

At first, you’re like, wait…what? But then look more closely at the full chest tattoo, images start to sharpen and you fully realize it’s a unique, top quality piece of body art. Here’s an enjoyable phoenix interpretation. There are interesting color variations in the surrounding fill pattern, especially the almost fluorescent orange dots and stripes closest to the legendary bird. The white ink striping highlights add detail around the beak and the few feathers on show. It looks a bit like a chicken but is exceptionally crafted. In this eye-catching abstract phoenix design, either the wearer or the tattoo artist made the unique choice to forego famously fiery feathers and instead focus on a head shot. The claws stretching out underneath the bird lower than the rest of the image is a cleverly executed detail. A thicker, lighter shade, or even black/gray, for the flames surrounding this fire bird would balance the brightness and give the art more clarity. There are excellent technical elements - the fire bird ‘s blue highlights help mesh with the sleeve - however, there could be too much color. It uses a range of vibrant colors and stretches towards the full right arm piece. This full chest piece is an interesting tattoo idea. At this stage, it’s still unrefined, but through more detailed main aspects of feather and scale, and more solid fill from fuzzy black shade, this piece will be skillfully completed. The artist’s positioning of the phoenix is a smart tactical move, creating a uniquely aspected bird that’s “traveling” left to right within the liquid flames.Ī busy but still unfinished irezumi (Japanese tattoo ) that seems to be a high quality cover up. It’s a brilliantly executed piece of color contrasting well against the more muted golden fire bird.

#Phoenix tattoo ideas skin#
Vivid scarlet fire flows and pops off the skin of this subject’s chest tattoo. The subtly shaded light/dark gray keeps the overall piece light enough to allow the excellent craftsmanship to shine through. The technical aspects of crisp, fine line black outline, hash work, and curvature mix effortlessly to create fantastically detailed feathers, frame, and chest fluff. Love this Asian style phoenix tattoo design in cleverly designed black and gray. The mythical bird itself is regal, watchful, and deftly imagined, drawing comparison to the laser focus of hawks, falcons, and mighty eagles. Instead, it opts for softer grayscale shading as a contrast to the vibrant colors of the main feathers, claws, and beak.Ī beautifully flowing phoenix sleeve tattoo that navigates through pre-existing body art by delivering perfect black, gray, and negative space shade streams. Love how the fire bird is etched only in variations of red and orange and doesn’t give in to the temptation of using a black outline. This is an excellent upper arm phoenix tattoo sleeve. From small, realistic designs to awe-inspiring sleeves, you’re bound to be inspired by these tattoo ideas.

If you find the story of the phoenix cool, you’re going to really enjoy these top 60 best phoenix tattoo designs for men. When it comes to the meaning of the phoenix, Job 29:18 from the Christian Bible describes it quite well, “Then I thought, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days like the phoenix.” This long-lived bird symbolizes both resurrection and eternal life, which is a feature of the 50+ best tattoo ideas. Regardless of the true history, all paintings universally depict the mythical creature as shimmering with a radiant glow. While Lactantius disagreed with blue eyes, the colors red and yellow could be found on the legs and talons. When it comes to color, there are mentions by Tacitus of its bright color standing out among the rest of nature’s birds.Įzekiel and Herodotus have described them as having red legs and striking yellow eyes. Others have suggested it’s quite similar to the rooster. In Greek mythology, it is said to have a crest of feathers on the head. However, while it has certainly been popular throughout history, not much is known precisely. If you were to explore ancient and medieval literature, you’d discover numerous mentions of the phoenix in the Arabian desert.Įven certain pieces of early art include the nimbus, which represents this mythical bird’s connection to the sun. However, you’ll be even more surprised to know that it regenerated into a new life right after combusting in flames to death. Ancient writings have long claimed this legendary bird has lived for 1,400 years.
