Shell tattoo ideas

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

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Black and grey ornamental tattoo on the neck and upper back, with symmetrical fan and floral motifs, dotwork shading and dotted arcs.
Ornamental neck and upper back piece
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
Small black and grey scallop shell tattoo on the upper arm, with a bare back visible in the foreground.
Scallop shell on upper arm
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
Black and grey tattoo of a spiral shell with lavender sprigs across a person's upper arm and shoulder, in a botanical style with dotwork shading.
Shell and lavender on a shoulder
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
Colour traditional tattoo of a teal crab holding a palm tree sunset in its shell beside an orange plumeria flower, on the thigh.
Crab with palm sunset and plumeria
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
Small black scallop shell tattoo in a fine line style on the side of a woman's chest, near a white knit top and a metal arm cuff.
Scallop shell tattoo on the side of the chest
Colour tattoo of a smiling cartoon sea turtle with large eyes and a red-brown shell, on the top of a foot.
Cartoon sea turtle on a foot
Sketch-style tattoo of a monkey holding a shell, with black linework and soft red and blue wash, on the front of a thigh.
Watercolour-style monkey on a thigh
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
Black and grey fine line tattoo of an anatomical heart with shell-like textures on a person's chest, above a black bra.
Anatomical heart with shell textures on the chest
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
Two shell tattoos on a pair of forearms: a blue watercolour whelk on the left arm and a black linework scallop with coral wash on the right.
Two shell tattoos on forearms
Colour geometric tattoo of a spiral shell overlapped by blue, green, yellow and purple triangles, placed on the upper arm.
Geometric shell and triangles on upper arm
Black linework tattoo of a nautilus shell spiral on a shoulder, with shaded chambers at the centre and a single outline sweeping over the top of the shoulder.
Nautilus spiral tattoo on a shoulder
Realism-style tattoo of a snail with a striped brown shell and extended antennae, placed between the shoulder blades on a person's upper back.
Realistic snail on upper back
Black fine line tattoos of a star, crescent moon and eye with rays on the fingers and back of a hand, worn alongside black jewelled rings.
Fine line star, moon and eye tattoos on fingers
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
Fine line scallop shell tattoo above the script word Cali in blue ink, placed on the side of the hip near the buttock.
Scallop shell and script name on the hip
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a snail carrying a castle with a flag on its shell, placed on the upper arm.
Snail carrying a castle
Black tribal-style sea turtle tattoo on a woman's upper back near the shoulder blade, with four pastel pink, blue and green plumeria flowers inside the shell.
Sea turtle with plumeria on upper back
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
Black spiral tattoo of brick-like tiles on an upper arm, with the words There is no place like home curling around it and HOME set larger beneath.
Spiral brickwork tattoo with home lettering on upper arm
Tiny black fine line outline of a scallop shell on the side of a person's ankle, with the foot resting on a wooden surface.
Small shell tattoo on the ankle
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
Grey shaded sea turtle tattoo with a Celtic knotwork shell and a yellow ribbon accent, on the side of the torso, with a faded shark tattoo below.
Celtic knot sea turtle on the side of the torso
Black and grey blackwork back tattoo of a turtle shell with a turtle head, tribal patterns and two reptilian eyes across the lower back.
Turtle shell and tribal back piece
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
Colour tattoo of an animated couple kissing inside an ornate gold frame decorated with shells and starfish, on the upper arm, in a traditional-style cartoon finish.
Animated couple kissing in a shell frame on upper arm
Colour tattoo of a pink cartoon starfish with a shocked face rising from a sunset sea, framed by rope and topped by a shell, on the thigh.
Sunset sea and cartoon starfish on a thigh
Black dotwork tattoo of a crescent moon, pine trees, mountains and a tent inside a diamond, with fan shapes below, on the upper back.
Mountain and tent scene in a geometric diamond
Black and grey anchor tattoo on the back filled with starfish, shells, coral, fish and seaweed, with a teal glow around its outline.
Sea life anchor tattoo on the back
Colour tattoo of an open pink shell holding a white pearl on the outer thigh, with a green leaf tattoo below and a partly visible tattoo above.
Shell with pearl on a thigh
Colour and grey tattoo of a mermaid inside an ornate oval frame on the outer thigh, in a neo-traditional illustrative style.
Mermaid in ornate frame on thigh
Black tribal-style sea turtle tattoo with wave motifs on the outer thigh, shown in a close photograph against a red background.
Tribal sea turtle and waves on a thigh
Realistic black and grey tattoo of an open pocket watch with Roman numerals and a shell on a forearm.
Realistic pocket watch with shell on forearm
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a teal scallop shell on a forearm, beside red peony and yellow flower tattoos above it.
Teal scallop shell with peony sleeve
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