Shoulder Tattoo Ideas

Popular Shoulder Tattoo Styles

Many people start their tattooed life with a shoulder tattoo. It’s an easy spot to ink and one that can be shared or covered depending on your situation. There are also so many great shoulder tattoo styles to choose from. A few of those are:

• Floral designs – This shoulder tattoo lends itself well to a 3D design. That can bring your flowers, vines, or greenery to life as it covers one section of your shoulder or ‘grows” everywhere.
• Sleeves – When talking about a sleeve style tattoo, most people think of an arm sleeve but a hand or shoulder sleeve are equally popular and powerful. Using strong colors and boldly designed shapes, a tattoo artist can transform your shoulder.
• Traditional  – This style of tattoo covers everything from an old school screeching eagle to a Day of the Dead skull.
• Watercolor – This can be a particularly interesting shoulder tattoo style when it’s placed on the outside portion of your shoulder. That area’s flat spaces and uniform curves make this a great way to express your artistic self.

Best Shoulder Tattoo Placements

There are several great placement areas for a shoulder tattoo. They can each be an individual canvas or work together to create space for a larger tattoo. They are:

• Back of the shoulder – This is a great location that utilizes a large open space to tell a story with your tsttoo.
• Front of the shoulder – A shoulder tattoo design here can be fun when it is done in 3D.
• Outside of the shoulder – You will be making a summer statement when you utilize the outside of your shoulder so that everyone can enjoy your shoulder tattoo design.
• Shoulder blade – This can be an interesting location for a shoulder tattoo because of the unique characteristics across this part of the body.

Men’s Shoulder Tattoos Ideas

With a broad canvas, many men take on shoulder tattoos that have an indication of power behind them. These include:

• Animals – Men who choose an animal as a shoulder tattoo often pick a protector like a wolf or a lion. The back of the shoulder is a perfect location to place the heads of these fierce predators.
• Celestial bodies – The Sun, Moon, and Saturn are some popular choices in this category. They can be striking by themselves but also help to tell a story when stars are added in.
• Waves – Adding a series of waves, either realistic or artistic, can make for an interesting shoulder tattoo here.

Women’s Shoulder Tattoos Ideas

The post popular shoulder tattoos for women focus on displaying grace and beauty. Those designs include:

• Animals – Many women choose a gentle animal as their shoulder tattoo. Two of the more popular choices are a butterfly or a dove.
• Flowers – Floral displays can be a fun shoulder tattoo choice because they can be designed to cover the front, bank and side of the shoulder. Adding colors can help bring them to life.
• Mandalas – This shoulder tattoo design is a series of concentric patterns that come to a perfect center. When color is added this can be a beautiful piece of body art.

Shoulder Tattoo Meanings

For women, throughout history the shoulder has had a slightly exotic and erotic reputation. The shoulder tattoo can play into this by symbolizing special connections. Popular designs stand for intimacy and beauty. 

When it comes to men, history has shown the shoulder to be ‘the burden carrier.” In art and across myths it’s where man has always placed his worries. So for men a shoulder tattoo means strength and resilience.