Black and grey illustrative skull in an ornate knight's helmet covers the inner upper arm.

Black and grey illustrative skull entwined with a snake and a blue eye sits on the forearm.

Horror and fantasy

Film monsters, creatures, witches, demons and the strange: dark subject matter in color or black and grey, drawn with character rather than gore.

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Monsters with personality

Horror and fantasy covers the whole dark shelf: slasher icons, classic film monsters, creatures and cryptids, witches, demons, haunted houses, dark fairy tales. The best pieces have character; a face that grins, a pose that tells a story.

A neo traditional leopard drapes over a green skull on the forearm.

A black and grey illustrative sleeve of reaching hands, rays, a hooded skull and flames runs down a leg.

A black and grey illustrative veiled nun with a red ball gag covers the hand above an inverted cross on a finger.

It is less a technique than a subject, so it borrows from traditional, neo-traditional, illustrative and realism depending on the artist and the mood you want: a grinning cartoon ghoul and a photographic Nosferatu are both horror.

Traditional color moth with a skull on its body and patterned wings sits on the upper arm.

Black and grey realism back tattoo combines a grim reaper, skeletons and an hourglass.

Fresh off the needle

Horror and fantasy work from the shops

Flash from the wall

Flash from Redemption InkHorror
Flash from Redemption InkHorror

Bring the film still, leave the design to the artist

An illustrative colorful skull contains a city skyline within its open jaw tattooed on an upper arm.

A traditional black and grey skeleton mermaid tattoo curls its scaled tail along a forearm.

Reference the character or scene you want and say how you want it to feel: cartoonish, painterly, photographic. The artist decides the style that serves it and draws it in their own hand.

Slaine lives for this material and does it in bold color or black and grey; Skott brings horror, pin-ups and film reproductions in a more realistic register. Both will say which suits the character.

At a glance

Subjects: Film monsters, creatures, witches, demons
Ink: Color or black and grey
Sessions: One for a portrait-sized piece
Ageing: Depends on the base style
Artists: Slaine, Skott

Who to ask for horror

Slaine
Traditional · Neo traditional · Illustrative
Skott Kautman
Black and grey · Japanese · Polynesian

A black and red illustrative bat with spread wings covers a forearm.

A black and grey illustrative skull and antlers sit beneath a triangular eye on the neck and upper back.

Questions people ask

A color neo traditional woman wears a horned skull headdress on a forearm.

Can you tattoo a licensed character?

Yes. Tattooing a character from a film or game for your own body is normal practice; the artist draws their own version rather than tracing a frame.

How gory can it be?

As dark as you want. Most people find a piece with character outlasts a piece with shock value, and the artist will say so, but the decision is yours.