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Creative Ideas for Armband Tattoo Designs

December 5, 2011 by , under Tattoos of Body Parts.

Armband tattoo designs are quite possibly one of the most common ink choices today. The design basically covers the bicep like a ring and is a simple yet tasteful approach to body tattoos. In fact, the armband is a favorite choice for people who are getting a tattoo for the first time in their life.

armband tattoo designsOne common misconception with armband tattoo designs is that there are very limited options for creativity. This is because most people see either barbed wired tattoos or thorn tattoos surrounding the arm. However, there’s definitely more choices for armband tattoo designs including the following:

Celtic Armband Tattoo Designs

Celtic designs are perfect as armband tattoos since they have these loops and curves that can be easily intertwined with each other to form a ring. They are usually drawn in black like most Celtic tattoo symbols. What’s great about this is that the loops themselves represent the Cycle of Life.


Snakes and Animal as Armband Tattoos

Some people like to put a bit more color on their armband tattoo designs. For example, a snake encircling the arm or perhaps small little butterflies chasing each other in a circle works as a great armband. A good tattoo artist is capable of converting various animal symbols into small sizes that could act as a ring around the arm. What’s great about this is that a person can choose an animal that has special meaning to them.

Textual
Whether it’s Chinese, Japanese or Latin, textual armbands are a great way of combining two classic tattoo approaches. Perhaps choose a favorite quotation and have it written in a circular pattern. This is a classic approach that lets the wearer be as unique as possible.

Flowers and Vines
As mentioned before, thorns are a favorite in armband tattoo designs, especially for the female population. It’s a much more feminine approach to the masculine barbed wire concept. Vines are also great an in some cases, women also choose to have roses growing on the vines. This incorporates the meaning of the flower in the tattoo, allowing women to convey whatever message they want. Other popular flower choices for armband tattoo designs include lilies and sometimes even sunflowers although they don’t fit well with the vine concept.

Getting Creative with Armband Tattoo Designs

armband tattoo designsSometimes, people are not content with a simple straight line encircling their arm. For example, some people will have a blood armband tattoo and for the sake of realism will have some of those bloods trickling down to the elbows. The same goes for flower armbands, Celtic armbands or textual designs. Simply put, some individuals choose to treat the armband like a necklace with a “pendant” in the middle to capture attention.

Placement of Armband Tattoo Designs

As the name suggests, the armband tattoo is placed on the arm – but you need to keep in mind that the arm is not confined to the bicep area. It’s the whole stretch of skin from the shoulders to the wrists so people have the choice of putting their armband anywhere in between. There’s really no ulterior meaning where the tattoo is placed but if you prefer to hider you tattoo during office hours, the area directly below the shoulders is the best point. For those who are not afraid of displaying their armband, somewhere nearer the elbows is better. So basically, the location of the band in the arm depends on how much a person wants their tattoo viewed. It really depends on one’s personal preference on how he wants the tattoo portrayed.


Armband tattoo designs are popular due to their simplicity and how easy they are to have inked. However, it is important to note that these tattoos mostly originated as “symbols” of being part of a demographic. For example, the ocean-inspired designs are a point of pride for people in Hawaii while the barbed wire is a favorite for the Russian Mafia. The Yakuza on the other hand prefer solid black armband tattoo designs.

Photo Credit – David Schexnaydre

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