The chest is certainly one of the most intimate regions of the body and most readily celebrated in terms of physique; housing the heart but also acting as a kind of barrier against the outside world.

It makes sense to want to etch something equally complex and eye-catching, and fortunately there is a treasure trove’s worth of awesome tattoos designed with the chest in mind.

From scripture calligraphy to 3D renderings of Superman’s emblem blazing beneath one’s shredded shirt of flesh, the tattoo wearer can be as traditional or unique as he wishes. Celtic scales and tribal patterns are a perfect choice for the man who views his chest as body armor, with additional crosses and animal symbols representing the powerful talismans of our ancestors.

Dramatic black and white Gorey-esque ravens swooping and diving their way down to the navel give a nod to our Gothic forefather Edgar Allan Poe, while Steampunk upper armor designs evoke a particularly cool futuristic allure.

Sometimes the design doesn’t have to be grand in scale; outlines of one’s home state inked above the heart make an equally significant impression.

See more about – 109+ Best Chest Tattoo Ideas

1. American Traditional/Neo Traditional Chest Tattoos

These chest pieces reflect many of the standard images associated with the American Traditional style, such as an old-style ship, banners with specific mantras embedded, roses, eagles, swallows, and a centralized burst of colour. We see in our examples many pieces relying on the image of ships—a symbolic association with the many voyages an individual may take in life.

Many of these pieces went outside the boundaries of the classic American Traditional style by blending with new approaches to realism, simple black line work, and animals not often depicted in old school ink. There are a variety of emerging  hybrid techniques that expand on colour, content, and style.