Scale tattoo ideas

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

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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
Woman with long blonde hair in an orange top, wearing gold metallic tattoos of scales and geometric patterns on her shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
Gold metallic tattoos on shoulder and arm
Realistic blue and green fish scale tattoo across a person's shoulder and upper arm, with small water droplets on the scales.
Blue fish scale tattoo on upper arm
Black and grey blackwork skull tattoo with dotted and mandala-like patterns on the upper arm, with the jaw open.
Ornate skull with mandala patterns on upper arm
Black and grey full sleeve tattoo on an upper arm, with a mandala on the shoulder and a serpent over geometric bands.
Mandala shoulder and serpent sleeve on upper arm
Black and grey realism sleeve on a woman's arm, showing a scaled snake, a camera and a portrait tattooed on the forearm and upper arm.
Black and grey sleeve with snake and camera
Black and grey dragon tattoo wrapping from the upper arm across the ribs, with a smaller flaming dragon on the thigh against a warm gold background.
Black and grey dragon across ribs and arm
Large black and grey Japanese style blackwork octopus tattoo spreading across a person's back and upper arm, with scaled skin and sucker detail on the tentacles.
Octopus tattoo across a back
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a skeletal mermaid with long hair and a fish tail on an upper arm, with a peony above it.
Skeleton mermaid with peony on upper arm
Black and grey realism style tattoo of a rearing cobra with its hood spread, covering the upper arm.
Cobra with raised hood on upper arm
Gold metallic fish scale temporary tattoo on a shoulder and upper arm, with a gold clover chain design below it, worn over a bare back with a patterned strappy top.
Gold metallic fish scale temporary tattoos
Gold metallic mermaid scale temporary tattoos running diagonally from the shoulder down the upper arm of a woman on a rocky beach.
Gold mermaid scales on a shoulder and arm
Japanese style koi fish with red and black scales swimming among waves and clouds, tattooed on an upper arm and shoulder.
Koi fish and waves on an upper arm
Colour and black and grey Japanese style tattoo of a large bird with red flames and maple leaves across a shoulder and upper arm.
Japanese bird and maple leaves on upper arm
Colour Japanese style tattoo on an upper arm showing an orange creature with whiskers, pink swirling clouds, a green element and a pink peony-like flower.
Japanese style colour tattoo on an upper arm
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a dark-haired mermaid with teal scales, red roses and a conch shell, on the upper arm.
Mermaid with roses and shell on a limb
Black and grey traditional owl tattoo with ornamental swirls and a shaded rose below, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Owl and rose on upper arm
Black and grey snake tattoo with scaled detail coiled around an upper arm, its head near the shoulder.
Snake coiled around upper arm
Realistic dragon head with horns, scales and clawed feet in a shaded, colour style across the upper arm and shoulder.
Realistic dragon head and claws on upper arm
Realistic colour tattoo of a green viper coiled around a branch with its mouth open, across the upper arm.
Green viper snake on upper arm
Black and grey realistic dragon tattoo with a scaled body and spiked head wrapping across an upper arm, with shaded smoke-like details behind it.
Black and grey dragon on upper arm
Black and grey realism tattoo of ornate plate armour covering the shoulder, upper arm and elbow as a full sleeve.
Plate armour sleeve on shoulder and arm
Black and grey Japanese dragon tattoo with clouds and kanji covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Japanese dragon on upper arm
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a red and orange dragon head with grey horns across the upper arm and shoulder.
Red and orange dragon on upper arm
Full sleeve tattoo of a grey Japanese dragon with red flames on a man's arm, shown from shoulder to wrist in two views.
Japanese dragon full sleeve with red flames
Collage of seven small fine line tattoos with subjects including an origami crane, a dinosaur behind an ear, a unicorn, a girl, scales, an umbrella in rain and a rocket among planets.
Collage of seven small fine line tattoos