Scale tattoo ideas

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

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Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of a koi fish on the upper arm and a dragon with flowers and waves across the shoulder and chest.
Black and grey koi and dragon shoulder piece
Japanese style koi fish with orange flowers and waves covering the upper arm and shoulder, shown in two side-by-side photos.
Koi fish and flowers on upper arm and shoulder
Colour Japanese sleeve tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder, with orange flames, a pink flower, a purple bloom and green scales.
Japanese flames and flowers on an upper arm sleeve
Black ink ornamental tattoo of a peacock with paisley scrollwork across the shoulder and upper arm.
Paisley peacock design on a shoulder
Black and grey realistic lion head tattoo with a flowing mane and a yellow eye, sitting on the shoulder.
Realistic lion head on a shoulder
Realistic colour tattoo of a blue steel armour plate with a Celtic triquetra knot and scale mail, set within torn skin and flames on a man's upper arm and shoulder.
Armour plate and flames on an upper arm sleeve
Black and grey dotwork koi fish tattoo with a mandala background, running across the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi fish with mandala on upper arm
Black and grey full sleeve tattoo on an arm, showing a woman's face with flowing hair beside floral and swirling motifs, extending from the shoulder to the forearm.
Woman portrait and floral full sleeve
Black and grey realism tattoo of a mermaid draped over an anchor on the upper arm and shoulder.
Mermaid draped over an anchor on an upper arm
Black and grey shaded dragon tattoo running from the shoulder down the upper arm, with its horned head resting on the shoulder.
Black and grey dragon across shoulder and arm
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
Black and grey Japanese dragon full sleeve tattoo with scales, waves and clouds, covering the shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
Japanese dragon full sleeve
Japanese style tattoo of a red and grey dragon with open jaws and claws, its head on the chest and its body wrapping over the shoulder and upper arm.
Red and grey dragon across chest and shoulder
Black and grey dragon head with Celtic knotwork wrapping across an upper arm and shoulder, with two smaller dragon heads below.
Dragon and Celtic knotwork on an upper arm
Black and grey Japanese-style dragon tattoo with its head on the chest and its body wrapping over the shoulder and upper arm.
Dragon across chest and shoulder
Black and grey snake tattoo with tribal swirls wrapping over the shoulder and upper arm.
Snake with tribal swirls on upper arm
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a stylised fish with red and orange flame-like fins and scale shading, on the upper arm and shoulder.
Stylised fish with red flame fins on upper arm
Black and grey dotwork fish tattoo spanning the upper chest and shoulder, with fine geometric lines and wave-like fronds beside it.
Dotwork fish tattoo on chest and shoulder
Side view of a man's arm covered by a colourful Japanese style full sleeve tattoo featuring a fierce figure, a moon and foliage on the upper arm and shoulder.
Japanese full sleeve with warrior figure
Full arm sleeve of a blue Japanese-style dragon with red flames, its head on the shoulder and body wrapping down the upper arm and forearm.
Blue Japanese dragon sleeve on an arm
Full arm sleeve in blackwork and dotwork with a hexagon scale pattern on the forearm and an ornamental mandala on the upper arm, shown from three angles.
Blackwork sleeve with hexagon scales and mandala
Colour tattoo sleeve with red apples, leaves and green snake scales across the chest, shoulder and arm of a shirtless man against a black background.
Apples and snake sleeve on chest and arm
Close view of a large dark grey scale pattern tattoo covering a shoulder and upper arm, with a small script tattoo on the chest above.
Scale pattern tattoo over shoulder and upper arm
Full sleeve tattoo on an upper arm in Japanese style, with orange, green and red lotus-like motifs, swirling clouds and layered scale patterns.
Colourful ornamental sleeve on upper arm
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
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
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 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
Woman with long blonde hair wearing an orange top, showing gold metallic temporary tattoos of scales, a feather, leaves and a key on her shoulder, chest and forearms.
Gold metallic temporary tattoos on shoulder and arms
Woman with long blonde hair wearing an orange top, with gold metallic temporary tattoos of scales on her shoulder and a feather and eye design on her forearm and hand.
Gold metallic temporary tattoos on shoulder and 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
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
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
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
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