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Home Tattoos 101 Best Black Sleeve Tattoo Ideas You’ll Have To See To Believe!

101 Best Black Sleeve Tattoo Ideas You’ll Have To See To Believe!

by Jamie Wilson
Sleeve Tattoos

On the lookout for some of the best black sleeve tattoo designs of 2021? Check out these amazing options to choose from!

Black Sleeve Tattoo
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Sleeve tattoos are a big investment, as they not only take a lot of time and money but are also constantly visible on your body.

Men and women throughout the world have been open to the idea of sleeve tattoos. Hence, black sleeve tattoos have become quite popular for looking like a statement piece on one’s arm.

What Does A Black Sleeve Tattoo Mean?

Black sleeve tattoos can mean whatever the person who gets inked with it wants it to symbolise. Such tattoos often incorporate various motifs or symbols and the meanings keep changing according to that.

There are many ideas that can be utilized for a black sleeve tattoo. While some people like to have a full-sleeve tattoo, others may be in search of a half-sleeve tattoo, which isn’t a bad option either. A black sleeve tattoo will undoubtedly grab everyone’s attention. Check out these black sleeve tattoo ideas and pick the one that says something about your personality.

White On Black Sleeve Tattoo

White On Black Sleeve Tattoo
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Monochrome can never become old. Hence, a monochromatic sleeve tattoo like this one can be the perfect inspiration for you. The skin has been completely covered with dark black ink. As you can see, the solid black ink in providing the perfect canvas for the white ink motifs. The floral patterns on top are designed with thin and delicate white lines. The grey shading on the petals and leaves of the flowers is making this tattoo stand out even more.

Black Shaded Sleeve Tattoo
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If you are in search of a much more elaborate white on black sleeve tattoo, then why not try out this one? In this tattoo, the entire arm has been covered with black ink and different kinds of motifs are inked on top of it. The bold motifs on the top portion of the tattoo and the delicate patterns at the bottom are quite unique. A tattoo of this sort will take a lot of work and time to be inked but is surely worth the hassle. You can ask your tattoo artist to ink this on both your arms, as well.

Elaborate Black Floral Sleeve Tattoo

Elaborate Black Floral Sleeve Tattoo
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Floral motifs never get old and a large floral pattern will look quite spectacular. So, this blackwork tattoo is quite an amazing option for both men and women. The different floral motifs are all looking perfectly well-fitted together. In the image, the patterns in the upper and middle parts of the tattoo have been designed and inked quite boldly to make it even more vivid. Any person who sees this sleeve tattoo on your arm will never really forget the spectacular design.

Black Watercolour Sleeve Tattoo

Black Watercolour Sleeve Tattoo
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If you want a black sleeve tattoo that says something about your passion, why not choose this idea? In this tattoo, the dark ink is resembling watercolour, which could be a way of showing your love for art to those around you. Black tattoos like this are rare to come by and never become irrelevant. This tattoo is looking quite abstract and is utilizing a new school of thought, away from the old and traditional black sleeve tattoos.

Unique Sleeve Blackout Tattoo

Unique Sleeve Blackout Tattoo
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A blackout tattoo is described as a kind of tattoo where one’s skin is inked with solid black ink, covering that section completely. A blackout tattoo is ideal for a person who wants to cover any section of their body. However, such dark tattoos are also gotten as a form of permanent accessory. This blackout tattoo is definitely quite unique due to the way it has been designed. The dark portions are inked as bands, which are framing the arms perfectly. The large top section of the tattoo has blackwork designs, which is further enhancing the allure of the blackout tattoo design.

Black Geometric Sleeve Tattoo

Black Geometric Sleeve Tattoo
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Geometric patterns are always in style and can be used in a good way to display an intricate black sleeve tattoo. As you can see in the image, the geometric shapes have been inked from the upper arm till the beginning of the forearm. Hence, this is more of a half-sleeve tattoo. However, you can ask your tattoo artist to cover your whole arm with this pattern, as that will look spectacular, as well. The solid blackout design on the upper half of this tattoo is forming the perfect gradient shading and creating quite a unique effect.

White black Sleeve Tattoo
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If you are looking for a geometric sleeve tattoo that consists of more shapes and motifs, then this option might be the right one for you. The distinct white ink geometric patterns against a solid black background are making this design quite special. A tattoo of this form will look like a part of your skin and body. Since this tattoo is quite large, you can use this to cover your entire arm.

Realistic Black And Grey Deer Sleeve Tattoo

Realistic Black And Grey Deer Sleeve Tattoo
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Deer is symbolic of beauty, grace, and purity. It also signifies growth and progress. Hence, if you feel these meanings are related to you, why not choose this eye-catching and realistic deer tattoo for your skin? Since this tattoo is so large, the tattoo artist has been able to create such a realistic deer. The flowers at the bottom of the tattoo are framing the deer, perfectly. A blackwork tattoo of this kind is very difficult to come by. You might be the first one to get inked with this among your friends, but you certainly won’t be the last!

Linework And Dot-work Black Sleeve Tattoo

Linework And Dot-work Black Sleeve Tattoo
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Linework and dot-work tattoos are quite intricate due to the detailing such tattoos consist. So, a sleeve tattoo that consists of black linework and dot-work will make people around you take notice of you, for sure! In this design above, the tattoo consists of dot-work geometric patterns and floral motifs made out of linework. In addition to the parts which have ink, the spacings in between the ink are making this tattoo even more complete.

Chains Black Sleeve Tattoo

Chains Black Sleeve Tattoo
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Chains usually have negative symbolism and are related to oppression and defeat. That being said, you can certainly pick this chain tattoo that says to you to never surrender, no matter what situation you are in. The combination of black and white is making this tattoo come alive on the skin. To get inked with this tattoo you might have to spend more than a day in the tattoo shop, but once it is done, it will be catching everyone’s attention for years.

Quirky Skeleton Black Sleeve Tattoo

Quirky Skeleton Black Sleeve Tattoo
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If you are looking for a black sleeve tattoo that isn’t too large, check out this tattoo. The size of this tattoo is such that it won’t cover your entire arm but still look just as good. The tattoo is depicting a skeleton in a clown’s costume. While skeletons signify death, clowns are related to a carefree attitude. Hence, if you live your life fearlessly and don’t worry about death, this form of a tattoo can be the ideal way to portray that on your skin. The intricate detailing of the clown costume in this tattoo, along with the other elements of the skeleton have come together to display perfection.

Black Tiger Stripes Sleeve Tattoo

Black Tiger Stripes Sleeve Tattoo
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Tigers are the perfect symbol of strength. So, if you want to show your power and strength to the people in your life, then this tattoo may excite you. The black stripes are spanning over the entire arm, covering the front and back, and making the skin look like a tiger’s body. You can make this tattoo less elaborate by asking your tattoo artist to only cover any one half of your arm, instead of the whole arm, as that won’t look bad, either.

You may wonder ‘How much is an all black sleeve tattoo?’ or ‘How much it cost to get a quarter sleeve tattoo in 2021?’. Well, much of it depends on the tattoo artist but generally, a solid black tattoo sleeve can cost more than a quarter sleeve tattoo.

Now you know about the many black sleeve tattoo designs that are turning heads now in the year 2021. Black tattoos have been quite well-liked through the years and people have now taken it a step further to cover their entire arms with elaborate black designs. Apart from getting a blackwork tattoo done, you can also opt for a blackout tattoo to cover large sections of your arms. Such tattoos may cover both the front and back of the arm and form the best addition for anyone and everyone!

Still looking for inspiration, then checkout this blog post about traditional tattoo sleeve

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