You can have a tattoo anywhere on your body but the shoulder has to be one of the most attractive choices. Whenever you are going to be getting out of the pool, imagine the water dripping down through the amazing artwork on your shoulders.
Men tend to get a shoulder tattoo to express their personality through the theme of the tattoo. It decorates their muscles beautifully making their hard work truly pay off. Even if you do not work out, you can get a shoulder tattoo to express your comfort in your own body.
In this article, you are in for a treat with the best collection of shoulder tattoo ideas for men. You can get a variety of options starting from simple ones to super detailed artwork. Now without any further ado, let’s dive in!
30 Best Shoulder Tattoos For Men With Meanings
When men get their shoulders tatted, the tattoos are very like to be related to something really close to their heart. You see a tattoo on the shoulder and you immediately think of power and strength.
In fact, you will see that most men like their shoulders to be decorated in super detailed and expressive designs. Their tattoo can be a gorgeous tribal design or their religious symbol.
These tattoos are almost always there to tell powerful stories to the world and also remind them of what matters the most to them.
Small Shoulder Tattoos For Men
If you are looking for designs of tattoos for your shoulder, you probably know that it will be meaningful and express your personality and style. Since these tattoos are usually under your clothes, they are hidden and you can choose to expose them anytime you want. The best choices for your new tattoo can be a small tribal pattern, a combo of simple geometric shapes, the initials of your loved ones, etc.
1. 03.09.2019
Make the most memorable date of your life permanent on your body by getting a shoulder tattoo out of it. You can see a date as a super unique shoulder tattoo above written in Roman numerals.
2. Spider Legs
The small lines interconnected on the shoulder above almost look like the legs of a spider curled up. It creates a quirky design that leaves room for a variety of interpretations.
3. Flying Dragons
Tattoos of dragons on your shoulder show your love for a fantasy world. It could mean that you are interested in adventures and dark aesthetics.
4. Crescent Dreams
You can see a crescent-shaped tattoo on the shoulder above that almost looks like it was painted with the strokes of a dried paintbrush. The tattoo of this moon could be an indication of your obsession with the nightlife.
5. Nocturnal Whispers
This dark tattoo on the shoulder reminds you of the night with strange birds flying. The tattoo has a watercolor effect with splashes of black here and there.
Back Shoulder Tattoos For Men
If you consider going for a tattoo on your back shoulder, it gives you an opportunity to be more creative and pick a super detailed design. It is because this area is quite spacious and allows you to go for bigger and complex tattoos. Few of the popular themes for such tattoos are dragons, bears, names, geometric shapes, etc.
6. The Hunter
This one is quite graphic with an angry and grizzly bear hunting fishes. The claws of the bear and the fishes look super violent which could be a reflection of your personality.
7. From Another World
Here you can see a tattoo with a strange story. It looks like a man opening a door to another world who is already getting absorbed into nature. The surrounding geometry and planets make it more unique and fascinating.
8. Deadly Dragon
If you want to assert your dominance with a tattoo, definitely consider getting this deadly dragon. You can see the upper portion of a dragon in this tattoo with beautiful details all over.
9. The Favorite Name
Nothing can be more romantic than getting the name of the love of your life tattooed on you. It is one of the best tattoo ideas for your shoulder if you want to make your girlfriend or wife feel special.
10. Funky Font
Another super fun way to cover the back of your shoulder is to write something in this puzzling font. It could be a name or your favorite quote and people will take forever to understand what it is!
Shoulder Blade Tattoos For Men
Tattoos on shoulder blades are also known as scapula tattoos. This part of your body is a wonderful choice to get tatted as it has a unique placement where you can get creative with different kinds of artwork and illustrations. Your shoulder blade area gives you a relatively flat and large canvas if you want to go for an artistic expression. In general, men mostly go for bold and eye-catching designs for their shoulder blades.
11. Quirky Butterfly
The tattoo of this beautiful butterfly is super quirky with the leaves shaped as eyes. This design covers your shoulder as a circle giving it a unique look.
12. The Wolverine
The Wolverine design as a tattoo displays your innocence and power at the same time. The baby wolf has its eyes filled with simplicity while coming from a wolf family gives power. You could replace the word “shadow” with your favorite word and customize it accordingly.
13. Tribal Geometry
This is quite a bold design with thick black borders. The shapes of the tattoo filling the borders are neat and sleek with shading here and there to create the illusion of shadows.
14. The Toxic Friendship
If you were ever betrayed or backstabbed by a close person, you can flaunt it royally with this tattoo of two hands on your shoulders. One hand is holding a beautiful rose while the other is holding a venomous snake.
15. Behind The Mask
Now this is a tattoo that is gonna turn a lot of heads when you show it off. It has a mask of a face with its tongue sticking out. The pop of red on the eyelashes makes the tattoo more catchy.
Shoulder Simple Mens Tattoo Designs
Manly tattoos don’t always have to be gorgeous and extravagant. Tattoo designs which are super simple can also be a great option if you are just starting out and want to explore the tattoo world. Let’s take a look at a few simple designs for your shoulders and pick out the best one for you.
16. Little Blossom
You can easily tell by looking at this tattoo that this is for simple design lovers. It has four tiny outlines of petals with four more black petals making the flower bloom outwards.
17. Wave
You can get any of your favorite words tatted on your shoulder in this beautiful font. If you get the word “wave,” it could indicate your journey through ups and downs.
18. Little Garden
Men who are looking for something light and delicate for their new shoulder tattoo can go for this neckless of leaves around their neck. The necklace has a gap right in front of the throat.
19. Fenced
The fence of thorns on the back of your shoulder will give you the illusion of flexing your muscles and poking out all these thorns. It could give an idea about being trapped for a long in life.
20. Heartbeat
A super simple tattoo that is also classy is a single heartbeat. You can also get it in a dark red color to make it more vibrant.
Mens Chest Shoulder Tattoos
Tattoos that cover both the chest and the shoulder could make you give the impression of a true tattoo freak. Since it targets a large area, you could easily go for designs that tell a story. It could consist of something usual like a forest, dragons, a war scene, etc. You can also go for abstract designs to decorate your muscles.
21. Dragons And Gardens
The tattoo in this picture has a lot of details and elements. It is basically like a garden with a dragon flying over it. There is a circle around its head as a highlight.
22. The Fighter Evolves
If you like the sense of power and courage, definitely try this one out where you can see the face of a violent creature roaring out. It has gigantic and sharp teeth that are clearly a lethal weapon.
23. Doodle Design
This design is a bit lighter with a mandala vibe. The green colors added to the design give it a little more vibrance and make it super aesthetic.
24. Bold And Real
You can decorate your pecks and biceps with this tattoo covering your chest and shoulder altogether. It has so many different shapes including triangles, leaves, waves, etc. all combined creating a unique design.
25. Bohemian Fantasy
If you are interested in starting out your journey to cover your body with tattoos, this design could make a great start. This design covers the shoulder and half of the chest with unique artwork from historical times.
Tribal Shoulder Tattoos For Men
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best tattoo for a man’s shoulder?
2. Do shoulder tattoos hurt?
Concluding Words
Which tattoo do you think would suit your shoulder the best? You can pick anything from the simple designs or choose a super gorgeous one to flex your shoulders in style.
Hopefully, this article helped you choose the best design for your next tattoo. You can also modify any of them to get it tatted anywhere else on your body. There is no limit to creativity when it comes to tattoo artwork!
