Magic, elves, wizards, dragons, orcs... Without the fantasy genre, the world would not be so complete, and there would be no separate, magical direction in the art of tattooing.

About fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of literature formed at the beginning of the 20th century that uses fairy tale and mythological motifs. Most often, the action takes place in a parallel Middle Ages, the laws of that world are not explained in any way from a scientific point of view, and magical phenomena are the norm for the inhabitants and do not surprise anyone.

Heavily influenced fantasy as it is by John R.R. Tolkien: The cult legends of Middle-earth and the journeys of half-sized men with woolly legs cemented the status of serious literature for fantasy and gained fans around the world.

In fictional fantasy universes, mythical races always coexist with humans. There are familiar heroes - refined elves, warlike orcs and goblins, bearded inventive gnomes; there are creatures from Slavic, Scandinavian and Greek mythology - centaurs, dragons, unicorns, minotaurs. Due to the complete freedom of the genre, some authors leave the "standard set" and emphasize the originality of the work with fictional characters that were not mentioned anywhere.

fantasy tattoos

The freedom of the genre unties the hands not only of writers: fantasy tattoos use both well-known motifs of science fiction literature and fictional images, plots, and paintings.

Heroes of Tolkien

Oxford University professor and celebrated writer John R.R. Tolkien is the father of fantasy. He thought out a full-fledged universe, created two Elvish languages ​​and gained cult status around the world. Ave John!

dragons

Beautiful mythical creatures. In some works, dragons are evil, quirky and cunning, in others they coexist with a person, help him, and even act as something like favorites. For some reason, strange things often happen to them in the art of tattooing: people want to see a dragon on their shoulder, turn to a novice master, and it turns out ... Choose good masters!

Elves/Fairies

Refined, wise, wielding magic - elves and fairies appear in books, films, games, cartoons. Fans of body modifications characteristically cut their ears to get elven ones in return, and in tattoos they suffered a fate similar to dragons: it is very difficult to find a high-quality body design.

Orcs

Warcraft gave us memorable characters, so mostly orc tattoo bearers are fans of the franchise.

Fantasy nature/plot

Such paintings require space, they just scream about it. Fantasy stories look only as a full-fledged story and on a large area of ​​​​the body, they cannot fit in a "matchbox". Look what a beauty!

The Fantasy genre has a lot of fans, the number of which is only increasing. Basically, these are creative and romantic natures who like to dream and fantasize. Some people try to get away from everyday reality and plunge headlong into the fabulous world of magic, magic, adventure and the constant confrontation between good and evil. True fans of this trend perpetuate images of their favorite characters or memorable stories on their bodies through fantasy tattoos.

Variety of tattoos in fantasy style

Fantasy tattoo sketches have a huge number of plots, and every day new unique ideas appear. This variety can be seen by looking at the photo in this article, or looking through the catalog in any tattoo studio.

Fantasy worlds are fictional and not at all like real life, so the scope for activity in this direction is endless. You just need to have imagination. Then you will be able to independently come up with a unique pattern that will emphasize your individuality. Usually tattoos in this direction tend to:

• colorfulness;
• Aesthetics and attractiveness;
• Originality of the ornament;
• Detailing.

Basically, most of the images are distinguished by their brightness and riot of colors. But often the drawings are done in monochrome. There is no deep symbolism in such tattoos, but it’s also difficult to call them “empty”. Most often, they still focus on human feelings: love, friendship, devotion.

The most popular characters whose images form the basis of most fantasy tattoos:

• monsters;
• Wizards;
• Witches;
• Dwarves, trolls, goblins;
• Bats and vampires;
• Angels and Demons;

• Fairies and elves;
• Unicorns, dragons and other fantastic creatures.

This is just part of a long list. You can think of anything. Often in large-scale compositions, entire storylines are depicted.

Fantasy tattoo ideas

Coming up with a plot for a fantasy tattoo will not be difficult. You just need to decide what exactly you like best, what the chosen drawing will symbolize, and what meaning it will have for you.

• Compositions from fairy tales and folklore works of different peoples of the world are very popular. Indeed, in every culture there are representatives who are the main characters of legends and stories. Trolls are immediately associated with Scandinavian mythology. Baba Yaga and the goblin are truly Russian characters. Many of them frightened us in childhood, so when we see such drawings, we unconsciously remember these moments. Fantasy tattoo with images of Slavic evil spirits are often found on the bodies of pagans.

• The fantasy tattoo style adopted most of the images for tattoos from literature. Ancient myths and legends gave us many different interesting characters, giving rise to the development of a new era in the direction. Minotaur, Gorgon Medusa, Hydra - the list is almost endless.
• The fantasy genre is especially popular among writers at the present time. Modern works tell about vampires, werewolves, demons and other representatives of magical other worlds.
• This trend has not bypassed the computer industry. Fantasy is one of the most popular game themes with millions of fans. Dragons, knights, sorcery and magic are only a small part of the concepts inherent in the game universe in this genre. Many fans decorate their bodies with images of characters or scenes from their favorite games, making a fantasy tattoo.

• Cinematography is the second direction after literature, where the described style is widely represented. Popular films have given the world many heroes who have found their place in the form of fantasy tattoos on the bodies of movie fans. The dragon Smaug, elves, hobbits, Golum and other famous characters of the Lord of the Rings universe are a source of inspiration for tattoo lovers and tattoo artists. Sketches from other films, such as Harry Potter or the Chronicles of Narnia, are in no less demand.

• Science fiction also gives you limitless options for fantasy tattoo designs. Star Trek and Star Wars are two of the most famous movie masterpieces that form the basis of many tattoos. Jedi, luminous swords, images of Darth Vader and Yoda are the most popular drawings among lovers of space universes.

Fantasy tattoos will look equally good on any part of the body. Often the images are applied on the arm, in particular on the shoulder or wrist. Volumetric drawings will take their rightful place on the back or chest.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that fantasy tattoos are distinguished by a huge variety of sketches. You can choose for yourself a "classic of the genre" from a photo from a variety of options or come up with your own unique pattern. To decorate your body with a masterpiece, you need special professional skills. Therefore, it is better to find a competent tattoo artist who will apply the image step by step, following the necessary instructions, rather than trying to make a tattoo at home.

Video: Sketches for Fantasy Tattoo

Fantasy tattoos, sketches of which are most popular among fans of this genre in cinema and literature, are a reflection of the wearer's inner world and can tell a lot, if not about the character, then about the person's hobbies.

Tattoo made in fantasy style

What can fantasy tattoos tell about?

Undoubtedly, first of all, such tattoos indicate that their owner is a passionate and dreamy nature. Tattooed unicorns, hydras and pegasi, hobbits and magic rings, dragons and other inhabitants of the magical world are a direct sign that you have a person who believes in magic, albeit not in the truest sense of the word.

The beauty of the fantasy world is unconditional: here is the most unusual nature, the kindest fairies, the most terrible enemies, the most dangerous adventures and, of course, here good always triumphs over evil. Fantasy tattoos, whose meanings depend on the "fandom" they belong to, can vary:

• fairy tattoos
• Folklore
• Fantasy movie tattoos

The photo shows a Pegasus - a magical horse with wings that can fly

fairy tattoos

They came to us from the legends of different peoples of the world: mermaids, witches, talking animals, vampires, werewolves, wizards and other creatures. This evil spirit seems to still live in our childhood and occasionally reminds us of its existence when we see fantasy tattoos, photos depicting fairy people.

Folklore

Remember the stories of grandmothers about brownies, goblin and Baba Yaga? This is not quite the same as fairy tales: it is something otherworldly and at the same time native. What we were so afraid of in childhood, and now we remember with warmth, but not without a certain shudder. It is difficult to imagine a person who decides to get a brownie tattoo - such evil spirits are rarely found among the sketches of tattoo artists. However, finding a mermaid among tattoos is easy. Most often, tattoos of Slavic evil spirits are made by adherents of Rodnovery and pagans.

My most vivid childhood memory is trips to my grandmother in the village and how she frightened me at night, telling stories about ghouls, ghouls and mermaids that can drag me to the bottom and turn me into one of them. When my grandmother died, I wanted to do something on my body that would be associated with a carefree childhood and memories of her. I made a mermaid tail on the ankle. Some of the grandma's stories are always with me in this way.

Elena, Kaliningrad

Tattoos from the literary world

Currently, a huge number of authors write books in the fantasy genre, and their characters take on a real image on the bodies of fans of such literature: hydras, monticores and centaurs, all these creatures have long since left the pages of books on the bodies of those who would like to become part of the magical peace.

Tattoos on the theme of vampirism are especially common, perhaps most often among fans of Gothic culture: beautiful and pale young men with red fangs and bordered with burgundy roses and girls with porcelain skin and a dangerous smile: here it smells of the Victorian era, books by Anne Rice and the film "Interview with vampire."

The photo shows a tattoo with a vampire girl

Tattoo from the world of the Lord of the Rings - an inscription in the elvish language from the ring of omnipotence

Fantasy movie tattoos

Buckbeak from Harry Potter took on flesh a long time ago when it became a tattoo on someone's body. Magical creatures: Dementors, Smaug, Golum, orcs, elves and other inhabitants of magical films are increasingly found in sketches, acquiring an image in the form of made-up movie actors. The universe of Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings are the most popular themes from which those who wish to have a fantasy tattoo draw inspiration.

Did you know? Actor Sean Biggerstaff, who played the Quidditch coach in the early Harry Potter films, has a tattoo of a magical vehicle broom. He made it after filming the movie as a memento of being the head of the magic sport team.

The photo shows a whole set of symbols from the world of Harry Potter: lightning, platform 9 3/3, the abbreviation of the name Harry, and the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. On the left photo: spells

This photo shows a tattoo - the mark of the Death Eaters from the world of Harry Potter

I'm a big Harry Potter fan, but I don't really like Harry himself: I've always been on the dark side. As I grew older, even though the world of Potter was far away from my childhood, it was still a huge part of the girl that I was. So I got myself a tattoo - the mark of a death eater. I know it doesn’t sound childish at all)) But if you are on the dark side with the dark lord, then be to the end))

Karina, Tomsk

Advice: get a tattoo of what is really close to you. For example, you should not get a tattoo of a horse from the Queen's Arrows book series if you dream of getting a pegasus on your body.

Tattoos

Science fiction, to some extent, also belongs to the fantasy genre, and there are no less fans of the genre than among fans of winged horses and magic. Star Wars, Zombies, Underworld are just a few themes that can be seen among the tattoos of young people. The most common theme is, of course, that of Star Wars and the worlds that belong to this series of films: Jedi with glowing swords, Princess Leia and, of course, the head of Darth Vader are just a few of the things that fans adorn their bodies with.

Sketch of a tattoo with the image of Darth Vader and the inscription "No Hope", which translates as "Without Hope"

I have loved Star Wars since childhood. When I grew up, the hobby remained, and I decided to combine it with one of my current hobbies - tattooing. It took me a long time to plan a large tattoo from shoulder to wrist, and it took even longer to implement: since I am an artist by education, I drew the sketch myself. Now I have a "sleeve" dedicated to the Lucas universe, where you can see all the key characters in the film. And even a little Ewok :)

Ivan, Ryazan

Video: drawing a Japanese dragon