21 Lightning Tattoo Ideas For A Striking Ink

Trending Tattoos
By Amina Grcic
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A lightning tattoo isn’t one of the most common tattoo ideas that you’ll find out there. For that exact reason, it’s probably a great idea to find something for yourself among these ideas.

The tattoo of a lightning bolt represents extreme strength, energy, power, and the need for change. It’s a huge force of nature that no one can deny because we’ve all been taught to fear lightning more than anything.

So, what can you tattoo on your skin to get reminded of that majestic force of nature? What type of tattoo should you get to commemorate your innate need for change? Well, even though this idea isn’t as often, there are still many different statement pieces that could inspire you!

Cool lightning tattoo

Source: @krisontwerpt

Nowadays, you’ll see that simple black and gray tattoos are quite popular. More than that, you’ll see black outlines and tattoos that are done completely using black ink. Just like you can see in this example! This is a very modern take on the lightning tattoo.

The tattoo starts underneath the armpit, and it moves down the abdomen perfectly.

Source: @oztattoom

This is just another example of a cool lightning tattoo. Again, this tattoo starts from one place, just like an actual lightning. Then it moves down the neck to the shoulder. The lines are crisp and clean, and the most amazing parts are the even thinner lines at the ends of every bolt.

Source: @akv_tattoo

This tattoo doesn’t start from a hidden place, but rather from the top of the shoulder. It moves down the arm, and the bolts become much lighter at the ends, and it looks like they fading away.

Source: @keeva.tattoos

This is a much smaller version of this cool tattoo choice. However, even with the tricky placement, the artist was able to create good and fine lines that will heal amazingly.

Fun lightning tattoos

Source: @joshpeacock_obe1

If you want to get a lightning tattoo, you don’t have to do something simple and boring. You can do something fun that will show your personality! For example, this tattoo looks like a neon light in the shape of lightning coming from a cloud balloon. It’s a fun idea, and if you want it can look just as realistic as this one.

Source: @bomb_squad_ink

A fun tattoo doesn’t immediately mean that you have to give up on the idea of black ink. You can simply do a little image from your favorite comic in the middle of the lightning bolt.

Source: @yavorkisyov

If you’re really a lighthearted soul, then you’re probably looking for something funky! When you look at this masterpiece, you’ll be able to see that the colors are perfectly saturated, but the transition between colors isn’t patchy. Also, there’s some solid black outlines and shading here, that really brings everything else together.

Source: @vvstattoo

If you were a fan of David Bowie, then you should get a fun lightning tattoo in his name. This is a very simple piece to commemorate someone who was important to you. So, the red and blue ink is well saturated, and the fact that there are no outlines in this tattoo only makes it more special.

Simple lightning tattoo

Source: @jamjam.tattoo

Your lightning tattoo can also be a simple reminder of the forces of nature that everyone should live by. For that exact reason, this simple tattoo could be the best option for you. The shading in the cloud looks amazing, but the lightning looks even better.

Source: @dionne.tattoo

This artist was playing around with some different art styles. For example, the lightning bolt looks a lot like something that you’d see in comic books, but the cloud looks quite realistic. So, a combination of these two styles would make a great tattoo.

Source: @pt3tattoo

This is another simple lightning tattoo that I believe doesn’t need a lot of explaining. There are even other bolts of lightning around it, that even look like cracked skin if you look closely. This looks like something that came straight out of Thor’s hammer!

Source: @shamble_bambi.tattoo

The simplicity of this tattoo is what makes it so special. This isn’t a simple lightning tattoo because there are other elements incorporated into it. It’s a cloud, with rain, and two lightning bolts. You can add whatever meaning you want to this tattoo, but it’s obvious that you’re someone who loves this gloomy weather.

Source: @b.csaba.tattoo

This is a variation of the previous tattoo design, but the image is split into two parts. You can even see the thinner and less saturated image right behind the main one.

See also: 21 Fantastic Fish Tattoos That’ll Have You Hooked

Source: @alicerosetattoo

This simple lightning tattoo has all the things that you’re looking for. It’s a design that reminds me of comic books, but the shading is immaculate. Just look at the blobs of the cloud! Even the lightning bolts have a little bit of shading at the very ends.

Source: @_nono_tattoo

This is the simplest of all lightning tattoos that you’ll ever see. Usually, people get this little lightning bolt tattooed if they’re a fan of Harry Potter. Because, you know, Harry Potter has that little scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead. So, if you’re one of those people, then this is something that should inspire you to get your next ink.

Unique lightning tattoo

Source: @bexhell__tattoo

When it comes to unique lightning tattoos, you can let your imagination run wild! For example, this lightning bolt looks like it’s running right down his eyebrow and onto his cheek. Some would even say that it looks like a scar, which is probably what this person was going for.

Source: @jamjam.tattoo

A unique tattoo is all about the design that you choose. So, this tattoo has many geometrical shapes, and they’re all connected. The lightning is done with white ink within the black square, and there are some black lines outside of it. It falls down on the tree underneath that has some interesting shading behind it.

Source: @lorentoddtattoos

When you’re looking for uniqueness, you should definitely look for different shapes to put into your tattoo design. For example, even though this lightning tattoo could be considered simple, there are so many squiggly lines within the main portion of the tattoo that those are what make this design so unique.

Source: @oztattoom

This is another lightning tattoo where there’s a black box with white lightning and there are some black lines outside of it, however, the lines are very well-connected. So this lightning tattoo is powerful, yet it’s quite elegant.

Source: @the_chaotic_ginger

How about lightning in a bottle? The image within the bottle is quite interesting, the clouds are made out of half-circles, while the rain is very story-like. However, the little splash of color is what makes it so unique, because the blue lightnings are really standing out.

Source: @jamjam.tattoo

If you want your lightning tattoo to stand out, then this is the way to go! The clouds are done with a lot of white and gray ink, while the rest of the tattoo is quite dark. Nonetheless, the main star of the show is the lightning itself that’s striking into the sea.