Scale tattoo ideas

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

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Realistic black and grey dragon tattoo with spread wings and a long curled tail across a man's upper back and shoulder blade.
Winged dragon across a back
Black and grey Japanese-style dragon tattoo covering a person's back, with a coiling body, clawed feet and wispy cloud-like smoke.
Black and grey dragon across a back
Full arm sleeve tattoo in Japanese style showing a blue-green scaled serpent, red flames and dragon heads, shown from three angles.
Full sleeve with dragons and serpent in Japanese style
Drawing of a mermaid seated on a rock with her back to the viewer, long hair blowing sideways and a teal scaled tail.
Mermaid seated on a rock
Black and grey realism tattoo of a rearing cobra with a raised hood and coiled body on the upper arm.
Cobra tattoo on upper arm
Black and grey dotwork flash design of a horned animal skull above a pair of scales holding a feather and a small object, with an ankh inside a downward triangle.
Horned skull and scales dotwork design
Fine line mermaid tattoo seen from behind on the forearm, with black linework and teal watercolour splashes on the scaled tail.
Mermaid with teal wash on forearm
Black and grey fish scale tattoo with small dots on the lower back, just above white underwear.
Fish scale tattoo on the lower back
Colour tattoo of three scaled dragon eggs in teal, purple and orange above a black banner reading DRACARYS, on a forearm.
Three dragon eggs and a Dracarys banner on a forearm
Black and grey traditional style tattoo of a mermaid sitting in a clawfoot bathtub inside an ornate oval frame, on the thigh.
Mermaid in a bathtub inside an ornate frame
Neo-traditional style tattoo of a creature with an open mouth and tongue, a fin above and scales, with pink fill and black outlines on an upper arm.
Pink-backed creature with fin and lettering on arm
Black and grey pencil-style drawing of a koi fish with a faceted geometric lower body, sketched on a tablet with a stylus.
Geometric koi fish design sketch
Green dragon tattoo with black outlines and shaded scales on the side of a hip and waist.
Green dragon on a hip
Black and grey Traditional style tattoo of a winged Egyptian-style figure seated on the chest, with wings spread and a feather headdress.
Winged Egyptian figure on the chest
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
Colour tattoo of two orange and red koi fish curving into a circle around a black Pisces symbol, on a person's calf.
Two koi fish with a Pisces symbol on a calf
Black and grey Japanese style full sleeve tattoo on an upper arm and forearm, showing armour plates, a scale pattern and swirling shapes.
Japanese armour sleeve on an arm
Colour tattoo of green and blue mermaid tail scales on a lower leg, photographed in a bath with water on the skin.
Green mermaid scale tattoo on a leg
Colour tattoo of a large owl with spread wings covering a person's back, in a neo-traditional style with bold outlines.
Owl with spread wings across a back
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a black-haired mermaid with a blue scaled tail on the back of a lower leg, below rolled denim jeans.
Mermaid tattoo on a calf
A green glowing dragon tattoo with scale patterning on an upper arm, photographed under ultraviolet light against a blue fabric sleeve.
Glow-in-the-dark dragon on an arm
Three side-by-side views of a colour tattoo of a green eastern dragon with red eyes and gold accents coiling around a calf, Japanese style.
Green eastern dragon wrapped around a calf
Blue fish scale tattoo on the top of a foot, shown through a torn skin effect in a realistic style.
Blue fish scales through torn skin on a foot
Black and grey realism tattoo of an open-mouthed dragon head with bared teeth and spiked horns, on the forearm.
Realistic dragon head on forearm
Black and grey Japanese-style dragon design with cream flame highlights, coiling across a white background.
Grey dragon with flames design
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of a mythical bird with a dragon-like head and feathered wings, surrounded by clouds, covering a person's back.
Large mythical bird with clouds across a back
Colour tattoo of a blue and purple dragon with spread wings and a curled tail, placed across the upper back of a person wearing a black top.
Blue and purple dragon on upper back
Colour tattoo of a dark-haired mermaid with closed eyes and a teal scale tail, surrounded by red fish, on a forearm.
Mermaid with red fish on a forearm
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
Pen drawing of a tribal-style swirl tattoo design on white paper, with blue and black linework and shaded curls.
Tribal swirl tattoo design in blue and black
Black and grey shaded dragon tattoo with spread wings and a long spiked tail, on the upper arm.
Winged dragon on upper arm
Black stencil design of a mermaid holding a trident, with a scaled tail and flowing hair, shown on a plain white background.
Mermaid with trident stencil
Realistic green reptile eye with a vertical slit pupil and scaly skin tattooed on a limb, shown in two side-by-side photographs.
Reptile eye tattoo on a limb
Colourful cartoon fish tattoo with a blue body and scale pattern on the ankle of a person sitting on a carpet.
Multicoloured fish tattoo on an ankle
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a coffin with a cross, scale pattern and two roses with leaves and tendrils, shown on a limb in three close-up photos.
Coffin and roses in black and grey
Close-up of a 3D-style tattoo on the top of a foot, showing two puzzle pieces in grey shading with one piece filled with teal mermaid scales.
Puzzle pieces with teal scales on a foot
Black and grey realism back piece of a blindfolded Lady Justice holding scales and a sword, with cherubs and a ship across the upper back.
Blindfolded Lady Justice back piece
Black and grey Japanese style dragon tattoo coiling from the upper back down the side and onto the ribs of a bare torso.
Black and grey dragon coiling down back and side
Black and grey fine line tattoo of a bare tree with roots and a set of scales on the lower back.
Bare tree and scales on lower back
Black and grey traditional-style tattoo of a snarling wolf head in profile with a scaled mane, shown on skin.
Snarling wolf head with scale mane
Black and grey Japanese dragon full sleeve tattoo with scales, waves and clouds, covering the shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
Japanese dragon full sleeve
Teal line drawing of a mermaid with scale details and a tapering tail on a white background, shown as a design rather than on skin.
Teal mermaid line drawing
A coiled, multicoloured serpent with scaled body and botanical flourishes in flash-style illustration on a cream background, with no body placement shown.
Ornate serpent with botanical flourishes
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
Large colour and grey back tattoo of two mermaids entwined in a circle, with an infinity symbol between them, red koi fish and fish skeletons around them.
Two mermaids in a circle with koi on a back
Black and grey Japanese-style dragon tattoo with scaled body, wings and clawed feet across an upper arm, shown in four close-up panels.
Black and grey dragon on an arm
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