While it may seem obvious—single needle means one needle is used in creating a tattoo.

Single needle tattoos are characterized by the high levels of detail that can be achieved in comparatively small designs.

Most tattoo machines operate with a range of different needles, however in single needle technique the tattoo machine is loaded with a solo tattoo needle to etch the skin. 

Modern single needle and fine line tattoo use an approach reminiscent of a technical drawing pencil, with smooth shading and hyper-realistic detail amongst the usual bold lines of outline.

One of the most famous examples of single needle renowned tattoo artist Mark Mahoney’s single needle tattoo of David Bowie he etched on Lady Gaga. 

While there is no doubt about the rudimentary origins of single needle tattoos, today’s designs are anything but simple. Thanks to the advances in tattoo machines and equipment, artists create a mind blowing tattoo style with single needle designs. 

Read on for our superb gallery of amazing single needle tattoo designs. Click here to read our guide to the essentials of single needle tattoo. 

1. Abstract Fine Line Tattooing

Source: @oc_tatt via Instagram

Source: @ekokkai_tatuajes via Instagram

Single needle tattooing diverges markedly from the standard “bold will hold” ideas of American traditional tattooing emphasizing bold lines, vibrant color palettes, and sticker like saturation to create the stylized depictions of pinup girls, swallows and tigers. 

These abstract single needle examples depict fantastic, highly artistic tattoo designs that meld highly detailed fine lines with tremendously intricate gradient shading. The degree of concentration needed to mix geometric aspects of linework within a fractal projection of the human face, the details of a flower petal or a sketch like version of the Venus De Milo in combination with the eyes of the Mona Lisa is almost unbelievable.