Small fine line tattoo of a robin with a red breast, perched on skin on the upper back.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Robin with red breast on upper back

Fine line · Back · Mixed · Photo

A small tattoo of a perched robin, shown in profile facing left with a long tail and thin legs. The fine, dark linework defines the wings and tail, with soft grey shading on the body and a single splash of red ink across the breast. The bird sits centrally on a plain expanse of skin, with a black bra strap visible at the right edge of the frame.

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 robin came back on Tuesday, the morning after the fog lifted, and perched on the iron rail of the gallery as if he'd been away a fortnight and expected the paintwork to have been touched up in his honour. I'm nearly sure he's the same bird as last winter. He has the same way of tipping his head at the lamp, as though he suspects it of owing him something.

Mr Pascoe says robins only come out to a light when the sea's kicking up, that they sit where the warm air rises off the glass. I told him that was a fine thing to say about a bird, and he said he'd been keeping this lamp since before I was born and didn't need a bird to tell him about weather. We have not spoken properly since, but we trim the wicks together at dusk and that is conversation enough.

The worst of the gale came on Thursday. Three days of it with the boat unable to put in, so no post, no coal, and the tins down to beans. On the Friday the wind dropped all at once and the sea lay flat and grey for an hour, and there he was on the rail, shaking the water from his feathers. I stood on the walkway and counted my breaths until he flew.

Your letter came off the Saturday boat, and I read it three times on the stairs. Come out at Whitsun if you can. Bring the good tea and no books, I've read them all twice. The robin will be here, I expect, looking at you as if he's been waiting.

Love, Dad

More like this

Colour tattoo of a bird in flight with teal wings and an orange breast, sketched in loose linework on the upper torso.
Flying bird with teal wings and orange breast
Colour tattoo of a geometric sparrow perched on a branch, in purple, blue and pink tones, on the lower back.
Geometric sparrow on a branch
Small fine line tattoo of a robin with a red breast and black outline on the upper arm.
Small robin on the upper arm
Photograph of a realistic colour tattoo of a red cardinal perched on the inner forearm, with a quarter coin resting above it.
Realistic red cardinal on a forearm
Colour tattoo of a red cardinal perched on a branch with olive leaves, placed on the upper back in a traditional style.
Cardinal perched on a branch on the upper back
Realism colour tattoo of a red cardinal perched on a grey branch, placed on a forearm.
Realistic cardinal on a branch on a forearm
Colour realism tattoo of a bluebird perched on a blossom branch, with pink cherry blossoms, on the side of a person's ribs.
Bluebird on a blossom branch on the ribs
Red and black tattoo of a cardinal in flight with spread wings and a long tail, on the inner forearm of a person wearing a white shirt.
Red cardinal in flight on forearm
Close photo of a fine line tattoo of three teal birds perched on a black branch across the upper arm.
Three teal birds perched on a branch
Realistic coloured tattoo of a red cardinal perched on a thin branch on the upper thigh, with white lace fabric at the top of the frame.
Red cardinal perched on a branch
Colour realism tattoo of a bluebird perched on a branch of pink blossom, placed on the side of the ribs.
Bluebird on a blossom branch on the ribs
Colour tattoo of a blue songbird perched on a branch with red blossoms and berries, in a painterly neo-traditional style, on the upper thigh.
Blue bird and red blossom branch on a thigh

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