Top Snake Tattoo Designs for Men and Women

Among all the tattoo designs known in the subject industry, snake type is one of the most regular, evergreen, and stable options. You may try this on its own and it could also be combined with the skulls, roses, and daggers.

These combinational options are quite commonly found in the conventional American style. Moreover, they could also be employed as an elaborative floral combined with a feather, mandala, phoenix, moon, or geometric tattoo art.

These are all great designs that both men and women could try. They are quite a flexible element with highly rich and versatile symbolism.

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What different meanings does a Snake Tattoo carries?

A lot of people and older mythologies consider a snake as a negative symbol. It could point to enemies or some sort of danger. However, there are a lot of other positive and deeper meanings associated with the snake and that makes it an important element in many cultures.

The good is what prevails over evil and this is what makes snake design a great tattoo option. The following are some of the positive and deeper meanings associated with the snake tattoo:

Danger

Many of us are aware that quite a good number of snake types are completely harmless while some could be venomous and vicious. They could all be merciless when hunting their prey and they are feared among a lot of creatures and as well as humans. Considering that, a venomous and agile snake could reflect the danger for all those who are either unprepared or surrounded by a hungry, huge, and restless snake.

Power

One of the most significant symbols associated with the snake is power. This shouldn’t be taken badly. Snakes are believed to be quite critical in the natural food chain and they are feared by the animals. Therefore, if you want to show that power has a critical role to play in your life then you could express it with a suitable snake tattoo. This could also point to a powerful mindset. Moreover, it is an ideal option for those who are into physical fitness and sports.

Temptation

The tales of the snake are also mentioned in the Bible. It is mentioned in the story of Adam and Eve along with the Apple of Eden. It was here where the devil disguised itself in the form of a snake which pushed Eve to attempt the illicit fruit. Since that ancient times, the snake and apple both symbolize temptation.

If you ever think that you are kind of prone to temptation then a snake tattoo could represent it in a great manner. This is a design with such a thought process that could be a huge hit if it is combined with the apple symbol.

Rebirth

Transformation and rebirth are normally promoted by multiple other animals which are also used as a tattoo design. It could well be phoenix which is related to rebirth that comes from the ashes. It could well be a butterfly that spends a very long time well within the larvae until it converts into a butterfly.

This is the same procedure through which a snake goes through, which could be once or twice every year. If we look at people then almost everyone goes through some sort of a difficult situation in their life. It could well be a relationship breakup, illness, death, or losing a job. These people are pushed every time to come out of such situations much stronger than before.

Having such a tattoo shows rebirth and announces to the world that your better days are approaching.

Protection

There are a few cultures worldwide that think that snakes deliver or offer protection. Some of the different mythologies and ancient stories suggest that in every household, there is always a small snake of white or green color.

That snake is believed to be hidden in the garden, port, or the basement of the house. This is hard to be seen by all the family members. If you believe in the same then such a tattoo design could mean family protection or protection of all of your near and dear ones.

This could be an exciting idea if you are thinking of some large tattoo pattern over your body.

Wisdom

Snakes in many cultures and as well as mythological legends and tales are seen as a symbol of wisdom. This wisdom is related to the warriors, kings, rulers, and princes, etc.

The best Snake Tattoo designs that you could think about trying

Snakes in the tattoo industry are thought to be quite a versatile symbol to be used. Such symbols could go on to make for some excellent subject matter no matter, whichever tattoo style you try. You may get exceptionally creative as there is plenty of scope in the snake tattoo design on offer. However, it is always a good idea to make note of the popular existing trends when it comes to making the best tattoo designs for you:

Skull and Snake

This one is a true classic and a widely preferred tattoo that features a snake. This is the design that points to the association between the idea of the birth and snake. It also includes the cycle of our life and also death. The skull mentioned here mostly refers to the human skull. It represents death. However, if we look at it in a much broader sense then it is a symbol of mortality rather than death. A 3D tattoo of this kind is considered one of the best among many available options. The expertise of the tattoo artist is a must thing here which could make or break the design. Precise shading is usually done here with a few hard lines as well. The latter is required for producing an illusion of getting the photo-realism in the design.

Japanese

The Japanese culture takes snakes mostly with a positive meaning. These snakes symbolized wisdom, health, and protection. In Japanese-style tattoos, you will often see snakes featuring as their main theme and sometimes as a supplementary element as well. In such a zone, these snake designs are quite complex, distinctive, and colorful as well which could well be tried in several different looks ad styles. The Japanese snake tattoos are usually large in style and are designed mostly on the sleeve or the full backside.

Rose and Snake

The combination of rose with snake design somehow neutralizes any negative impact of the make design, if any. As per the experts, the red roses make sense here the most. The red rose color is a symbol of passion and love. These two subject elements could combine for the sake of producing a symbol of temptation. The most suitable contrast here is the have a red rose with a black snake of any darker color.

Armband

A thin snake tattoo that wraps around the wrist just like some bracelet would make a good choice. It could also be a complex design to handle. Mostly such tattoos are smaller in size where the snake design is looped around the writes twice or sometimes just once in simpler designs. A single loop snake design comes with an issue as in that case the snake might just be biting its tail.

However, such styles are known which is known as the Ouroboros. If you are looking to have some thick and large tattoo on the arm then it would require to have some more space. It would probably take a sleeve or half a sleeve presence as compared to a conventional armband style. For such a design, it is critical to choose wisely so that it looks good on you and not flawed.

Half-Sleeve

The half-sleeve snake design tattoo will be making a huge statement of your personality. Surprisingly, you will find such a design representing the Midgard Serpent that comes from the well-known Nordic mythology. It is simply a beautiful and majestic design. Once you see such design on paper or anywhere then it will be seen as representing a complete drawing print. This goes pretty well to be coupled perhaps with a castle where a giant snake could be shown living in it. This could well go as a simple black, grey, and white color design and it will look the best this way. Using these colors, you could still go for desirable detailing which would ideally illustrate the patterns and scales of the snake. On top of that, it would also offer the colossal fangs in the design as well.

Does it hurt to make a Snake Tattoo?

The pain tolerance varies from person to person. Everybody would react differently to the procedure where the needle is used for etching the design on the skin. Tattoo enthusiasts with higher pain tolerance could last for more time and sessions even for making an ideal tattoo. On the other hand, there are those people who might feel scared to book the second session in the series. The snakes are mostly used for the larger designs of tattoos. It means they will be more time-consuming in comparison to some other simpler designs. Moreover, it also means that you need to deal with a lot more probable pain. There is plenty of textural details associated with such designs as well which could make the entire process quite painful and time-consuming.

What is the best body place to have a Snake Tattoo?

As discussed above, snake tattoos are quite versatile in size and they are flexible as well. The snakes are good to go anywhere on the body.

However, a lot of tattoo enthusiasts prefer to have a snake tattoo either in their arms or legs. One thing that the expert suggests here is that such a tattoo makes a very solid statement of your personality. Therefore, it is important that you ensure the visibility part and don’t think about having it somewhere where it could be rarely seen.

Apart from arms and legs, many tattoo buffs like to have this design on the back, sides, neck, and even chest. A few of the next-level enthusiasts shave their head completely or either partially just to have such design imprinted on their head. It is just a matter of analyzing your personal needs and where they will look good on you.

Some snake design tattoo that looks good on one body part for one person doesn’t necessarily look the same for another person with the same placement. It is important here to take the advice of the tattoo expert in this matter.

Maximizing Snake Tattoo Design to cover any post-surgery scar

The snake tattoos make a top choice to cover any of the post-surgery scars. The beauty of snake designs is that they are thin and slim. They have the potential to blend in nicely with the scar on your body. One critical thing to remember here is that you must never go for a tattoo when you are freshly out of surgery.

Your skin after surgery requires time to heal and let it do that naturally. Then you could think about having such a design which will cover your surgery scar nicely. On top of that, you will be making a strong rebirth statement after surgery and with a snake tattoo, which will represent your inner self.

See: Top 10 Best Tattoo Aftercare Products

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Conclusion

The snake tattoos at times are taken with some bad connotations but they have good and positive meanings as well. This is true for many different cultures all around the globe. The representation of such designs could range from some realistic zoomed-in tattoos to the minimalistic line-work of quite a gentle type.

It is important to ensure that you know the thought, meaning, or history behind any snake design that you choose. This will be the approach that will make you feel good and confident about the chosen design.

On top of that, it would put you in a better position to explain the thought behind it to the people who ask you about the background of your applied tattoo design. Finally, if you are a novice tattoo buff then make sure to consult a tattoo expert regarding the design selection, color selection, and placement of the snake tattoo on your body.