Placements

Arm

The arm as a whole, treated as one region where a source names the arm without distinguishing upper arm from forearm. Registered because tier-3 placement values in this corpus use the bare label. Two Tier 1 museum records use it at this coarseness: “had a Jerusalem Cross tattooed on his arm” and “they both had dragons tattooed on their arms”. COARSE BY CONSTRUCTION: prefer placement_upper_arm or placement_forearm wherever a source is more specific.

Upper Arm

The region between shoulder and elbow, including bicep and tricep. The cited chart places it in its medium band and names it as a preferred large-work site: “The upper arm is one of the best body parts for a larger tattoo like a tribal or Japanese design.” THE STYLE LABELS IN THAT SENTENCE ARE NOT REPRODUCED AS ASSOCIATIONS: T11.6 refused tribal as a style and routed the traditions to T11.10, and no japanese style node exists.

Forearm

The region between elbow and wrist. The single most common placement value in this corpus tier-3 data and the cited chart source treats it as an entry placement: “The forearm is a popular placement for large script tattoos and floral designs. This is also a great place for a first tattoo, as it ranks fairly low on the tattoo pain scale.”

Elbow

The joint between upper arm and forearm. The cited chart does not list the elbow itself; it lists Above the elbow among its smallest areas. Registered because a tier-3 placement value in this corpus is the bare label elbow.

Wrist

The joint between forearm and hand. Two Tier 1 museum records place named work here: “had a snake tattooed on her wrist” and, for the rope motif, “Usually placed around the wrist and is associated with the role of the deckhand”

Hand

The hand, including palm and back of hand. Tier 1 attested as a meaning-bearing site in naval tattooing, and the record is LATERALISED - which hand carries the claim: “On the left hand means they had sailed all the oceans, on the right, means they sailed the Seven Seas.”

Knuckles

The knuckles of one or both hands, a distinct lettering site in naval tattooing and Tier 1 attested at that specificity: “‘Hold’ tattooed on the knuckles of one hand and ‘fast’ on the other were said to allow the bearer to grip the rigging better.” A second Tier 1 record counts the letters against the fingers: “These words are a charm spelled out on the four front-facing fingers on each hand”

Finger

A single finger. The cited chart is unusually specific about what this placement can and cannot hold: “Tiny pieces of script or super simple small designs work best on the finger. There is not a lot of space, and because we’re always using our hands, the tattoo ink will fade much more quickly than another tattoo.”

Shoulder

The shoulder cap and the deltoid region above the upper arm. The cited chart bands it as medium and the flow source names its build as something that changes the flow of a whole design: “if someone has more prominent shoulders or biceps, that might affect the shape of the flow that you design your tattoo to”

Armpit

The axilla and the front of the shoulder beside it. Registered because the cited education source names it first among the hardest areas on the body to tattoo: “The front of the shoulder next to the armpit can be a really hard area to tattoo because of the extra skin there.”

Shoulder Blade

The scapular region of the upper back. A tier-3 placement value in this corpus and banded medium by the cited chart, which also records that the working size has moved: “While you can get smaller designs on the shoulder blade, large tattoo designs that almost drape across the shoulder have become more popular in recent years.”

Full Sleeve

The whole arm treated as one continuous canvas. Registered as a PLACEMENT rather than a composition because the cited chart lists it as an area, not as an arrangement: “Because these are the biggest areas on the body, they are the largest canvases tattoo artists have.” It is the region; composition_cohesive_sleeve and composition_patchwork_sleeve are the two ways of arranging work inside it. Keeping them apart is deliberate - conflating region with arrangement is what made the composition column in this corpus hold anatomy in the first place.

Chest

The pectoral region and the front of the upper torso. Banded large by the cited chart, and the only placement in this batch for which a fetched source names a MUSCLE SHAPE a design should follow.

Sternum

The centre line of the chest over the breastbone. Banded medium by the cited chart and named there as a popular site: “Women usually go for more floral designs (sternum tattoos are very popular).”

Collarbone

The clavicle and the skin immediately over it. Registered because it is the cited education source own worked example of tattooing over bone, which is the sharpest tattooability distinction in the batch.

Ribs

The lateral wall of the torso over the rib cage. Banded large by the cited chart and named third among the hardest areas by the cited education source.

Stomach

The abdomen. Banded large by the cited chart and named second among the hardest areas by the cited education source. The only placement in this batch whose stated hazard is that the body itself will change.

Hip

The hip and the region over the iliac crest. Banded large by the cited chart, and the site where that source most explicitly ties placement to a wrapping arrangement.

Back

The whole posterior torso. Tier 1 attested as a placement in European tattoo history: “a representation of the crucifixion tattooed on a slave's back was said to preserve the bearer from a whipping”. Registered at this coarseness because a tier-3 placement value in this corpus is the bare label back; prefer placement_upper_back or placement_lower_back where a source is specific.

Upper Back

The posterior torso above the waist, between and over the shoulder blades. Banded large by the cited chart.

Lower Back

The posterior torso below the waist and above the buttocks. Banded large by the cited chart.

Spine

The vertebral midline of the back. Registered because it is the single body line the cited sources name twice as something a design can be run ALONG rather than placed on.

Buttocks

The gluteal region. Registered because a tier-3 placement value in this corpus is the bare label buttocks and one motif row records a paired arrangement across the two sides.

Neck

The neck, front and back. Banded medium by the cited chart, which treats it as the placement where concealment is the deciding variable: “a small tattoo at the nape of the neck can be a small design easily hidden by long hair, while some people prefer a very visible design across the front of their neck”

Throat

The anterior neck. Registered separately from placement_neck because the cited education source names it fifth among the hardest areas for a reason that is about the ARTIST, not the skin: “The throat is a difficult area because of the way the jaw and chin make it difficult to position your tattoo equipment.”

Face

The face. THE ONLY PLACEMENT IN THIS BATCH WITH A TIER 1 DOCUMENTED RESTRICTION ON IT: “Around AD 325, however, the Emperor Constantine outlawed tattooing of the face because he believed that the face was in God's image and should not be disfigured.” The same museum records the practice that preceded it: “Early Christians often had the sign of the cross tattooed on their bodies, particularly their face or arms.”

Ear

The ear and the skin behind it. The cited chart treats it as several distinct surfaces rather than one: “Ear tattoos offer a lot of unique placements - on the ear lobe, behind the ear, or even on the cartilage.”

Thigh

The upper leg, the chart upper and outer thigh. Banded large, and the placement its wrap example is built on: “Being so close to the hip, the upper thigh works really well as a sort of “wrapping” design that works its way up and around the hip bone.”

Inner Thigh

The medial surface of the upper leg. Banded MEDIUM by the cited chart while the thigh as a whole is banded large - the source treats it as a different canvas, not a subdivision.

Knee

The knee joint. Tier 1 attested as a distinct placement in naval tattooing, and LATERALISED in the record: “If a pig was tattooed on the left knee and a rooster on the right foot” - which the source ties to a saying, “Pig on the knee, safety at sea.”

Calf

The posterior lower leg. Banded medium by the cited chart. Two motif rows in this corpus already carry the bare value calf.

Shin

The anterior lower leg over the tibia. Banded medium by the cited chart. Two motif rows carry the bare value shin, both for long-axis subjects.

Ankle

The ankle joint. Tier 1 attested for the pig-and-rooster pair, and the museum record is UNCERTAIN between two placements at that level of detail: “With one on each ankle or on the feet, this design originated in the Second World War as protection against shipwreks or drowning.” The spelling is the source own and is transcribed faithfully.

Foot

The foot. Tier 1 attested at the highest specificity of any placement in this corpus, because the attested arrangement names BOTH feet: “A pig tattooed on one foot and a rooster on the other were said to protect a seaman from drowning.”

Leg Sleeve

The whole leg treated as one continuous canvas, listed by the cited chart among its extra-large areas as Full leg sleeve. Registered as a placement for the same reason as placement_full_sleeve: the chart lists it as an AREA, not as an arrangement.