Black and grey neo-traditional tattoo of scissors wrapped in swirling ribbon shapes on the inner forearm.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Scissors with swirling ribbons on a forearm

Neo-trad · Forearm · Black and grey · Photo

A pair of open scissors runs vertically down the forearm, with the blades and handles drawn in bold black outline and shaded grey. Sweeping ribbon-like curls wrap around the scissors at the top and bottom, with grey wash shading that gives them depth. The tattoo is photographed straight on against a plain, neutral background.

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

Your father's shears came back from the sharpener in Harrow Lane yesterday, and I have not stopped turning them over since. The old man wanted a shilling for the new rivet, but he took nothing once I told him whose they were. He has never had a good word for anything made outside this village, but he did say the blades were the best steel he'd handled in years.

They have been cutting the ribbon for the May fair since before you were born. Every spring the girls bring their lengths of blue and white to the back of the mill, and I trim the frayed ends before they're tied round the pole. This year the ribbon came up from town, too thin, and it snags the moment you touch it. I had to cut a dozen yards twice over.

Last Thursday I went into the wood for dry kindling, past the stile where the path gives out, and found a bramble so knotted round an oak that it looked like someone had tried to tie a bow in it and given up. I took the shears and cut it free in one long pull. The curls dropped into the moss like ribbon off a spool. I left them lying there. I thought you would laugh at me, but I was glad of it.

Write when the ship comes in, and bring me a proper spool of silk if you can.

Love, Mam

More like this

Black blackwork tattoo of an archer drawing a bow with swirling ornamental lines, placed on the lower leg above the ankle.
Archer and bow tattoo on lower leg
Black tattoo of a three-armed swirl design with a small dot at its centre, placed on the upper arm.
Three-armed swirl on an upper arm
Black and grey tattoo of a pair of scissors with curling vines on the upper back, shaded to look three-dimensional.
Scissors and vines on a upper back
Black fine line tattoo of a seated cat with a looping, swirling tail on the outer lower leg near the ankle.
Stylised cat with swirling tail on a lower leg
Black and white ink snakes coiled together across a forearm, rendered in blackwork and dotwork style.
Intertwined snakes on a forearm
Black and grey tattoo of a butterfly, a lily-like flower and swirling vine linework across the top of a foot.
Butterfly, flower and vines on a foot
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of an anatomical heart with loose, overlapping linework and vessels, on an arm.
Sketched anatomical heart on an arm
Black ink tattoo of stacked concentric circles and dots running down the forearm, in a geometric linework style.
Stacked circles tattoo on forearm
Fine line black tattoo of an infinity symbol with a small angel figure, showing a halo and wing, on the inside of an ankle.
Angel and infinity symbol on an ankle
Small black seahorse tattoo with a curled tail on the side of a person's ankle against a dark background.
Small seahorse tattoo on ankle
Bold black tribal-style dragon tattoo with a small red flame on a lower leg, shown in a close photograph.
Tribal dragon on a lower leg
Black and grey tribal tattoo with a large circular motif and sweeping spiked shapes across the upper arm and shoulder.
Tribal circle tattoo on upper arm

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