Scale tattoo ideas

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

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Black linework flash of an Eastern-style dragon coiling through clouds, a design suited to a Japanese style back or sleeve tattoo.
Eastern dragon with clouds
Pastel-coloured Japanese-style dragon design winding around peony blossoms and leaves on a cream background, drawn as a flash piece.
Pastel dragon and peonies design
Black and grey pen drawing of a coiled Japanese-style dragon with a open mouth, horns, whiskers and claws, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Coiled Japanese-style dragon design
Black and grey koi fish drawing in a Japanese style with orange fins and a red gill patch, beside the heading The Meaning Behind Koi Fish Tattoos.
Koi fish tattoo design with heading text
Black and grey flash drawing of a Chinese-style dragon coiling on the left and a phoenix with spread wings on the right, with no body placement shown.
Dragon and phoenix tattoo design
Black and grey pencil drawing of a Japanese-style dragon design with a spiked mane, scaled body and clawed foot, shown as a flash sketch.
Dragon design with spiked mane and claws
Pencil sketch of a Japanese-style dragon with claws, whiskers and a scaled body, drawn in blue and red pencil for a tattoo design.
Japanese dragon design in pencil
Black stencil design of two stylised koi fish curving around a circle with three dots between them, in a Japanese style.
Two koi fish in a circle stencil
Full-colour Japanese-style dragon design in blue and orange with orange flame-like fins, coiled and clawed, shown on a white background.
Coiled dragon design in blue and orange
Japanese style flash drawing of a green and red dragon coiling over black and grey waves, with a small cartoon figure in a yellow robe beside it.
Green dragon flash with wave background
Colour drawing of a silver Japanese-style dragon with orange flame accents, coiling through blue stylised waves, as a tattoo design.
Silver dragon with blue waves and orange flames
Red-brown line drawing of a Japanese dragon coiling through wisps of cloud, with cherry blossoms, as a tattoo design sketch.
Japanese dragon with cherry blossoms
Black and grey Japanese style flash design of a coiling dragon with lily-like flowers and cloud motifs on a white background.
Black and grey dragon with flowers and clouds
Black and gold koi fish drawn in a Japanese style with white scale outlines and red gills, beside the headline The Meaning Behind Koi Fish Tattoos, with no body part shown.
Black and gold koi fish tattoo design
Black and grey line drawing of a coiling Eastern dragon with a flaming pearl, shown as a tattoo design on paper with no body placement.
Eastern dragon with a flaming pearl
Black and grey Japanese-style dragon design with cream flame highlights, coiling across a white background.
Grey dragon with flames design
Flash design of a red, orange and yellow Japanese-style dragon coiling through black clouds, with no body placement shown.
Japanese dragon among clouds and flames
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 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
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
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 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
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 Japanese style dragon design with clouds, scales and claws, drawn on paper with no body placement shown.
Black and grey dragon with clouds
Pencil drawing of a Japanese-style dragon coiling above chrysanthemum flowers, with wind lines, designed as a tattoo piece.
Japanese dragon with chrysanthemums
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
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 line drawing of a snarling cat with a scaled body, clawed paws and blossom flowers, in a Japanese style tattoo design.
Snarling cat with scales and flowers
Black ink line drawing of a koi fish swimming upward, with detailed scale pattern and fins, in Japanese tattoo flash style, with no body placement shown.
Koi fish line drawing design
Black line drawing of a coiling Eastern dragon with swirling clouds, in a Japanese-influenced style, shown on a white background.
Eastern dragon with swirling clouds
Pencil sketch of a woman with eyes closed and a bonsai pine tattoo design across her shoulder and upper arm, drawn in a Japanese-inspired style.
Woman with bonsai pine tattoo design, pencil sketch
Full body suit design of a red Japanese dragon with yellow claws, chrysanthemums and clouds across the back, arms and thighs.
Red dragon full body suit design
Black line drawing of a Japanese-style dragon with scaled body, clawed feet and swirling flames and clouds, shown as a tattoo design without a body placement.
Japanese dragon with flames line drawing
Drawn tattoo design of a green dragon coiling through grey swirling clouds in a Japanese style, shown on a parchment-coloured background.
Green dragon among grey clouds design
Flash design of a silver dragon coiling around an orange tiger that is mid-roar, with Chinese characters at the lower right, in Japanese-style tattoo artwork.
Silver dragon and tiger design
Pencil line drawing of a Japanese-style dragon head and demon mask surrounded by flowers and scales, drawn on paper as a tattoo design.
Japanese dragon and flower sketch on paper
Full-colour Japanese style dragon design with green scales, red fins and clouds on black, shown as a flash drawing with no body placement visible.
Green and red dragon design with wind chime
Pencil sketch of a koi fish swimming upward among lotus flowers and swirling water lines, drawn as a tattoo design in a Japanese style.
Koi fish sketch with lotus flowers
Black and grey drawing of a coiled, scaled dragon with fin-like crest and clawed feet, shown as a tattoo design on white paper.
Black and grey coiled dragon design
Black outline drawing of a koi fish curling upward, with scale detail on the body and fins, in a Japanese-influenced flash style with no body placement shown.
Koi fish line drawing
Digital drawing of a red, black and white koi fish with detailed scales and flowing fins on a white background, in a Japanese style.
Koi fish design in red, black and white
Black line drawing of a Japanese-style dragon coiling upward beside a flaming pearl, shown as a tattoo design on a white background.
Dragon and flaming pearl line drawing
Black and grey Japanese-style dragon design surrounded by swirling clouds and cherry blossoms, drawn as a tattoo flash sheet.
Japanese dragon with clouds and blossom
Digital drawing of a green fanged creature with claws, framed by orange and red flame scrolls, in a Japanese-influenced tattoo design.
Green fanged creature with flame scrolls