33 Brilliant Bicep Tattoos for Men in 2024
The bicep is considered prime real estate for all ink lovers. It is perfect for conveying various ideas, from lettering tattoos and traditional images to optical illusions and cultural symbolism or experimental pieces of artistic ink! Bicep tattoos for men often start with a simple (small) idea but often grow into a sleeve design or series of tattoos connected along the arm.
But before you go and get your bicep tattoo, let us help guide you in choosing the perfect piece of ink. Below we’ll show you the most interesting, exciting, and fantastic bicep tattoos in 2024. You’ll surely be inspired with the perfect idea of which tattoo style to get, as well as the size, and exact placement on your body.
With that said, let’s begin.
The Best Bicep Tattoos for Men - Black Ink ‘Noir’ Tattoo on Man’s Inner Bicep
This crisp black ink tattoo combines aspects of animal realism with manga art. The excellent use of negative space spells out the word Noir below a wolf, whose fur and muzzle display technical skill in pinpoint black-line shading. I also like multi-level framing within the rectangular panel and background line shading, but I’m surprised the wolf’s eyes were left untouched.
IG: inktotalart
Artistic Men’s Inner Bicep Tattoo
This inner bicep tattoo displays an abstract Geisha etched with a freehand brushstroke technique. The tattoo utilizes cool switches in shading patterns to give the face a painted appearance, while the black circles at either end provide a frame to work with.
IG: carlottacawa
Single Needle Black and Gray Artistic Tattoo
A beautiful tattoo combining several techniques into one artistic piece defined as “If you want god to laugh, tell him your plans.” I like the fusion of geometric ideas represented by the solar system, 3D dice, and binary code filler shading. The neo-classical outstretched finger of God is the most solid part of the design, acting with its own plan that impacts the other elements.
IG: omerxtunca
Abstract Men’s Bicep Tattoo
I love how this bicep tattoo juxtaposes realistic elements – the anatomical heart, human eye, and gramophone equipment (the crank and sound horn) – to create an abstract design. The tattoo’s style shares similarities with trash polka yet is more orderly in the expert use of linework, shading detail, and realism. The sparse use of sky blue ink helps tie the tattoo in with the client’s other work.
IG: santhelia
Lightning Flash Portrait Tattoo on Inner Bicep
This is an exceptional black and gray portrait-style tattoo with a twist. The slickly etched 3D lightning bolt provides a brilliant border for the artist to craft a woman’s features. I love how the tear from her eye leaks over the border’s edge, and the ‘cross-section’ approach means only facial details are featured. What little hair shown is used to make filler.
IG: dm.tatts
Men’s Inner Bicep Brushstroke Bull Tattoo
This creative bull tattoo uses a finger painting effect to craft the beast out of a large swathe of black ink. The artist shows off tremendous artistic skill in black and gray shading, lightened by restrained white ink highlights that add definition to the bull’s curves and features.
IG: dokgonoing
Artistic Motorcycle Bicep Tattoo for Men
I like how this sketch-style motorcycle tattoo is arranged on the inner bicep. Rather than focusing on trying to make the complete bike fit, the design uses the front end only, which allows for more detail in an ample space. The red and blue ink color accents are well done, and the artistic shading of the bike wheel and chassis helps flesh out the design with a hand-drawn feel.
IG: lucatestadiferro
Negative Space and Blackwork Moon Tattoo
This biceps tattoo offers a nicely etched mix of black ink shading and negative space to create the illusion of a swirling moon. The crispness of the un-inked orb allows the heavy black shading to develop the idea of movement. It’s a simple concept executed with skill.
Neo-Traditional Butterfly Inner Bicep Tattoo
I love this brightly colored butterfly tattoo. Using a chalk effect in the bright blue and green hues creates a vibrant style that works perfectly with the dripping ink, giving the design a graffiti stencil feel.
IG: anton1otattoo
Men’s Bicep Script Tattoo
This is an excellent script tattoo on the inner bicep. The design uses a combination of Old English and Chicano-style lettering to spell the word ‘Relentless.’ The lettering itself is clean and well-spaced. The smoothly flowing filigree surrounding the text takes the tattoo from good to outstanding, utilizing space with excellent technical application.
IG: mares.tattoo
Illustrative Tree Fairy Men’s Bicep Tattoo
This tree fairy tattoo is a beautifully expressed use of delicate, detailed linework. The artist has taken great care in creating the tree leaves surrounding the fairy. Silver metallic ink allows the background moon to shine through the trees, and various white ink highlights offset the brown ink application.
IG: tattooer_intat
Watercolor Fox Bicep Tattoo
This men’s fox tattoo utilizes tremendous watercolor principles to create a visually exciting design. There’s no complex linework in the piece. The artist’s excellent use of bright ink colors and contrast shading makes the artistic design.
Neo-Classical Blackwork Tattoo on Man’s Arm
This neo-classical upper bicep tattoo is beautifully etched. The artist’s precisely detailed cross-hatch linework produces brilliant results in the heavily muscled, athletic figure. I also like the placement of the figure on the arm – it’s a unique and effective use of angles.
IG: seppe_lights
Heavy Black Skull and Butterfly Bicep Tattoo
This blackwork bicep tattoo combines two cool ideas into a duality (life vs death) themed design. The work shows tremendous technique throughout the black ink shading, especially in the skull’s bones and sockets. Having the butterfly’s frame as the border creates a more intensely etched skull offset by killer wing patterns.
IG: claudiag.tattoo
Abstract Hand Tattoo on Man’s Inner Bicep
This inner bicep piece is a fantastic abstract black ink tattoo. The artist uses tremendously clean linework to create various patterns instead of shading. I also like how solid black ink draws up the central Evil Eye and the blood flowing from amputated fingers.
IG: sidetattooing
Classic Black and Gray Octopus Tattoo
This classic black and gray tattoo combines two old-school themes: an octopus entwined in an anchor. Traditionally, anchor tattoos symbolize strength and calm, while the octopi are linked to mystery and surprise. The design features excellent grayscale shading throughout, and the creature’s suckers look strong enough to grip anything.
IG: panumart_tattoo
Delicate Man Tattoo on Inner Bicep
This line art design of a man’s upper body looks like it’s come straight from an artist’s sketchbook. The lines are clean and well-drawn, but I’m unsure how they will hold up as they age. I like the use of thick black lines to give the overall design added strength.
IG: ayhanmetin_
Neo-Traditional Bird Tattoo on Man’s Inner Bicep
The artist has taken one of the oldest tattoo symbols (swallows are famed nautical designs used to show a sailor’s experience on water) and given it a modern makeover with bright colors contrasting vividly against shades of blue and black ink. The use of gray dotwork to illustrate the bird’s underwings is a brilliant touch of subtlety!
IG: aleksymarcinow
Photo Realistic Black and Gray Movie Star Bicep Tattoo
This photo-realistic tattoo of actor Christophe Waltz eating a burger is fantastic. The tattoo artist possesses excellent skill in line, color, and shading, which gives the strange image a sense of solidity. Even the Burger King crown resembles a snapshot taken with a powerful camera lens.
IG: danisanzpuntoes
Men’s Inner Bicep Bull Tattoo
This colorful inner bicep bull tattoo uses excellent technical applications. The clever use of black linework provides the beast’s impressive musculature and a base for bright, chalk-like colors built over the top. I love the lines and accents used to give the big bull his fierce demeanor and a cool sleeve tattoo of its own!
IG: 85tattooer
Inner Bicep Geometric Element Tattoo
This man’s delicate inner bicep tattoo is a beautiful example of precision tattooing. The artist mixes straight lines with shadow and excellent gradient shading to create a scene illustrating the elements (wind, water, earth, and fire), tides, the moon, and the sun.
IG: choiyun_tattoo
American Traditional Duck Bicep Tattoo
This Old School duck tattoo comes from the artist’s flash collection. It takes American traditional fundamentals – thick lines, flat colors, and a limited palette – and twists them by applying different colors, sparse shading, and white highlights. The duck against the sun design has a wicked Aztec vibe.
IG: jaspervangestel
Rock with Googly Eyes Bicep Tattoo for Men
Inspired by the Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” this rock with googly eyes tattoo is excellent fun! The artist demonstrates perfect use of shadow – they can give the stone a shadow while giving it form, depth, and texture.
IG: ofekvision
Men’s Bicep Script Tattoo
This bicep script tattoo (I think it’s in Sanskrit) is what you should be looking for as a client in this type of design. While ostensibly simple, these script tattoos can often go wrong with just a single, tiny mistake. The black ink is crisp and neatly applied, the spacing is clean, the design fits the space well, and the lettering is thick enough so it won’t blow out or fade over time.
IG: panumart_tattoo
Neo-Classical Snake Bicep Tattoo
I love the mix between animal realism and neo-classical principles in this delicate inner bicep tattoo. The torso of the male figure is etched with exquisite detail, especially in the cracks and fissures, which give the stone-like shading depth. The snake is a brilliant contrast – dark, smooth, sleek, and dangerous.
IG: pratstattoo
Geometric Men’s Bicep Tattoo
This bicep tattoo is two awesome ideas fused. The upper part is a geometric design melding dotwork circles with a killer 12-sided shape to create the concept of learning (or daydreaming) in tattoo form. The second part is a photo-realistic design of a seated man with a book in front of him. Although his eyes are closed, the book catalyzes the geometric output above him.
IG: matanlalo_tattoo
Men’s Bicep Black Ink Orchid Tattoo
I love this spectacular orchid tattoo, which fits perfectly on the man’s upper bicep. It boldly uses a blackout background to create a frame for the beautiful flower. The stamen and petals are so delicately shaded you could be forgiven for thinking they are just pockets of uninked skin.
IG: claudiag.tattoo
Artistic Line Art Bicep Tattoo for Men
The words “you are in my heart” are brought to life in a tattoo. I love the line art that brings this concept to life. With only the two colors used, it provides storytelling power and impact. The lines are all crisply etched – you could argue the symbolism is more important than the design.
IG: tatuacuore
Inner Bicep Owl Tattoo for Men
The inner bicep is the perfect placement for this classic realistic owl tattoo. The bird stretches out in muted color along the client’s arm, with black background filler and dotwork stars providing a nighttime aspect. The subtle color shifts, well-placed lines, and beautifully detailed feathers make this an exceptional depiction of the night hunter.
IG: dm.tatts
Heavy Black Fallen Star Tattoo
I love the originality of this blackwork fallen star. The design makes it look like a fallen clump of hot rock trailing smoke rather than a sparkling thing we try to look at in the night sky. The black ink gives it a heavy solidity that looks fantastic on the skin.
IG: localbirdmom
Charlie Sheen Blast Over Tattoo
This is a hectic ‘graffiti portrait’ tattoo. Russian artist mashkow is famed for these lurid, poor-taste depictions of famous people scribbled on. The idea of these designs is to be controversial and abrasive. Yet, the talent it takes to create the art is undeniable – artistic skill in depth and composition mixed with a flair for underlying realism blasted by the epic use of garish colors and absurd themes.
IG: _mashkow_
Grayscale Snake on Candelabra Bicep Tattoo
This is a classic black and gray snake entwined in a Gothic candelabra. This bicep tattoo offers a mix of technical applications in linework to create a realistic effect offset by ‘shallow’ shading and negative space surrounding the lit candles. Using white ink highlights gives the candelabra a well-etched silver sheen while finishing off the overall design.
IG: blanco_tattoo_