Crescent Centipede Upper Arm Tattoo

A stippled centipede curls into a broad open crescent with hooked legs and long antennae, shown at thumb-and-a-half length on the upper arm.

Style: Dotwork
Placement: Arm, Shoulder
Motif: Centipede
Good for: Sleeve
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An AI-generated concept, reviewed by our team before publishing. How we review designs

About this design

What the design shows

A centipede bends into a wide C-shaped crescent, leaving an open center between its rounded head and tapering tail. The head sits at the upper right with two long antennae reaching outward, while the tail ends at the lower right in two curved appendages. Overlapping body plates become smaller as they travel around the lower arc. Each plate is shaded with tightly packed dots, making the body darker along the inner curve and lighter at the outer edges. Thin hooked legs project from both sides of every segment and follow the crescent rhythm. The animal has no background, so the empty inner space remains as visible as the densely textured body. In the on-skin preview, it is about thumb-and-a-half long on the upper arm, opening toward the shoulder front.

In this design

C-shaped centipede
stippled body plates
long upper antennae
hooked paired legs
open inner crescent
tapered tail appendages

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Placement

Placement and size

The open crescent sits naturally on the upper arm, with the head near the shoulder front and the tail curving back toward the arm. Its broad arc also fits the shoulder cap, outer calf, upper thigh, or side of the chest. Keep the inner C opening pointed into a clear skin area. If smaller, reduce the number of plates around the lower curve before tightening the leg spacing.

Patchwork

Building it into a patchwork

This centipede has medium visual weight from dot shading across its many segments, but its empty C-shaped center prevents it from becoming a solid mass. A small moon, tiny flower, or single star can sit outside the open side rather than inside it. Leave a clear margin around the outward legs, especially at the lower curve. The crescent reads clearly when nearby pieces do not imitate its same broad arc.

Small pieces that pair with it

A small dotwork moon outside the open C
Two fine dots beside the lower tail
A short curved line near the upper antennae

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On skin

More arm tattoos on skin

Other reviewed designs previewed on the same body area, to compare size and placement.

For your artist

Notes for your tattoo artist

01Keep the head and tail clearly separated at the crescent opening.
02Build the dot shading darker along the inner body curve.
03Do not crowd the hooked legs at the bottom of the arc.

Made and reviewed

How this design was made

Design: Generated with AI image tools under our direction, then reviewed by the Patchwork Tattoos team: a readable outline, the same design in the clean and on-skin views, and a reviewed Builder piece.
Page notes: Written from the clean design and the on-skin preview of this exact design, then checked against both pictures.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-03
Your tattoo: A concept for planning. Your artist will redraw it for your skin, placement and size, so the finished tattoo will differ from the image.
License: Free to download and use as the reference for your own tattoo and to share with your artist. Selling the file or republishing it in a collection is not allowed.

How we review designs Read the design license

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