Punk tattoos. Steampunk Tattoo - From Science Fiction to Tattoo Art

In the art of tattooing, some topics do not lose their relevance for years and decades. But the road is always open for something new. Speaking of steampunk, it is difficult to decide whether to attribute it to a new school or whether it is already worthy of the title of "tattoo classic". Steampunk appeared not so long ago, but it seems that becoming a fleeting trend is not his destiny. He took shape in an independent direction, overgrown with many wonderful sketches and opened to the world several new names of talented masters.

Style origins

The word "steampunk" was coined by science fiction writers in the 80s of the last century. It denoted an alternative course of reality, in which the scientific world chose not digital technologies and cybernetics, but steam mechanics, as a result of which the development of progress went in a completely different way.

From literature, this word quickly penetrated into art, including cinema. And from there it leaked into the sphere of tattoos. Steampunk has changed its fourth decade, but still looks unhackneyed and fresh.

closest relatives

Steampunk has some common features with others. Much was transferred to it from biomechanics. The difference is that mechan-bio uses images of real, real-life mechanisms, microcircuits, power units, and its characters are mostly non-fictional living beings. Steampunk disregards the postulates of biology and physics, giving life to both fictional (or outdated) mechanisms and animals.

There are similarities with cyber-punk, in opposition to which he was once invented. You can find some similarities with high-tech. However, both of these styles, unlike steampunk, preach just the same development of modern science with its digital technologies. steampunk at this time selflessly revels in the romance of the 20s of the last century.

Style features

Steam boilers, levers, clockwork, monocles, factory pipes and more have found a place in the steampunk style. Tattoos often depict amazing insects and animals, partially mechanized. Characteristic of this style is the combination of wildlife and mechanisms. Only, unlike the high-tech steampunk-style biorobot, it moves not due to the work of electronics and microchips, but thanks to mechanics.

All this is combined with the current fashion of a hundred years ago with its lace, velvet, bustles, gloves, corsets and guipure half masks. Add to that some pearls, dragonfly wings, gears and bolts and you have the steampunk tattoo style in all its glory.

The term "steampunk" comes from two English words - steam "steam" and punk "rotten, trash, bad." This is the direction of science fiction about a civilization that has mastered steam engines and mechanics to perfection. In the article we will talk about steampunk and tattoos in this style. Join now!

Style history

Steampunk is an alternative version of the development of mankind with a touch of dystopia. Imagine the gloomy streets of Victorian England - people are at war with each other, the aristocracy is full of pathos, and the lower classes are poor and dangerous in the struggle for survival. The world is ruled by vanity, greed, greed and… steam engines. Yes, yes - the technologies for the development of steam mechanics have reached unprecedented heights, eclipsing electricity, computers and the equipment familiar to us.

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Characteristics of steampunk

    Urban atmosphere: constantly overcast sky and smog, dirty factory chimneys, cobblestone pavements.

    Technologies based on the principles of steam engines: steam-powered ships, steam locomotives, steam buses, steam crews, airships, copper robots consisting of many gears, primitive airplanes. The possibilities of aircraft and vehicles are often amazing.

    Much attention is paid to appearance: aristocrats wear coats and top hats, ladies wear crinolines and corsets. Analog antique dials, pipes for smoking, stylized canes are used everywhere.

    Electricity is underdeveloped: instead of incandescent lamps on the streets, candles or primitive gas lamps, experiments in the spirit of Nikola Tesla are popular among scientists.

    Widespread prosthetics: lost limbs are replaced with steam mechanical ones.

    Information technology remained at the level of the end of the XIX century: telegraph, counting machines, street newspapers. Pneumatic mail and pneumatic transport are widely used - a system of movement using compressed or rarefied air.

In steampunk, the development of mankind in technical terms is mixed with its stop in the Victorian era. It’s as if now only rickety village houses were standing everywhere, people would wear Slavic clothes, but at the same time they would drive a Ferrari, check in at Grandma’s cafe and launch rockets into space.

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Steampunk tattoos

Such tattoos are somewhat reminiscent of biomechanics: mechanical parts, dials, gears look through a living body, as if the real one was replaced with an artificial one. It looks great when a person clogs the entire arm or back with steampunk - if the master plays with anatomy, from the outside it seems that all this is really happening.

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Small steampunk tattoos

If you love this style, but do not want to clog large areas, choose small drawings. It looks just as cool and takes up less space.




Steampunk sketches

A sketch for a future tattoo can be either black and white or color - it all depends on your taste and desire. Share your ideas with the master of the studio to make the drawing unforgettable and original.

Steampunk tattoos are wearable images that represent the integration of fantasy and civilization.

Simply put, such images often represent various mechanical elements: from steam engines, gears to instruments or other mechanisms.

This term comes from two English words steam "steam" and punk "rotten, garbage, bad". Steampunk tattoos are very popular among modern youth, and all because they are original, have a particularly spectacular look and can be placed in absolutely any part of the body.

It is no longer enough for modern society to simply be well-groomed and neatly dressed. The lack of extravagance has given rise to an acute desire in society to decorate your body and this can be done with the help of a tattoo. Tattoos on the body today can be found in almost every person, but each of them is unique and has its own specific meaning. Wearable drawings differ in many ways: this is the color scheme, and size, and complexity, and style. Next, we will talk in more detail about the last sign, namely the steampunk tattoo.

The history of steampunk tattoos dates back to the era of steam engines and the first cars. Images made in this style are an alternative version of the development of mankind, which has the features of a dystopia.


Various variants of a heart tattoo in the style of steampunk, in the form of an engine with steam and gears

The heroes of the images live in a mechanized world, stylized as the era of Victorian England. The plots reflect the hostility in society, the pathos of the aristocracy, as well as the poverty of the lower classes. If you look closely, you can find a lot in common with Bosch paintings in steampunk tattoos.

Due to the fact that electricity in the era of Victorian England was poorly developed, instead of the usual lamps, the streets were lit by candles or primitive gas lamps. It was during this era that the inventions of the famous physicist Nikola Tesla fall. It is they who become part of modern sketches for tattoos.

Characteristics and main features

Steampunk is a celebration of copper, gears and steam. This is the technique of modernity, which is combined in a single composition with the urban atmosphere of the 19th century. The plots reflect the cloudy sky, smog, dirty chimneys of factories, etc.


There are a lot of tattoo ideas in this style: from tattoos of steam engines, to steam-powered ships, as well as locomotives and steam crews. characters in a gas mask. The main thing is that the image includes a large number of gears, weapons, and other mechanical elements.


Tattoo concept taken from a photo of a man in a gas mask with a gun dressed in steampunk

Steampunk tattoo sketches are distinguished by a large number of small details. Tattoo artists pay special attention to the appearance of the characters in the image. Basically, these are aristocrats who are dressed in coats and top hats. If girls are depicted on the body, then they are dressed in crinolines and corsets. Watches, as well as antique antique dials, smoking pipes and canes, have become especially widespread in this style.


Steampunk reflects the development of mankind and technology and at the same time its stop. Inconsistency in everything: in the behavior of society, and in its division into classes, and in the modernization of technology.

So, let's sum up. Steampunk suggests:

  • brightness and gloom;
  • the presence of color or black and white mechanical elements;
  • a mixture of eras, a combination of contradictory things;
  • a large number of details.

Similarity with other styles

This style strongly resembles biomechanics to many, and this is not surprising, because mechanical parts, dials and gears can be seen through a living body.


It looks like a real body has been replaced with an artificial one. Realism is also present in such sketches. It is best when the tattoo artist feels that it is possible to combine several characteristic features of each of the styles in a single picture. Then he will be able to portray a fashionable picture with a steam ship and an anchor, or an aristocrat wearing round glasses. Shadows play a very important role in the appearance of such an image, because they give the desired volume. Using interesting colors, the picture can be made stylish and mysterious.



What do you need to know?

Today, you can get a tattoo in almost any place. This opens up a lot of opportunities for us, because we can choose exactly the specialist who knows a lot about art and can advise which sketch to choose and what size the tattoo should be. Before proceeding directly to the process, you need to check with the tattoo master. This factor is one of the most important aspects. You can fill a tattoo with or without meaning (in case you just fell in love with a sketch found on the Internet or for another reason).

Steampunk is a rather mysterious, but specific style. Only a professional who understands biomechanics and realism can convey the atmosphere of that era and that mood. Responsibly approach the choice of the master, because it is from him that the final result will depend. An experienced specialist with the help of clear lines, correct shading of shadows and harmonious proportions will be able to create a drawing of incredible beauty, in the style of realism, which will delight both you and those around you.


A professional steampunk tattoo artist will be able to depict any picture, whether it is images of animals (cat,) or a skull. The price of a steampunk tattoo depends on its complexity, size and skill of the tattoo artist. The more experience and clients he has, the higher the cost. However, many masters practice the principle of “wholesale cheaper”, thus stuffing a tattoo sleeve at a price lower than for a small tattoo.


There is a difference between the sketches regarding genders. Women's drawings are distinguished by a large number of beautiful, colored patterns, while men's tattoos are rather more mechanized, have a cool plot and clear lines. Women's steampunk tattoos are a watch adorned with precious stones or a heart filled with gears from the inside.


A photo

An interesting photo review with cool steampunk tattoos, they are like from sci-fi novels in which old and new are mixed and elements of fashion and mechanisms. Steampunk tattoos are loved by people who want to add some retro Victorian elements to their lives.

Steampunk tattoo is a new modern style of underwear art, along with biomechanics, organics and cyber-punk. The images fully convey the meaning of the eponymous direction of science fiction, invented in the late 80s of the last century. It is based on the cult of mechanisms and steam engines as opposed to the development of electricity and computer technology.

A bit about the history of style

The term "Steampunk" is made up of two words: Steam (Eng. - Steam) and Punk (Eng. - Rotten, bad). His "fathers" were writers from America - Kevin Jeter and James Blaylock. It was first used as the name of a style in science fiction that described a civilization whose life was based on steam engines and mechanisms.

  • Steampunk is an alternative branch of society with dystopian elements, where time stopped at the era of Victorian England around the end of the 19th century.

  • Factories are working at full capacity here, scientists are developing new models of steam technology. On the gloomy dark streets, there is a struggle for survival between representatives of the lower classes. The world is ruled by pathos, greed, greed.
  • Well, the main plot is dedicated to steam engines, the development technologies of which have become the main priority for people, and electricity, modern inventions and computers are far in the past.

This direction forms the basis of the work of many writers. Jules Verne, Herbert Wells are one of the most famous creators of works in this direction. Then Steampunk moves into many areas of art - cinema, music, computer games. It has become a kind of independent subculture. He did not bypass the tattoo industry, where he became very popular. More and more people apply steampunk tattoos every year.

Distinctive features of steampunk

This style symbolizes an era where the development of mankind has slowed down and is fixated precisely on the mechanical and steam components. He is characterized by:

  • The atmosphere of a large industrial city: smoke from the chimneys of factories and plants, smog, constantly overcast skies; wide pavements paved with cobblestones.
  • Appearance appropriate to this era: men's clothing includes coats and top hats, women wear corsets and crinolines.

  • Mandatory elements are also: antique clocks, walking sticks, monocles, smoking pipes.
  • Weak development of electrical technologies: dim lighting on the streets, which is based on candles and gas lamps.

  • Prosthetics: replacement of lost limbs with piston mechanical elements is carried out everywhere.
  • Technologies "froze" at the stage of the 19th century: telegraphs and counting machines are widely used. Newspapers are sold on the streets, and pneumatic transport runs.

Sketches of steampunk tattoos

Almost all steampunk tattoos in this direction are based on the following elements:

  • Steam engineering (airships, locomotives, ships);
  • Robotics;
  • Valves, gears, bolts, parts;
  • Manometers, watch mechanisms, goggles;
  • Key and lock (more often applied by girls).

The “Torn Skin” technique is widely used, creating “wounds” and “damages”, through which parts of the steam mechanisms look through, as if forming the basis of the human body.

Steampunk tattoo sketches are also made in the form of partially mechanized insects or animals. The inclusion of elements in this style is also practiced.

Previously, steampunk tattoos were exceptionally gloomy due to the monochrome color scheme. Now tattoos have begun to be made in color and have acquired a more colorful and intricate character.

Where is the best place to draw?

Many consider steampunk tattoos to be provocative or even terrifying. Therefore, these images, like and, are considered mainly male. But among the girls there are many admirers of this direction.

Tattoos will be a wonderful decoration on the body of a science fiction fan. Almost all areas are suitable for application. But the steampunk tattoo on the arm or leg will look the most advantageous. When moving, the image will look especially natural. And in the steampunk style, it can cause a storm of emotions among others.

A unique effect will be produced by large-scale, detailed drawings on the chest or back. But small tattoos look no less attractive.

The scheme for applying steampunk tatoo is particularly painstaking and laborious. To fully convey the spirit and atmosphere of this style, the tattoo artist must follow all the instructions step by step: make clear lines, observe proportions, and perform the correct shading. To get a natural tattoo with detailed small elements, do not try to apply it yourself at home. It is better to contact a professional who understands this direction and has good artistic skills.

Video: 75 male steampunk tattoos

Tattoo connoisseurs, as art, often want to fill their body with some very unusual pattern or a whole plot frozen in time. One of the most interesting themes for tattoos is steampunk. This is the style that will certainly attract the attention of others and highlight the owner of the "tattoo" in the crowd.

Steampunk as a phenomenon

Steampunk is one of the most popular genres of fantasy literature and cinema. Works in this style depict an alternative world of the recent past or the distant future, in which humanity has taken a radically different path of development.

The picture ended up very colorful. No high technology and liquid crystals for you. Steam engines are everywhere, funny and menacing mechanisms with gears and levers, an abundance of metal blackened from time to time and a gloomy general atmosphere - these are the prospects for the future in steampunk style.

The World of Mechanics fits perfectly with the overall style of the Victorian era, offering a lot of beautiful scenes for the image on canvas. If this “canvas” is a human body, the effect is twice as bright.

steampunk tattoo

The fact that mechanics won in a hypothetical future does not mean at all that development has stopped there. Steampunk novels depict a completely progressive society that owns aircraft, powerful weapons, and robotic entities.

Here is the main theme of the steampunk tattoo - man as a biomechanism. Elements of some perfect mechanism are depicted on the arm, chest and other parts of the body. It seemed to be hidden inside the body, and now it has become obvious thanks to the partial removal of the skin and muscle tears.

Steampunk tattoos are replete with images of human organs, as if made of steel. Gears, springs, mechanical joints - these are the favorite motifs of such tattoos. On the attractively delicate human skin, they look especially impressive and shocking.

Sketches of steampunk tattoos

Steampunk tattoo designs are extraordinary and therefore not suitable for everyone. They are created for bold and bright personalities who are not afraid to challenge society. Masters have a whole gallery of steampunk tattoo sketches, and they can also draw something unique specifically for a particular customer.

Any part of the body that you want to “mechanize a little” can be a place for a tattoo. Girls often choose shoulders, ankles, feet. Guys love to emphasize pumped up arms and torso. This can be done by stuffing the “sleeves” or decorating the chest, back or shoulders with unusual steampunk stories.

The uniqueness of tattoos in this style lies in their special organicity. Having covered his body with “mechanics” (see tattoo in the style of biomechanics), a person psychologically involuntarily merges with it. During the movement of the muscles, the pattern on the skin seems to come to life - a person really resembles a biomechanism.

Where to fill

Our portal includes only the best tattoo artists working in the steampunk style. They are fluent in the subject and technique of performing such “tattoos”. Colored or monochrome, miniature or covering large areas of the body - whatever tattoo you choose, you will get an excellent result with them!

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