Think aloud
A spider tattoo is not for the faint of heart. Even though many consider this to be a scary image to get on their body, others consider this to be a great representation of their personality.
Spiders have always been a symbol of creativity, balance, curiosity, and personal growth. People who are self-aware feel a connection to the spider because this little creature can create complex webs to have a place to rest and catch food. You probably feel a connection to this image, as you’ve always had to work by yourself to create whatever you felt was necessary to live carefree.
The web of a spider symbolizes everything that connects life and nature, so commemorating something spiritual on your skin is a huge endeavor. Even if you’re just getting this tattoo to look intimidating or cool, without looking for meaning, you should be aware that there are many different designs you can go for.
In this article, we’ve compiled 26 designs to inspire you for your next work of art on the canvas that is your skin.
Skull and spider tattoo
You’ll often see a spider tattoo designed to give space for a skull in the body of the insect. In this example, you can see a very detailed representation of that. The fine lines, combined with the black and gray spider, and the surrounding shading create a big design that’s easily readable.
In the photo above, we can see an even bigger design. This time, the skull looks like it’s being carried by the web of the spider. There are more patches of black color, but the skull is much lighter which puts it in the center of attention.
Abdomen spider tattoo
The abdomen is quite a popular placement for spider tattoos. This simple tattoo design actually looks amazing when it’s placed well. You can see that the ends of the legs are much lighter which makes you focus all of your attention to the accented body of the spider.
This is a more abstract tattoo design. The spider looks like it’s made out of its own webs. It follows the curve of the abdomen well, and the little strings of web around it give it a more whimsical look.
In this photo, you can see a spider walking away from its web. It looks like a 3D image, considering that the design was well done. The web is actually in the style of a mandala because it’s very balanced and proportionate.
Spider and web tattoo
You don’t have to incorporate a web into your design if you don’t want your spider tattoo to have one. However, a web would be an amazing touch. In this example, the artist even added a heart on the body of the spider to represent the way light falls on it.
This is a more animated design. Here you can see another heart in the middle of the spider’s web, but the spider itself is quite big and scary. This way, you can create a more balanced look between the scary spider and the cute heart. It’s usually a design that women choose.
Unusual spider tattoo
What’s so unusual about this tattoo? It’s not the small spider or the way it falls down from its web, but rather the skeleton hand that’s holding the web. A spider tattoo can have many different things added. Because it’s so simple, you can take a lot of liberties.
Another unusual spider tattoo is this realistic perfume bottle that has a spider at the bottom of it. It looks like the spider is walking over it. However, the spider is also designed realistically. Even the little spots of white create a 3D effect that lets the black, gray, and splashes of red look even more realistic.
Doll head spider tattoo
As stated before, people put a lot of different designs into the body of their spider tattoo. How about the head of a doll? In the photo above, you can see how well it can be customized to fit your needs. It looks even creepier, but it’s still elegant.
This doll’s head has spidered webs coming out of its mouth. The head is made to represent the body of a spider, and if you look closely you’ll see that the braids of the doll are swirling around the legs of the spider. One braid is even hanging on the web. These little details are what make a tattoo memorable.
Now, if you want a face on your spider tattoo, it can also be a creepy Japanese mask. The red is a gorgeous contrast to the black spider. And even the eyes are creepy, yet they’re so well done. The little lights that hit the eyes are so well-placed, that it looks like the spider is looking right at you.
Eye of the Spider
Are you also weirded out by random depictions of eyes? Do you want to get them tattooed? Here’s a spider tattoo with an eye in the middle of its body. Underneath the spider, you can see small swirls that make it look like the spider is sitting on top of a brain.
But a spider tattoo doesn’t have to look scary all the time. Here we have a cute little tattoo, with an eye in the middle. The shadows are done perfectly, as they all put the eye in the middle of the design, and your attention goes to it immediately. You could even say that it’s eye-catching.
Simple spider tattoo
A simple tattoo doesn’t have to be small. The main point here is to be void of too many details. In this design you can see a big spider, that’s mostly black, with small parts of negative space where the skin is peeking through. Of course, the design follows perfectly the shape of the hand.
If you want a hand tattoo, but you’re not sure what to get, here’s a good idea. Get a small black spider, with little shadows underneath its legs to make it look like it’s climbing up your hand.
You may not think that this is a simple design, but it is. The spider is a big and simple tattoo, it’s mostly black with small negative space on the legs to create a natural-looking light. What’s complex is the gothic design behind it. You can combine a simple design, with an interesting background to make it more appealing.
Symmetrical spider tattoo
These two spiders are definitely making a web of love. The combination of black, gray, and red is an amazing choice. The symmetry of the spiders creates a gorgeous image and it follows the flow of the torso perfectly. So, how about getting a pair of spiders in love on your body?
Traditional spider tattoo
Traditional tattoos are never going out of style. If you want a spider tattoo, you should definitely look into getting one that has big patches of bright colors, like the one you can see above. This example still has a skull on it, but the design is quite unique, and it runs down on to the fingers.
Traditional tattoos can also be extravagant. In this photo, you can see a combination of tattoos. The spider is shaded well with different colors, but there’s still an eye in the middle of its body.
How about a red web instead of a plain black one? This traditional spider tattoo is big and bold. The animated style creates more than enough space for the colors to come through perfectly. Especially when they’re this well-saturated.
Colorful spider tattoo
You don’t have to choose a traditional tattoo design to make your spider more colorful. All you need is a bigger canvas. This unorthodox spider design looks vicious yet humorous. There’s a lot going on, but the animated style makes it look coherent.
Now that’s a lot of detail. This spider tattoo has a lot of well-saturated colors, but it’s also perfectly detailed with the little splashes of light on the body. Even the web and shadow underneath it creates a 3D effect that you could be looking for.
This head tattoo is stunning. There are a lot of big patches of color, as it’s a more animated design. The shading is done underneath the actual spider to create more depth to the design, and to bring the spider into the center of attention. Not like you could miss it.
Or you can choose to incorporate a solid color around the actual spider. Here, you can see a big amount of skin that’s turned into this spider’s playground. A spider tattoo doesn’t have to be simple to be ominous. The contrasting colors are put together quite well and it’s easily readable.
Adorable spider tattoo
A spider tattoo doesn’t have to be scary and malevolent, it can also be extremely cute. Especially, when you add this cute face to a bunch of bright colors. Even the little bubble on the top of this spider’s head adds to the cuteness, and you can present your femininity through such a meaningful tattoo.
