Tons of Octopus Tattoo Designs to Blow Your Mind

Check out these unbelievably vivid octopus tattoo and designs. Incredible tattoos of those creatures of the deep.  The octopus is a creature of myth and legend, believed to be the inspiration for such monsters as the Kracken, and with symbolic meaning like mystery, defense, illusion, will and magic to name a few, many are drawn to the octopus, hypnotized even, by their array of vivid colors and twisting tentacles. So let’s get the the countdown and see how these octopi stack up to the legend.

Tons of Octopus Tattoo Designs:

20. Octopus Treasure Trove

This octopus appears to have raided the treasure chest with jewels and pearls intertwined with, and falling out of, the tentacles, and a key wrapped in the octopus’ grasp, perhaps suggesting the octopus here is a keeper of secrets. With fine, clean lines and vivid colors, this octo-tattoo works on all levels, is well placed and will carry the key to the wearer’s secrets to a very deep, watery grave, and bring joy to skin canvas for years to come.

19. Octopus and Compass Tattoo

This aqua green octopus with spots and spikes is nicely placed on the arm so that this creature of the deep floats upside down, hovering over and skillfully inked into flesh. The octopus is also clutching a compass, a symbol of protection and a token of good luck for sailors present and past. The compass is also symbolic of staying your course, and a steady guide to always finding your way back home. Great lining and awesome color injection make this octopus tattoo a stellar piece to be enjoyed for years. Nice Work.

18. Octopus Hand Tattoo

This is a really cool hand tattoo, perfectly placed so that the Octopus’ tentacles trickle off onto the fingers ending in little spiral curls at the knuckles. Lining, shading and coloring are well executed giving this cephalopod a three dimensional look. The Octopus elegantly moves through a world that is in constant motion controlled by the cycle of the moon, and while the octopus is a seasoned traveler, it is mostly a bottom dweller which in symbolic terms is akin to staying grounded in life, reminding us that while we may be spiritual and intuitively gifted, we are physical beings nonetheless and must temper our psychic gifts with strong foundational grounding. A nice tattoo overall, and although it will break up over time, it will still inject the pure, creative and flexible attributes of this eight armed creature into the wearers life forevermore.

17. Halo Laden Octopus Tattoo

This is a very clean, simplistic yet stylized tattoo with ultra fine lines and light shading making the octopus stand out boldly on pale flesh. There is also delicate dotting work accenting the octopus, that carries on to the blue mandala style halo crowning this trans-formative sea monster. A really fresh design and a well executed piece, this tattoo will forever herald the octopus as king of the deep.

16. Sexy Rainbow Octopus

A tangled web of octopus madness in vivid psychedelic perspective. This rather sexy tattoo is nicely placed on the hip and features a rainbow colored octopus covered in swirling black pattern work reminiscent of zentangle aesthetic. This art work stands out loudly with bold, intrepid color injection that will last for years in bright, sexy style. Very clean work and great placement make this tattoo scream octopus in borderline neon fashion. Brilliant.

15. Octopus Scarification

Ok, so I know this isn’t exactly a tattoo, but it is a brand, and a very good one at that. Scarification has long been used as a rite of passage, in tribal cultures it is used to mark milestones in a person’s life such as coming of age, or as part of a marriage ceremony, and it is becoming increasingly popular in mainstream society today. This piece features extremely clean lines cut into flesh revealing an octopus design, symbolic of transformation, creativity, psyche, emotion and flexibility. A really neat and unique brand forever scarring octopus and it’s symbolic attributes deep into skin.

14. Watercolor Octopus Dream

A delicate tattoo, made up mostly of watercolor streaks down the tentacles and swirled onto the head in fine style that appears as though it was brushed on like paint in watery blues and purple, further adding to the aquatic effect. Delicate injections of black define the eyes and tentacles bringing this beautiful octopus rendition to life. A well placed, dainty tattoo that truly feels like its underwater, to last a lifetime on pale skin canvas.

13. Ink by Octopus

This octopus tattoo hovering over it’s ink cloud is a spectacular piece stretching all the way down to the hip and up to the breast in realistic fashion. Done in the classic deep red-orange, the octopus also has light green spots in all the right places. The octopus is an invertebrate, symbolic of flexibility, grace and agility, the octopus therefore embodies the element of water itself, shown beautifully here in the fluidity of the inscribe, the octopus really looks like it’s floating. Gorgeous color injection and nice shading and highlighting make this a wonderful piece and the addition of octopus ink as a backdrop adds a unique element and really brings the octopus out of the skin.

12. Octopus Web of Color

A twisted, tangled mess of octopus tentacles wrapping around the shoulder, arm and chest, this tattoo is a wonderful, fierce blend of alien green, blood red, orange and hints of purple and yellow in a mangled, yet clearly defined, web of octopus greatness.  Click here for white ink tattoos. Very fine line work and excellent bold coloring make this ink stand out against fair skin and its only added to by the details in the spiked fins atop the octopus’ head and the bright yellow of the eye. Overall a very cool, very bold tattoo that the wearer can treasure, and carry the octopus totem for a lifetime.

11. Octo-Skull Tattoo

A warped skull with octopus tentacles coming out, wrapping their way around the upper arm and shoulder, this tattoo is a vision of death reincarnate, like the octopus moved into a cranium shell and now glides through the abyss haunting all it encounters. This inscribe features good line work and nice highlighting and coupled with excellent, fine shading work makes for a really cool, bold design which will be worn as a dark totem to ward away bad spirits and a morbid badge of honor to take to the grave. If you are a fan of skull tattoos, here is a Day of the Dead Tattoo that is among our favorites. Ready for more octopus tattoo designs?

10. Giant Octopus vs Ship

A classic take on a classic design, this tattoo features a giant octopus as sea monster taking down a large ship surrounded by choppy waves. The octopus is inked in a classic red, his tentacles twisting around and through the ship, tearing it apart and dragging it down to a murky, watery grave. This well placed inscribe has nice, clean line work and awesome highlighting that gives it a three dimensional appearance. Much like the legend of the Kracken, this octopus is the embodiment of terrifying stories of the sea, where entire ships would be literally lost to the ocean’s depths following an attack from monstrous sea beast. A cool, very flowing tattoo, with octopus and waves swirling together, that will last on skin until the end of time.

9. Menacing Octopus Neck and Chest Tattoo

This octopus tattoo is a bold chest and neck piece achieved with awesome color injection and beautiful highlighting making this a great stand alone inscribe, that also works well with the wearer’s other ink, fiercely glaring back at onlookers with an air of menace to strike fear in the hearts of enemies. Maybe then this tattoo symbolizes protection for the wearer, and a totem to ward away evil spirits. The detailing in the octopus’ head is quite stunning with every wrinkle and bulge standing out through beautiful shading work, and the tentacles too are highlighted to perfection. Overall a very bold, cool and unique brand bringing the water elements of adaptability, flexibility and creativity to skin canvas in intrepid fashion.

8. Neon Purple Octopus

Bright, bold, neon color makes this octopus tattoo an amazing piece standing out on pale skin in truly vivid perspective. Awesome, swirling indigo and blues decorate this inspiring creature of the deep as it glides across flesh in a supernatural glow of intrepid color. Really fine line work and intense color injection make this a flashy stand out piece which beautifully captures the essence of octopus in extremely dramatic style. Awesome.

7. Tribal Octopus

This is a great octopus tattoo of tribal influence, draped across the back of the shoulder, cloaking the skin in mysterious meaning, and decorated in intricate pattern work which just begs for a closer look. Line work, shading and coloring are all impeccable in this piece, and make for a really bold and quite trippy design that is in-keeping with tribal aesthetics. Overall, a great tattoo, really well placed, giving the wearer a permanent octopus armor to wear with pride, and making a bold statement too.

6. Gorgeous Octopus Upper Back Art

The detail in this beautiful tattoo is astounding with gorgeous markings that look like fine cracks all over the octopus, it is well outlined with attention paid to the details in every suction cup, flap and wrinkle of this intelligent, constantly transforming creature. Color injection is amazing in this brand with wicked pinks and purples, highlighted by yellow streaks that come up to and around the eye. A very well placed piece covering the upper back with a kind of menacing grace, this octopus draws you in , hypnotizing you and once in it’s grasp it will never let go. Wonderful work.

5. Alien Skull Octopus

A unique take on the octopus tattoo with a skeletal octopus featuring an alien skull head inscribed across upper back and onto the arm. Clean lines and great shading and highlighting along with the extensive detail work makes this brand a bold, very alien piece further deepening the mystery of the octopus and indeed the origins of the monster in this tattoo. The tentacles look almost mechanical and one even realistically pierces the back of the wearer’s arm emerging from under flesh and continuing down past the elbow. All in all this is an electrifying brand bringing something truly enigmatic to the canvas and a level of doom that swims around it. Beautiful.

4. Hidden in the Reef Octopus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A crazy, somewhat confusing design, nevertheless reads octopus loudly and in vivid color. This red and orange spotted creature is entangled with pieces from the coral reef and disguises itself among them only given away by stray tentacles and an unmistakable eye at the center of the chaos. Awesome line work and great coloring give this piece flair and an element of hidden mystery which the octopus can represent. Overall, a well placed, sexy tattoo with excellent color saturation and choice of contrasting colors that really make this inscribe pop.

3. The Octopus and the Skull Back Tattoo

This is an interesting tattoo with a well shaded octopus, its tentacles twisting and turning around flesh, covering the back in awesome style, its head all octopus on one side, turning into human skull on the other. The head of the octopus and the cranium are so well blended, it’s easy to miss the skull at first, but it appears upon closer inspection with an intricate mandala joining human and octopus heads, minds melting into one super intelligent life force. Excellent lining makes this a stellar piece, highly detailed, an octopus that will forever cling to wearer’s back, holding life and death in balance and bringing creative and trans-formative water elements to life. Splendid.

2. Swirling, Stunning Octopus Tattoo

This is one stunning, super sexy octopus tattoo back featuring a tangle of swirls in the center where the tentacles appear to spawn from, and then they curl out wrapping their way from shoulders to ass in consistent, highly detailed fashion. Beautifully lined and colored and shaded with perfection, this is one tantalizing tattoo and gorgeously presents octopus emerging from deep within skin, an amazing work of art enhancing the female form in spectacular style.

1. Full Body Octopus Masterpiece