Small fine line arrow tattoo with black stylised lettering along the shaft, coloured in red and purple, placed on the ribs.

Arrow with lettering on the ribs

Fine line · Ribs · Mixed · Photo

A small arrow runs horizontally across the side of the ribs, with a purple-tipped head on the left and a red and grey fletching on the right. Thin black linework forms stylised lettering between the two ends of the shaft. The colour is limited to the arrowhead and feathers, with a soft red and purple tint, while the rest of the design is black outline on skin, and the photograph is cropped below the chin and above the waistband.

Find an artist for this

Take it to an artist as a reference. A good artist will make it yours rather than copy someone else's tattoo.

A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Nell,

Keep reading

The 6.12 to Carlisle was late again, so I had twenty minutes to stand under the clock at Harrow Road and think about the old signal box. You'll remember Mr Pardoe kept a drawer of brass arrows, the kind they used to fix to the points so drivers knew which way the line bent. He gave me one the week I started. It's still in my coat pocket, worn smooth where my thumb goes.

Yesterday a sign-writer came down from the depot to repaint the footbridge board. He'd done a little arrow with red feathers, and threaded through its shaft were letters you had to tilt your head to read. I told him Pardoe wrote everything sideways so the guards couldn't nick the words. He laughed and said his gran had written her shopping lists the same way, and she'd never once bought the wrong thing.

Anyway, the point of this letter. Mum's birthday is Sunday, and the 9.40 from Platform Four goes straight through to the coast without changing. I've bought two tickets. Don't argue. I'm not asking you to forgive last Christmas, only to sit beside me and let the fields go past for an hour.

Count the stations on the way. Pardoe always said an arrow shows you the direction, not the destination. You still have to choose to get on.

Love, Tom

More like this

Fine line black arrow tattoo with geometric triangular arrowheads on the side of the ribs, beside a light speckled tank top.
Small arrow tattoo on the ribs
Small black fine line arrow tattoo with the years 1966-1998 and a script word beneath it, placed on the side of a person's ribs.
Arrow with dates and script on the ribs
Fine line black script tattoo running vertically down the side of the ribs, above the waistband of denim shorts.
Script quote along the ribs
Fine line black tattoo of an infinity symbol joined to an anchor on the side of a torso, with blue fabric along the bottom edge.
Infinity and anchor tattoo on the side torso
Fine line black infinity symbol with a small bird tattoo on the side of a person's hip, partly covered by black fabric.
Infinity symbol and bird on hip
Fine line black tattoo of an arrow with feathered fletching and a looping curve beneath it, placed on the ribs.
Arrow with feathered fletching on ribs
Black ink tattoo of the words Only the good die young above a flock of small birds on the ribs, with a pink bra visible at the top of the frame.
Script quote and birds on ribs
Black fine line arrow tattoo with a feathered head, three dots and a open arrowhead on the lower back.
Fine line arrow on the lower back
Black script lettering reading No Regrets tattooed on the left side of a person's ribs, with a white top and grey shorts visible.
No Regrets script on the ribs
Close-up of a fine line tattoo of three small elephants walking in a line across the inner forearm, in black ink.
Three elephants in a row on a forearm
Black fine line script tattoo forming an infinity symbol with a small heart, placed on the ribs.
Infinity symbol with script quote on ribs
Close-up of black fine line script reading run like a girl running vertically along the back of a thigh.
Run like a girl script on thigh

From the plentytattoo archive, uploaded by a user. Is this your work? Ask for credit or removal.