles, symbols, and motifs that promise to make your ornamental tattoo memorable and mysterious.
3. An ornamental hand tattoo
An ornamental hand tattoo might be one of the most common ornamental tattoo placements, and we can see why. A hand tattoo might be the perfect way for you to play with different ornaments, depending on your personal preferences.
A sun and ocean tattoo, for example, represents the balance between darkness and light, life and death.
4. An ornamental ankle tattoo
Ankle tattoos are on-trend these days because they’re the perfect way for you to embellish your ankles without spending money on ankle bracelets – they’re pretty much permanent accessories that look (and feel) better than the real thing.
5. An ornamental arm tattoo
With an ornamental arm tattoo, you get to play with the placement of different ornaments. You can work with your tattoo artist and decide to scatter the ornaments across the entire arm or focus them around the part of the arm you want to draw attention to.
6. An ornamental chest tattoo
Ornamental chest tattoos are outstandingly beautiful and they’re one of the best ways for you to showcase your creativity. Whether you opt for a statement piece or a smaller, simpler ornamental tattoo, you’re guaranteed to attract attention and turn heads.
7. An ornamental palm tattoo
A palm tattoo might not be everyone’s cup of tea considering that palm tattoos come with quite a reputation – but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a great artist to ink your palms and ensure that your ink lasts a long time. Ornamental palm tattoos are strikingly beautiful and stunning, after all.
8. An ornamental leg tattoo
With an ornamental leg tattoo, you can count on everyone around you gasping for air every time you wear something that reveals your tattoo. With that in mind, though, leg tattoos are great for people who need to cover their tattoos for work, too, because they’re easy to conceal and reveal.
9. An ornamental shoulder tattoo
An ornamental shoulder tattoo embellished with symbols of the sun and the moon speaks volumes of the type of person you are. Adding elements to your ornamental tattoo can be a great way to amplify or completely change the meaning of the tattoo.
A sun and moon tattoo represents opposites – life and death, light and dark, warmth and cold.
10. An ornamental stomach tattoo
When you’re adamant about “going big or going home,” you might want to opt for an ornamental stomach tattoo. Ornamental tattoos are extremely popular among people trying to conceal stomach scars due to surgery, a C-section, or a tummy tuck, but they’re a great option to consider either way.
11. An ornamental spine tattoo
A spine tattoo can be challenging for a first-timer, but there’s something extremely elegant and effortless about a set of ornaments coming down the spine. When you’re searching for an ornamental tattoo that’s going to make you look (and feel) like a million dollars, you might want to opt for a spine tattoo.
12. An ornamental ribcage tattoo
We can say the same thing about a ribcage tattoo! When getting a ribcage tattoo, you might want to go for ornaments that represent who you are or ones that simply look stunning when placed on your skin. Ornamental tattoos are meant to be decorative, after all.
13. An ornamental chin tattoo
Are you searching for something that’s going to shock your parents? Are you on the hunt for something bold and beautiful? We suggest getting a chin tattoo consisting of dots, ornaments, and elements that mean something to you. Whatever you decide to do, know that chin tattoos aren’t for the faint of heart.
14. An ornamental wrist tattoo
A wrist tattoo can be your way of experimenting with different placements that don’t require too much time, effort, or energy. An ornamental tattoo complete with a lotus flower can make for the perfect wrist tattoo. A lotus flower tattoo represents resilience, rebirth, and beauty in the face of adversity.
15. An ornamental neck tattoo
Argh, who wouldn’t want an ornamental neck tattoo that stretches across the back, too? When you’re ready to bite the bullet and get the biggest, “baddest” tattoo you’ve ever gotten, you might want to go all out and get a daring, detailed ornamental tattoo.
16. An ornamental sternum tattoo
We can’t forget about sternum tattoos, right? When you Google search sternum tattoos, you might be surprised to see how popular and prominent ornamental tattoos are – whether that’s because a sternum requires something decorative or because ornamental tattoos look sensual, that’s up to you to decide.
17. An ornamental behind-the-ear tattoo
A behind-the-ear tattoo might not be as impressive as a back tattoo or a chest tattoo, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t go all out. An ornamental tattoo can be a great way for you to work with your tattoo artist and play with ornaments that speak to you the most.
18. An ornamental upper arm tattoo
An upper arm tattoo screams “get me more ornaments,” don’t you think? When you opt for an ornamental tattoo, don’t shy away from adding elements that can make or break your tattoo – a woman sitting on the ground and meditating, for example, can be a part of an ornamental tattoo, too.
19. An ornamental face tattoo
What better way to make a statement than to get a face tattoo? We’d be careful with ornamental face tattoos, though, because there are a lot of different cultures that view face tattoos are a part of their history and heritage – and you don’t want to culturally appropriate anyone, right?
A simple, sleek ornamental face tattoo shouldn’t be a problem, anyway.
20. An ornamental throat tattoo
A throat tattoo can be a controversial tattoo placement, but that shouldn’t stop you from exploring the possibility of getting one. An ornamental throat tattoo can make you look visually appealing, intimidating, and even frightening.
21. An ornamental back tattoo
If you’re getting a back tattoo, you might as well go all the way and get an ornamental back tattoo that covers your entire back. It’s safe to say you’re going to spend hours and hours bonding with your tattoo artist.
22. An ornamental collarbone tattoo
What about an ornamental collarbone tattoo? Ornamental tattoos are great at accentuating the curious crevices of your body, and that’s why ornamental collar bone tattoos are gaining more and more traction. An ornamental collarbone tattoo might be your way of showing your confidence.
