75 Trendy Mermaid Tattoos You Must See

Mermaid tattoos are quite popular today and come in many different styles and designs. Maybe the most mythical creature under the sea is the magical mermaid. They are in many folklore and stories from around the world. The name “mermaid” literally means young woman from the sea. Traditionally, mermaids were depicted as half-naked, in other words, with their breasts exposed. But in modern tattoo designs, people hide their breasts using their long hair or clothing.

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Each country around the globe has a different story to tell. Some have different depictions and illustrations. Many don’t believe in mermaids at all and that they are simply a figment of our imagination. Others believe they once existed but are now extinct. No matter what you believe, mermaids are exotic, fascinating and symbolize our human nexus with the sea.

Types of Mermaid Tattoos

Below is a list of the most common mermaid tattoo designs.

The Little Mermaid

The little mermaid tattoos are very popular with young girls today. She is usually tattooed in her cartoon form, either alone or in an undersea theme. This tattoo can be of Ariel herself or any of the Disney mermaids.

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Traditional Mermaid

Traditional mermaid tattoos and classic mermaid tattoos really belong in the same category. The difference between this tattoo and any other mermaid tattoo is they usually expose one or both breasts.

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Mermaid Anchor Tattoos

Mermaid Anchor Tattoos are typically designed and illustrated with the mermaid sitting upon the anchor as it is pulled up from the sea. Oftentimes, there may be other items or creatures from the sea riding along with her.

Full sleeve

Mermaid sleeve tattoos are just absolutely stunning. The centerpiece of this tattoo design tattoo is the mermaid. You can also add other sea creatures such as sharks, squid, killer whales, octopus, fish, seaweed, coral, and shellfish.

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Evil Mermaid Tattoos

Evil mermaid tattoos are just that; mermaids tattooed with an evil look. They have fangs, straggly hair, a witch face without the wart nose, and a mermaid body.

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Cartoon

The mermaids look very cartoonish in these tattoo designs. Their eyes are generally more exaggerated, more like the famous Betty Boop, along with other exaggerated features that give the “cartoon” appearance.

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Mermaid Holding a Baby

Mermaid holding baby tattoos are typically inked in the classic or traditional mermaid tattoo style. Women generally wear them on their upper abdominal area with the mermaid holding their baby.

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Fantasy

These are another version of the classical or traditional mermaid tattoos. People design them with the style to fit their fantasy world. Fantasy art can depict science fiction, video game worlds, the dinosaur era, or anything else that is not real.

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Blackwork

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Skeleton Mermaid

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Coloring of Mermaid Tattoos

Coloring for any of the mermaid tattoos is a must. Although they have been seen in simple black, they are much more stunning with color. Traditionally they had human flesh tones for their upper body half. You’ll be looking for browns, peaches, tans, light brown, shaded whites. For her lower half, or fins and scales, you’ll want traditional blues, greens, and turquoise. Hair is also inked in traditional human colors; yellows, browns, reds, blacks, whites, and grays. However, you can use any color you want for your fantasy, cartoon, and evil mermaid tattoo design.

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Placements

The placement of a mermaid tattoo will depend on the size you choose. They can go from mid to large size but small ones are very popular too. The back gives you the opportunity to incorporate your mermaid tattoo into a theme using other sea creatures. You can also create an underwater sea world incorporated on the arm or leg or a sleeve.

When creating a sleeve or a large back piece, you must work with your tattoo design artist around color, placement, and design. Smaller tattoos are easy to cover up; this is not the case for a large body art piece. Get it right the first time by studying gallery pictures, images, and designs. For medium-sized tattoos, the abdominal area, shoulder blade, calf, thigh, and lower back are nice placement areas.

For tiny mermaid tattoo designs, the foot, ankle, wrist, neck, behind the ear, hip, and navel area would wear well.

Images of Mermaid Tattoos

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