105+ Life and Death Tattoo Ideas to Show You the Best of Both Worlds

From an ambigram tattoo to skeletons being alive, there are a lot of life and death tattoos for you to select from!

As a former goth kid, I have always been fascinated with the balance between life and death. And, as an artist, I love the many different ways that you can depict this relationship. So, it is always a thrill when one of my clients comes in with a life and death tattoo concept.

In this post, I will show you the top life and death tattoo ideas available to you so that you can choose your favorite!

Life and Death Tattoo Designs

Here are the top life and death tattoo concepts for you to choose from:

Life and Death Ambigram Tattoos

The great thing about the life death ambigram tattoo is that it is pretty subtle! Here, two words are combined to form a single design. When you read the word in one direction, it reads life. Read it in the opposing direction and it reads death.

So, if you are looking for more simplistic or under-the-radar life death tattoos, this is the way to go! At the same time, it is a fun trick to pull with people and it will never fail to amaze.

Also, while it may be tricky, this kind of tattoo can also be designed to be on the smaller side. As a result, you have a lot more options when it comes to tattoo placement. You can even get a thigh tattoo if you want!

Now, you are going to need pretty talented tattoo artists to handle your life death ambigram tattoo. Because as cool as it looks, it does take a lot of planning and precision to get right. So, make sure that you choose the right tattoo artist for this job.

If you want to take your life death ambigram tattoo to the next level, you may want to slip in another color like red into the mix. This really makes the design pop.

And, while you are free to keep this ambigram tattoo just as it is, you can certainly add some background details or elements. To really make a point about your tattoo, make sure that the background concept is also a contrast or comparison of life and death.

Skeletal Hand and Human Hand Tattoos

As far as life and death tattoos go, this has to be one of my favorite life death tattoo ideas.

Here, you have a skeletal hand on one side and a living human hand on the other side. In many of these life and death tattoo designs, the hands are reaching out to one another.

The reason that I like this life and death concept so much is because the image invokes a feeling of lovers reaching out to each other. It is a way of saying that, to a certain extent, death craves life and life craves death.

It also gives you a sense of balance and cyclical fate. After all, we are all a part of the circle of life. In order for life to exist, death must sometimes prevail.

I also feel like this design is a way to overcome the fears that you have about death. Instead, it is about living life to the fullest and then embracing death when it comes for you.

Skulls and Flora Tattoos

This is another of the life death tattoo ideas I really love - a combination of skulls and plants or flowers.

Now, you may be thinking skulls, flowers, life, death - isn't this a bit of a bizarre combination? Well, that is entirely the point!

Skulls are the ultimate symbol of death and even destruction. Flowers, on the other hand, especially flowers in bloom are symbols of eternal life. They represent spring, promise, and new beginnings!

This is why using skulls, flowers, life, and death in a tattoo is such a brilliant idea. It neatly sums up the point that you are trying to make without being too obvious about it!

If you really want to create a contrast, then I would use flowers such as sunflowers that represent sun and light.

Another thing that I really like about this kind of life and death tattoo is that there is so many options to choose from. As a result, you can create a tattoo that is completely unique to you.

Here is one of my personal favorites for this life and death tattoo concept. Here, the flowers and plants make up the shape of the skull. This is a really cool tattoo design that makes you look twice!

Now, while flowers are the most commonly used element, there is no need to stop there. If you don't mind being creative, why not use a tree to make your point as well? This can be quite meaningful as trees are typically used to signify wisdom as well.

Want an interesting and quirky take on such death and life tattoos? I would consider using mushrooms! These plants are incredibly intelligent but there is something mysterious and spooky about them. Not to mention, they often grow where death and decay is abundant.

While human skulls are the most commonly used element for this macabre imagery, you can also use animal skulls as well. Here is some more inspiration for this kind of tattoo design:

Skeletons and Flowers

If you want a slightly different take on the above death and life tattoos, then consider getting skeletons and flowers inked on you instead.

Once again, there are lots of tattoo design opportunities with such life and death tattoos.

You can have the flowers surrounding the skeleton or have them growing throughout the skeleton.

Another cool idea would be to have half the skeleton done up in flowers while the other side is simply bare bones. This would be a great contrasting living and dead tattoo design.

Death and Women Tattoos

Now, you may be wondering why I would go with women and death for this kind of a life and death tattoo.

Well, this is because in most cultures, women tend to be the ultimate symbol of life. Not only are women capable of carrying and producing new life, but they have been traditionally associated with caring and nurturing.

Due to this, they make the perfect foil for Death or the grim reaper.

If you are someone who likes traditional designs, then you will certainly enjoy this life and death tattoo design:

Last Dance Tattoos

If you are on the lookout for more poignant life and death tattoos, then you should consider the last dance with death tattoo design.

This life and death tattoo features a woman (or anyone) dancing with one or more symbols of death.

Now, this kind of life and death tattoo can signal a few different things. For one thing, this life death tattoo could symbolize someone nearing the end of their life and that their final dance is with the grim reaper himself.

This life death tattoo could also indicate that you are someone who lives life on the edge. Yu may throw yourself into adventures with little regard for your safety - all you are interested in is that rush you get from truly living.

Here are some ways that you can make this life death tattoo work:

Life and Death Hourglass Tattoos

This is also another really cool life death tattoo design concept. Here, one-half of the hourglass contains signs or symbols of the living. The other half - often the bottom end - holds symbols of dying or death.

Such a life and death tattoo shows you the contrast between life and death, certainly. At the same time, such a life death tattoo can have a more subtle message as well.

It can be a way of showing how all of life eventually trickles down into death. This life death tattoo can also show how life and death are interchangeable. After all, once the hourglass is flipped over, then death gives way to life.

Skeletons Living Tattoos

If you are looking for more unique life and death tattoos, then you may want to depict skeletons enjoying life as though they were still alive.

For these life and death tattoos, you can have the skeletons doing everything from dancing to walking around with an umbrella. With the right tattoo artist, you can get as creative as you like with this life and death tattoo concept.

What Tattoo Symbolizes Life and Death?

There isn't just one tattoo that symbolizes or represents life and death. Any tattoo that shows you two opposing circumstances - something that is alive vs. something that is dead, something that is flourishing vs. something that is decaying, etc. can all be considered life and death ink ideas.

That being said, there is one concept that is especially common and popular for this kind of tattoo idea. This is the life death ambigram tattoo.

This is where when you read the tattoo in one direction, it reads life. However, read the same word in the opposing direction and it reads death.

Another concept that is pretty common is the skeleton hand and the human hand inked with mirroring actions, creating a balance between life and death.

Well, there you go - all the life and death tattoo designs you can possibly hope for. It doesn't matter if you are looking for a simple ambigram tattoo or if you want a detailed hourglass thigh tattoo - you can find inspiration for all of your needs right here!

All that is left for you to do is decide which one is right for your sense of style and your personality!