Rope tattoo ideas

517 photos and flash · 54% Traditional, 11% Lettering · Forearm most common

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Black ink sketch of an ornate anchor with swirling scroll details, drawn on paper beside a black marker and a gel pen.
Ornate anchor sketch with scrolls
Traditional style flash drawing of a teal anchor with a red-tipped fluke pair, a rope coiled around the shank and small black stars scattered around it, on a beige background.
Anchor and rope traditional flash design
Black and grey eagle perched on a shaded globe with an anchor and rope, tattooed on an upper arm.
Eagle, globe and anchor on upper arm
Traditional style tattoo of a swallow in flight in front of a red heart and anchor, framed by rope and grey flowers, on a calf.
Swallow and anchor on a calf
Black and grey tattoos of a shaded skull, ship wheel and snake on a forearm, with an anchor and roses on the back of the hand.
Skull, ship wheel and anchor on forearm and hand
Black and grey flash design of an anchor with a heart above a hatched rope infinity symbol, with the words faith and hope and two scripture references.
Heart, infinity rope and anchor design with hope and faith
Black linework tattoo of a pocket watch with Roman numerals, rope chain and flowers on an upper arm and shoulder, with faint red marks below.
Pocket watch and flowers on an upper arm
Black traditional-style flash design of an anchor, a heart with a MIDWEST banner and two roses, printed on a coral t-shirt.
Anchor, heart and roses design on a t-shirt
Traditional style flash drawing of a dark anchor wrapped in gold rope, with two red stars, on a cream background.
Anchor with rope and two stars
Traditional colour tattoo of a woman with dark wavy hair holding a skull, framed by red roses, on the upper arm.
Woman, skull and roses on upper arm
Colour tattoo of an anchor wrapped in rope and pink roses with green leaves, on the outer lower leg, in a traditional style.
Anchor and roses on a calf
Black and grey line drawing of an octopus wrapped around a sailing ship within a spade shape of rope, with a ship's wheel, anchor and an Ace of Spades banner.
Octopus and sailing ship ace of spades design
Traditional style flash drawing of a shark wearing a top hat, monocle and tailcoat inside a rope border, with no body placement shown.
Shark in top hat and tailcoat in a rope frame
Colour traditional tattoo on skin showing a red and white lighthouse inside a golden rope heart, with birds, sea, and a pink flower with green leaves below.
Lighthouse in a rope heart with pink flower
Black and grey pencil drawing of an anchor wrapped in rope with a ship's wheel on the shank, shaded with fine hatching and stippling, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Anchor with rope and ship's wheel
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a bone bound with rope, shown on the inner forearm of a person wearing dark clothing.
Rope-wrapped bone on a forearm
Black and grey anchor tattoo with a rope coiled around it on a person's ribs, shaded in a traditional style.
Anchor and rope tattoo on the ribs
Small black and grey anchor tattoo wrapped in rope on the side of an ankle, in a traditional style.
Anchor with rope on an ankle
Small black and grey anchor tattoo with rope detail on the side of the ribs, worn by a person in a black bikini top.
Small anchor tattoo on the ribs
Black and grey blackwork tattoo of interlocking chain links wrapped with braided rope bands around a forearm, shown in two close-up panels.
Chain links and rope band on a forearm
Traditional colour tattoo on a forearm showing a couple's faces in a red heart, with banners reading 'To die by your side' and 'Such a heavenly way', a blue flower spray and a hanging noose.
Couple in heart banner with noose on forearm
Black and grey hand-lettered tattoo flash design of an anchor with rope and the words If my love were an ocean, there would be no more land, drawn on a sketchbook page, with no body part shown.
Anchor with hand-lettered quote design
Traditional style tattoo of a grey shaded anchor wrapped in rope with two red roses on the outer thigh.
Anchor and roses on a thigh
Black and grey anchor tattoo wrapped in rope, with two shaded stars and script on the shaft, placed on the side of the ribs.
Anchor with rope and stars on the ribs
Colour tattoo of a galaxy-filled anchor wrapped in rope with two shaded butterflies, on the lower leg above the ankle.
Galaxy anchor and butterflies on a lower leg
Cross-stitch on white fabric in a dark frame showing traditional tattoo motifs: a red heart with a LOVE banner and dagger, and an anchor wrapped in rope with stars.
Cross-stitch heart, dagger and anchor flash
Pencil line drawing of a unicorn head with a flowing swirled mane inside a braided rope oval, shown as a flash design with no body placement.
Unicorn head in a rope oval
Traditional style tattoo of a red and grey anchor wrapped in a rope, with red flowers, dark teal leaves and small birds, on the thigh.
Traditional anchor with rope and flowers on a thigh
Pencil sketch of a tattoo design showing an anchor wrapped in rope and vines, with two roses and a ribbon banner, drawn in black and grey.
Anchor with roses and rope in pencil sketch
Traditional style colour tattoo of an anchor with rope, a Mom banner, red hearts and a red rose with yellow flowers and green leaves, on the upper arm.
Anchor, rose and Mom banner on an upper arm
Black and grey dotwork and engraved-style sleeve on the upper arm and shoulder, showing waves, a figure, a moon and a chain along the lower arm.
Engraved sea and figure upper arm sleeve
Grey shaded anchor tattoo with a rope coil and cursive script along the shank, on the side of a torso above the ribs.
Shaded anchor with rope and script on ribs
Colour tattoo of an anchor wrapped in rope in a watercolour style, with teal and red splashes, on the ankle of a person wearing brown suede shoes.
Watercolour anchor on an ankle
Colour tattoo of a bearded gnome in a red pointed hat sitting on a yellow swing with green ropes, in a realistic style, on skin.
Gnome on a swing tattoo
Line drawing of an anchor wrapped in rope, with a fish skeleton on the shaft, an eye at the centre and radiating rays behind, shaded in blue, purple and yellow.
Anchor with rope, fish skeleton and eye
Close-up of a traditional style tattoo on skin showing a red flower with green leaves, a bundle of red dynamite with a lit fuse, and a rope-bound lantern.
Traditional dynamite and red flower tattoo
Black and grey traditional style flash design of an anchor, a sailing ship, two pistols, roses and banners reading Loose Lips and Sink Ships, with no body placement shown.
Anchor, ship and pistols traditional flash
Black dotwork ouroboros, a serpent eating its own tail forming a braided-looking ring, on the upper back of a woman with dark hair.
Ouroboros serpent on upper back
Black linework tattoo of an open eye, a rose and leaves on the forearm, shown in a close-up photo.
Eye, rose and leaves on a forearm
Fine line black tattoo of an anchor with a looping swirling line beside it, on the side of a person's ribs.
Fine line anchor with swirl on the ribs
Flash design of a ship's wheel and an anchor wrapped in rope, with script lettering reading Be the one to guide me but never hold me down, in black ink on a pale background.
Ship's wheel and anchor with quote lettering
Black line drawing of a ship's wheel, lily and hibiscus-style flowers, and a rope and anchor in a neo-traditional sketch style, shown as a tattoo design.
Ship's wheel, flowers and anchor design
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a cat in a sailor hat and striped top, framed by a coiled rope, on a forearm.
Sailor cat in a rope frame on a forearm
Drawn tattoo design of an anchor entwined with an infinity symbol of rope, purple roses and the script words I refuse to sink.
Infinity anchor and roses design
Colourful realistic tattoo of a hot air balloon made of butterflies with fine black rope lines, on a person's upper back near the shoulder blade.
Butterfly hot air balloon on upper back
Two matching traditional tattoos on the ankles, a red and white life ring with rope on the left and a black anchor with script on the right.
Matching anchor and life ring ankle tattoos
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a swallow, a dagger, a rope-framed seascape and a rose with leaves on an upper arm.
Swallow, dagger and rose on an arm
Black and grey traditional style tattoo of three crossed arrows tied with rope and knots, running across the inside of a forearm.
Crossed arrows and rope on a forearm