Easy Tattoos For Beginners: Designs & Ideas | Tattooing 101 (2024)

The best way to get comfortable with the feel of working on skin - and the best way to avoid leaving behind a bad tattoo - is to start with easy tattoos for beginner artists.

Easy Skull Tattoo Designs for Beginners

This simple tattoo can be kept tiny and lets you avoid the trickiest parts of tattooing skulls: the shading and the teeth.

The simple tattoo design lets you play with angles...without dealing with the 3-D aspect. Use simple lines to create a grin and add personality with easy, single-line “eyebrows.”

If you’re struggling with pulling straight lines, this skull is the perfect practice: any wobbles or shakiness can be used to create “cracks” in the skull.

Most artists learn American traditional designs first because they use bold lines and a limited color palette. This skull lets you practice clean linework and shading without asking you to blend lots of different colors.

Human faces are incredibly difficult to get right - even in skull form. If you’re still perfecting your face drawings, going for an animal skull like this one will let you practice on skin without leaving an oddly-shaped human skull behind.

This traditional design lets you add some personality to the skull image without asking you to create detailed facial features. The shading in this image has clearly defined sections of shading, which is perfect for people still working on keeping blends smooth.

This tattoo idea uses a simple color palette while allowing you to practice color packing and shading.

Another “half skull” image, this easy tattoo design allows you to implement more shading without having to worry about being perfectly symmetrical on the other side.

This skull line drawing keeps the teeth simple and separated so they don’t look “overcrowded” or off-center. Using this simple rose saves you from doing lots of tiny petals.

Easy Tribal Tattoos for Beginners

Large tribal designs are difficult because of the way they wrap around the body. Using a simple design like this lets you show an image in a smaller space while still staying true to the tribal style principles.

Tribal patterns usually call for “woven” lines of some sort. This tribal spider design lets you incorporate that element without asking you to create a complicated pattern.

This tribal lizard lets you practice packing in black ink while leaving a margin for error in the design. If you have a shaky line, this design has lots of negative space so you can add a better, cleaner line and fill in the space behind it. (This is a great option if a friend wants an animal tattoo and you aren’t comfortable with blending or skin-like texture.)

Learning how to create lines that run parallel to one another is an important skill to have as a tattoo artist. You’ll get practice with that with a design like this. The lines are far enough apart that small mistakes can be easily covered, and they are curved so if you’re slightly off with the angle, it’s much harder to tell.

Howling wolves and roaring lions are common tattoo images. If you aren’t ready to go with something realistic, giving this tribal wolf is a great way to incorporate that element without needing to be super detailed.

Tribal is all about thick, dark lines that flow with the body. While simple and fairly easy to apply, this type of design allows you to create a stellar-looking piece without incorporating lots of detail. Simply align the design with the flow of the body to accentuate the curve of a muscle.

Cute Tattoo Ideas for Beginners

If you’re very new to tattooing, creating a full outline that is the right shape can be complicated (and lead to shaky lines). This simple tattoo idea lets you create the illusion of an entire face without having to draw the actual shape.

This is one of those rare images that looks 3-D without the need for shading, making it perfect for beginner tattoo artists.

Lots of people get body art of their pets as a way to pay tribute to their furry friend. But most beginners struggle with creating realistic fur and capturing the little details that make a single pet look unique from its breed. Instead, new artists can opt for simple line tattoos like a paw print memorial (or a simple tattoo of the pet’s tag if you want to go more personal).

Fruits and vegetables are great simple tattoos for beginners. They use simple shapes and one color without a ton of detail.

The folds in the fabric make it look 3-D without shading, and the “eyes” give it depth without asking you to recreate detailed pupils or eyelids.

Cute, simple tattoos like this one are great for beginners because of their whimsical nature. If the tires aren’t perfectly circular, they will fit with the character of this bike, and you don’t have to pull any thin lines to create the spokes of the wheel.

This bow design leaves margin for error for new artists learning to shade. Imperfect shading will not ruin the way this bow’s dimensions come across. (In contrast, incorrect shading on a face can completely change the way the person looks).

This teapot design can be simplified for new artists (take out the tiny leaves on the pot) and is a great way to practice stipple shading.

A ladybug design like this lets you pack a lot of color and personality into a simple tattoo design.

This image can be broken down into simple shapes, which is what makes it a great idea for new artists. And because kites can vary a bit in size and shape, if the shape doesn’t come out perfectly, it will still be easily “readable” as a kite after the center lines and tail are added.

Easy Animal Tattoo Ideas

This elephant design uses only an outline so that you can make a cute 2-D design that requires no shading.

The shell of this turtle design lets you practice dot work. If it’s a bit off or the shading isn’t perfect, the design will still be easily readable because of the clear outline.

Koi fish are incredibly popular in the Japanese tattooing style. While they often feature complicated face shapes and overlapping scales, starting with simpler koi fish like these lets you get familiar with the shape...without having to work in all the detail.

Animals - and their facial expressions - are very hard to recreate, especially when you’re trying to replicate one specific pet. Using easy tattoo outlines lets you capture a favorite pet’s personality without having to deal with facial symmetry, expressions, eyes, or fur texture.

This simple design lets you create a cat without worrying about fur, whiskers, or many facial features.

This design lets you use negative space to your advantage. You do not have to pull any thin lines and can instead focus on packing the black ink.

This snake uses outlining to its advantage. Without facial features or scales, you can keep this design simple while still creating a dynamic piece.

Because these black and gray tattoos just use an outline, you won’t be dealing with eyes, beaks, or gnarled claws.

Usually, a butterfly tattoo means making perfect symmetry for the wings. But a design like this saves you from packing black into tiny areas or having to pull a lot of thin lines.

This dinosaur is long and short, which means you can fit the whole design on a body part without having to worry about it curving around an arm or a leg. The “shading” is made entirely of lines and crosshatching, which is a great option if you’re struggling with creating smooth blends.

Easy Space Tattoos

This tiny spaceship calls for very simple line work and no shading, making it the perfect, simple design for new artists.

This image is deceptive because it looks difficult, but can be done by a beginner. This design cuts out the most difficult portion of the face - the eyes - and greatly simplifies the lips. It uses a harsh outline to create a “cracked statue” appearance (and lets you skip out on having to create a smooth blend between the tattoo and the surrounding skin).

In tattooing, spherical elements usually call for complicated shading featuring two light sources. In this design, beginner artists can take advantage of the cartoonish, 2-D style and avoid using a broad spectrum of graywash.

Constellations make great tattoo designs for beginners. They use short lines and no shading but still look elegant.

Constellation designs can be made simpler by using dots instead of small stars, and you can make them look bolder by connecting the lines to one another. This lets you create a clear picture without having to prepare a complicated image.

When in doubt, pick a design with simple lines and shapes. The completely black eyes makes it easy to tattoo a “face” with hardly any detail.

This comet and planet design lets you practice blending color without the need to focus on shading as well.

While this spaceship has overlapping images, they are all made from very basic shapes and don’t call for too many complicated twists and turns. The details all use one line weight, and you don’t have to incorporate any panels, buttons, writing, etc. (This is why cartoonish images and traditional tattoos are a great place to start before diving into more complicated styles like realism.)

Deceptively simple, this Milky Way tattoo lets you use dot work to create the illusion of thousands of stars and depth.

This one is perfect if you want a challenge when it comes to using negative space. However, it looks far more complicated than it is, since the 3-D effect is made with just a few lines.

Simple Nature Tattoos for Beginners

This simple tattoo of a wave is easy to recreate and instantly recognizable.

This sun lets you use negative space so that you don’t have to draw a circle with your tattoo machine. You can use a circle on your stencil as a guide and then pull the lines out and away from there.

If you’re struggling with making smooth, straight lines, simple mountain tattoos are a perfect way to practice on real skin. You won’t have to pull a perfect line, since the rocky terrain already has that “wobbly” line.

Most floral tattoos call for very careful shading. With the wrong shading, it can make the flower’s image difficult to see. Simple flower tattoos like this one focus only on the outline, allowing you to recreate a blooming magnolia without any shading.

If you want to take on some shading, this floral design lets you practice shading without having to do a lot of overlapping petals or leaves.

If you’re concerned about creating a symmetrical circle, this half-sun tattoo will look great...and allow you to get away with only drawing a half-circle on the skin.

This easy nature tattoo has no shading and very simple linework. Because the leaves do not have any detailing, you can stay with the same tattoo needle throughout the piece.

Minimalist tattoos are great for new tattoo artists because they don’t call for you to use perspective drawings or any shading. The tree here is just a squiggly line so you don’t have to create detailed branches or leaves, either.

This seashell uses only two different line weights, making it a great tattoo if you have limited supplies.

While this is a traditional piece, it doesn’t require much blending (the leaves have separate sections and the lemons can be blended (yellow and orange) or remain a solid yellow.

Easy Music Tattoos

The challenge of this design is the linework (the detailing in the petals and on the wood surface). However, because of the easily recognizable shapes (the sunflower and the record player), a small slip-up won’t destroy the tattoo’s overall design.

Music notes make for great beginner tattoos. They require no shading and you can easily thicken up any shaky lines.

A design with piano keys that aren’t fully outlined prevents any keys from looking “uneven” or noticeably bigger than one another.

Musical instruments are incredibly detailed images, so sticking to line work-only tattoos makes your job way easier while you’re learning.

This design looks complicated, but it actually lets you create a fun design (even if you’re struggling with creating uniform pieces). If you look at this design, you can see the flags of each note are very similar - but none of them are perfect. This would be more noticeable if they were placed side-by-side.

This traditional design lets you use simple lines to create depth in the design without having to incorporate any 3-D shading.

There’s no overlapping elements or shading in this design, so you can start off simple.

With this record, you can avoid having to draw a perfect circle on the skin and by packing black in most of the design, you don’t have to outline each ridge on the record.

Since this tattoo is all simple shapes and black packing, you can avoid doing a lot of intricate line work.

An image like this one allows you to make a 3-D, realistic looking design without a ton of shading.

Easy Traditional Tattoo Designs for Beginners

Traditional-style roses are generally considered a “right of passage” for most new tattoo artists. They feature thick, solid lines, and only a few layers of petals, making them an easier starting point as you build up to more complicated work.

Using black and gray in a traditional design lets you focus on shading as opposed to blending colors.

You can make this tattoo easier or harder, depending on your skills and comfort level. Instead of blending or using color, the star can alternate with no fill and straight black. Or, you can use black and gray shading on both sides to make the star appear metallic.

This rose cuts out any blending for new artists struggling with creating smooth blends. Instead, it uses dark outlines and packing black ink to create clear, bold contrast.

This design slices “through” the skin, breaking up the longest lines in the design into more manageable pieces.

The traditional bow and arrow is a great way to work on pulling long lines.

Azaleas are regularly used as decoration in traditional designs because of their elegant simplicity. On their own, they are great tattoo designs for beginners because they feature no complicated shading or overlapping petals.

Because most anchor tattoos just have black ink, you don’t have to worry about a ton of shading on this design.

This compass is a great design to work up to after trying out the traditional star and azalea, as it incorporates elements of both of those designs. While it is a bit more complicated than the other traditional pieces in this list, it remains true to the traditional style with its foundational shading techniques and clear, bold lines.

Character Tattoos

For new tattoo artists, recreating realistic images of celebrities or making a perfect replica of a famous cartoon can be difficult. While you continue to learn, creating “character” tattoos by using recognizable symbols (instead of faces) is a great alternative. For example, this symbol of the Deathly Hallows is going to be much easier to tattoo than one of the characters from Harry Potter.

Rooting a design in traditional tattooing technique can make creating a character piece much easier, like with this image from Disney’s “Mandalorian.”

Non-human characters are a great way to pay homage to a film franchise without having to recreate a human image. For example, BB-8 from the Star Wars franchise makes a very simple tattoo composed of basic shapes and limited shading.

Characters with very recognizable symbols let you make small, simple tattoos with little shading or detailing.

If you want to create an image of an actual character, going with a simplified “cartoon” version can help reduce the amount of shading and detailed linework necessary to produce a strong tattoo.

Finding innovative ways of positioning characters (like having them face away) can help you avoid having to perfectly capture their facial expressions (a problem that can quickly ruin a tattoo).

The great thing about choosing to work with many cartoon characters is that they are made of simple shapes. This is particularly true of characters that artists needed to draw over and over again very quickly. These simple shapes mean less shading and easy-to-reproduce images, like this King Boo and crown tattoo.

This simplified version of Simba from Disney’s “The Lion King” lets you create quickly-recognizable body art of his character without any complicated lines, eyes, etc.

Genie’s lamp from Disney’s “Aladdin” is a great way to practice packing in color. If it’s not completely consistent or fades a bit, the result will still be an appropriate “smoke effect.”

Superman’s symbol is an iconic image...and it only uses a bold outline and two colors.

BONUS: 5 Easy, Funny Tattoos

These matching tattoos are easy to recreate due to the simple smiley faces and limited colors.

Small tattoos like this black cat design allows you to show the full body of the cat without having to create any stripes, spots, etc.

This design uses simple shapes and no shading, as well as “stick figure” arms and legs, so you can create a funny tattoo...without struggling through any shading or blending.

This black cat design allows you to show the full body of the cat without having to create any stripes, spots, etc.

These aliens are simple outline tattoos. The only thing needed for the eyes is to pack in black, and the cartoon hands keep you from having to put in lots of tiny details.

5 Sentimental Tattoos

Keys are an easy way to memorialize an important place using just a simple tattoo - if you go for a more cartoon look, the lines don’t have to be completely straight. (This idea works well for couples’ tattoos: first apartment, first home together, etc.)

Simple sibling tattoos can utilize very basic shapes and shading.

A simple “travel tattoo,” the skyline of a city puts all the detail in the linework, but no other defining features in the buildings themselves, making it a beginner-friendly piece.

State outline tattoos help commemorate a place without any complicated images. Simply place a heart to symbolize the capital city, “where we met,” where the person was born, etc.

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