Upper Back Tattoo Photo Gallery

The upper back is such a flat, smooth canvas, tattoo designs for this area are unlimited. From large mystical motifs to smaller nature designs, most any art looks great on a beautiful back.

The upper back is a great place to begin a tattoo that stretches down the spine. Make the most of this naturally elongated space by using letters, characters or words here.

The upper back can also extend the other way, up the back of the neck. Use the symmetry of the spine to set out any design in a long pattern, such as these flowers.

The upper back is one of the widest areas on the body to tattoo. Take advantage by stretching your tat from shoulder to shoulder across this region with a large, full color design.

When placing a large tattoo across the upper back and shoulders, take advantage of the natural symmetry in the area. Images with wings or any mirror image tattoos work particularly well here.

Crosses are a natural fit for the spine and shoulder blades. Center them right between the shoulder blades for the best fit.

The spine extends in a long line from the upper to the lower back. If you don't want to work with this natural line, try using a circular tattoo like this sun. The opposite effect of the round tattoo on the long back draws attention.

Kanji is typically written out vertically, rather than horizontally. What better place to display it than the upper back, with its natural vertical planes?

The upper back can be considered as any area above the natural waistline. Create a full back piece in this area, extending it from the waist to the neck.

Getting a tattoo on the upper back doesn't mean you need to confine yourself to the area between the shoulder blades, or that you need to extend it up or down. Sometimes a tattoo centered in the upper back can be just as appealing as it is unusual.

Sometimes it's more visually pleasing to place something asymmetrical in a symmetrical area. These dragons circle one another symmetrically, but they aren't identical, making the image more interesting. There are many cool dragon tattoo options.