InkCraftFoot Tattoo Ideas for Men, Seen Mostly by You
20 men's foot tattoos photographed on skin for InkCraftBy Uladzimir TumanauUpdated
Most men wear trainers, boots or lace-ups nearly every day, so a foot tattoo on a man is seen mainly barefoot, in sliders and sandals, and from above by the man wearing it. That audience of one is worth designing for.
- linework · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white linework tattoo on a man's foot
- Japanese · colourTry it on — Color Japanese tattoo on a man's foot
- illustrative · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey illustrative dragon tattoo on a man's foot
- tribal · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white tribal lion tattoo on a man's foot
- fine line · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white fine line moon tattoo on a man's foot
- tribal · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white tribal eye tattoo on a man's foot
- new school · colourTry it on — Color new school tattoo on a man's foot
- Japanese · colourTry it on — Color Japanese bee tattoo on a man's foot
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental tattoo on a man's foot
- fine line · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white fine line tattoo on a man's foot
- geometric · colourTry it on — Color geometric ornament tattoo on a man's foot
- illustrative · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey illustrative tattoo on a man's foot
- neo traditional · colourTry it on — Color neo traditional hummingbird tattoo on a man's foot
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental lion tattoo on a man's foot
- watercolor · colourTry it on — Color watercolor phoenix tattoo on a man's foot
- linework · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white linework tattoo on a man's foot
- neo traditional · colourTry it on — Color neo traditional tattoo on a man's foot
- illustrative · colourTry it on — Color illustrative skull tattoo on a man's foot
- watercolor · colourTry it on — Color watercolor tattoo on a man's foot
- tribal · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white tribal hummingbird tattoo on a man's foot
Every pair is one tattoo: the design as it was drawn, and a photograph of that same design on the body.
These 20 tattoos on men's feet, in numbers
- Body parts
- 1
- Black and grey
- 11
- Colour
- 9
- Most common style
- illustrative
Closed shoes, sliders and bare feet
Trainers, boots and lace-ups cover the whole foot, so for most of the week a man's foot tattoo is out of sight. It appears at home, at the pool, on the beach and in sliders or sandals. A slider's strap covers a wide band across the front half of the foot and leaves the instep near the ankle bare, which makes that upper instep the part of the foot that shows most often.
Hair on many men's feet grows on the toes and on the stretch of foot just behind them, while the instep toward the ankle is often nearly bare. That makes the upper half of the foot the clean spot for linework and the toe end the place for bolder shapes, which will sit under a little hair once it regrows.
A broad foot and the leg above it
A man's foot is often long and broad, with tendons that stand out as ridges when the toes lift. That gives more room than people expect, and a design can run the full length of the instep rather than sitting as a small badge in the middle. Shapes that follow the tendons, from ankle toward toes, stay readable when the foot flexes.
If you already have work on the leg, the foot is where it ends. A calf or shin piece that stops at the sock line leaves the ankle and foot as a separate zone; one that runs down through the ankle and onto the foot turns the whole lower leg into a single composition, which reads best in shorts and bare feet. Over the years feet tend to widen and flatten slightly, which a bold design shrugs off. The foot page covers the session, the healing and the touch-ups.
Common questions
- Which way up should a foot tattoo face?
- Decide who it is for. If it is mainly for you, draw it with its top toward your toes, the way you see it looking down. If it is for everyone else, turn it so the top points toward your ankle. Lettering forces the choice; symmetrical designs avoid it.
- How long can a foot tattoo be on a man?
- As long as the instep, from the front of the ankle to the base of the toes. On most men that is longer than the width of their palm, which is room for a proper design rather than a token. Spend the extra length on clarity and scale, not on extra detail.
- Will a foot tattoo show at the gym or the pool?
- At the pool, all of it. At the gym, only if you train barefoot or in minimal shoes, because standard trainers cover the foot completely. If you want a piece that is seen often, the ankle is the more public choice and the foot the more private one.
- What designs suit the top of a man's foot?
- Styles that keep a clear outline at a modest size. Tribal and linework pieces can follow the tendons from ankle to toes and stay readable as the foot flexes. Illustrative and Japanese subjects, such as a lion, a dragon or a phoenix, suit the long instep when drawn along it rather than across. Save fine line and soft watercolour for the upper instep, where hair is thinnest.
See it on your own skin first
InkCraft places a design on a photo of you — scaled, wrapped and shaded to the spot you pick, so you can judge the size against your own body before it is permanent.