101 Best Upside Down Tattoo Ideas That Will Blow Your Mind!

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Life moving upside down? Why not ink this loopy phase on your body? Here are some amazing upside down tattoo designs that are sure to catch your fancy!

Upside down tattoos refer to the orientation of your tattoos that faces the wearer, and not the viewers.

Upside down tattoos are intended for the wearer to see and are inked facing the wrong way up. However, tattoo enthusiasts are divided with opinions about the right and wrong of these tattoos.

Most people you see tend to place their tattoos facing other people for tattooing means the exhibition of your true self on your skin. On the other hand, some people are of the belief that their tattoos are for them to see and thus should be facing them. Though one school of thought contradicts the other, upside down tattoos are still quite popular for they are personal, and provide a sense of authority over the tattoos. For convenience, these tattoos are mostly seen on the inner forearm and the wrist, and sometimes even the thigh area. There are even some tattoos that maintain the same meaning, upside or ‘right’ orientation does not matter much. Ready to explore such a free genre of body art? Keep scrolling and find inspiration for your next ink appointment!

Upside Down Rose Tattoo

Roses are one of the most common tropes used in upside down tattooing. Here, the tattoo artist inks an inner forearm tattoo in black and grey. The word ‘blessed’ adds an edge to the beauty of this rose tattoo.

Roses are a great idea for your flip side tattoo for these flowers often symbolise something personal. An upside-down rose could mean you are private about the relationships in your life, people that you value without having to show off much. Try and play with black roses, dead roses, and other flowers that you reverberate with for a cool forearm tattoo.

Upside Down Lettering Tattoo

First off, we are not advocating for sneaking formulas everywhere, but it really makes a fun tattoo! From elbow to wrist, this forearm tattoo is filled with measurements and conversions that will make sense as a tattoo if you are a person who likes to break rules. This tattoo shows not all body art has to be a proper message or a symbol of something profound- it can as well be gibberish and make a fancy show! And honestly, if you cannot turn formulas towards yourself then what’s the point?

Upside down lettering tattoos on forearms and wrists are a go-to site, but not the only place for experimenting. This design shows you how to pull off a fine design on the side of your chest. The words are totally turned the other way around and highlight the purpose of upside-down tattooing. You can try some other tattoos with words or take this example in order to experiment with placements.

Angel Demon Upside Down Forearm Tattoos

An intriguing way to wear upside down tattoos is to focus on the duality surrounding us and present them through art. Here the artist paints a striking portrait of a woman enamoured with a horned headdress, but looking from the other way around, you will notice the figure of a wild beast. The pertinent human-animal duality is a pertinent theme in tattoos and can easily be incorporated in upside down tattoos as well. The entire image is thus basically a game of perspectives drawn in black and grey to make you aware of the trope more than colours.

Similarly, the demon and angel here are two contrasting images putting emphasis on perspective. The monochrome ensemble pops up with precise shading and outlines in black. Your viewers will not be able to stop noticing such a vividly detailed design when tattooed on your forearm or the calf as shown in the picture!

Stranger Things Upside Down Tattoo

Upside down tattoos are incomplete without the mention of Stranger Things! The show that popularized the mishaps going on on the flip side of the ‘correct’ world can serve as a splendid cover. Enclosed in a rhombus is the upright portrait of the protagonist versus the Demogorgon on the wrong side. The tattoo is plainly drawn in black for the most part and can exhibit well on any skin complexion.

Owing to the show’s association with the upside-down, a Stranger Things tattoo will make sense without being too politically incorrect! You can scoot this tattoo to your upper arm or other areas in your body that have a good chance of exposure.

Upside Down Triangle Tattoo

Tattoo artists often opt for geometric shapes when in need of an altered symmetry. Triangle tattoos are especially appealing as forearm and wrist tattoos for they are petite and accommodative of a large number of tropes. The artist here brings together the two forms of the earth that we see around. The visible differences between mountains and forests ultimately preset a complementing picture in blackwork.

Here, the artist leaves out the vertices of a triangle to guess and shapes the design on the centre of the forearm. You can shift it to the arms or any other site where it can be easily noticed.

Funny Upside Down Tattoo

People often hold the opinion that turning your tattoo on the wrong side up will make you regret your decision in due course of time. Even a few tattoo artists point out this mistake because a tattoo means a commitment forever. But what if you can turn these mistakes into an edgy tattoo genre? In come surrealism.

This tattoo is weird, funny, and quite trippy like all surreal art. Everyday images are put together in a square that disrupts and questions the sense of reality. Throughout the designs, the artist leans toward the plain use of black and abstract placement. The words with their trippy font present a holistic view of perspective and the motto behind these wrong side up tattoos.

Upside Down Tattoo With Cross

Cross tattoos are the go-to wear for men. Forearm tattoos often feature a tiny cross or a full-fledged cross tattoo to showcase their faith. Here the tattoo artist paints a decorative cross with a mock outline. The image seems much too familiar with the kind you might have witnessed in church but here’s a catch.

An upside-down cross tattoo meaning is something entirely different. The symbol is often viewed as Satanic and extremely controversial as wrist tattoos. Wearers would often consider this as turning God towards themselves but other people intentionally wear it on the wrong side to make room for ambiguity. Whatever be your stance, a cross has never looked bad on the arms! However, be careful to know your pain endurance before opting for wrist tattoos as they tend to hurt due to the absence of flesh between the skin and bone structure.

Scenic Upside Down Tattoo

They say an upside down tattoo will eventually seem less appealing and make you regret every bit of it. Not with this beautiful watercolour tattoo! The artist captures an ethereal sunset that bleeds its colour on the cityscape. The idea is colourful and has a visible essence of life in it.

Sunset forearm tattoos are a great example of how you can add a magical element to your arm tattoos. Sunsets often symbolise the cyclic course of time and also signify that the end can be as beautiful as the beginning. In other words, these picturesque tattoos hint at the process of healing after being hurt. Venture into more tattoos in a similar line of thought and honour your body with what it deserves.

Gothic Upside Down Tattoo

A very Tim Burton-esque approach in inking this upside-down forearm tattoo, the design is a reminder of the director’s gothic aesthetic. The Belle is embellished with a monochromatic cover and surrounded by roses and hearts. The sketchy appearance of this forearm tattoo stands afar from other tattoos and contributes to creating a gloomy ambience altogether.

You can definitely experiment with female figurines or other famous characters from pop culture and tactfully create your very own upside-down tattoo design. The placement ideas are also flexible with this one and can cover the back of your arm extending from the elbow to the wrist.

Traditional Upside Down Girl Tattoo

Old school tattoos have a charm like no other! No matter the trope or placement, traditional tattoos are known to be eye-catchers. Here, the portrait of a traditionally seasoned girl merges with that of a tiger. The utilisation of colours and the blackwork is commendable for they help to strike a harmonious balance without going over the top.

The representation of two contrasting subjects here establishes the beauty and the beast duality yet again. It may also point to the coexistence of the two qualities as they amalgamate into a singular entity. Either way, we love these optically illusive tattoos and how traditional fashion enhances their beauty. For more options, you can refer to the image of the Queen card in a deck and mould it into a jaw-dropping forearm tattoo!

Now that you know how amazing an upside down tattoo can be, do not shy away from making a not-so-correct ink choice. These tattoos are fun, edgy, and most definitely will make you stand out from the crowd. You can play around with a number of motifs and tattoo tropes and craft yourself a complete individualistic body art. However, we will advise against these designs if you are looking for inspiration for your very first tattoo. Having said that, here are some more tattoos that you can start brainstorming with:

• Upside down pineapple tattoo
• Upside down umbrella tattoo on forearm
• One-word upside down tattoo on chest
• Upside down Hannya mask tattoo
• Ambigram tattoo on forearm

feature image from Pinterest