Gothic tattoo guides
What to know before you sit in the chair.
What Is a Gothic Tattoo? History and Meaning
A gothic tattoo borrows from eight centuries of dark, ornate art: pointed cathedral arches, Gothic novels, Victorian mourning and the goth scene. Here is where each piece comes from and what it tends to mean on skin today.
Gothic Tattoo Styles Explained
The same raven can look like a woodcut, a photograph or a stained-glass window depending on the style. Here is how each gothic tattoo style looks, how it ages, and what kind of artist to look for.
Gothic Tattoo Placement: Where Each Design Works Best
Gothic designs are either symmetrical, like cathedrals and crosses, or flowing, like snakes and vines. Match that shape to the body part, give the detail enough room, and the tattoo will still read clearly in twenty years.
How to Design a Gothic Tattoo, Step by Step
Pick one motif to lead, add two or three supporting elements, shape the composition to the body part, then use concept art and a clear brief to get an artist to draw the real thing.
Gothic Tattoo Cost, Pain and Aftercare
Gothic tattoos often cost more than their size suggests, because solid black fills and fine ornament are slow to tattoo well. Pain depends mostly on placement, and big black areas need a little more care while they heal.
Gothic Cover-Up Tattoos: Hiding Old Ink with Dark Designs
Gothic designs are some of the best tools for covering an old tattoo, because they are built from dark shadow, solid black and busy ornament. The catch is size: a cover-up almost always has to be much bigger than what it hides.
Gothic Tattoo Mistakes to Avoid (and What to Do Instead)
Most gothic tattoo regrets come from a short list of problems: too much detail at too small a size, lettering that cannot be read, symbols that mean something you did not intend, and heavy black done by the wrong artist.
Gothic lettering tattoo generator
Type a name, date or phrase to see it in blackletter and gothic fonts. Curve it for a chest or back piece, preview it on five skin tones or white paper and download a transparent PNG for your artist.