Unicorn Tattoos
Unicorns come in many shapes and sizes and can be designed in countless ways, while they are for the most part seen as a very feminine tattoo its certainly not exclusive to any gender, some of the best unicorn tattoo designs are on men and look great. There’s a huge spectrum of feminine to masculine unicorn tattoos and on the very feminine side a girly unicorn design can be taken to the next level which actually results in some of the best and most vivid color tattoos out there, artists like Laura Anunnaki and Lilian Raya have done some unicorn tattoos that are extremely well done and hard to believe they are actually on skin and not digital or painted pieces.
The History of Unicorns
Stories and art depicting unicorns goes way back and is part of many cultures history, in Asia the unicorn is mentioned in 2700bc it is described with the same characteristics as many other cultures and even how the unicorn is portrayed as today, gentle, pure, elusive and majestic. It’s said in Asian folklore that Confucius was the last person to ever see a unicorn alive.
In Christianity, the unicorn according to art historians was a symbol of Christ and was mentioned in the bible 8 times
The unicorn in European tales and art goes back thousands of years and is also very similar to descriptions of unicorns all over the world, being pure, having a long spiraled horn, lives in the forest away from people and usually has a white coat.
There are some historians who believe that unicorns are not just the mystical creature we think of today but an extinct animal that was once real, this comes from ancient paintings from all over the world and stories told of the elusive unicorn.
These historians believe that humans hunted, killed and wiped out the entire population of unicorns.
31 Majestic Unicorn Tattoos
5 Things to Consider When Getting a Unicorn Tattoo
1. Style
There are countless ways to design a unicorn tattoo, from the glamoured up, with extra sparkles and vivid colors style to black and gray realism and everything in between, it all depends on the type of person the tattoo is for.
2. Symbolism and Meaning
Because unicorns have been a mythical creature for so long, throughout history, the symbolism of the unicorn has changed and evolved while some meaning has stayed the same for centuries.
The most common are feminity, power, beauty, spiritualism, and mystique. If you are wanting the unicorn tattoo to symbolize something specific, let your artist know as this could change the way the design is done.
3. Tattoo Artist
Getting the right tattoo artist is essential for any good tattoo. Going to your nearest tattoo shop without checking if they do quality tattoos can lead to your tattoo being one of many unfortunate unicorn tattoos, instead research what artist you think will do the best job, putting in the time and money will pay off by being happy with your tattoo for the rest of your life.
Some people travel far and save to get the perfect unicorn tattoo from some top tattoo artists, some go the cheap and easy route, can you guess which is which below?
4. Design
There are a few ways to go about getting the right unicorn design for you, the most common way is to get the design done by the tattoo artist, usually done by consultation, letting them know what you have in mind and showing examples of other designs you like.
Another way is to have a design that is already done by another artist, although permission from the original artist is required and some tattoo artists prefer not to and sometimes refuse to tattoo another artists work, this usually isn’t the case with well-known work like movies and tv, “the Last Unicorn” is a popular tattoo that can be done in the artists own style.
The last most common way to get the right design is to draw it yourself, whether you have the artistic ability to do the design well or not doesn’t matter as the tattoo artist will be able to take your idea and turn it into a design you can be happy with.
5. Color or Black and Gray?
Color and black and grey tattoos both have their good and bad sides, a colored unicorn tattoo can look amazing, it also adds to the meaning and feeling behind the design as well as giving it that iconic unicorn look but there is a downside, using the colors typically used in a unicorn tattoo can lead to fading, it’s still possible to make the vivid colors last by getting touch-ups when fading starts.
For a long-lasting unicorn tattoo that doesn’t need return visits to the tattoo shop, bold black and grey is the best option.