For anyone who feels as if they've been seeing more geometric and line-heavy tattoos out there, especially in recent months, they're not wrong. Line work tattoos have all but exploded in popularity lately in all sorts of forms and styles. We have a few educated guesses as to why they're so popular these days. For starters, line work tattoos are ideal for beginners, because they're not as painful as tattoos that require filling with color and shading, and therefore don't take as long to complete. They're an approachable way of getting into the hobby or lifestyle that isn't nearly as drastic as, say, a flaming skull on the arm.
Line work tattoos can be simple, elegant, or even something in between — and they're more readily able to be built upon with more work over several tattooing sessions. Furthermore, line work pieces can be used to drive strong emotional responses, and as such are ideal for fans of traditional art looking to adopt some ink. With that, we think we've identified some of reasons behind the explosion line work tattoos out there. Luckily for the readers out there, we've also gathered some of the coolest and most interesting line work tattoos seen on Instagram. Here are 20 line work tattoos — one of which is bound to match up with one's personal style.
A Beautiful Scorpion
This is one scorpion that won't sting. We love the hyper-realistic, textbook-like illustration here achieved by stark lines and points of expression. This one is thanks to Ginger Ink of Maastricht, Netherlands.
Intriguing Shapes
We love this piece for its sheer artistic nature. It looks like something that would feel well at home within the walls of an art museum's modern or abstract section. Unfortunately, we don't know who is responsible for this one, but it's inspiring all the same.
A Shower of Shapes
We're digging this piece just for its incredibly sharp, stark, and strong black lines throughout. We have no idea what the arrangement of shape means, if anything, but it's still super awesome. This one comes from Jason Woods from San Antonio, Texas.
The Faceless Family
Again, we're unsure of what's being communicated here, but the line work is simply fantastic. Truly, this is on the level of Japanese animation, or anime, no doubt. Thanks to Chen Rongand of Taiwan for his excellent efforts here.
Pretty in Pink
Who ever said line work had to be black ink only? This piece by a South Korean artist is some of the best line work we've seen in another color. The only black ink used here is for the eyes and beak, making it a wonderfully colorful piece.
Friends Around the Globe
Admittedly, we're not quite sure what's happening in this piece seemingly featuring a rabbit and a lion standing on a tiny planet. However, the line work — especially its cursive nature — is simply storybook, which is so rarely seen in today's tattoos. This one is brought to you by a Taiwan-based artist known as just "Toby" online.
The Woman Inside
We're not going to pretend to intimately understand this piece, but we do get perhaps the figurative sense of the person inside ourselves that we all have. The one that is largely unseen or seen only by our partners and closest friends and family. Thanks to Juan Cho of Colombia for this one.
Witches, Dancers With the Dead
It's almost as if this tattoo is missing a subtitle: "Witches, Dancers with the Dead." The skeleton is brandishing a tambourine for crying out loud. We've also got to love the inclusion of the black goat that is totally not Satan. Excellent work is on display here by Raul Benito of Colombia.
A Geometric Bull?
Here's a piece we appreciate for its versatility … since we have no idea what it means. It could be a V-shaped logo for something, or it could be a symbolic, geometric bull. Could it be a set of symbolic wings? Regardless, it's beautiful work by an artist named Anastasia in Latvia.
The Most Adorable Elephant
We love this piece for its sheer cuteness. The style is almost like a cuter version of Babar the Elephant. The elephant is approaching an acacia tree with a hilariously (but also adorably) blank face. Thanks to Crystal Gold Ink, a nomad tattoo artist from Belgium and currently in Zanzibar.
Women With Glasses Are Badass
Enough said, right? This piece looks as if it were ripped from an incredible Japanese or French animation cell. The sketch-like quality and dramatic touch of color in the piece make it an absolute stunner, whose creator we unfortunately cannot track down.
Couples Goals in a Bottle
This tattoo is another piece of art that we could easily see hung on our own wall at home on canvas. It's just a gorgeous, quirky, inspiring piece by Anna Bertuletti in Italy. It shares a story of relationships that's relatable for so many people in one way or another and therefore actually touching.
Crossed Swords
We adore this simple but incredibly detailed tattoo by Katarzyna Schmidt in Germany. The swords look as if they belong to some ancient warriors of legend, like Roland or Arthur. The nerd in us simply can't resist a tattoo like this.
All Fear the Hypno-Bambi
Here's a wild one by Kiss Lejla in Budapest, depicting a sketch-like deer with the creepiest, hypnotizing eyes. Who knows what inspired this slice of incredible creepiness, but it's definitely a masterful piece of line work regardless.
Simply Spellbinding Line Work
This piece is absolutely awesome, an exquisite display of nerdery after our heart. Looking like a wizard's spell book being activated with all sorts of magic runes and symbols surrounding it. What a downright rad piece by a Russian Instagram user known as "mitatink."
Feeling That Soul
We love this demure piece by Lara Amorim of Portugal. It's got a certain mystique that can't be denied, thanks in no small part to excellent line work that most of which almost looks like a singular line of ink.
Holding Onto Someone's Memory
This is the overall vibe we're getting from this small but powerful piece: holding hands with the memory of a loved one. However, it's also a matching set with someone else, so perhaps they're making the promise to hold on to one another beyond death. Thanks, Arcangel Body Mod in Colombia.
The Sun & Moon Personified
We're not quite sure what the intent of this tattoo's owner is, but our interpretation is a personification of the sun and moon, presiding over the growth of a lotus — a popular floral symbol in some Asian religions. Kudos to Rodrigo Machado of Portugal for some stunning line work.
A Crystal Heart
This three-way matching tattoo must mean a lot to three friends, a crystalline heart. We love the geometry both for its style and its neat way of making a bare human heart a little more bearable to look at. Well done, Nelson Hernandez in Costa Rica.
Wondrous White
White ink is such a neat and interesting trend that we hope to see more of in the future, executed expertly by Muriel Zao in Phoenix, Arizona. We love the almost stealthy or concealed nature of the white ink — it's frankly so unique that it's difficult not to give another look.
