Shell tattoo ideas

264 photos and flash · 18% Fine line, 15% Neo-trad · Forearm most common

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Black and grey line drawing of a woman wearing an ornate masquerade mask, with swirling hair and a shell held in one hand, on tracing paper.
Masked woman with flowing hair design
Two side by side neo-traditional tattoo flash sketches of a woman in ornate headdresses, one in green ink with a lemur, one in brown ink with feathers, with no body placement shown.
Woman with lemur headdress design sketches
Nautical flash sheet of line-art designs in navy and red, including a lighthouse, swallow, whale, anchor, jellyfish and squid on a cream background.
Nautical tattoo flash sheet
Black and grey traditional flash sheet with a skull and rose, crescent moon, anatomical heart, eye, horseshoe and clover designs.
Black and grey traditional flash sheet
Four pastel flash designs on a pink background: a unicorn with a Wonderland banner, a scallop shell, lips with a glittery drip, and mushrooms in a circle.
Unicorn, shell, lips and mushroom flash designs
Black and grey engraved skull design built from an octopus, fish, shells and an anchor, in a detailed flash style.
Sea creature skull with anchor
Traditional style flash drawing of a mermaid with shell top and a vintage brass diving helmet diver beside her, framed by a rope border.
Mermaid and diver under the sea
Black and grey pencil drawing of a mermaid holding a baby on a shell, with a starry hair, pearl strands and scale detail, shown as a tattoo design.
Mermaid cradling a baby on a shell
Blue and black ink drawing of a nautilus shell with waves splashing out of its opening, shown as a flash design with no body placement.
Nautilus shell with blue waves
Traditional style flash drawing of a dark-haired mermaid with a green scaled tail, holding a pink shell over her chest, surrounded by black stars on a parchment background.
Traditional mermaid flash with stars
Black silhouette drawing of a sea turtle with a heart-shaped pattern across its shell, shown as a tattoo design on a white background.
Sea turtle with heart shell design
Black ink drawing of a crab with moon phases on its shell, a feather, a flower, shells, an anchor and a CANCER banner, shown as a tattoo flash design.
Zodiac crab with moon phases and banner
Black ink flash sheet of small hand-drawn designs including a leaf sprig, yin yang, candle, umbrella, lotus, sailboat, crown, smiley face and the words MOM, YES and love.
Hand-drawn small tattoo flash sheet
Coloured flash design of a red-haired mermaid in a rope-edged oval frame, with two fish, an anchor and a SIREN banner, in a neo-traditional style.
Red-haired siren in an oval frame
Fine line drawing of a snail with a spiral shell, crystal cluster and sprigs of foliage on its back, shaded in lavender on white paper.
Snail with crystals and sprigs drawing
Black and grey neo-traditional design drawn on tracing paper of a mermaid with a ship, anchor, rope and ship's wheel, with no body placement shown.
Mermaid with ship and ship's wheel design
Black line drawing of a geometric circular mandala with two eyes, a spiral shell motif and a teardrop, in a Geometric style, with the words DUNE ARRAKIS beneath it.
Geometric eye and spiral mandala
Traditional-style flash drawing of a dark-haired mermaid pin-up with a shell bra and green scaled tail, surrounded by small stars on a cream background.
Mermaid pin-up with shell top
Two black linework snail designs on pale paper, each with an ornate patterned shell, set over faint lotus outlines in a botanical flash style.
Two ornamental snail designs with lotus outlines
Neo-traditional flash drawing of a pink scallop shell holding a white pearl, with green seaweed and teal dots, drawn on paper.
Pearl in a pink shell design
Black and grey flash sheet showing a scallop shell, a beaded oval frame and a curling acanthus scroll on a kraft paper background.
Shell, oval frame and acanthus scroll designs
Pencil sketch of a mermaid woman with octopus tentacles, starfish and a shell bodice, drawn as a tattoo design rather than shown on skin.
Mermaid with octopus tentacles sketch
Black and grey ink flash design of a skull resting in a curved shell-like form, framed by wheat sprigs, with the word Virgo and a quotation beneath it.
Skull and wheat sprigs in a shell, Virgo design
Black line flash design of a spiral shell built from brick-like segments, with the words There is no place like HOME running along the curve.
Spiral shell with 'There is no place like home'
Traditional style flash sheet showing a red crab with a heart-shaped body, an anchor wrapped in rope with waves, a scallop shell and a conch shell.
Nautical flash sheet with crab, anchor and shells
Neo-traditional flash design of a red-haired mermaid with a teal tail, two fish and a SIREN banner, in an oval frame.
Mermaid with fish in an oval frame
Black ink tribal-style turtle design drawn on white paper, with bold swirling lines forming the shell and a simple eye on the head.
Tribal turtle line drawing
Neo-traditional flash design of a red-haired mermaid in a grey shell top, with a green scaled tail, wave pattern, stars and a red flower.
Mermaid with waves and red flower in ornate frame
Pencil and coloured pencil drawing of an ornate oval mirror frame with blue flowers, a shell, a star and pearl chains, shown as a tattoo design on a clipboard.
Ornate mirror with flowers, shell and pearl chains
Black line drawing on paper of a fine-line tattoo design, a scalloped drape of shells and beads with dangling shell charms, intended for the chest.
Shell and bead drape design, line drawing
Pencil line drawing of a traditional-style anchor inside a rope border, with a lighthouse and seascape in the upper shank and a scallop shell and flowers at the base.
Anchor, lighthouse and shell design
Light blue tribal-style sea turtle tattoo design on a white background, with bold solid shapes and patterned shell detail.
Tribal sea turtle design
Colour flash design of a dark-haired mermaid with a green scaled tail seated on a pink and orange shell, holding a pearl necklace among rising bubbles and two yellow fish.
Mermaid on a shell with bubbles
Dotwork drawing of a spiral ammonite shell in navy ink on a pale background, with a stippled trail sweeping upward.
Stippled ammonite shell in navy dots
Black ink line drawing of an ornate scallop shell with a woman's face and pearl necklace at its centre, surrounded by smaller shells, waves and bubbles, drawn as a tattoo design.
Shell and wave design sketch
Sheet of gold and silver metallic temporary tattoo designs, including stars, arrows, hearts, an infinity sign, an anchor, a shell, a butterfly and tribal bands, on a white background.
Gold and silver metallic temporary tattoo sheet
A dark blue sea turtle design filled with spiral swirls and scale-like patterning on a pale blue background, shown as a flash drawing.
Swirl-patterned sea turtle design
Pencil drawing of a snail with shaded shell and textured body beside cursive script reading I'll be there soon, shown as a design sketch rather than on skin.
Pencil snail with I'll be there soon script
Black and white flash sheet of small line tattoo designs, including an om symbol, a hamsa hand with an evil eye, script words and a crescent moon, in fine line and lettering styles.
Black and white flash sheet of small designs
Black ink drawing of a sea turtle with a spiral shell, flippers and head drawn in loose brushstrokes on a white background.
Sea turtle with spiral shell design
Pencil sketch of a mermaid with shell and starfish tattoo designs on both upper arms and forearms, drawn in red and blue on kraft paper.
Mermaid tattoo design sketch
Traditional style flash drawing of a pin-up mermaid with brown hair, a red hibiscus, a shell top and a teal scaled tail, on a white background.
Pin-up mermaid with a shell top
Line drawing of two skeletal mermaids with mint green hair and pink shells on a black background, with mirrored lettering reading dead and sea.
Skeleton mermaids with mint hair
Black line drawing of an ornate filigree heart with a fan shell, with chains, stars, anchors and small shells hanging below it, shown as a tattoo design.
Hearts, shells and anchors dangling from chains
Black and grey pencil drawing of a mermaid with wind-swept hair, a shell top and a curling wave-shaped tail, shown as a tattoo design.
Mermaid with flowing hair and wave tail
Grey tribal style sea turtle design with spiral flippers and a patterned shell on a white background.
Tribal sea turtle design
Black dotwork drawing of a snail with a spiral shell and extended eye stalks, shown on a grey background as a tattoo design.
Stippled snail design
Black line-art flash design of a spiral shell and a fan-shaped scallop shell on a white background, with no body placement shown.
Spiral shell and scallop shell designs