Avoid tattooing an old family portrait. Unless this is you (then please do it!)
Family Day in BC and Ontario (home to Adrenaline tattoo studios) is upon us. We have done an article on Tattoo Ideas for Dads and Tattoo Ideas for Moms, but in the spirit of the statutory holiday we wanted to focus on the entire family unit (age-appropriate, of course). There are designs and themes that you can get done together so that each one of you wears a “patch” to signify your unbreakable bond. Here they are.
5 Tattoo Design Ideas for Family Members
1. Family Surname Crest / Coat of Arms
If you have an official family surname crest or coat of arms (COA) then you’ve got a perfect design to work with. You may even have one you don’t know about. A Google search regarding your family surname and its crest or COA will uncover a number of online resources (i.e. houseofnames.com) where you may either find a match for, or draw inspiration from. If neither of you can find one, a tattoo artist can design a crest/COA based on some input from your family. View more on where to get a tattoo drawn up.
2. Family Tree
This is another logical option that looks great as a tattoo. It works well across the back where you can leave room for branches to account for new family members that enter the fold from birth, marriage, or adoption. Subscribing to a DNA ancestry resource can help you dig deep, but if you’re averse to having your DNA logged into some government database (that’s how they get you!) you can sit down together as a family and draw out the tree. The latter option makes for some solid quality time for the family and the elders will greatly appreciate it.
3. Family Mantra
Does your family always pay it’s debts? Is your household unbowed, unbent, unbroken? Does your dad tend to go on and on about how winter is coming?
Whether or not you get those GoT references is beside the point. The point, is that you may have some family mantra that works perfect as a quotable tattoo. Whether it’s “A Family that Prays Together, Stays Together” or “Agree to Disagree” (probably more apt) it’s one concept you collectively won’t regret. You can find family motto examples online but we suggest taking the time to scribe one yourselves so that it truly reflects your unique tribe.
4. Connect Your Names
This is similar to the family tree concept above, but asks for some creativity as you find a way to link the names of your immediate family together in a whimsical or meaningful manner. We had one family come in with an idea of connecting their names via Scrabble tiles but another option would be to do so with a tattooed word search jumble. The are many possibilities – just task the creative one in your brood with a way to join your names in a tattoo design.
5. Family Portrait
Some of us can relate to this one
You can certainly go the realism route and transfer an old family photo to a tattoo design. But achieving the same consistency will be a challenge unless you use the exact same tattooist, which means you can’t get the work done together in the same day, week, or even month depending upon your tattooist’s schedule. However, there are more quirky, interesting, and less traditional ways to get a family “portrait” tattooed.
For example, one fun option would be to represent your household via the family car sticker style. It will be much easier to achieve consistency between each of your tattoos via different tattooists, and it’s a great way to represent what makes each of you unique without breaking the bank. You may also consider cartoon-style caricatures to capture the distinctive nuances of each.
Whether you live in or are visiting Greater Vancouver BC or Toronto ON an Adrenaline Studios near you is more than happy to accommodate your family tattoo request. Contact a shop today to schedule a consultation.
Note: Individuals must be 18 years of age with valid government issued photo ID to get tattooed. In some cases and with limited tattooers, 17 with parental consent and valid ID on both parts, certain tattoos will be considered.
Written By:
Adrenaline Tattoo
Tattoos, not attitudes. Piercings, not pricks. From the beginning, Adrenaline’s focus has been on delivering the best customer service possible within the body modification industry.
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