Calligraphy tattoo ideas

108 photos and flash · 70% Lettering, 10% Japanese · Back most common

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Black ink calligraphy lettering of a Latin phrase written in a flowing script across a white paper strip on a dark wood surface, drawn as a tattoo design.
Latin script lettering on a paper strip
Black calligraphic lettering arranged in the shape of a cross on a cream parchment background, with the words The Way at its centre, in a lettering style with no body placement shown.
Calligraphic cross lettering design
Black ink script tattoo running vertically down the nape of a person's neck, in a calligraphic lettering style, with dark hair above.
Vertical script tattoo on the back of the neck
Black ink drawing of a stylised calligraphic script design with curling flourishes on a plain grey background, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Black ink calligraphic swirl design
Black ink bird with feathers and roses on the side ribs, with flowing script tattooed on the thigh, in a black and white photo with a patterned yellow bikini.
Bird and roses on ribs, script on thigh
Black script lettering tattoo running along the outer forearm, with thick strokes and sharp, tapered ends.
Black script tattoo on a forearm
Black ink drawing of a compass rose inside a pocket watch case with a calligraphic quote beside it, shown as a tattoo design.
Compass in a pocket watch case with quote
Lettering design of the French phrase Je veux vivre dans mes rêves in a tan italic script on a white background, with no body part shown.
French script phrase in tan ink
Black ink script and ornamental swirl tattoo running vertically down the middle of a woman's back, viewed from behind.
Script and swirl design down the spine
Photograph of a red plum blossom branch tattoo with black ink and small vertical characters across a woman's upper back, shown from behind.
Plum blossom branch on upper back
Black lettering tattoo in two lines of angular script across the inner wrist and hand, shown in a close photograph.
Two lines of script on an inner wrist
Black and white yin yang design built from stylised calligraphic shapes and swirls, shown as a standalone graphic on a grey background with no body placement.
Yin yang with calligraphic forms
Black ink bamboo stalks and leaves with Japanese-style calligraphy down the back, extending onto the shoulder, with small red seal stamps.
Bamboo and calligraphy across a back
Two palms facing the camera, covered in black mandala-style geometric tattoos with dotwork on the fingers and decorative script running down the fingers and wrists.
Mandala and script tattoos on both hands
Black script lettering on a white background in a flowing calligraphic style, with a large decorative initial letter, set out as a design for a lettering tattoo.
Calligraphic script quote design
Flourished script lettering reading All that glisters is not gold, with a smaller line beneath, shown as a black and grey design with no body placement.
All that glisters is not gold lettering
Black Chinese character tattoo in a bold brush style, placed on the side of the body.
Chinese character tattoo on the side of the body
Black and grey treble clef tattoo with flowing script lettering woven through it, shown on the upper back.
Treble clef with script on upper back
Four bold black brush calligraphy characters on white, labelled dragon, patience or endurance, book and peace, shown as a tattoo design sheet.
Four calligraphy characters with English labels
Black ink design of a stylised calligraphic symbol rising from a flame, enclosed in a hand-drawn circle, on a warm sepia background.
Circle with flame and calligraphic symbol
Black ink Arabic script lettering tattooed across the inner forearm, photographed with the arm raised against a gallery-style room.
Arabic script on a forearm
Black script lettering reading Gabriel in a fine line lettering style, placed on the upper arm.
Gabriel in script on upper arm
Black ink script lettering samples with flourishes, including phrases such as Adaggio and Love Catalogue, and a full lowercase and numeral alphabet along the bottom.
Script lettering specimen sheet
Colour tattoo of a pink and blue awareness ribbon beside a black calligraphic mark on the top of a foot, with white painted toenails.
Awareness ribbon and black symbol on a foot
Black lettering tattoo of the letters DA inside a circle of text reading Dumbledore's Army, on the upper arm in a close-up photo.
Dumbledore's Army initials on upper arm
Black ink drawing on white paper of a stylised calligraphic lettering design with curling flourishes running diagonally across the sheet.
Calligraphic swirl design on paper
Two views of a Japanese-style tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder, showing grey ninja figures, red ink splashes, kanji characters and a pagoda.
Ninja and pagoda shoulder piece with kanji
Black script lettering chart showing upper and lower case letters A to Z in a flowing copperplate style on a white background.
Script alphabet A to Z chart
Ink drawing of two hummingbirds facing each other to form a heart, surrounded by fine calligraphic swirls in black and dark red.
Two hummingbirds forming a heart with flourishes
Black Arabic calligraphy lettering design on a white background, drawn as a flowing script with a dot and a small diamond mark, shown without any body placement.
Arabic calligraphy lettering design
Black ink tattoo of several calligraphic characters arranged in a cluster on the top of a shoulder.
Black ink characters on the shoulder
Handwritten flourished script lettering design reading All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be, drawn in black ink on lined paper.
Looped script quote lettering design
Black script lettering design where the word Love is formed from the text of John 3:16, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Love lettering with John 3:16 verse
Japanese-style flash drawing of a black and white cat holding a sword, with a woman's head and pink flowers on its body, set beneath a gold halo.
Cat with sword and woman's head design
Black ink tattoo of a stylised Ganesha design with flowing, calligraphic linework on brown skin.
Stylised Ganesha symbol tattoo on skin
Japanese-style flash of an orange lion dog among gold clouds and grey waves, with a pink peony and a small butterfly, intended for a back or sleeve tattoo.
Lion dog and peony flash design
Black flourished script alphabet on a white background, showing upper and lower case letters A to Z in rows of five.
Script alphabet chart in upper and lower case
Black ink flash design of a cartoon mouse figure built from calligraphic loops and flourishes, shown on a white background with no body placement.
Calligraphic flourish mouse design
Tattoo design of two bold black Chinese characters above the words Best Friend in script, set on a tan kraft-paper background.
Chinese characters and Best Friend lettering
Black calligraphic lettering on white reading Improvidus, Asto, quod Victum, with the English line Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome beneath, shown as a lettering design without a body placement.
Latin motto in calligraphic script
Black brush-style lettering reading I'm fine on a plain white background, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
I'm fine lettering design
A flash sheet of black brush-style Chinese characters in four rows, each with a small English translation beneath it, shown without any body placement.
Chinese character flash sheet in black ink
Black and white chart of stylised rune symbols, each paired with a handwritten label such as Agility, Heal, Love and Strength.
Chart of labelled rune designs
Two black brush-style kanji characters stacked vertically, with the English labels True and Love beneath them, shown as a flash design in Japanese style.
Kanji for true and love
Black lettering design of the word grace in flowing hand-drawn script on a plain white background, with no body placement shown.
Grace in flowing script lettering
Black ink calligraphic treble clef design with looping strokes and a curled tail on a white background, shown as a flash drawing rather than on skin.
Calligraphic treble clef design
Black Arabic script lettering tattoo running down the middle of a woman's back, seen from behind in a black open-back top.
Arabic script tattoo down a back
Flash sheet of six black lettering designs reading the rest is still unwritten, each in a different script or ornamental lettering style, intended as tattoo lettering.
The rest is still unwritten lettering options