122 Awesome Small Tattoos for Men

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

The bold but precise lines perfectly compliment a man’s confidence and style for anything from a lotus flower or cross tattoo to a gaming piece or cartoon character. 

Small tattoo designs are becoming an increasingly utilized form of body art for women, who often get restrained size pieces in favor of crisp and precise detail.

The explosion in small tattoos for women over the past two decades has thankfully broadened previous stereotypical views of design styles and placement, which are now some of the tattoo world’s most innovative.

Heart tattoo or flowers will always remain popular, but women are now just as likely to rock a badass dragon or a killer skull design and do it with enjoyable small design style.

Small rose tattoos offer great versatility in style and placement and they prove the classics can be done with skill in small ink.

Traditional spaces like the inner forearm, lower legs, chest and side remain popular, however as visible tattoos keep growing as an option, areas such behind the ear, on the fingers and hands, or the neck are being applied more than ever, and they work for all kinds of flower tattoo.

The idea for tattoo with cute levels set to overload have been an integral part of the tattoo popularity explosion.

Cute, humorous, and whimsical small tattoos are now becoming the norm for men – who traditionally took their body art too seriously.

Couples, siblings, and groups of friends also share tattoo, chronicling adventures, memories, or memberships in cute but brief packaging.

Where work of the past featured roses, sunflowers or the occasional lotus flower, modern body art displays all the variations of flower tattoo in stunning styles, colors, shapes and symbolism.

Thankfully, gender stereotyping in the world of ink is being obliterated daily – we don’t care if you’re a man or woman if you want cool tattoos – and flower art is awesome tattoo art.

With versatility and visibility important characteristics in contemporary body art the wrist is a key area when designing a small piece.

More widespread acceptance means that you can often get away with picking more obvious areas for unique wrist concepts, but also incorporate a camouflage element for different settings should you wish.

The heart tattoo works in countless variations and is an enduring tattoo for small designs.

These days, the heart has expanded beyond expressions of love to incorporate loyalty, friendship, and courage, while a black heart is tied to grief, mourning, and loss.

A cross tattoo is instantly recognizable, simple and effective. Along with the Holy Bible the cross is the most visible symbol of Christianity and a meaningful symbolic tattoo choice. 

Now that tattoos are such a significant part of personal adornment and an embodiment of free will, those of a religious mindset have taken to cross body art to demonstrate their faith. 

While many choose to have a massive dragon looming over their shoulder or emblazoned on their back, more diminutive dragons better serve as markings that don’t bring too much attention but still hold symbolic flair.

In European lore, dragons are depicted as giant evil serpents that must be slain by brave and noble knights, while in Asia the meaning of a dragon is varied depending on the elements worked into its design.

Whichever dragon style tatt you like, don’t discount a smaller piece of art that you can work epic meaning into bringing to life.

The truth is, smaller sized tattoos executed with simplicity can look just as good as any other.

There are limitless design ideas to go with – it comes down to what interests you and how you want it to flow on your skin.

For some collectors the meaning behind the body art is the most important element in its creation. 

Small tattoos are often laden with meaning and symbolism that may not be readily apparent on first look. When paired with individual tastes in placement, color, style, and application these complex, meaningful tattoos result in sensational body art.  

Sunflowers symbolize strength, joy, and positive energy; tall, hardy, and bright, they loom above the rest of the plants as they stretch towards the sun.

A traditional yet small sunflower tattoo is timelessly lovely and unlikely to lose its appeal as trends change. It is equally effectively in black and gray or various color representations that can be hidden or shown off with ease.

Anchors are not just for the nautically inclined anymore, though many still honor their second home at sea through canny use of the symbol in personal art.

Whether your love of the water or position as an anchor to your loved ones compels you, the small anchor tattoo is perfect for the man of few words but infinite depth.

Making the leap into highly visible tattoos doesn’t mean you have to get huge pictures drawn on your backs like a painting, or designs covering a leg.

You might opt instead for a small tattoo to accent the features of your hands, using the design to highlight strong fingers, elegant flow, or dominant characteristics.

A small wolf tattoo is a great way to display strength, familial loyalty and devotion. 

The wolf is a pack animal. For every lone wolf on the prowl, there are ten more who work within their family unit, and this concept makes for compelling body art. 

Small bird tattoos are emblematic of both old and new school approaches to body art. For the old school, birds are often symbolic designs etched with great care and hidden away from a casual glance.  

Small butterfly tattoos are timeless forms of body art. Every artist’s portfolio contains at least a few exciting butterfly designs. 

The butterfly is a tremendously versatile subject, often able to be etched in stunning detail or quiet simplicity to represent beauty, freedom and transformation. 

Considering the mammoth proportion of the elephant, there is some surprise in the fact it makes for a popular small tattoo design choice.

Elephants are often used to represent wisdom. Their vaunted memory and long lifespan feed into this ideal and allow for many different interpretations of the mighty creature when the scale gets smaller.

One of the best types of small tattoos to get is one of simple black ink. Despite their minute size, small black ink tattoos come in an extremely wide variety of shapes, meanings and details.

Small black ink tattoos are simple ways of making any sized statement one desires or making no statement at all. The possibilities for small black ink tattoos go on and on.

Small geometric tattoos are unique. They bring a different artistic technique to an already awesome type of tattoo.

The best dotwork tattoo ideas are a spectacular and creative way of composing a tattoo by means of using numerous tiny dots in the place of standard tattoo shading techniques.

Small geometric tattoos are also very impressive by virtue of the technique required to compose them as well as the incredible tattoo designs they make up, whether incorporating shapes, lines, or shadows in illustration.

Being abstract, the best tattoo ideas for this style are often made up of incongruent elements or of a new and creative take on something that already exists.

Small abstract tattoo ideas often provoke thought or utilize mind-bending technical application with the ways in which they represent certain ideas or concepts.

The classic images of the American traditional style often make for some of the best tattoos. American traditional designs are small tattoo ideas for those who like bold lines and limited color palettes.

Nevertheless, they still pack a punch with their signature, vintage look. Like many other styles, American traditional designs are awesome when they’re small.

The best small animal tattoos fit quite nicely at the smaller scale. They can represent one’s pet, favorite animal or something entirely different like conquering fear or representing an inside joke.

Many small animal tattoos are composed with a great deal of detail that becomes especially evident upon looking closely at the design.

There are a few different reasons nature-related tattoos that look just as good, if not better, in their downsized form.

Of course, having a great artist to do your tattoo is always pivotal to creating the best in small tattoo ideas.

The reasons for why some nature tattoos translate well to smaller versions of themselves does not only apply to nature pieces, it can be true of many other types of tattoos.

25. Small Chest Tattoos

Often heavily symbolic and generally quite awesome, small unique tattoos take a great deal of novelty and meaning and bring them down to smaller, more compact sizes.

Neo traditional tattoos are always interesting in their own individual expression of classical body art themes.

Small black and gray tattoos are classically eternal pieces of body art. Whether depicted in the form of portraits, emblems or figures, small black and gray tattoos rarely disappoint.

It’s really hard to go wrong with black and gray imager, especially in a smaller, more easily fitting piece. 

A smaller compass tattoo is the perfect way to remind yourself of the strength and clarity with which your own navigational needle operates.

It may not always make its presence clear, and others may overlook it altogether, but you will always know it’s there.

Often inked in a discreet place–a wrist, ankle, or inner arm–the small compass tattoo is, in many ways, for your eyes only.

The most common and most subtle of religious tattoos are the simplest. Using plain religious symbols without a lot of flourish makes a statement while still being reverent.

A cross on the upper arm can be hidden when need be, but it still acts as a reminder when you are mindful of its presence.

A crown of thorns around the upper forearm will be more visible for you to use it as a reminder of your beliefs and values.

Small neck tattoos are growing in popularity. This kind of tattoo can really show off  bravery and individuality.

It’s something that could be hidden under a collar to be revealed as an intrigue at just the right time, or something that is always visible and gives a clue to what a collector’s passions and interests might be.

The small skull tattoo is one of the most classic, quintessential tattoo designs in modern tattoo history.

Symbolizing mortality, immortality and the dramatic interplay between life and death, skull tattoos truly embody the shadow side supremely beloved by tattoo enthusiasts worldwide.

Trees are known throughout the history of the world as the ultimate symbol for majestic beauty and enduring strength over time.

Small tree tattoos celebrate the dignified and monumental tree for these superb qualities, along with its sublime gifts of nourishment and natural wisdom

If you’re looking to capture a colorful piece of the world and commit it to your flesh, look no further than the array of small but gorgeously hued tattoos available today.

A splash of ocean or sunrise, tribal image, or reference to one’s favorite film or graphic novel all make for superb small tattoo inspiration.

Some even choose their nation’s flag or the flag of their ancestors to wear in a proud but understated way, in a small but poetic tribute.

Many believe owls are symbols of both wisdom and truth, which makes owl tattoos a popular small tattoo design choice. Others consider the owl design to be related to change, such as when the owl makes his hoot heard to announce his presence.  

The fingers provide nice opportunities for a range of small tattoo style and design choices, with simple yet creative concepts often deployed for new school collectors.

While still considered job stoppers by many, the increase in visible art means a small finger tattoo is a choice that will remain popular as the tattoo industry continues to evolve.

The power and inspiration of the ocean is the perfect thing to immortalize in tattoo form. Although there are beautiful, large tattoos out there with wonderful detail and artwork, small ocean tattoos can have the same impact.

Some are as simple as a single wave or two but they could also be a symbol famous for representing the sea such as anchors or a small nautilus.