Simple tattoos for men, and what makes them last

Line weight, arm hair and reading distance

Hair does not damage ink and it does not grow differently through a tattoo. It sits on top of the lines, and the finer the line the more of it vanishes underneath. On a hairy forearm, a 0.3 mm design at 5 cm is legible up close and gone at two meters. The same design at 0.5 mm with one solid black element still reads across a bar.

The artist shaves a two to three centimeter margin around the stencil and that patch grows back over roughly four weeks. Do not shave the tattoo itself for the first two weeks, because a blade drags on scabbing skin and can pull ink out with it. Once the surface has closed, shaving over healed ink is routine.

Line weight by spot

• Inner forearm and inner bicep, low hair, 0.3 mm fine line is fine
• Outer forearm and outer bicep, usually hairy, 0.4 mm or heavier
• Calf and shin, hairy and often seen at distance, 0.5 mm with solid black
• Chest and ribs, hair varies, match the line weight to the size of the panel
• Hand and fingers, high friction, bold line only and expect a touch up

Armbands, bands and the join nobody plans for

A band has to wrap, which turns it into a measuring job. An adult bicep commonly runs 28 to 40 cm around, so a band there needs that much drawing and the two ends have to meet. Most artists put the join on the inside of the arm, where it is least seen and still findable if you look. Two or three solid black lines hide a join better than any pattern with a repeat.

Width matters as much as length. A 1 cm band on a 36 cm bicep reads as a thin stripe. Two to four centimeters is where a band looks deliberate, and solid black at that width is one of the most durable things you can get tattooed. A patterned band needs its elements at least 4 mm apart or the repeat merges into a dark ring.

Simple designs that still read at thirty years

The test is whether the design would survive being printed as a flat black stamp. A wolf head in solid black with a cut out eye passes. A wolf head built from forty fine hatch lines does not, because by year fifteen the hatching has merged into grey and the shape inside it is gone.

Designs that pass the flat black test

• A single animal or object in solid silhouette with details cut out as negative space
• A geometric figure at one even line weight, 0.4 mm or heavier
• A solid blackwork band, armband or filled shape anchored to a muscle edge
• Roman numerals or a short word in block capitals at 10 mm or more
• A bold American traditional subject, since that style was built around heavy outlines and flat fills

Work visibility and where to put a first simple piece

Measure the clothes you wear. A short sleeve shirt ends mid bicep, so the inner bicep and the shoulder blade are covered at work and visible at the gym. The outer forearm needs a long sleeve. A collar reaches the back of the neck and almost nothing on the side of it. Any shirt covers the ribs in any season.

For a first tattoo the outer forearm and the back of the upper arm are the easiest spots: flat, low friction, 3 or 4 out of 10 for most people, and easy to keep clean while it heals. The ribs and the sternum are 7 or 8 and move with every breath. Hands, knuckles and fingers hold ink worst of anywhere, and a bold simple design is the only thing that lasts there at all.