Close side view of a tiny solid black dolphin tattoo on the side of a finger, with another finger visible at the top edge.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Small dolphin tattoo on a finger

Hand · Black and grey · Photo

A small solid black dolphin silhouette sits on the side of a finger, leaping with its body arched and tail curved. The design is filled in with black ink and has little interior detail. The plain, pale skin and soft focus keep attention on the single small motif.

Hand Dolphin Sea creature Animal

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 Ilse, the lorry drivers at the terminal have started a rumour that dolphins follow the Dover ferry all the way across, and I told them that was nonsense, then watched the water for twenty minutes on my break to prove it to myself. Nothing but gulls and a grey chop. You would have laughed at me. Ma says I am turning into Grandad, who talked to the fish at Ramsgate.

Keep reading

The paperwork came back stamped on Tuesday. Your visa is approved, though the officer on the desk, a man with a cold and very small handwriting, spelled your surname wrong and I had to walk the form back across the hall. Do not worry, they fixed it. Bring the blue folder and the letter from the school, and do not let anyone take the photocopies out of your hand until they have stamped the originals.

Here is the thing I keep coming back to. Last week a boy of about nine ran past the barrier holding a drawing of a dolphin against his chest, leaping, drawn in black crayon so thick it shone. His father shouted at him to stop, so I stopped him myself. He said the picture was for his sister, who was going to live in England now, and he wanted her to know the sea went there too.

Write to me from the other side and tell me whether the water is the same colour. I will be at the window at six every evening, watching for something black and quick to break the surface, and if I see one I will count it as your reply.