Diagonal Blackwork Centipede Tattoo

A blackwork centipede with shaded oval plates, long paired legs and fine antennae crosses the upper back on a downward diagonal.

Style: Blackwork
Placement: Back
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 runs from upper left to lower right in a shallow diagonal, its small head leading with two thin antennae. The body is made of rounded overlapping plates; each plate has a dark central oval and a pale edge, producing a repeated chain of black and grey forms. Fine legs extend from both sides in regular pairs, curving backward along the upper half and opening wider near the tail. The last segments narrow into two long tail appendages that point beyond the lower right end. Unlike a flat icon, the body plates have stippled shadows and fine contour work that give them volume. The on-skin preview places this palm-and-a-half-length design across the upper back, head near the left shoulder blade and tail angled toward the right side of the spine.

In this design

overlapping oval plates
paired curved legs
fine antennae
stippled plate shadows
two tail appendages
black contour linework

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Placement

Placement and size

Across the upper back, the centipede starts near the left shoulder blade and slopes toward the right side of the spine, using the broad surface for its long legs. The same diagonal can sit on the outer thigh, forearm, calf, or upper arm. Keep the antennae and tail appendages clear of tight body curves. When shrinking the design, drop alternate leg pairs and soften the tiny plate shading before making the main body too narrow.

Patchwork

Building it into a patchwork

The repeating black plates give this centipede a medium-dark stripe of visual weight. It can link two separate back motifs without becoming a solid block. A small crescent near the head or a thin botanical stem under the tail can follow its diagonal. Avoid dense black flash beside the legs, which already make a detailed perimeter. Leave a generous skin gap at both ends so the antennae and tail appendages do not disappear into neighboring outlines.

Small pieces that pair with it

A small black crescent near the head
A thin curved stem below the tail
Three stippled dots outside the upper legs

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On skin

More back 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 plate centers darker than their outer rims.
02Aim the head toward the left shoulder blade in the stencil.
03Do not merge the paired tail appendages into one line.

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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