I have mad respect for dudes who embrace the “living canvas” lifestyle.
One, because my grandfather said if I ever got one, He’d take it off with a cheese grater. Two, because truly remarkable tattoos that ink heads and plebeians like me can appreciate are few and far between.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and tattoos are no different.
Whether your first is still healing or you’re fantasizing what to do with that last bit of untouched epidermis, the next one might as well be nicely done, tasteful, and personal.
I’ve been one Negroni away from a Don Quixote arm piece more times than I’m proud of. The Instagram algorithm has taken notice, so browsing my For You Page is nothing more than window shopping for tats at this point.
I like to think of myself as someone who can spot good ink. I’d venture to say most of us can spot the bad ones.
Getting under the needle isn’t in the forecast just yet, so I’m willing to show my hand and present the tattoos occupying my saved folder that I believe would look good on anybody.
While the tattoos themselves are cool (I think), this list is ultimately meant to serve as a guide to kick start those creative juices.
No infinity symbols, girlfriend tributes, or Chinese Hanzi that translates into something completely nonsensical.
Home Pride
I’ll never judge somebody for taking pride in where they come from, and there isn’t a stronger way to make it known than a tattoo.
Granted, some people have better opportunities than others. Plenty of people in my home state of Michigan had the Great Lakes somewhere on their body, and the negative space leaves the unmistakable mitten shape by default. Coloradans and Wyomingites could swap tats without issue.
Luckily, you can zoom in or out. An outline of the Boston harbor? Wicked awesome, kid. The flag of Argentina? Claro que si.
Minimalist Line Art
Minimalist line art tattoos are tricky and failsafe at the same time, it solely depends on the subject matter. They’re clean, subtle, and can easily be covered or removed compared to something shaded (in most cases).
The only line art tattoos I didn’t like had that heinous T.J. Maxx dorm painting aesthetic. Everything else is pretty sweet.
Nature-Inspired Tattoos
How could a nature lover like me knock someone for an epic whale tattoo or silhouettes of every mountain they summited? The only outdoor-inspired tattoo’s that can get iffy are lions or a wolf howling over an alpine mountain, just because they’re so overdone.
Geometric Shapes and Patterns
Geometric tattoos have become super popular since the 2010s and the trend has no signs of slowing. They’re simple, uncontroversial, and pair nicely with more complex tattoos with defined themes.
The possibilities are endless, and as long as you find an artist who specializes in geometric tattoos, there’s less at risk of botched ink as, say, a portrait of your kid.
Pop Culture
We like what we like, and when it comes to tattoos, you shouldn’t bend to societal expectations of what an “acceptable” tattoo is if you’re not 100% in love with it.
If that includes Count Chocula, so be it. Out of every idea on this list, none are such a potent conversation starter as when I see someone tattooed with their favorite cartoon or movie character.
American Traditional
In terms of overarching design, American traditional tattoos are my favorite, and I’m not alone in that statement considering I know three people who refuse to get anything else.
American traditional is heavily inspired by sailor tattoos of the early 1900s. Pin-up girls, battleships, and mermaids were the most common motifs back then, but nowadays you’ll find the style adapted onto anything.
The thick, dark linework contrasts beautifully with the bright yet limited color palettes that make them so recognizable. Find an artist who can nail gradients and it’s an instant classic.
Art Tattoos
“Art tattoos” sounds redundant, but I’m referring to work done by existing artists that we admire.
The tattoo seen above was the first tattoo I wanted: an etching of Don Quixote by Salvador Dalí. I was studying abroad in Spain and there was no better time. After finishing the Cervantes novel in high school, I always resonated with the titular character’s absurdly idealistic worldview. In the wake of bad news, convincing myself that things are okay always carried me through bad times.
Whether or not it’s generally considered tasteful depends on what masterpiece your tattoo portrays. If it’s sensible and means something to you like my (almost) tattoo did, it’ll look just as good on skin as the OG does hanging on a museum wall somewhere.
Script and Typography
I’d wager Vegas money that script tattoos find themselves in the top three most common types of tattoo.
A timeless font, a meaningful string of text, and good placement almost never looks bad, making script tattoos a low-risk option as your first inking. I’ve seen modern iterations include drop shadows, swirls, and 3D effects, all of which impressed.
Your Good Luck Charm
What I call a “good luck charm” tattoo is ideal if you want to feed the gnawing desire for your first tattoo without going all in on something big.
One of my homeboys has an ivy leaf on his leg—no bigger than half dollar. It set in motion several other tats, but it’s his lucky symbol and looks great alongside the neighboring ink.
Skeletons
They say no matter where you are on earth, you’re never more than five miles from someone with a skull tattoo.
Maybe I made that up. Either way, as popular as they might be, I’m not talking about human skeletons. I need to bring newness to the table here. Animal skeletons. Now those are fresh.
If getting behind this makes me a believer in the occult, so be it. To say this chameleon skeleton isn’t cool is blasphemy. I’ve seen hordes of stick-and-poke or linework animal skeletons that I myself considered.
Sports
Some of us show our team pride through housing iced buckets of Coronitas with our compadres, others take it to the grave with a tattoo.
Disclaimer: I have seen plenty of sports tattoos that made wince, mainly tribute pieces to championship-winning athletes. There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I would ever tattoo another man (who doesn’t even know I exist) on my body.
This is the last time I’ll plug my home turf, but these MSU/U of M tattoos are tough—great examples of what a tasteful sports tattoo can look like.
Astronomy and Space
Tattoos of the cosmos are another popular theme that’s only cropped up relatively recently.
A lot of what I’ve seen on Instagram is intricate linework, but I think the best way to capture the wonder of celestial bodies are through hyper-detailed works like the one above. The symmetrical alignment down the arm takes it to the next level.
Nautical
It could be hypothesized that sailor tattoos were the precursor to the nautical trend, but maritime ink is less about the illustration style and more so about motifs.
Anchors and helms are long standing icons of the genre. If you’re looking for something unique, wear your ocean-loving heart on your sleeve with marine life, lighthouses, or vintage oceanic maps.
Fossils
This one’s for guys like myself who never grew out of their childhood obsession for dinosaurs. Sure, this could be grouped in with animal skeletons, but the calcified remains of prehistoric life are so distinct that they deserve their own spotlight.
Traditional Japanese
Like American traditional, Japanese body art has a refined style culminating from centuries of practice.
Inverse to its American counterpart, Japanese traditional puts heavy emphasis on different grades of black ink with bright-colored accents.
Between the global powers, the styles are a close tiebreaker but when it comes to subject matter true to its roots, I think Japanese traditional wins by a long shot.
Stick and Poke
When someone used to say “stick and poke,” I’d immediately think of one scenario: college co-op party, 4am, and drunken art students dishing out haphazard tattoos. Once I discovered my favorite tattoo artist, Chris Yonker, I started singing a different tune.
There’s something about stick-and-poke shading that I don’t see with machine tattooing. It reminds me of graphics from early 3D video game consoles like the PS1 or Nintendo 64—rudimentary and impressive all at once.
Seeing as though stick and pokes are more time consuming, painful, and technical than machine gun tattoos, I commend both the artist and the client.
Black Work
Black work is common style for a few reasons: black ink tends to last longer, it saves time from swapping between colors, and the monotone aesthetic works for clients seeking a sleek tattoo.
Any tattoo can be executed with the black work style, but I think some motifs have more to gain from it. This tattoo of knight armor is a perfect example. The artist could’ve gone with shades of blue, grey, and white to illustrate the lustrous nature of metal. Using only black, the mysterious demeanor of the noble soldier is better illustrated.
Like I said before, my body remains ink-free to this day. With that in mind, I must say thank you to the inked readers out there willing to consider my opinion. Maybe I’ll soon have the guts to pay my local tattoo parlor a visit.
If you’ve exhausted every Pinterest search, Instagram page, and arduous back-and-forth with an AI chatbot looking for inspiration before arriving at this article, I hope my observations of the practice uncovered what you sought.