Lettering tattoo ideas

3,720 photos and flash · 59% Lettering, 22% Traditional · Forearm most common

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Black handwritten lettering on an upper arm reads its is my life with the attribution Jon Bovi beneath it.
Handwritten quote on upper arm
Black ink drawing of the word elephant in hand-drawn lettering, with the letters shaped to form an elephant's body, trunk and legs on a grey background.
Elephant lettering design in black ink
Close-up of a black lettering tattoo reading family in flowing script, with the words where life begins and love never ends in small capitals beneath it.
Family script with quote lettering
Colour tattoo on an arm of a ball of teal and grey yarn crossed with two knitting needles, above and below the words KNIT FAST DIE WARM in traditional-style lettering.
Yarn ball with knitting needles and lettering
Upper arm tattoo of an ornate spade with teal filigree scrolls and black lettering reading We're all mad here, in a decorative lettering style.
Ornate spade with 'We're all mad here' lettering
Small black vertical lettering tattoo on the upper chest, shown in a close photo of a person with long wavy hair and a grey vest top.
Vertical lettering tattoo on the chest
Black ink script lettering reading New York, framed by looping flourishes, drawn as a tattoo design on a plain white background.
New York script lettering with flourishes
Black fine line tattoo of a heart-shaped cross with the script lettering 'by grace, through faith' on the inner forearm.
Heart cross and 'by grace, through faith' lettering
Pencil drawing of the word Blessed in flowing shaded script lettering, decorated with curling flourishes, as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Blessed script lettering with swirls
Black serif lettering tattoo on the ribs reading 'If you don't swim you'll drown', with a white shirt pulled up beside it.
Quote tattoo on the ribs
Close view of a small black fine line script tattoo reading Smile on the side of a woman's upper arm, with her shoulder and long hair visible.
Fine line script word on upper arm
Black Devanagari script tattoo on the side of the ribs, shown beside a blue patterned dress held by a hand.
Devanagari script tattoo on the ribs
Two black and grey script lettering tattoos on shoulders, reading Like Mother and Like Daughter, each finished with small heart shapes.
Matching Like Mother and Like Daughter script tattoos
Colour tattoo of a pink coffee mug with teal leaves and the words death before decaf in teal script on a forearm, in a neo-traditional style.
Death before decaf mug on a forearm
Black monoline drawing of the words New York in angular geometric letters on a white background, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
New York geometric line lettering design
Close photo of a teal and black filigree heart tattoo with lettering across its centre, sitting on the upper arm.
Filigree heart with lettering on upper arm
Pencil and ink flash sheet showing rat silhouettes with ornate key tails and Mind the Gap lettering, drawn without any body placement shown.
Rat and key designs with Mind the Gap script
Fine line black lettering tattoo forming a heart outline on the inner forearm, with the words set along the curve of the heart.
Heart outline of lettering on a forearm
Black lettering reading Valar Morghulis with a circle symbol on a forearm, in a lettering style, with a gold surface behind.
Valar Morghulis lettering on a forearm
Fine line script lettering in dark blue ink reading elgar on the inside of a wrist.
Fine line script word on a wrist
Flash sheet of tattoo designs with script lettering reading Stay Strong, let go and faith, plus a cross, lips, a feather, a heart and small birds.
Flash sheet of script quotes and small motifs
Black lettering reading STAY and SOFT on the backs of two clasped hands, with a small black and grey insect motif near one wrist.
STAY and SOFT lettering on two hands
Black and grey lettering tattoo on a forearm showing a sewing machine above the words 'As ye sew, so shall ye rip', in a lettering and traditional style.
As ye sew sewing machine tattoo on a forearm
Black and grey flash design of a shaded feather with the script words One day I'll fly away running diagonally across it.
Feather with One day I'll fly away script
Black fine line script lettering reading stinate, headstrong girl across the ribs, with grey fabric draped over the top of the frame.
Script quote along the ribs
Black ink hand-lettered design of the word Strength in flowing script on a white background, with a looping infinity-style flourish under the final letters, shown as a drawn design with no body
Strength hand lettering design
Black script lettering runs along the inside of both feet, with flip-flop straps crossing the toes, in a fine line lettering style.
Script quote tattooed along both feet
Script reading The heart of an Indian beside a profile headdress tattoo on the lower back, mostly black and grey with small red accents.
Script lettering and feathered headdress on back
Pencil sketch of a cross made from black cursive lettering on paper, with soft grey shading beneath the letters, shown as a lettering design without a body placement.
Cursive script words arranged in a cross
Fine line black sun outline with lettering on the left foot and a crescent moon outline with script on the right foot, both placed near the ankle.
Sun and moon outlines with script on two feet
Black script tattoo reading Carpe Diem with a small outlined butterfly beside it, placed on the inner forearm.
Carpe Diem script with butterfly on forearm
Healed tattoo on the upper back near the shoulder blade showing a shaded grey wand with blue swirling sparks and the script words Expecto Patronum.
Wand and Expecto Patronum script on upper back
Four black script lettering designs of the word Wanderlust on a white background, with a small definition line beneath, shown as a lettering flash sheet with no body placement.
Wanderlust lettering in script styles
Close-up of a small black lettering-style tattoo on the inner forearm of a person lying on a bed, with pink nails and a floral garment visible.
Black lettering-style tattoo on a forearm
Black ink drawing on paper of two semicolons with the hand-lettered words OUR STORIES and WILL NEVER END, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Semicolon with hand-lettered quote design
Colour tattoo of a grey cartoon donkey wearing a green and yellow striped hat, with red blood splatters and lettering beneath, on a forearm.
Cartoon donkey in striped hat on forearm
Black blackwork infinity symbol tattoo on a forearm, with the words ALL OF THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE written through the loop in handwritten capitals.
Infinity symbol with lettering on forearm
Black and grey compass rose tattoo with the word Wanderlust in cursive script on the side of a torso, shown beside the ribs.
Wanderlust script and compass rose
Fine line script lettering reading saved by grace across the inner wrist and forearm, with a silver cuff bracelet beside it.
Saved by grace script on a wrist
Black fine line script lettering reading "He Lives" on a plain white background, drawn as a tattoo design with no body part visible.
"He Lives" script lettering design
Black ink MMVI Roman numeral lettering on the forearm of one person, held hands with another person who has a matching tattoo on the forearm.
Matching MMVI numerals on forearms
Black and grey flash design of a three-masted pirate ship with a skull flag, surrounded by pirate-themed lettering and a shark.
Pirate ship with lettering flash design
Black and white photo of a script lettering tattoo across a man's chest and an ornamental tattoo on the back of his hand, with a tabby kitten resting against him.
Script chest tattoo and hand tattoo with a kitten
Close photo of black block-capital lettering reading HEART HOPE tattooed on a lower leg above a sheer ankle sock, in a fine line lettering style.
Heart Hope lettering on a lower leg
Black lettering tattoo reading There's no place like HOME on the inner wrist, with a large looping script H.
There's no place like home lettering on wrist
Black ink flash sheet showing three Deathly Hallows symbols with curved script quotes, and a pair of winged designs flanking the word Always.
Deathly Hallows symbols with script lettering
Small black lowercase lettering reading let it be on an upper back, with a gloved finger resting beside it.
Small let it be lettering on upper back
Black fine-line lettering reading "not all those who wander are lost" runs along the inner forearm.
Quote lettering along a forearm