Inside: 47 Shin Tattoo Ideas & Pain Charts.

The best part about getting tattooed is that your body becomes a canvas. On that canvas, one of the best places to add art to is the shin! This tattoo’s front and center placement will always be in the spotlight when wearing shorts or dresses. Not to mention, it’s one of the best areas on your body for a lengthy vertical tattoo.

Ink on the arms can sometimes be tricky in terms of which direction the tattoo should go in, but with the shin, it’s perfect for any large piece that includes tall things. Such as trees, skyscrapers, and loads of other things.

The options of tattoos for your shins are vast. There are so many amazing designs to choose from it may feel overwhelming at times, we get it! We put together a list of some of the coolest shin tattoos on the internet for you to look at. They range from colorful butterflies, to knee wraps, to full shin sleeves(or would a leg sleeve be considered a pant?).

You name it, and its probably included.

Have a look below to get a better understanding of your style and perhaps get some inspiration for your next tattoo!

Oh but before that, you may be wondering…

Do Shin Tattoos Hurt?

It’s well known that certain areas hurt more than others when being tattooed. The more painful areas tend to be where the bones sit closer to the skin, like your hands, ribcage, and yes, your shins. This is due to the fact that there are a lot more nerve endings in these areas than in the softer spots, like the forearm. So yes, shin tattoos will be one of the more painful tattoos you can get. But do not fret!

These days there are ways to lessen the pain, such as numbing spray. Many tattoo shops have this handy stuff on hand to help you out so just ask your tattoo artist when you go in to make sure they have it if you’re worried.

Ultimately, this is your decision if you want a shin tattoo or not. Just know that we are rooting you on!

To help excite you and get you out of the fear portion of getting a shin tattoo, let’s look at some other people’s artwork they had done. You know with these end results the pain was absolutely worth it!

Shin tattoo ideas

Shin Tattoo Ideas

Here is an assortment of many varying types of shin tattoos you can get, check them out!

1. Classic Moth

2. Floral Shin Tattoo

3. Full Shin Mandala

4. Floral Dagger

5. Colorful Butterfly

6. Plant in Fancy Vase

7. MonMon inspired Cat

8. Shin Sleeve

9. Lioness with Flowers

10. Tourch in Color

Men’s Shin Tattoos

Below are a few men’s shin tattoo ideas to get the guys excited! Of course, there are many more options out there depending on your concept and desires, but here’s some just to get those creative juices flowing!

11. Mandala

12. Tiger

13. Little Bat

14. Samurai

15. Harry Potter Wand

16. Tiger In Jungle

Female Shin Tattoo Ideas

The shin is one of the most perfect spots for floral tattoos. With the length and width most shins give, it’s perfect for a bouquet. Or if you want something a little more edgy, a whole skeleton(see example below).

Female shin tattoo

17. Dainty Ankle Mandala

18. Leaf Design

19. Flowers inside Cat Silhouette

20. Snake with Flowers

21. Realistic Flowers

22. Heart Moth

23. Detailed Mandala

24. Skeleton Dancing in Flowers

25. Snake Leg Wrap

26. Leaf Details

27. Butterfly in Black & White

28. Butterfly Mandala

29. Simple Vine

30. Roses with Band

Shin Tattoo

Small Shin Tattoos

Though this spot is great for larger tattoos, don’t let that stop you if smaller ones are more your style! We’ve included a list of small shin tattoos just with you in mind. Check them out!

31. Abstract Flower

32. Little Mushroom

33. Mandala Shadowing Knee

34. Bee with Moon Phases

35. Hot Air Balloon

36. Realistic Rabbits

37. Sun & Moon

38. Knee Wrap

39. Classic Moth

40. Black & White Flowers

Traditional Shin Tattoos

Traditional tattoos are timeless for a reason. This style airs on more of the bolder side with thicker lines and solid colors, you really can’t go wrong. There isn’t a tattoo concept that couldn’t be executed with this classic style, so have no worries about that. The possibilities are truly endless! Here are some of our favorite shin tattoos done in the traditional style. Check them out!

Pain charts for lower leg tattoos

41. Peony in Color

42. Floral Piece

43.Bold Floral in Color

44. Simple Dagger with Flowers

45.Beetle in Color

46. Rose Knife in Color

47. Black Panther

And that was it! 47 of the coolest shin tattoos on the internet. We hope you found some excitement and inspiration from these, as well as a better understanding of your style. Yes, getting a tattoo on your shin is going to hurt, but it will absolutely be worth it when you have another piece of art added to your canvas!

More Tattoo Ideas You’ll love

    57+ Honeysuckle Flower Tattoo Designs With Minimalist Meaning  – With more than 180 different species of honeysuckle plants, there are just as many potential interpretations for these flowers when used as tattoos, too. Honeysuckle tattoos are usually chosen to symbolize undying love and passion. These sweet flowers are filled with bright, happy, and sweet meanings, check out a few of our favorite ideas and inspiration.
  • Simple Hip Tattoos Perfect for Your Body – If you want the ultimate flirty and sexy tattoo, consider getting one on your hip. It’s such a personal location that not everyone is going to see it, but when they do, they will appreciate your curves and your ink. You can go with a simple quote, or you can go with a big design to almost cover the area. Either way, trust that you will be inspired by these hip tattoo designs!
  • 27 Tattoo Sleeve Filler Ideas for Women – Perfecting a sleeve tattoo can take years of work, tons of inspiration, and A LOT of time in the chair. But it’s totally worth it, right? I think so! When working on full sleeve designs you can often find yourself trying to fill those small spaces with ink that completes your sleeve perfectly. Finding the right art and designs for your sleeve tattoo is really the hardest part, I mean besides the pain. ???? Here are 27 Tattoo Sleeve Filler Ideas for Women that we love.