Scale tattoo ideas

469 photos and flash · 24% Japanese, 15% Realism · Upper arm most common

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Black line drawing of a koi fish with flowing fins and curling waves, shown as a Japanese style tattoo design on a white background.
Koi fish with swirling water design
Black line drawing of an ornamental dragon with swirling scale and wing patterns, shown as a tattoo design with no placement.
Ornamental dragon line drawing
Ornate line drawing of balance scales with filigree detailing and gold-tinted pans, set against a pale starry background, shown as a standalone design with no body placement.
Ornate balance scales design
Sheet of gold, silver and black metallic temporary tattoo designs showing triangles, chevron bands, scale patterns, bubbles and chain lines on a plain background.
Metallic temporary tattoo sheet in gold and silver
Black pencil drawing of a snake coiled around a staff, with fine hatching and stippled scales, on white paper beside a mechanical pencil.
Snake coiled around a staff
Black and grey line drawing of an interlaced dragon with shaded scales, shown as a tattoo design without a body placement.
Interlaced dragon design
Black and grey pencil drawing of a long serpentine dragon with a feathered head, segmented body plates and scaled sections, shown as a tattoo design.
Serpentine dragon line drawing
Black ink line drawing of a mermaid with scaled tail and curling waves, sketched on paper beside two fineliner pens, a tattoo design for fine line work.
Mermaid with curling wave tail line drawing
Sheet of dragon flash designs in black and grey, including a large central Chinese-style dragon with swirling tribal detailing, shown without a body placement.
Dragon flash sheet in black and grey
Solid black tribal-style dragon design on a white background, coiling vertically with clawed feet and a spiked back, shown as a standalone stencil-style design.
Black tribal-style dragon design
Traditional style flash drawing of a pin-up mermaid with brown hair, a red hibiscus, a shell top and a teal scaled tail, on a white background.
Pin-up mermaid with a shell top
Painted drawing of a long serpentine dragon with teal and green watercolour washes, grey ink linework and a whiskered head, drawn as a tattoo design.
Teal watercolour serpent dragon design
Black and grey dotwork drawing of two snakes forming an infinity symbol inside a circle, shown as a tattoo design on white.
Two snakes forming an infinity symbol in a circle
Black ink flash drawing of a dragon head with densely patterned scales, spiky frills and a red eye, suitable as a design for a tattoo.
Patterned dragon head in pen and ink
Black line drawing of a Japanese-style koi fish swimming among lotus flowers and swirling waves, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement.
Koi fish with lotus flowers and waves
Black linework flash drawing of a Japanese-style dragon coiling among peony, cherry blossom, wave and cloud motifs, with no body placement shown.
Japanese dragon with peonies and cherry blossoms
Pencil sketch of a koi fish swimming upward past two open blossoms and a bud on a thin branch, a Japanese and botanical tattoo design.
Koi fish with blossoms sketch
Teal and cream dragon design with red fins and ornate gold details, drawn on a black background, in a neo-traditional style.
Teal dragon design on black
Painted neo-traditional mermaid design with long flowing black hair, red accents and a scaled tail curling around bubbles, shown as a drawing with no body placement.
Mermaid design with flowing black hair
Japanese style flash drawing of a black and grey snake coiled around two blue peonies, with a small skull in grass at lower left.
Snake and peony flash design
Black and grey pencil drawing of a mermaid with wind-swept hair, a shell top and a curling wave-shaped tail, shown as a tattoo design.
Mermaid with flowing hair and wave tail
Black line drawing of a mermaid with long flowing hair and scaled tail, framed by curling wave ornaments, in a fine line style.
Mermaid with swirling waves line drawing
Pencil drawing of a coiling Japanese-style dragon with scaled body, clawed feet and flowing whiskers, drawn as a tattoo design in black and grey.
Coiling dragon design in pencil
Black and grey flash design of a winged dragon with its wings spread around a coiled body, with shading in silver and charcoal tones.
Winged dragon coiled in black and grey
Black and grey pencil drawing of a coiling Japanese-style dragon with scaled body, clawed feet and wispy cloud-like flames, shown as a tattoo design.
Japanese dragon design in graphite
Black and grey traditional style flash design of a skeletal-faced mermaid seated among roses and hibiscus flowers, with bones in her hair.
Skull mermaid with roses and hibiscus
Full-colour Japanese style dragon design with grey scales, red flame-like swirls and yellow claws, grasping a black and white pearl, shown on a white background.
Japanese dragon with flaming pearl design
Black and grey drawing of a Japanese-style dragon coiling through clouds above a swirling wave, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement.
Japanese dragon with clouds and swirling wave
Black and grey flash design of a winged dragon coiled around a Celtic cross filled with interlaced knotwork.
Dragon wrapped around a Celtic cross
Black ink flash design of a white silhouetted creature framed by swirling waves, scale patterns and fine dotwork.
Silhouette within swirling waves
Painted illustration of a dark scaled dragon with raised wings wrapped around a maroon heart on a tan background, a design that could work as a tattoo.
Dragon coiled around a heart
Watercolour flash design of a mermaid with long black hair and red flower accents, with a grey and red scaled tail and bubbles, on a white background.
Mermaid with flowing black hair
Black blackwork-style dragon design with patterned wings that break apart into flying crows, drawn on a tan parchment background.
Dragon dissolving into flying crows
Black and grey drawing of a mermaid with long flowing hair, her scaled tail curving around to form a circular design with bubbles rising beside her.
Mermaid within a circle
Black and grey Japanese style dragon design with clouds, scales and claws, drawn on paper with no body placement shown.
Black and grey dragon with clouds
Black line drawing of a coiled snake with tribal-style patterned scales on a white background, shown as a standalone design with no body placement.
Ornamental snake design
Black design of two dragons with their necks curving into a heart shape around a central sword, drawn in solid black on a white background, as a blackwork-style flash design.
Two dragons framing a sword in a heart shape
Black floral ornament design filling a Libra scales symbol, showing leaves, scrolls and swirling tendrils on a white background.
Libra symbol filled with floral ornament
Pencil drawing of a Japanese-style dragon coiling above chrysanthemum flowers, with wind lines, designed as a tattoo piece.
Japanese dragon with chrysanthemums
Black ink drawing of a pair of scales of justice with a floral and vine-entwined stem and base, shown as a tattoo design on plain paper.
Floral scales of justice design
Black line drawing of two koi fish swimming in a circle among sakura blossoms and water ripples, a Japanese-style tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Two koi fish with sakura flowers
Black ink line drawing of an ornate goldfish with flowing fins and swirled scale patterns, drawn on cream paper as a tattoo design.
Ornate goldfish line drawing
Black ink drawing of two snakes with scale texture, interlocking in a circle on a plain tan background, shown as a tattoo design.
Two snakes intertwined in a circle
Drawn koi fish tattoo design in a Japanese style, with black scales, orange-gold fins and a red gill, beside the headline The Meaning Behind Koi Fish Tattoos.
Koi fish tattoo design with headline
Black ink drawing of a woman's face framed by flowing hair, feathers and a tentacle, in a fine line and dotwork style, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Woman's portrait with feathers and tentacle
Ink drawing of an ornate owl with swirling patterned feathers and a long curled tail on cream paper, shown as a tattoo design without a body placement.
Ornate owl tattoo design
Black and grey realism design of a mermaid with long flowing hair, her scaled tail curling into a circle around her, surrounded by smoke-like swirls.
Mermaid curled within a scaled tail
Illustrated tattoo-style design of a woman's face framed by zodiac animals, a set of scales, twin faces and a water jar inside a circular star chart, in pink and blue gradient linework.
Zodiac wheel with woman and star signs