Traditional style tattoo of a white skull with a red rose and green leaves on a stem, placed on the outer ankle of a leg.

Skull and red rose on an ankle

Traditional · Ankle · Mixed · Photo

A white skull with grey shading for its eye and nose sockets sits on the outer ankle, with a stem that curls around it. A red rose with white highlights rests on top, and two green leaves sit along the stem. Bold dark outlines define the shapes against the pale skin, which is shown against a dark brown 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

The night porter at Saint Ebba's had a rule about the bell at the end of the east corridor. When it rang twice with no hand on the rope, he took the lamp and went. Nobody else in the building would go, not the sisters, not the doctor with his cold pipe.

Keep reading

The thing waiting under the bell was a pale skull the size of a loaf, with a green stem curling out from its brow and a red rose nodding on top. Its eyes and nose were two smudges of soot. It never spoke. It only turned, the way a dog turns to see if you are following, and set off down the tiles with its leaves brushing the skirting.

Hal had followed it four times in nine years. Each time it led him to a bed where an old person lay awake, and each time he sat with them until the breathing slowed and the rooks started up over the car park. The skull did not take anyone. Ada on the surgical ward said it was only company, a thing that makes sure nobody dies with the lamp off.

On the fifth night the bell rang twice and the skull led him to the chair by the window. He sat down beside Mrs Pardoe, who was ninety-one and had outlived her husband, her sister and the lamplighter. She held his sleeve until the window greyed. At first light he found the rose lying on the sill, its petals still red, and he left it there for the day staff to find.

More like this

Colour botanical tattoo of pink plumeria flowers, black swirling vines and a black tribal motif with green leaves, on the top of a foot.
Plumeria and swirl vine foot tattoo
Colour tattoo of a cat-shaped sugar skull with a pink bow and floral details on the top of a foot.
Cat-style sugar skull with bow on a foot
Neo-traditional tattoo of a grey anchor wrapped in rope and entwined with red roses, teal flowers and green leaves, on the calf.
Anchor with roses and rope on a calf
Colour tattoo of a red rose bud with green leaves and black swirling vines climbing up the ankle, shown in a close photograph of the skin.
Red rose bud and vine on an ankle
Colour tattoo of three four-pointed diamond shapes in yellow, red and blue, with black and grey swirls, on the outer ankle.
Three coloured diamonds on an ankle
Colour tattoo of two butterflies with swirling vine linework on the top of a foot, one pink and one blue with dotted detail.
Two butterflies on the top of a foot
Traditional colour tattoo of a dagger gripped by a hand with a crown pommel, above a red rose and black leaves, on the upper back.
Dagger and rose on upper back
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a red scrolled heart with orange lilies, green leaves and a black silhouette, on a person's upper back.
Heart, lilies and leaves on upper back
Fine line tattoo of a black cat outline with a tail curling beside a red heart, on the lower leg.
Cat outline and red heart on a leg
Fine line black tattoo on a shoulder showing two facing profiles with a small red rose, in a fine line style.
Profile pair and rose on a shoulder
Black fine line Virgo zodiac symbol with a small red heart accent on the ankle.
Zodiac symbol with red heart on ankle
Small black fine line tattoo of a stylised squirrel with a curling tail on the outside of an ankle, shown against a light teal surface.
Squirrel with swirling tail on an ankle

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