Stomach tattoos aren’t as popular as arm and back tattoos, but they have been shooting up the rankings in recent years. Not only is it a “new” place to get inked, it also gives people yet another large area of their bodies to place a design that they love. No, you don’t have to get a very big and detailed design as a stomach tattoo, but in most cases people use this area to place designs that don’t work as well anywhere else on their bodies.
Many people wonder if stomach tattoos hurt. Well, yes, but like all other tattoos, the pain is most definitely temporary. Even though you have more fat in the stomach area than in pretty much any other area on your body, the stomach is still very sensitive and it can be a bit tough to sit still while you’re getting inked there. If you do have a highly sensitive stomach, you’ll need to let your artist know that ahead of time so they are more careful while making your tattoo. You should be more worried about squirming from the sensitivity than being in pain, that’s for sure.
Besides being a large canvas for some very cool designs, the stomach is also a great location for a tattoo because it is concealable. Even though tattoos have been quite mainstream for a few years now, some folks still prefer to keep at least some of their tats hidden from public view. If you really want a tattoo but you aren’t comfortable putting it on your arm or leg, then definitely consider getting a stomach tattoo. It’s true that most people choose the back over the stomach in these cases, but some designs simply work better as stomach tattoos.
Remember that the stomach is quite large compared to most other parts of your body, so you have quite a lot to think about as far as designs go. Some people prefer to get their stomach tats directly in the middle of their stomachs, while others might prefer a design that goes down one of the sides of their midsection. In a way this is great because it opens up more possibilities, but that also means you need to really take your time before you commit to any design.
If you decide to get a stomach tattoo right in the middle of your stomach – whether it’s around, above or below the belly button – you’ll usually want to make sure that it is centered. This uniform look is usually more pleasant to look at regardless of the design, though there are a few examples of tattoos that actually can look a bit better off center. This is the type of thing you’ll need to talk to your artist about before the needle comes near your skin.
Some great examples of stomach tattoos that look fantastic when they’re centered include faces, landscapes, buildings, logos, animals, flowers, and text. All of these stomach tattoos can be manipulated to work very well around the midsection and can really pop off of the skin when done correctly. Of course, you can always stretch a stomach tattoo up to your chest area and beyond if you have an extremely large piece in mind.
You also have a lot of great design options for the side of your stomach. Since these tattoos are not centered in any way, it’s important that you get a design that goes with the natural lines of your body. Regardless of how large the tattoo is, you will want the starting and ending points to work with your natural curves. A lot of people like these stomach tattoos to jut out near their bellybutton area and move in and around their ribs. It’s completely up to you how to make this work, but you’ll definitely want to think about it before you commit to a stomach tattoo design.
Possibly the most popular side of the stomach tattoo is the profile tattoo, which allows you to show off a great expression of a person, animal, or character. You can give it an angry look, a happy look, or anything in between. The key to getting a fantastic final product is to give it an expression that adds to the overall meaning of the stomach tattoo. These are usually very large and detailed pieces, so you’ll want to have an experienced artist give you quite a few mockups before you commit to a design.
Another very popular stomach tattoo that works on the side of the stomach is the text design. If you have words that simply have to be tattooed on your skin, this can be a great option especially if you want to keep the words private. You can loop the words from the middle of your stomach to the side, or you can have them going straight down the side of your stomach. You can even take this idea a step further by getting the words along with an image or two to really emphasize the meaning you’re going for.
We’ve talked a lot about larger stomach tattoos here, but you absolutely can come up with some extremely cool smaller stomach tattoo designs too. In fact, a lot of people like to get smaller pieces that start at the middle of their waistlines and work their way around their bellybuttons. There are also some very cool pieces that hug the waistline and don’t even come close to the naval. You have millions of designs to choose from for the stomach area, so don’t think that you have to get a large piece simply because the stomach is a larger canvas.
And there you have it! Stomach tattoos are definitely “in” now because people realize they can do a lot of great tattooing work in this area. If you’re thinking about getting a stomach tattoo, be sure to first think of the meanings that you want to work with, then think of some design ideas, and then find a fantastic artist to work with.
