Capricorn tattoo: best ideas and meaning

Capricorn in tattooing: what each symbol means

The original symbol of the sign is the sea-goat – a creature with the body of a goat and the tail of a fish. It is one of the oldest and visually most interesting motifs in the whole zodiac, and yet it is rarely tattooed, because most people have never heard of it.

More usual are the curved horns on their own, working as shorthand for resilience. The glyph is a stylised ligature resembling an interlocked V and S – at small sizes it works nicely as a purely graphic element.

Styles that suit Capricorn

Blackwork and dotwork match the character of the sign best – solid areas and texture rather than soft gradients. Geometry suits the horns, whose spiral breaks down into precise shapes.

Engraving style is ideal for the sea-goat – it looks like an illustration from an old book, which serves this creature better than realism does. Fine line remains the choice for the glyph and the constellation.

Where to place it

Horns sit well on the forearm, the chest or between the shoulder blades, where symmetry can be kept. The sea-goat wants a surface and takes a round format well – shoulder, thigh, shoulder blade. The glyph scales down to the wrist, a finger or behind the ear.

The gallery below is actual work from our studio – pick a direction and we will sort out the rest at the consultation.