33 Brilliant Bicep Tattoos for Men in 2024

This crisp black ink tattoo combines aspects of animal realism with manga art. The excellent use of negative space spells out the word Noir below a wolf, whose fur and muzzle display technical skill in pinpoint black-line shading. I also like multi-level framing within the rectangular panel and background line shading, but I’m surprised the wolf’s eyes were left untouched.

IG: inktotalart

This inner bicep tattoo displays an abstract Geisha etched with a freehand brushstroke technique. The tattoo utilizes cool switches in shading patterns to give the face a painted appearance, while the black circles at either end provide a frame to work with.

IG: carlottacawa

I love how this bicep tattoo juxtaposes realistic elements – the anatomical heart, human eye, and gramophone equipment (the crank and sound horn) – to create an abstract design. The tattoo’s style shares similarities with trash polka yet is more orderly in the expert use of linework, shading detail, and realism. The sparse use of sky blue ink helps tie the tattoo in with the client’s other work.

IG: santhelia

This is an exceptional black and gray portrait-style tattoo with a twist. The slickly etched 3D lightning bolt provides a brilliant border for the artist to craft a woman’s features. I love how the tear from her eye leaks over the border’s edge, and the ‘cross-section’ approach means only facial details are featured. What little hair shown is used to make filler.

IG: dm.tatts

This biceps tattoo offers a nicely etched mix of black ink shading and negative space to create the illusion of a swirling moon. The crispness of the un-inked orb allows the heavy black shading to develop the idea of movement. It’s a simple concept executed with skill.

IG: wekid_impastotattoo

I love this brightly colored butterfly tattoo. Using a chalk effect in the bright blue and green hues creates a vibrant style that works perfectly with the dripping ink, giving the design a graffiti stencil feel.

IG: anton1otattoo

This tree fairy tattoo is a beautifully expressed use of delicate, detailed linework. The artist has taken great care in creating the tree leaves surrounding the fairy. Silver metallic ink allows the background moon to shine through the trees, and various white ink highlights offset the brown ink application.

IG: tattooer_intat

This men’s fox tattoo utilizes tremendous watercolor principles to create a visually exciting design. There’s no complex linework in the piece. The artist’s excellent use of bright ink colors and contrast shading makes the artistic design.

IG: pablo_ortiz_tattoo

This inner bicep piece is a fantastic abstract black ink tattoo. The artist uses tremendously clean linework to create various patterns instead of shading. I also like how solid black ink draws up the central Evil Eye and the blood flowing from amputated fingers.

IG: sidetattooing

This classic black and gray tattoo combines two old-school themes: an octopus entwined in an anchor. Traditionally, anchor tattoos symbolize strength and calm, while the octopi are linked to mystery and surprise. The design features excellent grayscale shading throughout, and the creature’s suckers look strong enough to grip anything.

IG: panumart_tattoo

The artist has taken one of the oldest tattoo symbols (swallows are famed nautical designs used to show a sailor’s experience on water) and given it a modern makeover with bright colors contrasting vividly against shades of blue and black ink. The use of gray dotwork to illustrate the bird’s underwings is a brilliant touch of subtlety!

IG: aleksymarcinow

This photo-realistic tattoo of actor Christophe Waltz eating a burger is fantastic. The tattoo artist possesses excellent skill in line, color, and shading, which gives the strange image a sense of solidity. Even the Burger King crown resembles a snapshot taken with a powerful camera lens.

IG: danisanzpuntoes

This Old School duck tattoo comes from the artist’s flash collection. It takes American traditional fundamentals – thick lines, flat colors, and a limited palette – and twists them by applying different colors, sparse shading, and white highlights. The duck against the sun design has a wicked Aztec vibe.

IG: jaspervangestel

Inspired by the Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” this rock with googly eyes tattoo is excellent fun! The artist demonstrates perfect use of shadow – they can give the stone a shadow while giving it form, depth, and texture.

IG: ofekvision

I love the mix between animal realism and neo-classical principles in this delicate inner bicep tattoo. The torso of the male figure is etched with exquisite detail, especially in the cracks and fissures, which give the stone-like shading depth. The snake is a brilliant contrast – dark, smooth, sleek, and dangerous.

IG: pratstattoo

This bicep tattoo is two awesome ideas fused. The upper part is a geometric design melding dotwork circles with a killer 12-sided shape to create the concept of learning (or daydreaming) in tattoo form. The second part is a photo-realistic design of a seated man with a book in front of him. Although his eyes are closed, the book catalyzes the geometric output above him.

IG: matanlalo_tattoo

The inner bicep is the perfect placement for this classic realistic owl tattoo. The bird stretches out in muted color along the client’s arm, with black background filler and dotwork stars providing a nighttime aspect. The subtle color shifts, well-placed lines, and beautifully detailed feathers make this an exceptional depiction of the night hunter.

IG: dm.tatts

I love the originality of this blackwork fallen star. The design makes it look like a fallen clump of hot rock trailing smoke rather than a sparkling thing we try to look at in the night sky. The black ink gives it a heavy solidity that looks fantastic on the skin.

IG: localbirdmom