Scale tattoo ideas

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

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Close-up of a Japanese style tattoo on a back and upper arm, showing a red and yellow serpent with a dark scaled head and orange eye among black and grey waves.
Japanese serpent and waves across back and arm
Black ink tattoo of a temple with spires, an eye and stars above, and two open hands with water drops below, on a person's upper back.
Temple with hands and eye on a back
Black and grey serpent tattoo with dotwork shading and frilled fins, coiling from the shoulder down the side of the ribs.
Large serpent coiling down the ribs
Black and grey realism dragon tattoo with spread wings across a person's back, with the head turned to the right and mouth open.
Black and grey dragon across a back
Black and grey dragon tattoo running down the back of a person with a raised arm, in Japanese style, with a branch-like tattoo on the upper arm.
Black and grey dragon across a back
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of balance scales with a geometric diamond and leaf motif on the upper back.
Balance scales with geometric diamond on upper back
Colour tattoo of a blue and purple dragon with spread wings and a green coiled tail on the upper back.
Blue and purple dragon on upper back
Black and grey tattoo of a woman holding aloft a pair of scales, with the words Sins and Forgive on the pans, placed on the upper back.
Lady Justice with scales on upper back
Black and grey Japanese style dragon and phoenix tattoo covering the full back, with the dragon coiling over the right shoulder and the phoenix spreading its wings on the left.
Dragon and phoenix across a back
Large Japanese style dragon tattoo covering a person's back, with grey scales, red accents and black clouds.
Japanese dragon across a full back
Black and grey realism tattoo of a mermaid with long flowing hair and a scaled tail, covering a person's upper back.
Mermaid across the upper back
Colour tattoo of a blue-grey and green Eastern-style dragon coiling across a person's upper back, shown in a Japanese style.
Blue and green dragon across a back
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
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 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
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
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
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 covering a man's back, with swirling clouds and scaled body detail.
Dragon back piece in black and grey
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a red koi fish with a pink lotus flower and turquoise waves on the upper back.
Koi fish and lotus on the upper back
Full back tattoo of a black and grey Japanese dragon with red flames and swirling clouds, covering the upper and mid back.
Japanese dragon back piece with red flames
Black and grey realism tattoo of a creature with ridged scales and two gripping hands tearing through skin across the centre of the back.
Creature tearing through skin on back
Black and grey realism tattoo of blindfolded Lady Justice with wings, holding scales and a sword, covering a person's full back.
Blindfolded Lady Justice across a full back
Woman seen from behind on a sunny beach with silver metallic scale, eye and feather designs on her upper arm and back.
Silver metallic scale and feather tattoos
Black and grey Japanese style dragon tattoo running down a person's back from the shoulder to the waist.
Black and grey dragon across a back
Colour realism tattoo of a blue dragon and a red dragon facing each other to form a heart shape on the upper back.
Blue and red dragons forming a heart on back
Realistic green winged dragon lizard tattoo with shaded scales and a long curled tail, on the upper back of a woman with dark hair.
Green winged dragon lizard on upper back
Large black and grey realism back tattoo of a warrior with a raised arm facing a roaring dragon amid lightning and clouds.
Warrior and dragon across a back
Black and grey Japanese style back tattoo with curling waves, a scaled creature and lotus flowers, extending down the left arm in a sleeve.
Back and arm sleeve with waves and dragon
Black and grey full back tattoo of a blindfolded Lady Justice holding a sword, with hanging scales, clouds and cherubs.
Lady Justice back piece
Colour tattoo of a seated mermaid with flowing purple hair and a green scaled tail, placed on the upper back.
Mermaid with purple hair on upper back
Neo-traditional style tattoo of a lotus with an eye at its centre above balance scales with moon and sun pans, on a person's upper back.
Lotus and scales on upper back
Full body Japanese style tattoo with koi, dragon and lotus motifs across the arms, chest and legs of a seated person against a black background.
Japanese bodysuit with koi and dragon
Black and grey Neo-trad back tattoo of a woman holding a set of scales, with roses, a skull and feathered wings across the back.
Woman with scales and skull on full back
Shaded colour mermaid tattoo with purple and teal scales and an orange starfish, placed across a person's upper back.
Mermaid with starfish on upper back
Black and grey realistic dragon biting its own tail in a circle, tattooed across the upper back.
Dragon coiled in a circle on upper back
Black and grey Japanese style koi fish tattoo with wave linework on a person's upper back and shoulder blade.
Koi fish and waves on upper back
Japanese style dragon tattoo in red, orange and cream over dark green-black scale ground, across a hip and thigh with a white cloth wrapped around the waist.
Red and green dragon on hip and thigh
A woman seated on a beach, seen from behind, showing a large colourful Japanese-style tattoo across her back with a peony, feathered bird and green scales.
Colourful Japanese back piece with peony and feathers
Colour fine line tattoo of a mermaid with flowing red hair and a blue peacock-feather tail, sitting on the lower back above jeans.
Mermaid with peacock-feather tail on lower back
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
Coloured Japanese-style dragon tattoo with red cherry blossoms across the upper back, with a small set of symbols to the right.
Dragon and cherry blossoms across a back
Black and grey Capricorn sea goat tattoo with curled horns and a scaled fish tail, covering most of the upper back.
Capricorn sea goat across a back
Black and grey realism style mermaid tattoo with flowing hair and a scaled fish tail across a person's full back, with bubbles around the figure.
Mermaid back piece in black and grey