Rihanna. (AP File)

Rihanna has acquired a controversial new piece of body art - the pop star has had a tattoo of a gun inked under her right arm.

The 21-year-old flew New York-based body artist BangBang to Los Angeles this week to have the new design finished.

The singer originally wanted two handguns printed on the tops of her arms - but reportedly opted for a less visible tattoo so as not to jeopardize her modeling contract with Cover Girl Cosmetics.

BangBang has posted pictures of his day at Rihanna's L.A. home on his MySpace.com internet page - telling fans about his experience.

He writes, "I really wanted to put it here (on her arms)… She loved ‘em. But, Cover Girl wouldn’t have liked it much… and they pay the bills! Ended up doing it on her ribs."

BangBang has worked with Rihanna on several of her other tattoos - including the famous stars design on her back, lettering on her shoulder and hip, and the 'Shh...' stamp on her right index finger.