21 Best Scorpion Tattoo Ideas and Designs to Inspire You

Are you thinking about getting a scorpion tattoo but have no idea what style or design you want? You’ve come to the perfect place!

Scorpions look great in the traditional tattooing style, black and white, and full color. You can even choose something simple, like a line drawing, which will still look stunning. These little creatures’ tattoo options are endless, whether you want something dainty and small or large and bold.

Use these scorpion tattoo ideas for inspiration the next time you head to the tattoo shop.

Closeup of a scorpion.

Traditional Scorpion Tattoos

1. Sun Scorpion

This sun scorpion features a bright red sun as the backdrop for a blue scorpion. This bright red helps the muted blues and black shading pop. The artist created a great sense of balance by incorporating red in other areas as well.

2. Barbed Scorpion

The tattoo artist spiced up the look of traditional scorpion tattoo ideas with this one and added spiky barbs. While the change is subtle, it’s an interesting take on the creature and really draws your attention. The crisp traditional black-and-white shading is also rather eye-catching.

3. Rose Scorpion

A rose scorpion tattoo idea is the perfect way to incorporate color, as scorpions are typically black. This traditional rose uses bright, warm colors to make it pop. And the scorpion uses a beautiful black stippling technique to create depth.

4. Double Scorpion Chest Tattoo

This double scorpion tattoo takes a twist on chest tattoos and uses some eye-catching symmetry. It was a great idea to use black as the base and warm colors as accents to help make certain areas pop. The drops of blood to suggest the tattoos are alive were a great touch.


Scorpion Tattoos in Black and White

5. Small Scorpion

This small scorpion tattoo idea is the perfect minimalist tattoo if you don’t want something too attention-grabbing. The line work is nice and crisp, with no indication of ink blowouts, which is sometimes difficult with tiny tattoos.

6. Tribal Scorpion

This tribal scorpion tattoo goes down the abstract route and sticks to bold black. It’s very eye-catching and the placement is perfect. The scorpion is almost in the shape of an “s”, which helps fill up the space nicely.

7. Simple Scorpion

While this tattoo might look simple, the artist added little lines within the design to give a sense of depth. Tattooing the individual ligaments of the legs was also a great idea that helped create a more realistic anatomy.

8. Eyeball Scorpion Hand

This beautiful eyeball scorpion tattoo idea has great black shading and an unbelievably realistic look. It’s also worth noting that the artist incorporated the stinger into the tear that’s dripping from the eye. This worked well to help make the piece look like a singular cohesive piece rather than two separate tattoos.

9. Scorpion Outline

A scorpion tattoo outline is another idea if you want something on the minimalist side. The crisp lines are beautiful, and the little sparkle outlines add some personality. It’s like a magic scorpion.

10. Stippled Floral Scorpion

This floral scorpion tattoo idea makes great use of stippling, creating a beautiful illusion of light and shadows. Using the flower as the stinger was an intriguing touch, telling us that scorpions aren’t as scary as they look.

11. Geometric Scorpion

A geometric scorpion like this creates an abstract look to the scorpion image we know. The artist also used stippling for depth, with the resulting image looking like a piece of origami art.

12. Scorpion in a Bottle

This scorpion in a bottle gives an intriguing mystical appearance to this tattoo. It has beautiful line work, stippling, shading, and the artist made great use of white. Using it to highlight the water and bubbles creates movement and depth. Solid black certainly draws your attention to the scorpion.

13. Scorpio Tarot Card

If you’re a Scorpio, this tarot card tattoo is absolutely stunning! The combination of thin line work, accurate stippling, and vine-like background will keep your eyes busy for a while. Having the scorpion overlap the card was a great choice to help create a focal point.

14. Star Scorpion

This star scorpion tattoo idea uses lines and shading to create a moving wave-like pattern within the scorpion. The stippled design in the background contrasts the scorpion and gives the tattoo a delicate look.


Scorpion Tattoos in Color

15. 3D Scorpion

3D scorpion tattoos like this use bold blues and reds to give the illusion that you’re looking through 3D glasses. The shading is stunning, and the glitch pieces enhance the digital element.

16. Floral Girly Scorpion

This floral scorpion tattoo idea uses a beautiful, eye-catching gradient of purple, pink, and red. Using flowers as the scorpion’s body was a unique and pretty choice.

17. Red Scorpion

The artist used a mix of lines and swirls to make this beautiful red abstract scorpion tattoo idea. It’s very reminiscent of a henna tattoo. And it has a bold look with its clean line work and bright shade of red.

18. Modern Scorpion

This tattoo combines modern aspects like shapes, watercolor, and a geometric design with shading. The result is a beautifully sharp design with popping aspects of color. It has a nice artistic flare.

19. Bold Floral Scorpion

Bright and bold colors and solid shading make this scorpion tattoo idea a statement piece. Its bright turquoise scorpion sticks out amazingly from the pinks and greens. The gradients are smooth and black shading was the perfect choice for a dramatic look.

20. Watercolor Scorpion

This watercolor scorpion tattoo idea uses paint-like strokes and bold colors if you want an artistic approach. The black scorpion stands out beautifully from the paint strokes and splatters. And the white highlights seriously bring the tattoo to life.

21. Skull Phantom Scorpion

This phantom scorpion tattoo idea has a graphic design-like look to it, with dark lines and highly-contrasting colors of black and orange. The inner sketch lines and outer white aura lines were a great touch, creating a striking look.


Where Should You Place Your Scorpion Tattoo?

You can technically put your scorpion tattoo anywhere you feel fit. It’s your body.

A tattoo artist working on a client.

But here are some ideas on where they might look best.

Wrist

Pros:

  • They’re usually cheaper because they’re small
  • It’s an easily accessible area, so you can always admire it
  • You can hide it easily

Cons:

  • It can be painful due to bones in the area
  • You use your wrists a lot, and friction can cause them to fade faster

Forearm

Pros:

  • It’s on the low end of the pain scale
  • Large canvas area, so it’s good for big tattoos
  • Easy area to showcase your body art

Cons:

  • Friction issues that can affect healing and fading
  • It might look warped at certain angles because your forearm curves

Calf

Pros:

  • You can cover it with pants
  • Less painful tattooing area
  • Large canvas area

Cons:

  • Aging and muscle loss can eventually warp the tattoo
  • You’ll need to avoid any tight pants for the length of the healing process

Ankle

Pros:

  • They are small and less expensive compared to other areas
  • You can easily cover them
  • They have a nice esthetic appeal

Cons:

  • Can be painful due to bone placement
  • The healing process can be long, as your socks and shoes will rub on it

Chest

Pros:

  • Large canvas area
  • Bold and eye-catching area
  • Your shirt usually covers it the majority of the time, meaning it won’t fade as quickly as other areas

Cons:

  • They’re typically very painful
  • Your shirt and undergarments can irritate it during the healing process

Why Is Scorpion Tattoo Placement Important?

Some things to think about when deciding on the placement of your scorpion tattoo idea include the following:

  • Your job
  • Whether or not you want to see your tattoo daily
  • Certain areas can accentuate your tattoo
  • Your pain tolerance
  • Sun exposure, as the sun can fade tattoos faster
  • Aging, as your tattoo will warp more in certain areas than others

Best Color Schemes for Scorpion Tattoos

Common color schemes for scorpion tattoos include the following:

  • Black and white, as real scorpions are usually black or brown
  • Red and black
  • Blue and black
  • Blue and red

Many scorpion tattoo ideas tend to play with contrasting schemes of cool and warm colors. This helps make the tattoo look more dramatic.

Why Is Color Important?

The colors you choose for your scorpion tattoo can convey certain moods and tones. Think about how you want the tattoo interpreted by other people. Colors like black and red can suggest feelings of anger and power. Whereas colors like blue and purple are associated with feelings of tranquility, peace, spirituality, and creativity.


Frequently Asked Questions

A scorpion on a log or stump.

What do scorpions symbolize?

Scorpions can symbolize many things. But the most common connections are protection, rebirth, independence, and strength.

What are scorpion tattoos a metaphor for?

Most of the time, scorpions are metaphors for overcoming fear or hardships. But some people might get these tattoos simply because they like scorpions.

Do scorpion tattoos hurt?

Large tattoos, lots of shading, and bone placement can lead to more pain. If pain is an issue, go for areas where the skin is thick and opt for something simple. Something like numbing cream can help if your artist allows it.


Wrapping Up Scorpion Tattoo Ideas

Scorpion tattoo on a man's neck. Scorpion tattoo ideas for different body locations.

With so many tattoo styles and color schemes, it’s understandable that picking your new scorpion tattoo can be overwhelming. Hopefully, these scorpion tattoo ideas were able to spark some inspiration for your next piece of ink artwork!

If you need more inspiration, check out the other Tattoo Ideas blog posts on our website for more photos!

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