InkCraftBehind the Ear Tattoo Ideas and Designs
By Uladzimir TumanauUpdated
Behind the ear is the most discreet visible placement there is — hidden by hair, revealed when you tie it back. The constraint is size, and it is a real one.
- blackwork · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white blackwork moth tattoo behind a man's ear
- illustrative · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey illustrative raven tattoo behind a man's ear
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental star tattoo behind a man's ear
- new school · colourTry it on — Color new school elephant tattoo behind a woman's ear
- linework · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white linework angel tattoo behind a woman's ear
- new school · colourTry it on — Color new school compass tattoo behind a man's ear
- Japanese · colourTry it on — Color Japanese koi fish tattoo behind a man's ear
- illustrative · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey illustrative moon tattoo behind a man's ear
- blackwork · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white blackwork hole tattoo behind a man's ear
- traditional · colourTry it on — Color traditional sunflower tattoo behind a man's ear
- Japanese · colourTry it on — Color Japanese snake flower tattoo behind a man's ear
- new school · colourTry it on — Color new school moon tattoo behind a woman's ear
- tribal · colourTry it on — Color tribal dragon tattoo behind a man's ear
- fine line · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white fine line flower tattoo behind a man's ear
- Japanese · colourTry it on — Color Japanese koi fish tattoo behind a man's ear
- neo traditional · colourTry it on — Color neo traditional butterfly tattoo behind a woman's ear
- Japanese · colourTry it on — Color Japanese oni tattoo behind a man's ear
- fine line · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white fine line tiger tattoo behind a woman's ear
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental eye tattoo behind a man's ear
- blackwork · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white blackwork cherry blossom tattoo behind a woman's ear
- new school · colourTry it on — Color new school skull tattoo behind a man's ear
- watercolor · colourTry it on — Color watercolor shark tattoo behind a man's ear
- biomechanical · colourTry it on — Color biomechanical moth tattoo behind a woman's ear
- illustrative · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey illustrative elephant tattoo behind a woman's ear
- tribal · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white tribal flower tattoo behind a woman's ear
- Japanese · colourTry it on — Color Japanese lips tattoo behind a man's ear
- biomechanical · colourTry it on — Color biomechanical flower tattoo behind a man's ear
- tribal · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white tribal flower tattoo behind a man's ear
- linework · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white linework shark tattoo behind a woman's ear
- illustrative · colourTry it on — Color illustrative shark tattoo behind a man's ear
- traditional · colourTry it on — Color traditional rose tattoo behind a man's ear
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental lily tattoo behind a woman's ear
Every pair is one tattoo: the design as it was drawn, and a photograph of that same design on the behind the ear.
These 32 behind the ear tattoos, by the numbers
- Styles represented
- japanese (5), illustrative (4), new school (4), blackwork (3), ornamental (3), tribal (3)
- Black-and-grey vs colour
- 47% black-and-grey, 53% colour
- Shown on
- 11 feminine, 21 masculine presentation
Counted from the 32 tattoos shown on this page. Every design was drawn for InkCraft and photographed on this placement — none are scraped or reposted. Free to reference with a link to this page.
How a behind the ear tattoo wears
The usable area is small: a patch roughly the size of a postage stamp on the mastoid bone behind the ear, bounded by the ear itself in front and the hairline behind. That is the whole canvas, and it is the single fact that decides which designs belong here. Small motifs with open internal space work; anything that would need shrinking to fit does not.
The surface curves in two directions over the bone, which is more of a factor than the size suggests. A design with a strong straight edge will read as bent from most angles, while a compact motif with a natural centre sits correctly however you turn your head. Artists usually place the piece slightly behind the ear rather than tight against it, because the crease where ear meets skull is both awkward to work and awkward to see.
Long term, this is a low-wear placement — no clothing rubs it, sun exposure is partial, and nothing stretches it. What limits longevity is not wear but scale: detail placed close together at this size is what blurs, and it blurs because it was too small on the day rather than because the placement damaged it.
Pain and healing
Sharp but brief. The mastoid is bone directly under thin skin, and the sound conducts straight into the skull, which many people find more disconcerting than the sensation itself — it is louder here than anywhere else on the body. Sessions are short enough that this rarely becomes an ordeal. Healing is easy and unusually well protected: hair covers it, nothing rubs it, and the main advice is to keep hair products off it and to be careful with headphones for a fortnight.
Choosing a design that suits it
- Respect the size. This is a placement for one compact motif, not for a scaled-down version of something larger.
- Leave internal space — detail packed tightly at this scale is what softens into a blob over years.
- Favour compact forms with a natural centre over designs with long straight edges, which read as bent on a doubly curved surface.
- Consider that hair will cover it most of the time. That is usually the appeal, but it is worth being sure.
Size, cost and who sees it
How big, and what it costs
Almost always a shop minimum and under an hour. It is one of the cheapest tattoos to get well done, which makes it a common first — and makes it worth spending the money on someone whose fine linework you have actually looked at, since there is nowhere for a shaky line to hide at this scale.
Who will see it
Hidden entirely by loose hair and visible when it is up or short. Among the most controllable placements on the body, and one of very few that is both genuinely visible and genuinely concealable without clothing.
What to ask your artist
- Is this design simple enough to stay readable at this size in ten years?
- How close to the ear should it sit?
- Will the curve here distort any part of this design?
- How should I handle hair washing and headphones while it heals?
Prices vary widely by city and artist — treat these as session lengths rather than quotes, and expect a shop minimum on anything small.
Common questions
How small does a behind-the-ear tattoo have to be?
The usable patch is roughly a few centimetres square. That rules out anything intricate — the successful designs here are single compact motifs with open space inside them, not miniaturised versions of larger pieces.
Does it hurt?
It is sharp, because the bone is directly under thin skin. The more common complaint is the noise: the machine conducts through the skull and is much louder here than elsewhere. Sessions are short, which keeps it manageable.
Will hair cover it completely?
Loose hair of any real length covers it entirely, which is usually the point. It appears when hair is tied up or cut short — the reason it is such a common choice for people who want something visible on their own terms.
See it on your own behind the ear
InkCraft places a design on a photo of you — scaled, wrapped and shaded to the placement you pick, so you can judge it before it is permanent.