As tattoos become more common and more intricate, many people are turning to their legs for a bigger canvas — with incredible results.
The legs offer a huge space for the kind of detailed tattoos that are in favor today. As a result, more and more tattoo enthusiasts are covering their legs from toes to hips with incredible designs.
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Another big draw for leg tattoos is that the thighs, calves and other areas are generally very soft and fleshy. This is ideal for tattooing, where fat and muscle are less painful than bony areas or thin skin.
On top of that, leg tattoos are easy to cover up if need be. Folks with leg tattoos do not have to worry about wearing long sleeves on a hot summer day, or wearing their hair long at all times to cover their necks. They can simply opt for long pants in business or family settings where a tatoo might be unwelcome.
Most of all, however, the legs offer a fun and versatile place for tattoo artists to unleash their full potential. Here is a look at some of the most amazing leg tattoos on social media today.
Ballerina
First up is an almost photo-realistic ballerina tattoo by artist Ilya Fom. The piece is framed by a jagged, swirling design and shows a little girl carrying shoes she may not be ready to fill yet.
Moby Dick
New York-based artist Dmitry Troshin showed off the depths of leg tattoo designs with this Moby Dick piece. The design goes to show how much can lie beneath the surface, and how much inking an ankle can really take.
Pharoah
An Indonesian tattoo studio shared this incredible leg sleeve made up of ancient Egyptian iconography. It wraps all the way around the leg and goes from groin to ankle, showing pyramids, sphinxes and gods.
Cartoon Blues
Of course, not every tattoo has to be made up of ancient designs, as this Loony Tunes leg sleeve shows. The film strips contain familiar images from some of the first hit cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Tweety and others.
Blow My Mind
Some ambitious tattoo designs span across two legs, including this one by Emrah de Lausbub. The careful colors of the piece make for a stark contrast from one calf to another.
Stan Lee and Marvel Babies
There is a lot going on in this Marvel Comics tattoo, centering around the creator himself Stan Lee. The portrait of the writer is surrounded by more modern, minimalist renditions of his characters designed by cartoonist Derek Laufman.
A Rose By Any Other Name
Not every tattoo needs to cover the whole leg, as this design by Gilbert Avita shows. The stem stretches from heel to thigh, but other than that the bulk of the tattoo is the transluscent pink petals just above the knee.
Hive
Some favor a simple opaque look for tattoos, but even this can be applied to the sprawling canvas of the leg. This one from Los Angeles studio 2Spirit Tattoo shows a few parallel lines going through a hive on the shins.
Space Exploration
An artist known simply as Masi shared this conceptual design of an astronaut out in space. The heavy-lined style bodes well for the tattoos longevity, while the timeless design will hold up for itself.
Stormy Seas
Once again, some of the best tattoos can only be seen with the legs pressed together. The strong lines are juxtaposed to the wavy concept, and the framing at the top and bottom keep the whole thing contained.
Take Me to Church
This design has viewers reeling, between the two-legged symmetry and the upside down chapel on the calves. At the end of the day, it serves as a bold look that shows more detail the longer you look.
From the Depths
Leg tattoos can show a sense of motion, especially when the person wearing them is walking. In this case, the octopus design creates a creepy sense of rising up from beneath that will wriggle with each step.
Run Rabbit Run
Leg tattoos do not necessarily need to end at the legs, as this frightened rabbit piece shows. The design stretches from below the knee to the underarm, and still just barely seems to fit.
Middle Earth
Speaking of slim fits, this map of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world of Middle Earth hardly fits on one man’s leg. The look is iconic, while at the same time a deep cut from a well-known property.
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Pants
Finally, this pair of leg sleeves practically forms a pair of tattoo pants from thighs to toes. It encompasses artwork from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, with a few elements even crossing from leg to leg.
