The image of the wizard in tattoo designs has changed and evolved as the figure keeps changing in popular culture. The wizard is a symbol of freedom of thought, advanced thinking and, of course, magic. They are common figures in fantasy literature, role playing games, fantasy art and myth. The iconic image and the most common wizard tattoo design has morphed from a wizened figure in robes with a tall star-encrusted conical hat to young boy with glasses and scar on his forehead. Wizard tattoos can run from these older associations to new ones easily and give the body art collectors a little magic in their life.
In fantasy and myth, the big difference between the wizard and other magical creatures or individuals is the need for study. Wizards have to learn their craft and this sets them apart. Often this is used in fantasy fiction to give the wizard a bumbling aspect when his magic goes wrong, or to add to suspense concerning whether his spells will work in a pinch or not. The wizard can be a good guy, mentor, grandiose fool or villain.
Some of the wizard’s tools are often a large part of wizard tattoo designs such as the conical hat. This usually has the blue background and stars or is a plain blue or black. The wizard, even more than the witch or fairy, is usually seen welding a wand since his powers is acquired not innate. The wand is usually represented as a simple stick of word or even a short tree branch with a glowing end emitting sparks or light. Other less frequently used objects are cauldrons, crystal balls, staves, books, potions, scrolls, tinkling bells, decks of cards or brooms. Wizards are sometimes accompanied by an animal acting as a familiar.
Getting a wizard tattoo design is really a matter of deciding what illustration best represents the type of wizard you want to project. The traditional wizard with the robes, white beard and wizard hat are well known and there are many designs available for this image. This image can go anywhere and be either large or small depending on the space you are working with and what you want.
With the huge popularity of the Harry Potter series of books and movies, many young people are looking for a different type of wizards to represent them in tattoo form. They might want the head master of the young wizard who is the principle of the series, but more likely they want a representation of the character himself. The scar, glasses, wand and house scarf are the things most likely to bring the character to people’s minds. These are all easy to incorporate into either a large or small tattoo. Using a clear script font, a wizard tattoo can even feature lettering passages of favorite quotes from the book. Wizards are a fun tattoo and let you keep the magic with you forever.