Lettering tattoo ideas

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

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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
Neo-traditional tattoo of a glowing UFO over pine trees and a purple night sky, framed in an oval with the words I WANT TO BELIEVE below, on the thigh.
UFO and pine trees on a thigh
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
Traditional style colour tattoo of a cherubic face with closed eyes and a red flower on the inner forearm, beside a yellow crescent moon and red star.
Cherub face with flower on forearm
Black and grey dotwork peony tattoo on a forearm, with shaded petals, outlined leaves and a partial lettering tattoo at the top edge.
Dotwork peony on a forearm
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
Black and white flash drawing of an anchor wrapped in tentacles with a banner reading LOVECRAFT and H.P., in a traditional engraved style with no body placement shown.
Anchor with tentacles and banner design
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 and white line drawing of a woman with a flower in her hair holding a dagger, with the word PSYCHO across her brow, in a neo-traditional flash style.
Woman with dagger and PSYCHO lettering
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
Colourful kawaii taco tattoo with a smiling face and the words I DON'T WANNA 'BOUT IT on an upper arm, surrounded by a skull, leaves and a butterfly.
Kawaii taco with lettering on an upper arm
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 and grey traditional tattoo on a forearm showing a log cabin among pine trees, a mountain, a moon and clouds, with a scroll banner of lettering beside it.
Cabin, pines and mountain on a forearm
Neo-traditional flash design of two pink roses, a pastel banner reading Nugg Life, and a pile of chicken nuggets with a dipping sauce pot, with no body placement shown.
Nugg Life rose and nugget flash design
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
Traditional style tattoo of a red and yellow flower with an eye inside a heart across the back of a hand, with a chrysanthemum on the forearm above.
Eye in heart flower on the back of a hand
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
Traditional style colour tattoo of a grey Dalek with red and yellow lightning bolts beneath a red banner reading To Victory, on the lower leg.
Dalek with lightning bolts on a calf
Black and grey tattoo on a forearm showing a police box with Bad Wolf lettering above and a Dalek below, in a sketchy, splattered style.
TARDIS, Dalek and Bad Wolf lettering on a forearm
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
Black and grey pencil drawing of a shaded compass rose tattoo design with the words True North above it and ornate fleur-de-lis points.
Compass rose with True North lettering
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
Traditional style tattoo design of a black anchor, red heart and banner reading SORRY MOM, shown printed on white fabric with no body part visible.
Anchor and heart with SORRY MOM banner
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
Pencil flash sheet of traditional-style tattoo designs including a boxing glove, a swallow, a dagger, an anchor, an arrow and lettered banners.
Pencil flash sheet with boxing glove, swallow and banners
Both legs covered in traditional style tattoos on the thighs and calves, including a fox, a butterfly, a nutcracker and a mandala, with a plate of strawberries resting on the thighs.
Traditional leg sleeve with fox and nutcracker
Close-up of a black ribbon-style knot tattoo with three purple flowers on a forearm, with small lettering at the left edge.
Black ribbon knot and violets on forearm
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 ink tattoo of a horned, snake-tailed creature above the words Never run from anything immortal, on the upper arm of a woman in a navy vest top.
Horned creature and slogan on upper arm
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
A coloured flash design of a cartoon lemon with a grumpy expression, a dark collar and leaves, framed by a cream banner reading 'When life gives you lemons' and 'HMMN YAAAGH'.
Lemon character with banner lettering
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
Traditional style colour tattoo on a forearm showing C-3PO above red flowers and a grey banner reading STAY GOLD.
C-3PO with banner and flowers on forearm
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a skull with flowers and leaves growing from its top, shaded with dotwork, on a limb.
Skull with flowers in traditional style
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 and grey drawing of a bull's head in profile above a scroll banner reading TAURUS, shown as a tattoo flash design.
Taurus bull head with scroll banner
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
Colour tattoo of two embracing figures based on Klimt's The Kiss, with the word LOVER beside them, on the inner forearm.
Klimt-style embracing couple on a forearm
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