Tribal tattoo

Sharp points, sweeping curves, heavy solid fills. Tribal tattoos live on contrast, and jagua ink handles contrast well: each design develops in the top layers of the skin and darkens to a deep blue-black.

Neo-tribal, Y2K and more

• Neo-tribal and Y2K: flame-tipped wings, pointed hearts and curling flames, the early-2000s look drawn fresh.
• Suns, moons and stars: blazing suns, crescent moons, stars and sun-and-moon pairings. For rays and sunrises in other styles, browse our sun tattoos.
• Animals: wolves, big cats, dragons, snakes, scorpions and spiders, built from bold curved strokes.
• Combined pieces and duos: tribal lines mixed with other motifs, plus matching pairs to wear side by side or share.

Size decides where a design works. Small suns, hearts and stars sit neatly on the wrist or the back of the shoulder. Wide, symmetrical pieces are made for the lower back or across the upper back. A vertical animal head follows the forearm or the calf. Into clean shapes? Mix in a few geometric tattoos.

It goes on in two minutes or less. Right after, it looks pale, almost see-through. That's normal: give it 24 to 48 hours and the color builds to blue-black. Keep it dry and don't rub it for the first 8 hours, then shower, swim and work out as usual. It lasts up to two weeks on the forearm, shoulder or upper back, and fades sooner on hands, fingers and feet. Thinking about going permanent? A week or two with temporary tribal tattoos is an easy way to try a tattoo before you get it.

A note on the style itself: our designs are neo-tribal graphics, drawn as pure shapes; they don't reproduce the sacred patterns of Polynesian or Māori tattooing, which belong to the people who carry them.

Got your own design? We'll print it as a custom tattoo (three copies minimum).