Lettering tattoo ideas

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

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Black and white photo of a realistic tattoo on an arm that looks like torn skin, revealing lines of Latin text on the upper arm and forearm.
Torn skin revealing Latin text on arm
Back view of a woman in a purple bikini on rocks by the sea, showing a dark winged moth tattoo with small lettering above it on her lower back.
Winged moth tattoo on lower back by the sea
Colour traditional tattoo of a red heart with a dagger, an AS IF banner, red flowers and green leaves on a leg.
Traditional heart with dagger and AS IF banner
Two carved wooden arm and hand boards showing traditional-style tattoo designs of skulls, a heart with a dagger, a goat, a cat and flowers, in black and cream.
Carved arm boards with skull, goat and cat designs
Black and grey tattoo on a forearm showing the words Nifty Fifty above three aperture diagrams, with a hand holding a 50mm lens against a black background, in lettering and geometric style, on the
Nifty Fifty and aperture tattoos on a forearm
Black and grey realism style rose surrounded by ornate banding on the upper arm, with small script beneath it.
Black and grey rose with banding on upper arm
Black fine line compass rose tattoo on a forearm, with a small cursive script tattoo on the opposite wrist.
Compass rose and script on forearm and wrist
Black and grey realism tattoo of a rose merged with a clock face and gears, covering the back of a hand, with small lettering across the knuckles.
Rose and clock on the back of a hand
Traditional style colour tattoo of a pin-up woman in a red outfit holding an anchor rope, with a banner reading Steady as she goes, on the body.
Pin-up and anchor with banner on skin
Black and white flash design of a skull in a sombrero, flanked by roses and crossed daggers beneath a diamond, with blackletter text reading Pierce the Veil.
Skull in sombrero with roses and daggers
Close-up of two black script lettering tattoos on the backs of the wrists, reading figlia on the left hand and madre on the right, with a silver bangle on the left wrist.
Figlia and madre script on the hands
Two people seen from behind, each with a black script quote on the shoulder, one reading I'll love you forever and the other a matching phrase.
Matching script quotes on two shoulders
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of two pink roses, a star and an eye in a triangle on a woman's upper arm and shoulder.
Roses, star and eye on upper arm
Fine black script lettering reading Live nothing but love across the upper chest of a shirtless torso.
Script quote on upper chest
White line drawing of a hooded grim reaper holding a scythe, with the words A WASTED LIFE IS WORSE THAN DEATH above and below, on a black background.
Grim reaper with scythe and slogan
Black ink tattoo on an upper arm reading I'm a LUMBERJACK AND I'M OK, with a hand-drawn axe and tree stump, in a Lettering style.
Lumberjack slogan with axe on upper arm
Hand-drawn yin yang design with a coloured sun on one side and a starry moon on the other, with the words live by the sun and love by the moon.
Yin yang sun and moon design with lettering
Black and grey flash sheet of cartoon ghosts, a skull, a moon, a heart, a mountain and stars, with the lettering Sad Ghosts Forever and Stay Nice.
Sad ghosts flash sheet
Two black and grey fine line script tattoos on the upper back, one reading Together Forever Never Apart and the other reading Maybe in Distance But Never in with a small heart.
Script quote tattoos on the upper back
Black ink line drawing of an infinity symbol with the word love in script, a feather at the lower right and a second script word on the right loop, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement.
Infinity symbol with feather and script
Colour traditional tattoo of a cartoon character with glasses and a green jacket, arms folded, above blue roses and the words I HATE EVERYONE, on a thigh.
Cartoon character and roses on a thigh
Black and grey fine line script lettering running into a feather tattoo across a forearm.
Script quote and feather on a forearm
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a compass rose, two pink roses and a banner reading Not All Who Wander Are Lost, on the upper back.
Compass and roses with banner on upper back
Two black ink thigh tattoos in traditional style, a ship's wheel and an anchor wrapped in rope, each with script lettering, on a person wearing denim shorts.
Ship wheel and anchor thigh tattoos
Black and grey realism roses with leaves and a dotted chain running down a woman's leg from thigh to ankle, with a small script tattoo on her wrist.
Black and grey roses down a leg
Black and white photo of a blackwork-style lettering tattoo reading IT TAKES A BIT MORE on the side of a person's hip, above the waistband of their underwear.
Black stencil-style quote on the side of the hip
Traditional style tattoo of a Darth Vader helmet with blue and purple flowers, green leaves and an orange banner reading YOU WERE RIGHT, on the upper arm.
Darth Vader helmet with banner on upper arm
Traditional colour tattoo of a swallow above a cherry pie with banners reading FRESH and TIL DEATH, on the outer thigh.
Swallow and cherry pie on a thigh
Hand-drawn flash design of two pink popsicles, one with a bite mark, wrapped in a mint ribbon banner reading BITE ME.
Bitten popsicles with a Bite Me banner
Black and white tattoo design of bold italic script lettering set within a circular wreath of roses, peonies and a dahlia, with no body placement shown.
Script lettering in a circular rose and peony wreath
Black and grey blackletter script with a diamond lattice border tattooed along a forearm, against a dark background.
Blackletter text and lattice on a forearm
Colour tattoo of a blue TARDIS police box wrapped in pink banners with lettering, in a traditional style, on the lower leg.
TARDIS with banner lettering on a leg
Black and grey flash design of a stylised phoenix in flight beside flowing calligraphic lettering on a cracked cream background.
Phoenix with flowing calligraphic script
Black and grey lettering tattoo reading Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt across the side ribs, with a star tattoo partly visible below.
Quote lettering and star on the side ribs
Black script tattoo reading Promise with a small heart on the side of a finger, styled as fine line lettering on the hand.
Promise script and heart on a finger
Colour traditional-style tattoo on an upper thigh showing a golden droid head with round glasses, a banner reading CURSE MY METAL BODY, and red, yellow and teal flowers and leaves.
Droid head with Curse My Metal Body banner on thigh
Colour flash design of a blue TARDIS police box with white banners reading Wibbly Wobbly, Police Box and Timey Wimey Stuff, drawn in a neo-traditional style.
TARDIS with Wibbly Wobbly banners
Black and grey script lettering with a small arrow tattooed on a woman's side torso above the waistband of her shorts, in a script lettering style, placed on the side of the abdomen.
Script lettering and arrow on side torso
A bold black brush-style Chinese character on a white background, shown as a standalone tattoo design with no body part visible.
Bold black Chinese character
Two forearms with matching black script lettering reading Not Tired, with smaller capitals reading I GOT THIS beside it, on a forearm placement.
Matching Not Tired lettering on two forearms
Traditional black and grey tattoo of a raptor claw with the words Clever Girl on a scroll banner, on a forearm, with a dark rose partly visible below.
Raptor claw with Clever Girl banner
Black script lettering runs down the outer back of a woman's leg from thigh to ankle, shown from behind in denim shorts.
Script quotation down the back of a leg
Black fine line book stacks, quotation marks, Peter Pan silhouettes and quote lettering shown as a flash sheet, with the designs applied to a forearm in the lower right photo.
Book and quote designs on forearms
Black script lettering arranged in the shape of a cross on a white background, a lettering design with no body placement shown.
Cross-shaped script lettering design
Black and grey fine line tattoo of two music staves with notes above script lettering on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Music staff and script lettering on a wrist
Colour traditional tattoo of an hourglass wrapped in banners reading MORE FUN and LESS FEAR, surrounded by hibiscus flowers and buds on a limb.
Hourglass with banners and flowers
Black fine line script tattoo reading fearfully and wonderfully made, Psalms 139:14, across the upper back near the shoulder.
Psalm 139:14 script on upper back
Black fine line cursive lettering reading follow your heart across the shoulder, on skin against a dark background.
Follow your heart script on shoulder