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
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 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
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
Colour tattoo of a golden koi fish swimming among pink flowers and teal water plants on an upper arm, in a Japanese-influenced neo-traditional style.
Koi fish and flowers on an upper arm
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 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 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
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 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
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 dragon tattoo with a detailed head and scaled body wrapping from the hip down the outer thigh.
Dragon tattoo across hip and thigh
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 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
Black and grey Japanese dragon with clouds, maple leaves and a rose across a forearm, shown from three angles.
Japanese dragon and maple sleeve on a forearm
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 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
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 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
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
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
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 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 Japanese dragon full sleeve tattoo with scales, waves and clouds, covering the shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
Japanese dragon full sleeve
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 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
Japanese style red and orange koi fish tattoo with black swirling waves and white highlights, shown from two angles on a limb.
Red koi fish with black waves
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 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 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 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