Fingerprint Tattoo Meaning, Design & Ideas

The fingerprint tattoo is unlike any other. With around 8 billion people on this planet, not one person has the same exact fingerprint. The idea of fingerprints being used for artistic reasons has been around since the prehistoric days.

The nomads and cave people would create illustrations to not only entertain each other but to pass out information along to others who pass through certain caves and other types of shelter. Frequently, the art would be displayed on walls and the main tool would be their very own hands.

In grade schools, teachers have the children do various arts and crafts. They always seem to show kids how to make little turkeys by dipping their hands in paint, then applying the painted-up hand firmly to a piece of paper or whatever it is they’re making the hand turkey on. This is the same concept that they used over 13,000 years ago. Now that the ancient art of tattooing is becoming more popular than ever amongst the youth, the fingerprint tattoo has been a popular body art piece to flash around.

Creating the image for a fingerprint tattoo is simple and a good way to get a better understanding of how your new body art will look. Since it does not take much effort to get your fingerprint on a piece of paper, you can always play around with the idea before you decide to get a part of your body permanently inked.

The easiest fingerprint design could be as simple as taking your thumb rolled in ink, and pressing it smoothly against a flat piece of paper. Doing this, then going to your tattoo artist and explaining to them what you would like done with it, such as if you would like it bigger, smaller or wider, would be a good start. If you think your thumb or any of your other fingers is not enough, you can just as easily get an ink print of your entire hand.

Normally, the tattoo consumer is not going to get their personal fingerprint/handprint on themselves unless that’s what they’re into, this tattoo is usually the identification of someone close to the individual. A family member, lover or even an animal’s paw prints are always great choices.

The most common fingerprint tattoo that I have seen is the child of that particular person’s handprint, pressed against the back shoulder of the parent with maybe the child’s name and birth date written beside it.

This is a simple reminder that no matter how old this person’s child may grow to be, they will always be that parent’s baby. (This tattoo is normally done when the child is still an infant and the hands are small enough to not take up a ton of space on the person’s body).

If you want to take your fingerprint tattoo up to the next level, a clever design idea is to get another design within the design of the fingerprint. A tattoo of a fingerprint with a heart shape inside of the print, for example, is an idea that has been played around with. Putting a design within the design of the fingerprint is not only simple to do, but it looks great and is perceived to have much thought put into it.

Hearts aren’t the only design you could throw in the print. However, a heart is a design that goes along so well with the fingerprint, because the fingerprint you are getting tattooed, obviously belongs to a person you love.

Do you like the idea of the fingerprint and heart, but you are not so sure about putting one graphic inside of the other? No problem, creating the design of your liking with multiple presses of the fingerprint is easy to do and looks pretty neat! Since finger/thumb prints are a kind of oval shape to begin with, it’s best to choose a design that does not have too many jagged edges, but more or less, rounded-off edges.

A classic design that many people love the symbolism behind is the ‘Butterfly Design’. This design is simply the outlining of a butterfly. A butterfly design can easily be manipulated by using your thumb or fingerprints. In order to portray this effect, you will need to angle your fingerprints off into four different sections, which would mean, four fingerprints.

These fingerprints can either be made all with the same thumb or finger of one person, or you could fit up to four different fingerprints from four different people as the design. Position the finger or thumb at an angle, then underneath that print, make sort of the same angle but upside down.

Doing this twice, with two fingerprints on each side, gives the ending result of butterfly wings. From here, you can effortlessly draw a stick body in the middle with the antennae sitting on the top of the head. The butterfly design goes nicely with the fingerprint idea because of its symbolism. Butterflies represent a powerful and deep symbol of life, change, hope, and endurance.

If the fingerprint tattoo sounds like a piece that would suit you, I suggest you go ahead and get it! Fingerprint tattoos are very versatile so fitting them in alongside the rest of your tattoos should not be an issue. They are also a great conversation starter. Depending on the simplicity of the design, if the design you come up with has color within it, or the size of the piece, your tattoo artist should be able to give you a decent bargain on price.

Another quick tip before you go and get your ink done, is the placement of the tattoo. With fingerprint tattoos, there are many swirls, curves, and small detailed lines. Choosing a spot where you believe your skin won’t stretch much is the best possible placement. Spots on the body where tattoos seem to stretch and age the least are tight parts of skin.

This could include, your ankles, feet, or back of the shoulder. Basically, anywhere you feel your skin won’t start to sag and loosen up with age. Take these ideas into consideration and good luck with your future body art!

Leave a Comment