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Next Luxury • Style • Top 47 Badass Small Tattoo Ideas For Men [2022 Inspiration Guide]

Top 47 Badass Small Tattoo Ideas For Men [2022 Inspiration Guide]

Top 47 Badass Small Tattoo Ideas For Men [2022 Inspiration Guide]

  • by — Brian Cornwell

Badass Tattoos Small Tattoos

These astoundingly bold and badass tattoos save on space but sacrifice no quality in being a lesser size.

You’ll want to immediately head to the nearest tattoo artist after being mesmerized by these small badass tattoos.

Small tattoos are trending because they possess not only the incredible ability to convey unbelievable symbolic meanings but also simple and clean designs.

The bold but precise lines perfectly complement a man’s confidence and style. These smaller minimalistic tattoos are wonderful additions alongside previous works or as subtle, standalone pieces of body art.

Check out this gallery of badass small tattoos; you’ll be unable to control your desire for a trip to your nearest top quality tattoo shop.

See more about - The Top 51 Awesome Small Tattoo Ideas

1. Color Small Tattoo Ideas

These two small forearm tattoos represent how a great geometric design creates fantastic work. While very different to look at, they both apply new wave color with the techniques of geometric patterns to pull off two awesome tattoo ideas.

Guy With Artistic Badass Inner Forearm Tattoo Design

 

It would be interesting to know whether this Cubs tattoo design was done before or after their World Series curse was lifted, although it really doesn’t matter. The baseball is fantastically realized, looking battered and bruised from getting bounced through the infield. The logo is also well done and a quality reflection of the real one.

Gentleman With Badass Small Chicago Cubs Baseball 3d Leg Tattoo

 

This small piece of body art is badass, like an old French master dropped in to inhabit a tattoo artist‘s body for two or three hours. I like the use of the circle to create a fundamental border for the fully realized image within. It’s great artwork.

Circle Badass Small Mens Boy Fishing At Lake Tattoo On Outer Forearm

 

Wow. This small Warhol-inspired new wave tattoo is unbelievable. It must have taken a longer time to do than a piece ten times its size. There is such a flawless amount of technique in the dotwork — from the complementary colors to the grayscale shading — and being so small, there was so little margin for error. You would be hard-pressed to ever find a more intricate or brilliant piece of tattooing anywhere.

Guys Retro Badass Hand Colorful Small Arm Tattoo Designs

 

Mens Flaming Bottle Badass Small Arm Tattoo Ideas

Mens Fish Head Badass Modern Upper Chest Small Tattoos

2. Christian Small Tattoos Ideas

For those of the Christian faith, the tattoo design of an eye inside a triangle represents God looking through the window of his trinity — the father, son, and holy spirit — to watch over and guide humans. Using gray shading from a wide gauge needle gives the image a purposely rendered grainy quality emphasized by the beams coming out of the eye.

Badass Dotwork Eye Triangle Small Mens Back Tattoo

 

This piece represents a well-crafted 3D style technique to portray the Christian cross. The detail of the gilt on the cross combined with the shading work on the chain, which was done with white ink, turns a simple tattoo idea into an almost decadent piece of religious jewelry.

3d Realistic Badass Small Cross Necklace Upper Chest Tattoo For Men

 

Mens Small Badass Religious Coin 3d Tattoo On Thigh Of Leg

 

This religious quote tattoo is very well drawn, using a stylized Sharpie-type font to look like the tattoo was scrawled on. Using the red color to add emphasis to Christ is an excellent touch.

I Can All Things Through Christ Mens Badass Small Quote Inner Arm Tattoos

 

3. Small Black and Gray Tattoo Art

RIP Cookie. This tattoo commemorating a pet is good. The flowing script works well with the shape of the paw print, while the gray shading fills out the image and makes it less stark.

Memorial Dog Paw Print Badass Mens Small Leg Calf Tattoo

 

As far as small tattoos for men go, this Greek god could be adorning the top of an Athenic Pavilion somewhere. The beard and hair are deftly shaded, giving the piece a look similar to those sculptures carved out of marble or alabaster.

Greek God Head Small Male Badass Inner Forearm Tattoos

 

Usa Outline With American Flag Guys Badass Small Shoulder Tattoo

Small 3d Stone Arrow Badass Hand Tattoos For Men

Dice are a popular source of inspiration for small tattoos for men, as they often represent luck or risk in decision-making. The gray shading on the area surrounding the cube gives this one extra depth.

3d Shaded Black And Grey Ink Dice Badass Small Tattoo Ideas For Guys

 

Cocktails anyone? This fantastic tattoo is a crisply drawn shaker tattooed in the realism style. The shading of the shaker cap is of great quality, lending a shiny metallic sheen to the image.

Badass Inner Forearm Small Metallic Shaker Mens Tattoos

 

Hahaha. This is a nifty minimalist tattoo of a pizza. Simple shading here works well to create detail for such a small badass ink.

Leg Mens Tiny Small Badass Pizza Slice Tattoo Design

 

4. Small Tattoo Ideas for Men Using Black Ink

Manly Badass Small Number 8 Mens Side Of Forearm Tattoos

 

This minimalistic hand tattoo using decorative lettering is crisp and clean. It would have been a quick, painless bit of work using a single needle.

Guy With Small Decorative Letters Badass Hand Tattoo

 

This anchor tattoo is a single needle old school style tattoo in flat black ink. It’s a no-fuss homage and head nod to traditional tattoo art themes from the start of the 20th century.

Badass Mens Black Ink Anchor Tattoo Design On Back Of Leg

 

Tiny Small Mens Badass Coffee Cup Black Ink Outline Hand Tattoo

 

This small chest/shoulder tattoo is a well-executed written piece. The slightly different fonts are well drawn and mesh well together, giving the piece extra detail and a stamp-like quality.

Attitude Is Everything Badass Small Quote Shoulder Tattoos For Men

 

5. Small Nature Tattoo Designs

Triangle Geometric Beach Landscape Badass Guys Small Forearm Tattoos

Ocean Landscape Badass Mens Small Forearm Band Tattoo Designs

Triangle Lower Leg Male Badass Small Nature Lanscape Tattoos

 

Having been a visitor to Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion and loved it, getting to see a great blackwork version of it is cool. This badass tattoo design looks just like the famous Japanese monument, even down to the scrupulously clipped hedges and koi-filled lake.

Circle Japanese Tower Mens Badass Small Tattoo Design On Inner Forearm

 

This cabin in the woods is sweet. Using different shapes and shades really gives this artwork a natural feel. It is quite impressive to have been carried out on a small-sized tattoo — and it’s hard to believe that the dotwork of the sky was probably the most intense part of the tattoo carried out. The interestingly inked grass also creates an unusual “brushstroke,” adding another layer of interest to the piece.

Guys Badass Cabin In Nature Small Leg Tattoo Designs

 

6. Small Wave Tattoo Ideas

Shoulder Badass Small Ocean Wave Male Tattoo Designs

 

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist of great technique and clarity. His painting, the Great Wave is one of the most well-known pieces in Japanese art, and is often replicated by tattooists with an interest in the Japanese culture. The black and gray of this piece is a solid representation, with the white-capped wave tops being especially well crafted.

Great Wave Badass Small Mens Inner Forearm Tattoos

Small Circle Ocean Wave Mens Badass Inner Forearm Tattoo Design

 

This badass small tattoo is a great beach scene, mirroring a photo you could have taken walking along the beachfront in Waikiki. Using depth expertly here creates a perfectly executed postcard look to the image.

Guys Badass Small Beach Landscape Square Detailed Inner Forearm Tattoo

 

7. Medieval Themed Small Tattoos

A trio of badass swords? Sign me up for battle. This is a great, original take on the flash style of art. It uses flawless shading to create a cool tattoo. The part that stands out most is the skilled rendering of the Old Norse symbol called the Helm of Awe in the background, adding depth to the rest of the image and finishing the idea.

Guy With Small Badass Rune Three Swords Leg Tattoo Designs

 

This crown is majestic. The fleur-de-lis of the crown is wrought with great skill. The shading here is important to give detail and depth to the piece, while the letters are done simply but with great care.

King Crown Badass Upper Chest Small Tattoo Ideas For Guys

 

Okay, so this is an unusual small tattoo in that there is no shading to create the effects of a metal helmet. It’s done with effective black linework, whereas the ax uses difficult dotwork to put detail into the haft and head. Using solid, sharp black ink in places, such as the blood and buckle, is also a very smart technique.

Knight Helmet With Battle Axe Mens Badass Small Upper Chest Tattoo

 

Viking Warrior Badass Forearm Mens Small Tattoo Ideas

Mens Video Game Assassins Creed Logo Small Badass Thigh Tattoo With 3d Design

Mens Celtic Axe Small Badass Inner Forearm Tattoos

8. Fine Detail Small Tattoo Ideas

This small calligraphy tattoo is cool. The linework of the ink trail is spot, while the head of the pen is drawn with deft skill.

Male Shoulder Badass Small Ink Pen Tattoo Design Ideas

 

This small realism-style tattoo inked onto the forearm is badass. All elements of the work are linked with spot-on shading, and the use of a small board gives this piece a beautifully old school vibe. Take note of how the artist uses sharp black shade work in the trucks of the wheels to give it almost photographic quality.

Masculine 3d Badass Small Skateboard Forearm Tattoo

 

This is one badass spider that wouldn’t take kindly to being stepped on. The realism of the spider itself gets offset by the funky shadow work and the skull tattooed onto its back. The use of dotwork to make shading in this piece would have at least doubled the time taken to ink it and gives the spider real intensity.

Mens 3d Spider Skull Badass Small Arm Tattoo

 

Mens Mummy 3d Badass Small Inner Forearm Tattoo Ideas

Mens Smoking Match Stick Badass Small Arm Tattoos

Realistic 3d Badass Mens Small Motorcycle Rib Cage Side Tattoo

Religious Male Badass Portrait Inner Forearm Small Tattoos

Small Badass Guys Finger Deer Head Tattoos

Small Male Badass Spaceship 3d Tricep Tattoo

Small Planets Artistic Mens Sketched Badass Chest Tattoo

Small Tattoo FAQ

How much is a small tattoo?

Small tattoo pricing can range from the shop minimum of $50-$80 for the smallest designs – two square inches or less, to around $200 for an hour for more complex work.

Highly skilled, in-demand artists can charge up to $500 per hour, while apprentices and less skilled artists are as little as $75.00 per hour.

Small tattoos placed in difficult areas such as the hands and feet can command a more expensive price. With these pieces, it’s also important to make sure you have a clear understanding whether any touch-up work is covered in the original cost.

What does a 3 triangle tattoo mean?

The 3 triangles tattoo is most often used to represent the Christian Trinity of the Father (God), the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. It’s most often done in a series of interlinked equilateral triangles.

A tattoo with three interconnected triangles is called the Valknut. The name was coined by the Old Norse words valr, meaning “slain warriors,” and knut, meaning “knot.” The exact meaning behind the symbol is unknown but has had a number of explanations supposed by Norse Mythology scholars.

Where do you put a small tattoo?

Small tattoos are truly the most versatile – they can literally go anywhere you have space to put some ink. However, if you’re just starting out on your tattoo journey but intend to get much bigger pieces, then it’s best to avoid prime spots like the back, shoulders, thighs, and chest.

These are often the spots where large and complex ink is placed. While individual tattoos can be incorporated into other images, having one design is preferable for a lot of subjects.

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Brian Cornwell

Writer

Brian Cornwell founded Next Luxury in 2007 as a magazine for modern gentlemen.

Brian Cornwell founded Next Luxury in 2007 as a magazine for modern gentlemen.

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