Neo-traditional colour tattoo of a brown songbird on a branch with pink blossom inside a yellow-outlined diamond, on the thigh.

Songbird and blossom on a thigh

Neo-trad · Thigh · Colour · Photo

A brown songbird perches on a branch in front of pink five-petalled blossom, set within a yellow-outlined diamond with a lilac background. The bird is shaded with soft blended tones and fine feather detail, while the flowers use bold outlines and green leaves. Bright colour dominates the composition, which sits centrally on the thigh.

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 Nan,

Keep reading

The bird came aboard off the Dogger on Tuesday, wet as a dishcloth and nearly dead, and it has been living in the wheelhouse ever since, eating crumbs from Skipper's sandwiches and looking at us all as though we owed it rent. Bosun wants it put over the side. Cook says it will bring luck if we keep it fed. I have said nothing, which is my usual way, though I am glad of the company on the night watch.

It is a brown thing with a pale front, plain as a pocket knife until the light catches its wing and the feathers go the colour of toffee. I keep thinking of the cherry tree by your back wall, the one Grandad planted the spring before he went, when the blossom came out in pink clusters and the whole yard looked dusted with sugar. This bird would have liked that tree.

We are four days out and the sea has been kind, which Skipper says is a warning. Last night the wind dropped and the water went flat and silver, and the bird sat on the rail and sang something short and sweet, as if it were only making conversation. Nobody spoke. Even Bosun went quiet and stood at the rail with his cap in his hands.

I have decided to bring it home. Not as a pet, I know that's daft. I want to see whether it can find its way to your garden from a trawler in the North Sea, and if it does, I'll know it was never really lost at all. Tell Mum I am eating properly. Tell her the bird says hello.

Love, Dora

More like this

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
Colour traditional tattoo of a wren perched on a branch with green leaves and pink blossoms, on a person's back.
Wren on a blossom branch with pink flowers
Colour tattoo of a red cardinal perched on a branch with pink dogwood flowers and green leaves, on the outer thigh.
Cardinal and dogwood on a thigh
Colour tattoo of a goldfinch perched on a branch with pink wild roses, daisies and leafy sprigs, on the upper arm.
Goldfinch and wild roses on an upper arm
Colour tattoo of a bluebird perched on a leafy branch on the upper arm, in a realistic style.
Bluebird on a branch on the upper arm
Traditional colour tattoo of a grey swallow with red five-petal flowers and olive leaves on a limb.
Swallow and red flowers in traditional style
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
Colour traditional tattoo of a swallow in flight with black and grey wings, orange body and red and yellow accents, on pale skin.
Traditional swallow in flight
Traditional style colour tattoo of a small brown bird perched on a red branch with pink flowers, green leaves and a paintbrush, on a calf.
Bird, flowers and paintbrush on a leg
Sketchy fine line tattoo of a sparrow in brown and grey tones on the outer forearm.
Sparrow on a forearm
Colour tattoo of a hummingbird on a branch with pink peonies, green leaves, a beaded chain, a skull and a key, on an upper arm.
Hummingbird, peonies and key on an upper arm
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.