“Go big or go home” quite literally applies to the man who opts not for a small, innocuous tattoo but a full-body armor of ink.

If tattoos typically tell one’s life story in fragments and stand-alone symbols, why not ink it in epic proportions?

There are a number of full arm, leg, chest, and back tattoo designs that paint an unforgettable image. From intricate tribal emblems to geometric schemes, large-scale imagery to sprawling cinematic scenes, there is truly no shortage of inspiration. The question is, how bold are you as the scribe of your own moving history? Are you willing to tell your tale with confidence and zero apologies, using the canvas of your body and tattoo artist’s needle as your weapons of choice?

A tattoo of monumental proportions may not be for the physically faint of heart and socially self-conscious, but for the men who dare to dream big there is no greater impression to make.

Whether you wish to capture a moment that can only be revealed in wide scale, or believe there is a greater pattern to be worn beyond mere skin, a full tattoo turns man into walking art, and lets the world know he holds nothing back.

1. Large sleeve tattoos

There’s a tremendous variety of sleeve tattoos on display and all of them show fantastic technical traits separating them from more run of the mill work. Some opt for traditional black and gray shading with a focus on heavy detailed sketching and gray scale fill, while others are spare but utilize heavy black ink, clean lines and flowing imagery that contrast with negative space. Others still, use painstaking dotwork to shade, or contrast the main focal point with alternative fill or a feature ‘stick out’ color. All of these tattoos are portfolio worthy highlight pieces.

2. Full Back Tattoos

Wow! If you’re looking for a perfect cross section of big tattoos to influence your choice in a full back piece, these examples are all you need. They’re tremendous, utilizing the huge canvas available to make genuine pieces of skin art. Some of these opt for a large focus image – such as the Chinese warrior’s, head and face – while others, such as the intricately etched geometric based back tattoo, aim to build a piece complementing a a variety of technical applications. I think my favorite is the amazing whale tattoo matching realism with a vibrant kaleidoscope of colors and detail.