Mind-Blowing Tattoo Designs That Appear 3-Dimensional

These pieces of artwork can decorate the skin, cover up scars, or even match prosthetic legs. Some of these tattoos require multiple visits to complete the art. These tats typically take up a large space on one’s body, such as creating an arm sleeve, a tat that spans one’s entire back, or a leg pant. If you decide to get one of these larger tattoos, prepare for hours of work as your tattoo artist works their magic. Without further ado, let’s peruse some of the most creative tattoos designs that appear 3D.

Geometric bends and line thickness variations to create perspective trick the viewer into thinking that the person is missing a portion of their leg – almost as if they had it pierced.

With an underlying meaning that this is just a part of him, this artwork sends a message far beyond showing the painting abilities of the tattoo artist.

It reveals the person’s robot interior. A new tat to cover an old one, this cubed masterpiece shows how to update and cover an existing tat you’d like to erase or update.

Like jigsaw puzzle pieces, they scatter across the individual’s arm, a testament to shading in gray and black. An arm sleeve like this requires a few days of work.

This irregular pattern shifts as you look at it and the inks used with the shading method applied to it make it seem to move. Adding the bee to one of the honeycomb-like holes simply made the optical illusion more real.

Using only blacks and grays, the shading on this work, along with the airbrush detail work creates the walking art. This type of work would take more than one visit and would create a great deal of pain for the person receiving the tattoo. Our hands and wrists have many nerve endings, so if this inspires you, talk to your tattoo artist to plan it out throughout many visits to decrease the pain.

It also requires a deft hand at tiny details because they must make many feathered strokes to create the layers that form the appearance of raised embroidery. Meet with the tattoo artist in advance to plan your colors. This piece uses more than 15 colors of ink and would require multiple appointments.

This piece required a total of 12 hours and the artist divided that between two sessions. You could get something similar but divide it into more sessions than that to reduce the painfulness of sitting for a tattoo this size and complexity.

By integrating the two pieces, the second tattoo artist made it seem that the butterfly landed on Stitch’s nose. 3D tattoos work effectively to integrate other older tats or to cover unwanted ink. The brushwork on this Stitch shows how to achieve that.

Incredible shading makes the butterfly seem real enough to touch. One wing rises into the air and the butterfly seems to ready itself for takeoff.

The browns and tans of the fur blend seamlessly with black and gray for shading. Prepare for a multi-hour session for this type of tattoo because, although it is small, the work required takes many hours.

Other options for this type of tattoo include a “Made in [country of your birth]” or a price tag. Barcodes for random items are also common tattoos and some even scan under a store’s price checker.

A piece like this requires a sketch artist or painter who also has copious talent as a tattoo artist and would require multiple days of sessions.

Prepare for multiple days of pain when getting a tattoo this size. Although it appears similar to a black and white painting, it requires many shades of ink. For this work of art is incredibly impressive to be a mere tattoo, and it takes up the entirety of this man’s chest.

The technique needs a lot of practice on paper before doing it on the skin. This piece doubles as an actual optical illusion. If you stare at this tattoo for a few minutes or more, it will seem to move.

It combines perspective and shading, but only uses black and gray. Stare at the black center of this tat to seemingly fall inside.

This tattoo spans the shoulders and upper chest, making it more than twice the size of the others. Despite only using black and gray, this would take multiple sessions due to its size and complexity.

Consisting entirely of brown and black, you can’t call this tattoo colorful, but it certainly qualifies as creative. Better yet, this creative piece is actually a clever scar cover-up.

Its bright blue center uses fluorescent materials and the tattoo wraps around the arm on all sides. The diver shown prepares to enter an underwater cave. This level of detail would require an experienced artist or painter who has years of tattoo experience as well, since it only uses freehand technique.

The dedication it took to create this tattoo proves amazing on the part of the tattooer and the tattooed. This type and size of tat would take many work sessions divided between multiple days, perhaps weeks.

The real hand grasping the drawn lollipop truly puts this incredible tattoo into perspective. Work this detailed requires many sessions and begins with just an outline, which the artist painstakingly fills in.

The 3D artwork on top of the unique shape makes this go beyond typical 3D body art. From the perfect placement of this tattoo to the incredible design, this art truly comes to life.

Regardless of your interpretation of the piece, if you want something similar, this type of tattoo requires an artist with good freehand skills and perspective technique with shading. With a combination of black, grey, and white inks that takes up a little room, you could probably get something the same size in one day with a multiple-hour session.

The tattoo artist completed it in two marathon sessions on back-to-back days. The artist included a black background for the tat, making it seem framed on the individual’s arm. What a spectacular illusion design.

The two artists toured together in 1967 and 1968, making it fitting for both groups to share a spot together on this individual’s forearm.

Its simplicity takes careful effort to recreate. This unique design may be perfect for those who love sewing or needle-point and would consider a needle to be their tool of choice.

Like the sewing needle tattoo, the artwork seems simple but requires imagination and a deft hand at creating realistic shadowing.

The compass on the upper map pierces the second map. The colors pop, especially the honey-colored gold of the lower map. This epic creation would require one of the most experienced and talented artists available, as well as weeks to complete.

The 3D pieces of this piece consist of all the portions of the skin that appear to tear off of the individual. This makes for quite the intricate 3D tattoo design.

The Duff cap comprises the second tat. It’s separate from the embroidery-styled one and blended to sit on top of it. If you look carefully, you can see that the cap covers the tip of the original tattoo, and the artist has turned a portion of the grey outline into the shading of the Duff cap.

The center starburst uses a deep blue while the larger flower consists of bronze and brass. Black center points contribute to the depth of the tattoo. The future outline in purple and red shows the next portions to get colored in.

This demon tattoo mixes a terrifying subject matter with breathtaking artwork. The shading uses deep reds rather than blacks to create the illusion of the demon burning and stretching the individual’s skin. Layers of shading cause the head to appear to raise up off of the skin.

Within each of the twists of the strand, the artist tattooed a different smaller artwork, including an eye and honeycomb.

A tat this size and intricacy would require days and multiple sessions. This individual will be wearing modern art on his chest forever.

The incredible detail required 12 hours of work divided into two sessions. The outcome however was worth the time as this magnificent tattoo is eye-catching as it appears 3-dimensional.

This work combines white inks with grays and blacks and some of the most amazing perspective sketching ever. To get this result, you need a sketch artist or painter with significant tattoo skills.

The artist blended the tattoo’s colors with the individual’s skin to create the illusion of the flower growing through the skin.

The artists must’ve been tattooing behind the individual’s ear, probably with it held down folded so it wouldn’t get in the way. Once unfolded, the pen seems to tuck behind the ear. You’d need to find an immensely talented artist to get a tattoo such as this.

One side is grayish-white, while the other takes on a bronze color. The outline alone required eight hours. The all-seeing eye surrounded by pentagons breaking free from their skin forces you to stare and contemplate.

Others see it as the top of a padlock, while others see a worm crawling from one hole in the ground to the next. It definitely sparks conversation and looks cool, so it is featured here.

As a hissing vampire looks at his lady love, a hand reaches through the skin above him and tears it open to reveal an internal eye. Various abstract graphics surround the figures, each with its own small symbol embedded, such as a screw or a set of teeth. This insane tattoo is incredible art for those who love the horror theme.