Traditional style tattoo of a black raven perched over a brick house with lit windows, with a red eight-pointed star above, on an upper arm.

Raven perched on a house on an upper arm

Traditional · Upper arm · Mixed · Photo

A large raven with a hooked beak and an amber eye sits on the roof of a multi-storey house with rows of small windows, the bird's wing drawn in shaded grey feathers. A red eight-pointed star and three small dots sit to the upper left, and partial tattoos are visible at the edges of the frame. Bold black outlines and grey shading are combined with red, orange and yellow fills on the star and windows.

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 Tom,

Keep reading

The raven has taken up residence on the roof of Mrs Galloway's net loft again, the tall brick one with the sixteen windows that Dad always said was built by a man who couldn't decide how many floors he wanted. It sits there with its back to the harbour as if it's counting the boats coming in. Last Tuesday it watched the Sea Lark tie up and didn't move once, not even when the gulls went for the herring boxes.

Nobody on the quay will say it out loud, but the men reckon it's waiting for someone. Old Parr swears it came in the week the Morning Star went down off the Shingle Bank, and that it hasn't missed a tide since. I told him ravens don't keep such records. He told me to mind my own business and bring him a pasty.

I haven't told anyone this part. Last night I walked down after my shift at the cannery, and the bird turned its head and looked straight at me, one amber eye going over me the way a buyer looks at a catch. Then it opened its beak and said your name, clear as a bell, in your voice. I stood there in the cold until my hands went numb.

So I'm writing because I need you to come home before the spring tides. If that bird is right about anything, it's that the house needs its men back. Ask the skipper for leave. Tell him the raven sent you.

Your sister, Nell

More like this

Colour traditional tattoo of a hawk with a pearl necklace and red medallion, perched on a black leather glove, on a calf.
Hawk perched on a glove, traditional style
Traditional colour tattoo of a log cabin with a red moon, wolf, pine trees and orange flower on the upper arm.
Log cabin, wolf and red moon on upper arm
Traditional style owl tattoo perched on a pocket watch on a forearm, with a red rose beside it.
Owl perched on a pocket watch
Traditional style tattoo of a hawk perched on a red flower with black feathers, bold outlines and red and grey shading, on the forearm.
Hawk perched on a red flower on a forearm
Traditional style tattoo of a log cabin with smoking chimney, pine trees and a red sun, with a red flower below, on the calf.
Log cabin and pine trees on a calf
Traditional style tattoo of a log cabin with smoking chimney and pine trees on the back of a hand, with a small red flower at the edge.
Log cabin with pine trees on the hand
Colour tattoo on a thigh showing a red and orange phoenix, a grey owl carrying a letter, and a Hogwarts school crest on a banner, in neo-traditional style.
Phoenix, owl and Hogwarts crest on a thigh
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a raven perched on a branch, with a mandala filling its body, on the upper leg.
Raven with mandala on a thigh
Neo-traditional barn owl tattoo with spread wings and a pale blue mandala behind it, on the calf.
Barn owl on a calf
Traditional colour tattoo on a calf showing a cabin beneath a red sun, clouds, pink flowers and the words Home is where you are in a banner, with black and grey versions shown either side.
Cabin and red sun on a calf
Traditional style colour tattoo of an eagle gripping a key, set against a red circle, on a forearm.
Eagle holding a key on a forearm
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of an owl with amber eyes above a small house held in a hand, on the outer thigh.
Owl and house on a thigh

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