There are so many animals in our ecosystem that it’s hard to keep track of. Some animals have brethrens that make them even more difficult to distinguish with others. But there is one animal in nature that just stands out on its own. From its unique spots in the body to its ferocious demeanor, the jaguar is undoubtedly the silent guardian of the jungle.
That’s why so many tattoo artists around the world are intrigued by it. People always want to come off as genuine and unique to everybody else. In the recurrent era where tattoos are so popular, often the designs get quite repetitive.
But that doesn’t happen in the case of jaguar tattoos. The symbolism and meaning behind each tattoo makes it such an unbelievably aesthetic tattoo.
From the Aztec culture to today’s generation, the jaguars still hold a powerful presence. It symbolizes strength, uniqueness and most importantly dominance. So today we are going to find out all there is to know about jaguar tattoos.
Contents
- The Place Beyond The Jungle: Hidden Jaguar Tattoo Meanings To Inspire You
- No Country For Old Jaguar Tattoos: Incredible Jaguar Tattoo Ideas To Look Fashionable
- Aztec Jaguar Tattoo
- Black Jaguar Tattoo
- Mayan Jaguar Tattoo
- Traditional Jaguar Tattoo
- Jaguar Warrior Tattoo
- Guerrero Jaguar Tattoo
- Realistic Jaguar Tattoo
- Simple Jaguar Tattoo
- Mexican Jaguar Tattoo
- Jaguar Eyes Tattoo
- Jaguar Head Tattoo
- Tribal Jaguar Tattoo
- Jaguar Forearm Tattoo
- Japanese Jaguar Tattoo
- Jaguar Back Tattoo
- Geometric Jaguar Tattoo
- Jaguar Skull Tattoo
- Small Jaguar Tattoo
- Jaguar Arm Tattoo
- Baby Jaguar Tattoo
- A Deep Look In The Jaguars Heart: Visualizing The Entire Journey Of Drawing A Jaguar Tattoo
- FAQ
- Conclusion
The Place Beyond The Jungle: Hidden Jaguar Tattoo Meanings To Inspire You
Although its presence can be felt all throughout the jungle, witnessing a jaguar in its vicinity can be like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s because of its mesmerizing camouflage ability. It can blend right into any environment.
This ability of the jaguar depicts that no matter how strong you are, you should always keep yourself away from others and keep working hard.
In ancient and Aztec culture, tribal people used to wear tattoos of jaguars to portray noblesness. Warriors used to wear jaguar paints before going into battle believing that it would give them the strength to absolutely annihilate the opponent. So, if you get this tattoo, you will also demolish all the obstacles coming your way and become the very best version of yourself.
No Country For Old Jaguar Tattoos: Incredible Jaguar Tattoo Ideas To Look Fashionable
Either you had the chance to look at it in real life or seen it on TV, the jaguars are always a treat to watch. The patterns, the spots, the vibrant colors and most importantly, its silent yet deadly attitude makes it such an enthralling beast to wonder about.
Although it has been a staple for tattoo artists to draw animals such as lions, tigers and leopards, the jaguar seemed to be neglected. But you can bring it to vogue by getting it tattooed on your body canvas.
So, here are some of the most enthralling jaguar tattoo ideas. These tattoos will make you come off as bold and courageous. People will be intrigued by you. Most importantly. Whenever you will see the tattoo, you will feel an aura of strength exuding from the tattoo.
Aztec Jaguar Tattoo
During the time when Aztec and mayan culture were at their peak, jaguars used to run terrors in the jungle. The incredibly ferocious nature of it was already known but what stood out was its resilience.
Jaguars completely immersed themselves in its environment and none of the prey seemed to know where they were coming from. The results were a quick death and a delicious lunch for the jaguars. That’s why aztec and mayans started to worship these creatures. There is a word called “Ocelot” which was used to describe jaguars. They believed that getting a picture of the jaguar would grant them eternal strength.
If you are looking to get this tattoo engraved then the best way is to get an outline that is a picture perfect resemblance of the old jaguars.The old jaguars were much bulkier so try to illustrate it by giving the tattoo more circumference. Then, you can either draw it in black and white or incorporate blazing colors. The choice is yours.
Black Jaguar Tattoo
The natural color of the jaguar comprises a wide range of spots and shapes. Even its tails have these blobs of black color.
Now you may be wondering how on earth can you get the tattoo in black when you have to highlight those black spots. Well, the answer is by optimizing the intensity of the colors.
What most tattoo artists do is to illustrate the spots in deeper black and keep the body in usual black hues. It will make the spots stand out. The stature of the jaguar is quite important so try to make it look like it’s trying to hunt for its prey. Then whenever people will look at your tattoo they will feel like the jaguar is going to jump right off your flesh.
Mayan Jaguar Tattoo
To the Mayans the jaguar was a deity that had power and prosperity over them. That’s why in the mayan culture, there are a handful of gods associated directly with the jaguars.
One of their most prayed gods known as the god of the underworld was a jaguar shaped deity who was believed to grant them immense strength and fertility. This jaguar god had an immense amount of influence over the mayans and shaped many of their myths and folktales.
During that time, people used to paint themselves to resemble jaguars. They used the sap from the trees to draw dense colors in the faces. In recent times, tattoo artists prefer to draw the tattoo in the forearm or the thigh where there is a little bit more space. They still follow that traditional approach and use a deep color to highlight every part of the jaguar.
Traditional Jaguar Tattoo
Many people ask us what is the difference between a traditional tattoo and a modern tattoo? Well, in a traditional tattoo, you don’t need to illustrate the tattoo in a hyper realistic way. The message your tattoo will give is the key factor in the case for traditional tattoos.
So, when you are getting the traditional jaguar tattoo make sure that you emphasize more on the symbolism. Try to use a lot of vivid colors to draw each part of the tiger. A bold idea is to make the stature of the tattoo not commonly found in nature. This will create an otherworldly effect.
Another important thing is to include a bunch of elements in the tattoo that are heavily associated with jaguars. They can be blowers, trees, rivers and a bunch of other things. This will make the tattoo look a lot more natural.
Jaguar Warrior Tattoo
Jaguars are natural born killers. Therefore, it’s quite obvious that they are considered as creatures with advanced warrior tactics. Even researchers study their attack patterns because it always seems so unpredictable.
Although all jaguars have warrior capabilities, there are some which have extraordinary skills. If you look closely then you will see the ones with greater skills have some unique spots in their bodies unlike the other ones.
So to make a jaguar warrior tattoo, illustrate the jaguars spots in an unusual way to make it seem more voracious. Try to dilute the colors so that it gives an intimidating aura to the tattoo.
Guerrero Jaguar Tattoo
Although it might be tongue twister but this tattoo has so much depth to it that writing about it will take pages after pages. So let us begin. Guerrero was an elite military group of the Aztec culture who used to wear jaguar costumes and masks. They coupled themselves with a wooden club which was spiked with razor sharp glasses.
The warriors believed that fighting in a jaguar costume would give them immense strength and make them fearless. The overall attire would always look incredibly badass.
In recent times, this military group has long been forgotten but they left quite a mark. Tattoos artists love to draw guerrero tattoos still to this day. The main aspect of it is to make the jaguar look like an attire or a costume rather than an animal. The tattoo has to portray that the jaguar is an accomplice which will fight aside you no matter what the enemy is.
Realistic Jaguar Tattoo
Well, the key to a realistic tattoo is always the details and the textures. The more details you will include the more natural the tattoo will look like.
There are quite a few components that you have to especially emphasize on. First of all, the eyes of the jaguar need to be glowing. You cannot just illustrate a circle to resemble the eyes. The next thing is the spots. The spots have to be incredibly uniform as well as ubiquitous all throughout the body.
Last but not the least, the fur and the mustache of the jaguar has to be precisely drawn. A good technique is to give tons of spike shapes over the jaguar’s body. As for the colors, you have no restrictions. Go completely wild but make sure the color combinations work otherwise it would look more comical than realistic.
Simple Jaguar Tattoo
For most jaguar tattoos, artists usually incorporate other natural elements to complement the jaguar. But sometimes going the minimalistic route is the best.
A simple jaguar tattoo only focuses on the jaguar and tends to give an aesthetic and soothing visual. The key is in the outlines. The outline has to be in the bare minimum just to give a general structure of the jaguar. You don’t necessarily have to use bold colors to illustrate the tattoo. Some black and white hues with low intensity are enough to make it look breathtaking.
Mexican Jaguar Tattoo
This tattoo is not for the faint hearted. Mexico can be a land of dreams but oftentimes it’s as deadly as it gets. The cartels and ganglords here are brutal and they run havoc in the streets. Many of the members wear jaguar tattoos to give an intimidating aura.
So, if you want people to fear you, there isn’t a better tattoo to get. Rather than just illustrating the jaguar, you can attach a skull or a weapon next to it. These two will make such a deadly combination that it would make anybody’s blood go cold.
Jaguar Eyes Tattoo
Imagine you are going in the middle of the amazon jungle with your family and friends. It’s night time. You choose to rest for a while as there are still a lot of paths ahead of you. You establish a tent and lay yourselves on the ground. Suddenly, you see from a far distance a pair of eyes is glowing in the darkness. How terrifying would you feel?
The jaguar’s eyes are one of the most fascinating things in the world. It glows in the dark. The retina and even the cornea comprises so many layers that if you look closely you will lose yourselves in the abyss.
So, to illustrate the eyes, you need to use tons of details. At the end, give some touch ups to portray that glowing effect and it would seem like the jaguar tattoo is staring right at your soul.
Jaguar Head Tattoo
Although the jaguar’s components are all fascinating, its head is where the fierceness comes from. Whenever it hunts for its prey, it rotates its head and searches for the best approach to take. When the time comes, the jaguar jumps and tears the flesh of the prey with its knife-like teeths.
There are a couple of things that you need to highlight when it comes to the jaguar head tattoo. The first thing is the teeth. Make sure you make the teeths narrow to give that sharp aesthetic. Use blazing colors in the other parts of the head. Rather than portraying it timidly. Illustrate the jaguar as if it’s looking for its next prey.
Tribal Jaguar Tattoo
As we’ve already discussed, the jaguar has always intertwined with many tribes from the Aztec and the Mayan culture. People believed wholeheartedly that the jaguar gave them the power they would need to continue moving forward.
A trendy style which you will love is to illustrate the tattoo using only shapes and spots. You don’t need to use colors to overcomplicate things. Just get an outline of the jaguar and draw each part of it using only curved lines and geometric shapes. This will bring out the tribal vibes and make you feel like you are fighting with your enemies along with your brothers.
Jaguar Forearm Tattoo
Your forearm has a trippy, psychedelic vibe to it. Do you know that? Whenever you bend your arm, your forearm tattoo will not be visible anymore. It will only show when you stretch your arm. How magical is that.
So to make this kind of trippy jaguar tattoo, the proportion of the jaguar is crucial. You have to ensure that it doesn’t take too much space otherwise it will completely defeat the purpose. Play around with different colors unless you got the right combination.
Watercolors are always preferable as it transcends the outlines and mixes well with the other colors. After you have finished, use your fingers to gently press on the tattoo to give it a bit of depth.
Japanese Jaguar Tattoo
If we go back in time, we will notice that the Japanese have always used the jaguar to depict some sort of symbolism . Many Japanese avatars and gods used to ride the jaguars. Therefore, you can understand just how much jaguar means to them.
What distinguishes Japanese tattoos from others is the colors. Artists use a much more diluted color to portray the jaguar. Rather than trying to make it messy and overdone, you have to keep things simple and give it a whimsical aesthetic.
Jaguar Back Tattoo
If you’ve had the pleasure to witness the beast in its vicinity or in zoos, you know how enormous the jaguar is. So it’s quite obvious that the tattoo has to be grand and gigantic as well.
But finding a place in your body canvas to hold the jaguar can often be tough. The best place in our minds is the back. It has enough space to not just draw a single jaguar but multiple ones if you wish.
Try to make use of your skin as much as you can. The yellowish white can act as an incredible background to your jaguar tattoo. As you are getting more space in the background, incorporate some natural or tribal elements like a symbol or sign to make it look badass.
Geometric Jaguar Tattoo
You may be wondering why there is a jargon on the list of jaguar tattoos. Well, the word “Geometric” may seem painfully verbose but it’s an astonishing technique which a lot of tattoo artists prefer.
So rather than drawing the tattoo free hand, artists have to use geometric shapes only. Shapes like rectangles, triangles and circles can be used to give an aesthetic yet artificial effect.
Jaguar Skull Tattoo
Beneath each of the living organisms lies a white component known as the skull. This skill is what is left after we die and get decomposed.
Therefore, skulls have always been associated with death. On the other hand, jaguars are one of the liveliest creatures to exist on this planet. Together, these two components create a dichotomy of life and death.
So to portray life and death, there aren’t better colors than black and white. You can illustrate the skull in its natural white color and make the jaguar look black by completely submerging it in the ink. The end result will be something that will pierce your heart.
Small Jaguar Tattoo
Rather than getting a grand tattoo which will require countless sessions and god knows how much inking, why not get a small jaguar tattoo?
You may be wondering that a small jaguar tattoo won’t have that much significance. But the truth is you can depict your message perfectly with a small tattoo with little amount of work.
Just make sure the jaguar is visible enough. To do that, get a good outline of a jaguar using deep black color with a lot of contrast and incorporate a few colors here and there to make the tattoo pop up.
Jaguar Arm Tattoo
One thing you have to keep in mind while getting the jaguar arm tattoo is the circumference. You have to acknowledge the fact that you don’t have much space to work with. So try to illustrate the tattoo in a horizontal style and make the body of it a bit narrow.
The best aspect of the jaguar arm tattoo is that the tattoo will be mobile. It won’t seem stationary like the other tattoos. Whenever you move, the artwork’s dimension will also change creating an amazing dynamic.
Baby Jaguar Tattoo
There isn’t anything more adorable than a baby jaguar tattoo. You don’t always need to portray masculinity with your tattoo. Sometimes it’s ok to be a bit vulnerable and embrace the childishness in you.
There are many instances where the tattoo artists try to draw a baby tattoo but instead make an adult one. So make sure you get the features just right.
You can try to make the cheeks a bit fluffy or give the tail a wriggly effect to depict the innocence of the jaguar perfectly. Use a myriad of colors especially in its head and the finished tattoo will look like the jaguar has just come to life.
A Deep Look In The Jaguars Heart: Visualizing The Entire Journey Of Drawing A Jaguar Tattoo
The best artists always give an incredible amount of time and dedication to draw an incredible jaguar tattoo. We always look at the finished outcome and think about how easy it must’ve been. But that’s far from the truth.
In reality, tattoo artists have to sometimes draw for six to seven hours straight which consists of multiple sessions to get the tattoo just right. The color has to be diluted and mixed to get the right combination. All in all, it can be a daunting experience to get the right tattoo.
But don’t worry. Here is a step by step guide on illustrating a jaguar tattoo. Walk along the footsteps of a professional artist and you will get the creative juices flowing in you.
FAQ
Jaguars tattoos are like a hidden treasure that has been under the radar for a very long time but now it has resurfaced again.
Therefore, it is quite obvious that there will be a lot of unanswered questions surrounding it. So, to cool your minds, we have carefully selected some of the internet’s hottest questions regarding jaguar tattoos to calm your nerves. Give them a quick look.
Q: Are Jaguar Tattoos Lucky?
Ans: Yes, they are incredibly lucky. They were considered gods in ancient cultures. Therefore, it is suffice to say that many people believed them to grant them luck and prosperity. Now, whether their belief turned out to be true or not that’s up for debate. But seeing how enormous and wealthy the Aztec empire was, the jaguar tattoos indeed seem quite lucky.
Q: What’s The Best Place To Get A Jaguar Tattoo?
Ans: The best place to get a jaguar tattoo is undoubtedly the forearm as it would give the tattoo some momentum. Whenever you walk or run, it would feel like the jaguar is also moving beside you. How awesome is that!
Q: Should I Get A Jaguar Tattoo For My Loved One?
Ans: Jaguar tattoos aren’t usually associated with romanticism that much but hey. Don’t let that stop you from getting a jaguar tattoo for your loved one. Jaguars are bold and majestic creatures. When you will get it for your loved one, it will showcase your love and dedication towards them. So, it can definitely be a good idea.
Conclusion
Life is too short to live in fear. Sometimes you should let your fears leave behind and move forward with courage. To help you do this, there isn’t a better alternative than getting a jaguar tattoo.
A jaguar tattoo is a symbol of nobility, power and boldness. Within each of this tattoo, there are millions of tribal people’s beliefs and sacrifices engraved. So, when you will get the jaguar tattoo, you feel a sense of hope and encouragement. It would make you have a positive outlook on life.
