Choosing to wear a Christian tattoo brings you into a long and storied line of those who have borne the marks of the Trinity and other holy figures going back thousands of years. Centuries ago, when the first Christian tattoos began they arose mostly with the Coptics.

After experiencing a period of great hardship and persecution, monks higher up the Coptic Christian order began tattooing themselves with religious Christian symbols as a sign of their permanent obedience to God.

Today people often choose Christian iconography for the same reason. Valid and forever proof that you hold firmly to the belief that the Higher Power will see you through your adversity. Even more common now is to see tattooing after going through a life altering event.

After many believers have been delivered of tribulation, they will mark themselves with an image of Christ, or icons of the Trinity to show to all who can see them that they were delivered through divine providence.

Perhaps a particular scripture calls to you. Maybe it’s the image of a rugged cross. A crown of thorns around your arm shows the world your deep belief. Whatever portrays your feelings is the right image to choose.

However, images don’t have to stop there. Beautiful silhouettes of the Virgin Mary, or of Saints are also popular images to use. Or even of simple mountains with a cross standing proudly at the top. The beauty of the custom tattoo is that no matter what you choose, it will be the perfect expression of your personal relationship with Christianity and with Christ.

This is a good example of how a simple design, like the cross, can be made more interesting with a unique stylistic concept. Here, the artist effectively calls to mind the stained glass windows found in churches around the world by breaking up the interior of the cross into several different patterns and shapes. The bold outline that forms the primary shape is clean and precise, allowing the different forms within to have a fractured feeling without distracting from the overall concept. The whip shading and stipple work help to create a variation in texture without the use of color, allowing this piece to remain a more subtle tattoo.