33 Beautiful Tattoo Ideas for People With Darker Skin (Black Skin/Brown Skin)

If there was ever evidence that people with darker skin tones can get a tattoo, it’s this one. I love the use of white highlights to create the look of moisture and the splash of golden brown in her eye. This is a spectacular tattoo. On darker skin, the black and gray shading can sometimes be difficult to distinguish, but clearly, this artist knows what he’s doing. For more realism inspiration, take a look at @kockotattoosstudio.

IG: kockotattoosstudio

Further proof that darker skin tones can get bright and vibrant color tattoos. This is such a phenomenal tattoo, and the artist Adriana Hallow specializes in tattooing melanated skin. I love the galactic theme of this piece and how the composition of it flows evenly with the shape of the client’s thigh. To see more amazing tattoos on darker skin take a look at Adriana’s IG @adrianahallow.

IG: adrianahallow

The light yellow in this tattoo is what helps it stand out so well against the darker skin tone. It’s important to use lighter tones if you want to get results like this. I love the drop shadow under the butterfly; it creates a 3D effect making it look as though this butterfly is getting ready to fly right off the client’s hand. There’s a lot more inspiration for darker skin tones @melanin.with.ink.

IG: melanin.with.ink

This tattoo rendition of the animated movie “Up” is gorgeous. Many individuals think that because you have black skin, that automatically means you can’t get color tattoos, but here you have it; look at how vibrant the colors are! I love the white highlights which accentuate the angles of the house and balloons.

IG: charbellelopes

Floral designs are always such feminine pieces, and what a sensual way to adorn your skin with a soft Fineline tattoo that flows with your womanly curves. The lack of solid outlines adds to the femininity of this piece, although I hope it heals like this. Sometimes when there isn’t enough black ink in a tattoo, fading can happen rapidly, and you end up losing a lot of the design.

IG: tattoos_ondarkskin

Another lovely floral tattoo, they are quite a popular choice of tattoo, especially for women. Here you can see that the client has a much darker skin tone and how the artist made up for it by leaving a lot of the flowers naked and countering it with the dark shading in the leaves. This brings the flowers to the foreground and means there’s no need to pack a lot of white ink into the piece.

IG: tattoos_ondarkskin

I think this tattoo is awesome, if you didn’t know, Noir is a French word and translates to “black” in English. That’s a cool play on the fact that the client has darker skin and decided to place this script on a noticeable area of the body; it’s definitely the first thing you would notice when talking to him. He’s owning his ethnicity, and I think that’s such a powerful move!

IG: poesie_muette

The sternum is a beautiful place to get tattooed, it’s very intimate and only visible if you’re naked or wearing something revealing. In a sense, it’s a tattoo for you to enjoy. I love how soft the design is and the way the artist uses gradients of gray shading; the lack of solid lines is lovely. If you’re wanting to adopt something similar, make sure your artist is familiar with darker skin, otherwise, your piece could end up over-saturated.

IG: tattoos_ondarkskin

Blackwork can be tricky to perfect on darker skin because sometimes it can look smudged as it heals. However, the artist allowed a lot of open space that contrasts nicely against the solid black ink. Using lines for shading also allows there to be less black ink saturation while still giving the impression of shading. I adore that this design reminds me of Medusa. Mayara Marques is a tattoo artist in Brazil that focuses on Blackwork and Fineline tattoos; go check out her page @mayaramarquestattoo.

IG: mayaramarquestattoo

Anubis, the Egyptian god of death who was later overshadowed by Osiris, is represented by a man with the head of a jackal that’s often misinterpreted as a dog. The whip shading here blends well with the line work and solid black ink. I’m not too sure where this tattoo is on the body, it looks like a calf or outer forearm; either way, this piece would look amazing on any part of the body that has a length to it.

IG: fabriciodart00

Here’s another one by the talented @fabriciodart00; as you can see, he’s fond of doing these kinds of tattoos. The mask is amazingly done, I like how the blackwork transitions out to a lighter gray. He’s also perfected his whip shading, it’s so smooth. This is one cool tattoo to have on your outer forearm. People can admire it as you walk by, and you get to look at it every time you lift your arm.

IG: fabriciodart00

Another amazing African-inspired tattoo that is incredibly inked! The whips are clean and symmetrical, and the linework has hardly any inconsistencies, which can be a difficult element of a tattoo to get right. Loving the white highlights that accentuate the face and jewelry. What a gorgeous tattoo; the design is clearly made for the forearm because it fits perfectly, an astounding job. @fabriciodart00 is an artist from Brazil who knows his way around melanated skin. Go give his page a follow, you might find what you’ve been looking for.

IG: fabriciodart00

I love floral designs on the forearm; there’s so much space and so much you can do with a design for this area. Unlike the other flower tattoos on the list, this one has a dainty little butterfly, which is a beautiful addition because you’ll often find butterflies on flowers in real life. I wonder if there is a significant meaning behind the tattoo or if the client just really likes flowers. Either way, the artist created something elegant the client can be excited to show off. If you need more flower power inspiration @tattoobyjeein has all the floral designs your heart desires.

IG: tattoobyjeein

Simple script that has meaning behind it are such awesome tattoos to get. Especially because a lot of the time, people will ask you what it means, and you get to tell them the story. This script is feminine and suits the neck because it’s been designed to flow with the anatomy here. Just keep in mind if you decide to get something similar, make sure you’re ready to commit to a tattoo that is very visible and can possibly harm your possibility of getting a job.

IG: fvcelesstattoo

The French artist is a connoisseur of fi\Fneline tattoos and has proven over and over again that she truly has talent. Soft shading and fine lines are criteria for a feminine tattoo. Looking closely, you’ll notice that this tattoo incorporates a sun and a moon, a nice play on the concept of day and night. I think this tattoo would have looked a lot better on the forearm or calf because it doesn’t flow as nicely on the thigh.

IG: la_mome_indigo

The artist did a terrific job with the white ink in this tattoo which adds a layer of depth and contrast. There are a few inconsistencies with the linework in the leaves; some of them are too thick and almost seem faded. A forearm tattoo is one of my favorites because there’s so much you can do, and there’s enough space for a gorgeous design that flows with your arm.

IG: jessitatuadora

The artist did a great job creating this groovy-looking butterfly. The triceps, like the forearm, is usually a popular spot to get a butterfly because of the shape of the arm. I like that the lines are squiggly while also reminding me of flames. Really cool!

IG: heloisegeslain

If you can’t tell, this tattoo is on the center of the back; the artist placed the faces far enough that they don’t dip into the spine, which you can see dips in. This would have warped the tattoo significantly. I like the different line weights and how solid and crisp they are. This artist definitely has a steady hand and an understanding of how to do linework, slow and easy.

IG: tata.jouaux.art

The angelic shading on this tattoo almost creates a glowing effect. Her skin tone is not very dark, but it is dark enough that if there was too much shading, the piece would look flat and smudged. The artist left a lot of open spaces to really make the flowers stand out, which is a wonderful artistic choice and shows that she knows how to work with melanated skin even though many of her clients are fair-skinned.

IG: grettel.inkaholik