Mountains are a popular tattoo design choice for a variety of reasons. For one, the natural marvels symbolize a wide range of ideas, including stubbornness, attaining goals, climbing over obstacles, and adventure. As natural formations, mountains also clearly represent nature and an affinity for the outdoors—perfect for someone who loves hiking, swimming, climbing, or just enjoying the sun.
If you’ve been thinking about getting a mountain tattoo but aren’t exactly sure what you want it to look like, here are 33 ideas to help you design your dream ink.
Armband Tattoo
Mountains make for beautiful armband tattoos, as you can easily extend the scene to wrap around seamlessly. Light detailing also helps keep the design from feeling overwhelming, both in general and as an armband.
Mt. Fuji Tattoo
If you have an attachment to a specific mountain, why not get it tattooed? Mt. Fuji is a popular choice, as it’s often depicted with a red sun, making for a visually interesting design that pops.
Geometric Tattoo
Mountains are essentially triangles, so they fit well into abstract or geometric designs. Here, there are no curved lines, and the points of the mountains add height to the tattoo.
Nature Scene Tattoo
If you’re deeply connected to nature, mountains most likely represent something to you, whether it be goals, hard work, or stubbornness. For this reason, they make a great addition to a nature scene and help to add dimension.
Contained Tattoo
Although mountain tattoos tend to lack a bottom and just fade into the negative space of skin, they also look great contained within a specific space. Here, the trees act as a base for the scene, while a thick top line encases it to create a portrait of nature.
Space Tattoo
While mountains are often depicted as an earthly element, the juxtaposition against something more up-in-the-air, like space, makes a statement. In this piece, the mountains seem to ground the design, despite being surrounded by stars and planets.
Softened Tattoo
If the geometric element of mountains isn’t really for you, they’re easy to soften by opting for curved lines and minimal detailing. The number of lines is up to you, but for an even simpler design, use one line to create a few mountains rather than just one.
Playful Tattoo
Mountain tattoos don’t have to have to be serious—if you want something a bit more playful, go for it. Detailing like thick shadows and doodle-like elements add whimsy to the design.
Vibrant Tattoo
Mountains are a good design choice because they can be adapted into a number of styles. Here, the artist opted for vibrant colors and an enclosed tattoo, giving it an illustrated look.
Delicate Tattoo
Although mountains are known for their massive size and resolution, they can still be worked into a delicate design. If that’s your aim, go for a smaller tat in a more personal space, like the wrist.
Forest Tattoo
Tattoos featuring mountains will also often include forests. Not only are they seen together in nature, but their symbolism also complements each other. While a forest represents the journey and exploration, a mountain symbolizes attaining a goal and standing resolute.
Tip of Mountain Tattoo
Rather than thinking about mountains as a whole entity, opt for a tattoo featuring just the tops to focus it on the sky, rather than the natural mass. The tips of the mountains in this tattoo point up toward the star detailing, making it even more so the focal point.
Dotwork Tattoo
For a fun, customized look, forgo typical linework for a more visually interesting style. This piece of ink uses all dotwork, giving the tattoo a sort of hand-drawn look.
Mountain and Wave Tattoo
Play up the innate natural element of your mountains by placing them next to another natural wonder, like the ocean. While the lines in this tattoo are whimsical, the shading and water detailing roots it in reality.