Shark Tattoos

A shark reads instantly, even small: one fin cutting the surface is enough. So a temporary shark tattoo can be a compact graphic shape or a long design showing the whole body, tail and all.

Sharks also take well to very different drawing styles. A fin or a silhouette looks best in bold, clean shapes. A detailed shark can borrow the fine hatching of an old engraving, or switch to blackwork and let bare skin draw its markings. A sketch keeps loose, scratchy lines, ink spatter and the energy of an artist's notebook.

Where should a shark tattoo go? Follow its shape. A long, swimming shark lies best along the inner forearm, the calf or the upper arm, while a single fin suits the wrist, the ankle or the nape of the neck. Hands and feet give up the color sooner, since they're the parts you wash most.

Application takes two minutes and the first result is pale; the jagua ink needs 24 to 36 hours to reach blue-black. After an 8-hour dry spell, your shark is waterproof, from the shower to open water. Long days in the sea or the pool wear it down sooner, so think one to two weeks. Weighing up a permanent piece? Here's how to try a tattoo before you get it.

More sea creatures wait in ocean tattoos and sea turtle tattoos. Got a shark sketch of your own? Send it over and it becomes a temporary shark tattoo nobody else wears: a custom tattoo, minimum 3 copies, produced in 3 to 4 weeks.