Top 93 Best Armor Tattoo Ideas – [2021 Inspiration Guide]

If you think an expensive tailored suit is expensive today, consider armor from the Middle Ages. Needless to say, protection came at a high price, but by comparison, so did death on the grueling, blood-soaked battlefields.

To become a walking fortress, you’ll need to take a trip to 4th century japan. here you will find horsemen with keikō and foot soldiers with tankō. although different, both sleeveless designs followed similar standards with leather straps and iron plates.

after arriving in italy, iron plate armor gained popularity and eventually replaced chain mail for good reason. after the Black Death, labor prices were at an all-time high, which in turn made less labor-intensive plate significantly cheaper to produce. however, even well past the 15th century, mail still had a place in the armpit and elbow areas where flexibility was required.

With the new armor on the battlefield, any man could be sure to be protected against swords, spears and, of course, punches to the stomach. however, he did not make a knight truly invincible. the pollaxe, long sharp sword, and halberd still meant death between hits.

By the 17th century, plate armor had fallen in popularity, so it was more or less reserved for cuirassiers and the nobility. It didn’t stand a chance against the invention of the flintlock musket, although it did make revisions to breastplate design during the Napoleonic Wars.

as time progressed towards the second world war, you could find bulletproof vests with steel plates sewn inside. Next up was fiber reinforced plastic which came about around the 1950s. The rest is history.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a collection of the 90 best armor tattoo designs for men. You’ll find bold ideas that feature more than just armor. I’m talking about things like shields, gauntlets, helmets, and more. most of these military themes are based on larger arm parts, however some are small in size and just as intriguing to look at.

1. full sleeve armor tattoos

Few tattoo designs lend themselves to a sleeve design quite like an armor tattoo. the armor is literally designed like a sleeve, so fitting it into a tattoo allows you to follow the natural flow of something designed to fit a human arm. The style and application can take on 3D skins, a full color design, or some realistic black and gray shading to give it that dynamism that flows with the shape of your arm’s muscle and bone structure.

2. colored armor tattoos

If you’re a fan of the unique and unexpected, the colorful armor tattoo takes a quirky approach to what can too often be a very static and mundane design. Since most armor is usually drab metal or leather, there are often not many color options available. but when tattooing you are only limited by your imagination (and budget).

A bold color choice can make an armor tattoo pop, adding accent and depth that would otherwise be unattainable in a real armor piece. You don’t need to adorn the entire piece in garish neon for it to be effective; even a little splash of color on a stark black background can make this app stand out memorably.

3. wild armor tattoos

Armor is part of a warrior’s garb, so if you want to amplify that feeling of savage power, these brutal styling techniques can take armor ink to the next level. Details like the torn flesh or the seemingly metallic surface texture that has been made to look worn, dented and scratched during the heat of battle make these applications of the technique stand out. Succeeding in using these style options requires creative design, out-of-the-box technical skills, and painstaking attention to detail to carefully craft the tattoo.

4. massive armor tattoos

A true suit of armor is just what its name implies, a suit. a full body shell of metal that squeaks or a chain that rubs and rustles. Getting a full body armor tattoo is definitely not feasible, however, the bigger you can go with a realistic armor cross section, the more impressive it will look.

Armor tattoos that stretch from the shoulder and arm to the back and chest are really great examples showing off technical details, precision lines and intuitive shading to make these massive applications look their best.

5. intricate armor tattoos

While armor can be simple and lacking in contrast and complexity, there are ways to make a bold and intricate armor tattoo that really pops on your skin. creating elaborate designs using filigree and texture variation allows your artist to transform a flat image into something captivating and full of life. line work needs to be tight and precise for this to be most effective, as do shading effects, padding, and the use of negative space. If the detail and precision are not captured correctly, the tattoo will look muddy and amateurish, spoiling the whole effect.

6. black and gray armor tattoos

A black and gray application is one of the most common for armor tattoos, as most types of armor don’t come with a rich color palette to begin with. By giving up that aspect of design, artists can focus on using black and gray to create textures, angles, and even three-dimensional illusions through the use of shadows, lines, and negative space that are exciting and dynamic.

Black and gray are the most common style choice for an armor tattoo, and can create some of the most striking and memorable ink expressions that will hold up over time without major fading or loss of detail.

7. realistic armor tattoos

Realistic armor tattoos are deceptively difficult to pull off. capturing the correct texture of steel or leather, the appropriate use of shading and negative space to make light play off the body art in a realistic way, or producing the overall three-dimensional look usually requires the skilled hand of a master artist. As the examples above demonstrate, the end result can be absolutely amazing if the armor concept has been executed correctly.

Enjoying these examples of armor but looking for more ink ideas to investigate? click the links below to see more old school galleries:

• the best shield tattoo designs
• spqr tattoo ideas
• sparta tattoo designs
• Top 103 Warrior Tattoo Ideas