Lettering tattoo ideas

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

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Black and grey neo-trad style tattoo on a back showing two embracing figures, a clock face, an owl and scroll banners with lettering.
Embracing figures, owl and clock on upper back
Black and grey dotwork big cat head tattooed on the back of a hand, set against a solid black geometric triangle with script lettering beside it.
Roaring big cat on the back of a hand
Black and grey realism tattoo of plate armour across a shoulder and upper arm, with an eagle emblem on the arm and a helmeted figure on the shoulder plate.
Plate armour shoulder and arm tattoo
Hand-drawn pencil sketch of the words Once upon a time in ornate script with swirling flourishes, a lettering design for a tattoo.
Once upon a time lettering sketch
Black typewriter-style lettering reading Love always, Charlie across the outer lower leg, in a lettering tattoo.
Love always, Charlie lettering on a leg
Colour traditional-style tattoo on a side ribs area, with a red heart, purple flowers, a green four-leaf clover, dice and script lettering.
Colourful heart, flowers and clover on the ribs
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 line drawing of a hand holding a letter envelope with a red heart, leaves and the words I'll love you forever, in a traditional flash style on torn paper.
Envelope, heart and leaves flash design
Blue UV-reactive tattoo of the word Lumos with a star burst on the back of a hand, shown glowing under blacklight, in a lettering style.
Glowing UV lettering reading Lumos on a hand
Fine line black script tattoo reading live fearless on the inner forearm, with a hand resting at the right edge of the frame.
Live fearless script on a forearm
Two pencil sketches of ornate lettering designs, one reading HOPE and one reading FAITH, with flourishes around each word.
Hope and Faith lettering sketches
Close-up of a woman's shoulders showing two black fine line script quote tattoos, one on each collarbone near the shoulder.
Two script quotes along the collarbones
Small colour tattoo of a cartoon unicorn with pink mane and horn, with 'be unique corn' lettering beneath, on upper chest skin.
Cartoon unicorn with 'be unicorn' lettering on chest
Colour tattoo of a blue and grey yarn skull with crossed knitting needles and the words KNIT FAST and DIE WARM, on the upper arm.
Yarn skull with knitting needles and lettering
Black linework flash sheet of Irish-themed tattoo designs, including a shamrock, harp, pipe, horseshoe, pot of gold and banner lettering, shown on a flat, unmarked white sheet.
Irish-themed traditional flash sheet
Traditional style tattoo on a forearm of a UFO with a yellow beam in a black night sky, a yellow crescent moon, pine trees and the words Never Alone.
UFO, crescent moon and pines with Never Alone
Black and white photo of an open palm with a shaded anatomical heart tattoo and the lettering 'Hold My Heart' and 'He's Beating for You Anyways'.
Anatomical heart with quote on palm
Black and grey traditional-style tattoo of a lighthouse, ship's wheel and waves on the upper thigh, with a partly visible banner quote.
Lighthouse and ship's wheel on thigh
Fine line black script lettering reading Kacham Cie across the top of a foot, with teal painted toenails and denim visible at the top edge.
Script lettering on the top of a foot
Two matching realism tattoos in black and grey on forearms, each showing a hand with a hooked pinky finger above a ribbon banner.
Matching hands with ribbon banners on forearms
Fine line script tattoo reading forever and ever in dark purple ink running down the inner forearm near the wrist, beside a white rose.
Forever and ever script on a forearm
Black and grey pencil design of symmetrical blackletter-style lettering with four wolf heads and flowing ornamental lines, drawn as a flash design for a tattoo.
Symmetrical blackletter lettering with four wolf heads
Colour tattoo on an upper arm showing a shaded football with laces, a black and gold fleur-de-lis, and the words NEW ORLEANS above and SAINTS below.
New Orleans Saints football tattoo on upper arm
Realistic passport stamp tattoos in blue, red and black across a forearm, showing dated immigration-style marks and a border agency stamp.
Passport stamps on a forearm
Black dotwork mandala tattoo with an om symbol on a person's upper back, with a hand resting beside it bearing the words This too shall pass.
Mandala back tattoo with om symbol
Black and grey fine line compass rose tattoo with a fleur-de-lis at north and three small stars, on the side of the ribs.
Compass rose tattoo on the ribs
Colour neo-traditional tattoo on an upper arm showing a night camp with a tent, campfire and crescent moon, with the script words not all who wander are lost.
Night camp scene with script lettering on upper arm
Black tribal-style lettering design with curling swirls and tapering spikes, shown as a standalone flash design on a white background.
Tribal swirl lettering design
Two matching forearm tattoos: a shaded black and grey game controller and a colour stack of books, each above the words I have lived a thousand lives.
Matching game controller and books on forearms
Close-up of a black lettering tattoo on a man's upper chest, with the word LOL repeated in four rotated orientations to form a cross.
LOL lettering in a cross on the chest
Black line drawing of a weeping willow tree with a ribbon banner reading BEND DON'T BREAK wrapped around its trunk, in a tattoo flash style.
Willow tree with Bend Don't Break banner
Traditional style forearm tattoo of a clock face with a feather above, a rose below and a banner reading TIME KILLS EVERYTHING.
Clock and rose with Time Kills Everything banner
Black and grey traditional tattoo on the forearm showing two pistons, a banner reading LET'S BO, wings and an oval emblem with stars.
Pistons, wings and stars on a forearm
Black and grey pencil drawing of a tattoo design with a skull, city skylines and partial lettering, shown without any body placement.
Skull and cityscape tattoo design in grey pencil
Neo-traditional flash design of a pin-up woman with a red rose in her hair, half of her face a skull, with the quote I got a beautiful heart but a twisted mind around her.
Pin-up woman with half skull face and red rose
Black and white photo of a raised hand with a small black script word tattooed on the inner wrist.
Script lettering on the inner wrist
Close photo of a traditional style tattoo showing a cartoon man with slicked back hair, eyes closed, cradling an orange creature above a grey banner that reads FISH STICKS.
Man and Fish Sticks banner tattoo
Black and grey photo of the words Spank Me in black script lettering flanked by two small outlined hearts, on the side of a hip above frayed denim shorts.
Script lettering with hearts on the hip
Colour tattoo of the cartoon character Stitch with hibiscus and plumeria flowers, above the words Ohana means family, on a person's side ribs.
Stitch with flowers and Ohana lettering
Black line drawing of the word King with a crown and the word Queen with a crown, both in flowing script, presented as a pair of flash designs.
King and Queen script with crowns
Black and grey tribal-style tattoo with a banknote-like central motif covering the back of a hand and extending onto the wrist and forearm.
Tribal and banknote-style hand tattoo
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a heart holding a clasped human hand and a paw, with the words Boys Whatever above and Cats Forever below, on a limb.
Heart with clasped hand and paw and banner text
Two calf tattoos side by side: a dark silhouette of a figure beside a chimney skyline with orange shading and the words Step in Time, and a silhouette of a figure holding an umbrella with blue shading
Two calf tattoos of silhouettes with lettering
Black and grey photo of two wrists with the script words "You Are My Strength" tattooed in a fine line cursive style across the inner wrists.
You Are My Strength script on two wrists
Black script lettering tattoo running along the outer forearm, with thick strokes and sharp, tapered ends.
Black script tattoo on a forearm
Pen sketch of a head and shoulders in profile outline, with the words We're all stories in the end, Just make it a good one, eh? lettered inside the shape in a hand-drawn script.
Profile outline with lettered quote
Traditional style tattoo of a red heart with a shaded rose and a banner reading MUM, placed on the forearm.
Heart and rose with MUM banner on wrist
Black fine line design of an ECG heartbeat trace that spikes once then runs flat, with the words SLEEP FOREVER in serif capitals below, on a plain grey background.
Flatline heartbeat with SLEEP FOREVER lettering