When most people think of tattoos, they imagine ships, anchors, and hearts with the words mom scrawled across a tiny banner on the shoulder of some leather-skinned unkept sailor. While this classic stereotype is derived mostly from cartoons we watched as kids, it’s almost as funny as the cartoons themselves. Not only have tattoos evolved since the day’s of pirates and wooden ships, but if you were to show someone from that era a modern day tattoo they might dismiss it as rubbish.
In western cultures, the first tattoos were indeed popularized by career sailors, sea merchants, and swashbucklers. Chalk it up to a lot of free time and even more booze. But for reasons not readily apparent, nautical tattoos have stayed in vogue throughout the years, developing into some pretty spectacular displays of inkmanship. Below we’ve put together a list of 50 nautical-themed ship tattoos that any pirate would envy. Let’s take a look.
Still bearing that red glow, this freshly-inked tat features a skull with it’s mouth propped wide open blowing wind into the sails of the ship. (Photo: Brian Murphy)
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The era of the tall ships is sometimes referred to as the golden age of sail—which peaked during the 1800’s. Today, examples of these magnificent vessels are mainly reproductions with the exception of a lucky few who managed to stay afloat. Two of the most well known surviving examples of tall wooden ships are the HMS Victory and the USS Constellation. (Photo: Kamil)
At first one might look at this tattoo and think to themselves “It’s good, ” but it’s not until you notice the quarter placed to illustrate the scale of the design that one begins to realize just how much detail went into this miniature work of art and just how amazing it is. (Photo: Marion M Toney)
Our favorite blackwork design on the list. Everything from the waves to the billowing clouds is executed with the upmost precision and skill. (Photo: Josh Duffy)
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Now that we’ve confirmed giant squids are real, all we need to find is a giant octopus like this one. A wonderful semi submerged angle shows what’s going on below the water as well as above. (Photo: unknown)
Here we have an absolutely breathtaking sunset that immediately puts the viewer in a state of relaxation. Notice the reflection of the sunset in the sails. (Photo: Dongkyu Lee)
While we’re not sure who this piece is modeled after, if anyone, she definitely was inspired by the Pirates of The Caribbean Films. (Photo: Giahi Tattoo)
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This almost iconic scene has been recreated so many times it’s virtually impossible to find the artist who can claim credit for it’s creation. Trust us, we’ve tried. But you know what they say, imitation is the biggest form of flattery. However, this particular design is our favorite. (Photo: Makoto)The idea of a career in tattooing had never crossed Jenna Crook's mind until one night in 2014. After meeting a new friend on Toronto Island, she noticed the incredible level of detail of her self-applied tattoos — and something clicked.
I grew up thinking of tattoos essentially as one style of art — one I didn't personally like, so I paid little attention to it, says Crook. I got my first tattoo from [them] that week, and the week after that I started tattooing myself. I was obsessed.
Crook later purchased her first tattooing machine and ventured somewhere she never expected: she became a full-time tattoo artist. Her designs move away from the traditional idea of what makes a tattoo good, using a messier and more carefree style.
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This new style of tattoo design has gained popularity in Montreal and Toronto, particularly with Gen Z. It challenges the past and rejects the rigid standards and ideals of the tattoo scene, bringing an unorthodox and freer form of tattoo design. Crook is one of many artists pushing the fold and creating a space for a new style to enter the scene.
Known online as notcoolneverwas, she plays with the classicism of American traditional in her own distinctive way by utilizing sketch-like designs and playing with the obscurity of images through shading and disproportionate line work. Her tattoos have gained her more than 45k followers on Instagram.
Instagram in particular… gave access to a free image-based marketing platform and a worldwide audience, she says. As far as style, I think a lot of the 'newer' styles we've seen enter tattooing are things we've already seen in the art [and] design world for years.
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Crook's work is a playful cross between allowing herself to draw badly and letting herself enjoy what she creates. She also uses gothic typography such as Old English and creates illegible text tattoos. Classical paintings, internet ads and even at times a trash photo she took on the street have influenced her.
I play first, obsess later, she says about her process of creating work. Sometimes I fail, but that's the goal. These days I can play with this even more because I'm less limited by my tattoo abilities.
Montreal-based tattoo artist Emerik, known as dirtyl00ks on Instagram, says the rise in popularity of the messy freeform style of tattooing comes from social media. According to him, the remixing of traditional designs makes clients want to explore a style they're not used to seeing, as messier tattoos emerge from the underground scene.
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Before the arrival of those platforms, there were only a handful of different styles going around that you would have to find through magazines or actually going to the shop to look at the flash on the wall, he says. Now a lot more people are exposed to it and are interested in getting some work done in those styles because they haven't seen anything similar.
Emerik's tattooing style deconstructs traditionalist designs and typography with their own rough and sketch-like twist — bathroom stall drawings, as he describes them.
I want my drawing sheet to look like those fake tattoo sticker sheets I used to have so much fun with as a kid, he says. I draw and tattoo really fast. My drawings are done on the first shot almost, without the need of the eraser.
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While Emerik does some custom work, his work is predominantly flash tattoos, where clients choose from drawings inspired by old logo signage, records or anything that inspires him on a daily basis, including playing with Old West tropes in his work.
Tattooing has been around forever. A lot of the different styles going around are often remixes of older stuff; we get inspired by the history around us and give it our own touch.
Stepping outside of the norm does bring its fair share of criticism. Emerik says he receives negative comments on Instagram from people that think tattoos need to fit a clean standard with realistic imagery.
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I get a lot of hate from older white men who have been tattooing for a lot of years…taking time out of their day to write mean [comments], he says. In a recent incident, a tattoo artist in New Jersey mocked his work by making a fake flash sheet in Emerik's style.
I normally just respond with a nonsense answer that confuses them, says Emerik. It seems like people don't care for paintings or other art forms [being experimental], but as soon as it's tattoos it's got to follow a certain cleanliness and commercial image.
Crook shares a similar sentiment, saying that artists need to be more accepting of newer styles. It's always funny to me how close-minded artists can be, says Crook. As long as a tattoo is done safely and consensually, I don't see why the rest shouldn't be between the tattooer and the client.
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Alongside this style, a sharper cyber aesthetic has also gained popularity. While these two styles might seem to contradict each other design-wise, they have consistently been associated with one another because of the way they push for nonconformist aesthetics. Clients who have messier playful tattoos will often have gothic-cyber designs alongside them. What makes people adopt both designs are their shared obscurity and originality that complement one another.
Gothic sigilism is everywhere in Montreal. With its sharp lines, wing-like features and intricate cyber-esque detailing, the style has become a popular subsection of the city's tattoo scene. For artist Céleste Bonnier, who goes by underyourskin_x_ on Instagram, the curvature of the human body plays a huge role in her design work. The Montreal-based artist's style has evolved throughout the years, but she has recently found herself focusing on tribal ornamental designs.
I think people take it more and more like art on them [rather] than like, a signifier of something they are related to, she says. She attributes this to styles of tattooing that were popular in the 2000s coming back into fashion. Bonnier says the current trend of tattoo designs and styles are inspired by other styles that already exist and are reshaped.
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These designs aren't restricted just to Montreal and Toronto; influential scenes in places like Brussels, Berlin and New York have impacted tattoo trends around the world. For most artists, travelling and going international is a regular part of that job.
It's a big part of the job if you want it, says
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