Family tattoo
One occasion in depth: designs that mark it, and how to keep a set looking like a set.
A family tattoo set gives each family member a related design, so a parent, three children and a grandmother each carry one piece that reads as belonging together. The design challenge is coordination rather than matching: every person has a different size and skin tone, so the set has to work at different physical scales.
Size guide
Adult motifs 5–12 cm. Children: 2–4 cm solid shapes. Coordinate set: 6–10 cm each.
How do you make family tattoos match without them looking identical?
Hold the line weight and the motif family constant, and vary the shape. Everyone gets the same stroke thickness and a design from the same visual family, but each individual shape is different. This is what stops a family set from reading as four copies, while still making the connection obvious when you are all together.
- Constant: line weight, motif family, colour or pure black
- Vary: the shape, the size, the placement
- Avoid: identical designs on every person
How small should a child's tattoo be?
Small and simple, and it is worth waiting until they can give informed consent. For a child under about ten, the sensible answer is a solid shape rather than anything with fine detail, because fine line work on children's skin blurs faster and they will grow, which changes placement. What matters more than size is whether they still want it in ten years.
Frequently asked questions
Family tattoo designs to browse
These motifs commonly appear in this style. Open one for its meaning and size guide.
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Sample designs
