Carpe diem is easy to say and harder to live up to, but at least your lettering can commit fully. This design pairs a flowing, ornamental script rendering of “Carpe Diem” with a second piece in aggressive gothic blackwork, the kind of lettering that looks like it earned its place on skin. The script swirls with flourishes and tail strokes, while the gothic piece sits heavy and bold beneath it.

Apply it before a festival weekend or a beach trip, let it develop into a realistic blue-black tattoo over a day or two, and it’ll typically stay with you for up to two weeks before fading naturally as your skin renews. It suits anyone seriously considering a script or lettering tattoo and wanting to see how it sits before booking the artist. The script piece works well along the forearm, the gothic piece looks sharp across the hand or wrist.