There are a lot of legendary musicians and bands that find themselves in people’s tattoos, but there seem to be more Bob Marley tattoos than just about any other music-related designs. Bob Marley is loved by people all around the world for a variety of reasons, and those who get tattoos honoring him have a bunch of different designs to choose from.
On this page, we are going to take a look at some of those different designs as well as some of the meanings people like to attach to their Bob Marley tattoos.
One of the main reasons why Bob Marley’s tattoos continue to be so popular today is because so many people get inspired by his music. Bob Marley had one of the strongest voices of the people during his time and people find it amazing how fearless he was with the lyrics he put out. Some people will get their Bob Marley tattoos simply to honor the messages that he put out there, while others will get them because they want to be more like him.
Most Bob Marley tattoos represent many different things, but you will usually find that one of those meanings is freedom. Marley experienced racism throughout his life, but he often talked about ways that he was able to feel free. Many of his songs are themed around freedom of speech, religion, race, and everything in between, so this is definitely a good tattoo to get if freedom is an important part of your life.
Bob Marley’s tattoos often also symbolize individuality since the singer himself was able to stand out from the huge pack of artists that were making names for themselves back then. Being unique human beings is what a lot of us aim to be, and the Bob Marley tattoo is a great way to show how important that is to you. You really don’t have to include any other images in your design for this meaning to shine through, especially if the person looking at it knows anything about Marley.
Another common meaning attached to Bob Marley’s tattoos is peace since he stressed his want for world peace in many of his songs and his speeches. Many people who use this meaning in their tattoos will also include a peace sign or some other peace symbol to make the meaning clearer. Of course, you really don’t have to include other images if it is meant to be a personal tattoo and you don’t care if others understand it or not.
Those who choose to go all out with their Bob Marley tattoos will get a nice, detailed portrait of the singer, often belting out a tune in the image. His hair will look realistic, there will often be a microphone in the image, and his clothes might even be in full detail. This is a great idea if you are planning on getting a larger Bob Marley tattoo or if it is going to be the main tattoo on your skin.
Those looking to add additional images to their Bob Marley tattoos will sometimes include a lion. Lions were often mentioned in Marley’s tracks, but the one that most people point to as their reference is “Iron Lion Zion,” which was a popular song recorded in 1974 and released in 1992. This is an especially great idea for people who already love the lion and were already thinking about getting one inked on their body.
One decision people have to make when getting their Bob Marley tattoos is whether they want to get the design in black and grey or colored ink. Neither style is better than the other, so it really just comes down to personal tastes. If you like the look of black and grey tattoos or you feel that the tattoo will age better in those colors, that might be your best option.
If you want to make your tat look as realistic as possible, you might instead opt to get your Bob Marley tattoo in color. A good idea would be to have your design drawn up in both styles and see which one you like more.
Those who choose to get their Bob Marley tattoos in color will sometimes include the Jamaican flag or at least the colors of the flag in their designs. Marley was a very proud Jamaican and many of his views were shared by his countrymen. The flag can be included as a small part of the design or you can even get the entire image created in those colors.
Most Bob Marley tattoos have quite a bit of detail in them, so if you are planning on getting one you should hire a very good artist to do the work for you. Chances are there are artists in your area who actually have already done Bob Marley tattoos in the past, so your decision on who to hire might be easier than you think. The most important thing is to find someone who has made a lot of big, complex pieces in the past to up your chances of getting the exact design that you want. You might even be able to look at some of the artists’ portfolios online, which can save you a lot of time.
As you can see, Bob Marley’s tattoos are very cool-looking designs and they also happen to have a lot of deep meanings attached to them. Fans of Marley or people who simply love what he stood for are great candidates for one of these designs. Even though as time passes more singers will pop up that inspire people to get tattoos to honor them, it’s pretty safe to assume that Bob Marley’s tattoos will continue to rank near the top of the list of musician-inspired tats.
If you are planning on getting a Bob Marley tattoo, be sure to take your time during the design process to make sure it’s just right and then hire a good artist to make the image pop on your skin.