InkCraftNeck Tattoo Designs for Men, Beard Line and Below
20 men's neck tattoos photographed on skin for InkCraftBy Uladzimir TumanauUpdated
On a man the neck is often framed by a beard above and a shirt collar below, and a short haircut leaves the nape open. These neck tattoos for men sit beside their flat designs, so you can judge each against the space a beard and collar leave.
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental tattoo on a man's neck
- blackwork · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white blackwork lion tattoo on a man's neck
- tribal · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white tribal butterfly tattoo on a man's neck
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental tattoo on a man's neck
- neo traditional · colourTry it on — Color neo traditional peony tattoo on a man's neck
- geometric · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white geometric lotus tattoo on a man's neck
- linework · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white linework phoenix tattoo on a man's neck
- new school · colourTry it on — Color new school moon tattoo on a man's neck
- geometric · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white geometric tattoo on a man's neck
- ornamental · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey ornamental tattoo on a man's neck
- traditional · colourTry it on — Color traditional tattoo on a man's neck
- dotwork · black and greyTry it on — Black and grey dotwork sun tattoo on a man's neck
- geometric · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white geometric cross tattoo on a man's neck
- biomechanical · colourTry it on — Color biomechanical wolf tattoo on a man's neck
- watercolor · colourTry it on — Color watercolor tattoo on a man's neck
- blackwork · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white blackwork tattoo on a man's neck
- geometric · colourTry it on — Color geometric eagle tattoo on a man's neck
- watercolor · colourTry it on — Color watercolor tattoo on a man's neck
- neo traditional · colourTry it on — Color neo traditional tattoo on a man's neck
- fine line · black and whiteTry it on — Black and white fine line bird tattoo on a man's neck
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 necks, in numbers
- Body parts
- 1
- Black and grey
- 12
- Colour
- 8
- Most common style
- geometric
Where the beard stops
A beard changes the top edge of every neck tattoo. Most beards are trimmed to a line a little above the Adam's apple and along under the jaw, and a neck piece placed below that line sits on clean skin, while one placed within it disappears whenever the beard grows out. Work out where your beard line sits, clean-shaven, stubble or full, and keep the main part of the design below it.
Shaving around a healed neck tattoo is routine and does it no harm. Stubble, though, softens fine line on the side of the neck for most of the day, so bold outlines and solid shapes read more clearly on anyone who does not shave daily.
A thicker neck, short hair and collars
A muscular neck is wider at the base, where the trapezius slopes into the shoulders, and that slope gives more room than the side of a slimmer neck. It can carry a piece from the side of the neck down onto the upper chest or shoulder, which reads as one design with the shirt off and as a smaller glimpse above a collar with it on.
Short hair keeps the nape on show at all times, and a clipper-cut hairline becomes the top edge of a nape piece. Shirt collars cover the base of the neck: a piece that ends just above a buttoned collar is visible, one that ends below it is not. For pain and healing on each part of the neck, see the neck page.
Common questions
- Can a beard cover a neck tattoo?
- Only the upper part, and only while the beard is grown. A full beard hides the top few centimetres of the side of the neck and under the jaw; the lower neck stays open. To keep the option of covering it, place the piece high under the jaw; to have it seen, keep it below your beard line.
- Will a men's neck tattoo show above a shirt collar?
- Anything on the side or front of the neck above the collar line shows, with or without a tie. A piece at the very base of the neck, just above the collarbones or low on the nape, can sit under a buttoned collar. Try the stencil in the shirts you wear most before deciding.
- Which part of the neck suits a man's first neck tattoo?
- The nape or the base of the neck, where the piece can join an upper-back tattoo and be covered by a collar when needed. The side of the neck is the most visible and the hardest to take back socially. Starting at the nape keeps the side available for later.
- What styles work for a small or side neck tattoo on a man?
- Geometric and blackwork pieces hold up best on the side of the neck, since clean shapes and solid black read at conversation distance and through stubble. Ornamental work suits the nape, mirrored about the spine. Neo-traditional subjects such as a lion, a wolf or an eagle need room to keep their detail, so a small neck tattoo works better as one simple symbol: a cross, a sun, a moon.
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.