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
Black blackwork and dotwork tattoo on a calf showing a mermaid silhouette above a castle, coral and an open shell with a pearl.
Mermaid silhouette and shell on a calf
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a sea urchin surrounded by radiating shells and flowers across the upper back.
Sea urchin and shell mandala on a back
Black dotwork tattoo of an ammonite-style spiral shell on the outer thigh, with shaded segments fading across the chambers.
Ammonite spiral on a thigh
Small fine line and dotwork conch shell tattoo in dark ink on a pale arm, beside a patterned knitted jumper.
Conch shell tattoo on an arm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a nautilus shell spiral surrounded by a swirl of dots, on the forearm.
Nautilus shell spiral on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a frilled lizard above crossed bare legs, set within an art nouveau frame on the thigh.
Frilled lizard in an art nouveau frame
Two black dotwork tattoos on a person's thighs, a conch shell on the left and a scallop shell on the right, with a partial claw tattoo at the left edge.
Conch and scallop shells on thighs
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 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
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
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
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 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 dotwork tattoo of a scallop shell with a stippled fan of ridges and a bold outline, on the inner forearm.
Scallop shell on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of an ornate floral heart and dotted chain drapes across a woman's upper back and nape, photographed from behind.
Ornamental floral back piece with dotted chains
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 and grey dotwork tattoo of two hands framing a sun, crescent moon and planets, placed on a calf.
Two hands, sun and planets on a calf
Black and grey tattoo design drawing of an eye inside an ornate triangle, with a fan shell and dotted chains below, in a dotwork and geometric style.
Eye in triangle with shell and dotted chains
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a nautilus shell on the inner upper arm, with the spiral shading built from small dots.
Nautilus shell on the inner upper arm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a human skull merged with a spiral sea shell, placed on a limb.
Skull and spiral shell on a limb
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a nautilus shell spiral surrounded by stippled stardust on a forearm.
Nautilus shell and stardust on a forearm
Fine line black tattoo of a scallop shell with a dotted trail, a small star and a crescent moon, on the inner forearm.
Scallop shell with dotted trail on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a seashell on the upper arm, with the wearer in a navy and white striped top.
Seashell on upper arm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo design of an ornate scallop shell with a central oval gem, drawn on pale paper.
Ornate scallop shell design
Black and grey dotwork sea turtle tattoo swimming across the outer thigh, with stippled shading on the shell and flippers.
Sea turtle tattoo on the thigh
Small fine line tattoo of a shell with stippled dotwork shading on the forearm, in dark ink against pale skin.
Small shell outline on an arm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a skull, shells and peony flowers across a woman's hip and thigh, shown from the side against a white wall.
Skull and peony flowers across hip and thigh
Black and grey tribal-style sea turtle tattoo with dotted shell detail and shaded bubbles on the side of the hip, with a striped swimsuit at the top of the frame.
Tribal turtle with bubbles on the hip
Black and grey dotwork conch shell tattoo with a red sun and two palm trees above a horizon line, on the upper arm.
Conch shell above a horizon with palm trees and red sun