17 Spectacular Ear Tattoo Ideas for the Minimalist and the Daredevil

Ear tattoos at their finest - clean minimalism and solid designs.

17 Spectacular Ear Tattoo Ideas for the Minimalist and the Daredevil

The ear is one of the smallest and trickiest areas to get tattooed on. But that's what makes it also a ton more fun to experiment with — with all its curves on the lobes to the thin skin surrounding it. You're going to be having a lot of fun thinking about ways how to make such a small space more interesting.

1. Minimalism at its finest.

Minimalist ear tattoo done at West 4 Tattoo.
Minimalist ear tattoo done at West 4 Tattoo. #West4Tattoo #minimalist #lines #dots #ear #eartattoo #minimalism #minimalistic

Since ‘go big or go home’ isn't an option here, minimalist tattoos are kind of all the rage right now with ear tattoos that are mostly in blackwork and dotwork. But that's not to say that folks aren't going adventurous with their designs either!

2. Or do the opposite of that and go wild!

Trippy ear tattoo by Michelle Myles.
Trippy ear tattoo by Michelle Myles. #MichelleMyles #trippy #patterns #color #ear #eartattoo

3. Just when you thought Watson Atkinson couldn't get any more spectacular... 

Large-scale ear tattoo by Watson Atkinson.
Large-scale ear tattoo by Watson Atkinson. #WatsonAtkinson #alchemy #symbols #arcane #whiteink #ear #eartattoo

See the rest of Watson's arcane tattoos here.

4. Never underestimate the power of subtle pointillism.

Pointillism ear tattoo by Raine Knight.
Pointillism ear tattoo by Raine Knight. #RaineKnight #pointillism #sacredgeometry #dotwork #ear #eartattoo #subtle

5. This pair of half-mandala ear tattoos are gorgeous.

Half-mandala ear tattoo by Kelsey Moore.
Half-mandala ear tattoo by Kelsey Moore. #KelseyMoore #halfmandalas #mandala #halfmandala #ear #eartattoo #linework #dotwork

6. This one opted for a more chic half-mandala look.

Half-mandala ear tattoo by Nestor Asfotiadis.
Half-mandala ear tattoo by Nestor Asfotiadis. #NestorAsfotiadis #halfmandala #sacredgeometry #bejewelled #ear #eartattoo

7. Is there an even cuter placement for a South Korean style micro tattoo?

Micro tattoo by Seyoon Gim.
Micro tattoo by Seyoon Gim. #SeyoonGim #sey8n #microtattoo #floral #flower #ear #eartattoo

See more of Seyoon Gim's lovely works here.

8. Lines, lines, lines.

Minimalist ear tattoo by on Instagram.
Minimalist ear tattoo by @qkila on Instagram. #qikila #ear #eartattoo #lines #line #minimalism #minimalistic #minimalist

9. This one added a splash of red to hers.

Minimalist ear tattoo by Abril Ferrario.
Minimalist ear tattoo by Abril Ferrario. #minimalist #redink #red #lines #ear #eartattoo #abrilferrario

10. Love this chick's tiger-like ear tattoos.

Ear pattern tattoo by Tito Santizo.
Ear pattern tattoo by Tito Santizo. #TitoSantizo #pattern #tiger #ear #eartattoo #patterns #tigerpattern #blackwork

11. What made this arcane design stand out is the beauty in the strong simplicity of the blackwork tattoo.

Ear tattoo by on Instagram.
Ear tattoo by @cosmic.karma on Instagram. #cosmickarma #minimalist #arcane #ear #eartattoo #blackwork

12. Hand poke tattoo artist Indy Voet back at it again with his impossibly neat lines!

Hand poke ear tattoo by Indy Voet.
Hand poke ear tattoo by Indy Voet. #IndyVoet #handpoke #lines #subtle #ear #eartattoo #blackwork #linework

Love hand poked works? Indy Voet's got you covered.

13. Can you believe that this blackout piece was tattooed dot by dot?

Blackout ear tattoo by Bax.
Blackout ear tattoo by Bax. #Bax #blackout #blackwork #dotwork #ear #eartattoo

14. A nice balance of heavy black ink and a seam line.

Ear tattoos by Nioshka Annarkia.
Ear tattoos by Nioshka Annarkia. #NioshkaAnnarkia #blackwork #seamline #minimalist #ear #eartattoo

15. Talk scientific to me.

Scientific formula ear tattoo by Asao.
Scientific formula ear tattoo by Asao. #Asao #scientific #formula #science #subtle #ear #eartattoo

16. A gorgeous design that perfectly frames those equally gorgeous mods.

Ear tattoo by Peter Madsen.
Ear tattoo by Peter Madsen. #PeterMadsen #blackwork #dotwork #ear #eartattoo

17. Finally, a dainty micro tattoo to close off one epic ear post.

Micro tattoo by Rosa Vogt.
Micro tattoo by Rosa Vogt. #RosaVogt #microtattoo #subtle #leaf #plant #ear #eartattoo
Written byXavier

When she's not writing for Tattoodo, Xavier likes experimenting with art and organizing local music shows. We're kidding, she's probably asleep. Follow her on Instagram @claudia_strife

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