Armband Tattoos

Armband tattoos are among the most popular type of tattoo. The reasons are clear – an armband makes a bold impact and it’s easy to show, but it can be hidden by shirt sleeves as desired. Armband tattoo designs can be simple or complex; the form is very adaptable. Finally, armband tattoos are very flattering on both men and women. They highlight a toned bicep, but they can also complement a slender upper arm, making it appear even more delicate.

Arm Band Tattoo Designs

Example of an armband tattoo design

Another great thing about an armband tattoo is that armband tattoo designs are so varied – the form lends itself well to different styles. A whole range of images can be expressed, without becoming overwhelming. So there are tribal armband tattoos – these were popular in the 1990s and still are today; they usually don’t consist of images associated with any one particular tribe, but take elements from several different sources. The bold, black lines of a tribal band tattoo look good on almost any physique.

Celtic arm band tattoos are also very popular. Here again, a set of traditional images is used – such as running spirals, scrollwork or knotwork. Traditional Celtic art often incorporates a border surrounding a central image or images and these borders are easily adapted to form arm band tattoo designs.

Traditional Armband Tattoos

Arm band tattoos have been used for centuries in the Polynesian islands, and because of the exploration that went on in the seventeenth century, the idea was brought to Europe around that time. Today’s Hawaiian band tattoos are a remnant of that ancient tradition. Of course, the Polynesian islanders used a different tattooing technique – a very painful one in fact, where a shark’s tooth was sometimes used to pierce the skin. Their tribal armband tattoos would still be much admired however – in fact, modern armband tattoo designs incorporate many elements of these traditional Polynesian designs.

Among the Hawaiians and the other Polynesian islanders, an armband tattoo showed rank or status. Interestingly, they had much the same function as armbands sewn onto military uniforms – or even scouting uniforms for kids – still have today. Could this be a cross-cultural influence? Whether it is or not, one thing is clear – armband tattoos will probably remain one of the most popular types of tattoo, because of their high visual impact and the great range of images that can be adapted to this type of tattoo.

There is even an odd superstition involving armband tattoos – apparently, some tattoo artists believe it’s bad luck to completely join up the band, so they leave a small gap on the inner arm. We could speculate about the origin of this superstition for a long time: is there some ancient tribal significance or is the tattoo artist just cutting corners to save himself some time?

Armband Tattoos

One of the most popular places to get a tattoo is the upper arm. Talk to any tattoo artist and they'll probably tell you that they do a good number of their business giving people armbands. Let's take a look at what goes into getting an armband tattoo.

Placement-wise, it's popular for a number of reasons. Upper arms are easy for the artist to work on. They can single-handedly stretch the skin, tattooing with their other hand. The area is a good size which allows for some relatively large tattoo designs. And there's a really good layer of muscle and body fat over most of the upper arm, which provides more cushioning during the tattoo process.

Along with general upper arm tattoos, the armband style of tattoo is very popular and has been been growing in popularity over the last several years along with tribal-style designs. Armbands are sometimes an entire design that wraps all the way around the upper arm or it can be a smaller design element that is repeated to form a band. They can be very subtle and thin, or thick and bold as you wish.

Placing an armband tattoo takes a bit of care. Too close to the crease of the upper arm and the inside portion of the design will be hitting the very sensitive areas near the armpit. Too low and the design gets near the elbow joint, another very painful area to tattoo. Most people place them around the midpoint of the bicep where the arm has the most muscle and padding. Many people opt for what is a 3/4 armband, leaving a bit of the inner arm bare of the design. For some, this is to skip the more sensitive inner arm and for others it's to avoid the pseudo-contortion required so that the tattoo artist can reach that part of the art to work.

If you are designing your own armband, remember that a human arm is not a perfect cylinder and that your artist may have to tweak the design a bit to make it fit your arm so that the two ends meet cleanly. This design challenge is another reason people leave a space inside the upper arm. If you lift weights, be conscious of not bulking up your arms too fast, as this can lead to stretch marks on the arms, and can damage the design of your tattoo.