Tattoo ideas for men, by body area
Sixteen body areas with the sizing, pain and healing notes that matter, and twelve designs shaped for each one.
Ankle tattoos for men
The ankle is bony, narrow and sits right where socks and boots rub, so it rewards simple bold designs and punishes fussy ones.
Back tattoos for men
The back is the largest uninterrupted canvas on the body, and on a broad frame it is big enough to hold a composition that no other placement can.
Behind the ear tattoos for men
Behind the ear gives you a 4 cm patch of thin skin over bone, which makes it quick, sore and very dependent on how you wear your hair.
Calf tattoos for men
The calf has a natural teardrop shape that frames a design on its own, and it is one of the least painful large placements a man can pick.
Chest tattoos for men
The chest is the biggest front canvas a man has, and the two things that decide how it looks in five years are scale and chest hair.
Finger tattoos for men
Finger tattoos fade faster than anything else you can get, so the question is how often you are willing to sit for a touch up.
Forearm tattoos for men
The forearm gives you a long flat panel, mild pain and a design you can cover with a rolled sleeve, which is why most men start here.
Hand tattoos for men
Hand tattoos fade faster than anywhere else on the body and they are the hardest to hide at work, which is why most artists want you to think about it twice.
Neck tattoos for men
A neck tattoo is the most visible thing you can put on your body short of your face, and the neck has three very different zones to choose from.
Rib tattoos for men
Ribs are the most painful common placement on a man’s body, and how much it hurts depends partly on how lean you are.
Shoulder tattoos for men
The shoulder cap is a dome, so a design that ignores the curve looks stretched from the front and cut off from the side.
Sleeve tattoos for men
A full sleeve is 20 to 40 hours of tattooing across many sittings, and the planning you do before the first session decides whether it reads as one piece.
Spine tattoos for men
A spine tattoo is a long narrow column with bone under almost every centimeter of it, which is what makes it both striking and sore.
Thigh tattoos for men
The thigh gives you more uninterrupted skin than the chest, hurts less than the ribs, and stays hidden under any pair of trousers.
Upper arm tattoos for men
The upper arm hides under a T shirt sleeve, takes ink with little pain on the outside, and moves more than any other flat area you can tattoo.
Wrist tattoos for men
A man’s wrist is wider than most wrist designs assume, so a band that looks delicate on a reference photo often needs twice the height to read.