4. Small Tattoo Ideas for Men Using Black Ink

This minimalistic hand tattoo using decorative lettering is crisp and clean. It would have been a quick, painless bit of work using a single needle.

This anchor tattoo is a single needle old school style tattoo in flat black. It’s a no fuss homage and head nod to traditional tattoo art themes from the start of the 20th century.

This small chest/shoulder tattoo is a well-executed written piece. The slightly different fonts are all well drawn and mesh well together, giving the piece extra detail and a stamp-like quality.

5. Small Nature Tattoo Designs

Having been a visitor to Kyoto’s Golden Pavillion and loved it, getting to see a great blackwork version of it is cool. It looks just like the famous Japanese monument, even down to the scrupulously clipped hedges and koi filled lake.

This cabin in the woods is sweet. Using different shapes and shades really gives this artwork a natural feel. It is quite impressive to have been carried out on a small sized tattoo – and it’s hard to believe that the dotwork of the sky was probably the most intense part of the tattoo carried out. The interestingly inked grass also creates an unusual ‘brushstroke,’ adding another layer of interest to the piece.

6. Small Wave Tattoo Ideas

Hokusai was a Japanese artist of great technique and clarity. His wave is one of the most well-known pieces in Japanese art, and often replicated by tattooists with an interest in Japanese culture. The black and gray of this piece is a solid representation, with the white-capped wave tops being especially well crafted.

This badass small tattoo is a great beach scene, mirroring a photo you could have taken walking along the beachfront in Waikiki. Using the depth expertly here creates a perfectly executed postcard look to the image.