Skeleton tattoo ideas

238 photos and flash · 20% Traditional, 19% Realism · Forearm most common

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Black blackwork tattoo of a skeletal creature with a long curling spine-like tail, placed on the side of the ribs.
Skeletal creature with a curled tail on the ribs
Black and grey tattoo of a skeletal chameleon curling around a branch with leaves and a dotted spiral, on the forearm, in an engraving style.
Skeletal chameleon with leaves on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork flash drawing of a skeleton resting its head on one hand while holding a steaming mug in the other.
Skeleton resting head on hand with steaming mug
Black and grey linework tattoo of a skeletal spine, ribcage and antlers running along the forearm, with part of another bird tattoo visible at the top edge.
Skeletal spine and antlers on a forearm
Ink drawing of a skeleton with many arms raised around a halo and a full moon, with feathered wings behind the skull, in navy and cream.
Multi-armed skeleton with moon and halo
Black and grey skeleton mermaid with flowers in her hair and a small red heart, with a rainbow-coloured fish tail, tattooed on the side of a torso.
Skeleton mermaid with rainbow tail on ribs
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on an upper arm showing a skeletal animal, a crescent moon, a large flower and dotted geometric lines.
Skeletal animal, moon and flower on upper arm
Traditional style tattoo of a flying saucer beaming a red tractor beam onto a skeletal cow, with a forest and stars, shown in a three panel collage on a limb.
UFO abducting a skeletal cow
Black and grey flash design of three stacked skeletons, one gripping a dagger, with no body placement shown.
Three skeletons with a dagger design
Black and grey tattoo of two pairs of mirrored skeletons reaching their arms towards each other across the ribs.
Mirrored skeletons across the ribs
Neo-traditional flash design of two skulls facing each other, surrounded by purple roses and an ornate frame, drawn on cream paper.
Two skulls and purple roses in an ornate frame
Black and grey tattoo of a skeletal woman with flowers in her hair and a crown, inside a circle of lettering, on a limb.
Skeletal woman in a circle with light bulbs
Colour traditional tattoo of an hourglass filled with skeletons and skulls, beside a red rose and a coffin, on the upper arm, with a swallow tattoo at the edge of the frame.
Hourglass with skeletons and coffin on upper arm
Black ink tattoo of a bird skeleton with feather-like shading on the inner wrist and forearm.
Bird skeleton tattoo on a wrist
Traditional style tattoo on a forearm showing a gold-rimmed pocket watch with rope, a skeletal hand and a grey banner reading WAKE UP DEAD.
Pocket watch and skeletal hand on a forearm
Pen drawing of a heart formed from ribs and a sternum, shaded in dark ink on a cream background, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Rib cage heart drawing
Black and grey realism style cameo tattoo of a skull woman with a red rose in her hair, set in an ornate frame on the forearm.
Skull cameo with rose on a forearm
Black and grey tattoo of a dinosaur skull and ribcage on the side of a person's torso, above the waistband of dark jeans.
T-rex skeleton tattoo on the side of a torso
Black and grey realism back piece showing a skeleton skull and a woman with sugar skull make-up and a rose in her hair, with coloured roses on the upper arm.
Skeleton and sugar skull back piece
Black and grey tattoo of stacked skulls and skeletons with a knife, shaded and detailed, on the upper arm.
Stacked skulls and skeletons with a knife on upper arm
Black outline and blue tattoo of two skeletons facing each other and holding hands, placed on the thigh.
Two skeletons holding hands on a thigh
Black and grey two-panel tattoo on an upper arm in an engraved style, showing scales and a solid polyhedron on the left and a skeleton holding an hourglass above a skull on the right.
Two-panel engraving tattoo on an upper arm
Black and grey realism full sleeve tattoo on an arm, showing an angel with a spear, a woman's portrait, a skeleton and a chained figure.
Full sleeve of angels and a woman's portrait
Two side-by-side tattoo flash drawings: a skull with a wrapped bone-like form above it, and a skeletal hand, both in a neo-traditional style with watercolour washes and black splatter.
Two skeletal bone designs with ink splatter
Black and grey linework tattoo of a pterosaur skeleton with mushrooms and a flower spanning the upper chest and shoulders.
Pterosaur skeleton and mushrooms across chest
Colour tattoo of a skeletal dragon with a glowing blue eye and teal and orange wings, in a traditional style, on the side of the body.
Skeletal dragon on the side of the body
White line drawings of traditional tattoo flash motifs, including an eagle, skulls, a hand, a bear and a skeleton, on a black fabric tapestry hung against a white wall.
Traditional flash sheet on black fabric
Black dotwork tattoo of a skeleton holding a staff on a house boat over rolling waves, with five stars above, on a forearm.
Skeleton with staff on a house boat
Flash design of a walking skeleton in a wide-brimmed hat and pipe, carrying a crescent moon bindle, with the words SEE YOU OUT THERE, in tan ink on a dark navy background.
Walking skeleton with bindle and pipe
Two matching black and grey zombie tattoos with red hearts and red blood drips, shown side by side on a pair of forearms.
Matching zombie tattoos on forearms
Black and grey traditional chest tattoo of a skeletal woman cameo in a beaded frame, flanked by scrollwork, shown on a chest held open by two hands.
Skeleton cameo with scrollwork on chest
Black ink line drawing of a skeletal couple kissing within an oval rope frame, with a floral-patterned figure and a large rose below, shown as a tattoo design.
Skeleton couple kissing in a rope frame with roses
Black and grey sketched tattoo of a finger bone running along the back of a hand and index finger.
Finger bone tattoo on the hand
Black and grey engraving-style tattoo of a skeleton holding a scythe, with clouds, stars and a DEATH banner, wrapping the forearm.
Skeleton with scythe and DEATH banner on forearm
Colour cartoon tattoo on a calf showing Oogie Boogie with red dice, a jack-o-lantern, a witch in a purple hat, a grey skeleton figure and a small red devil.
Oogie Boogie and Halloween characters on a calf
Woman with a raised hand showing a black and grey realism skeleton hand tattoo that runs from the fingers down onto the forearm.
Skeleton hand tattoo running onto the forearm
Ink drawing of a skeletal carousel horse with skulls on its saddle, standing on a pole with a grass base, shaded in black and grey with brown and red accents.
Skeletal carousel horse with skulls
Black and white stippled drawing of a skeleton wearing aviator goggles and a trailing scarf, driving a coffin marked R.I.P. with a winged cross on its lid.
Skeleton driver in a coffin
Realistically shaded forearm tattoo of a horse merging into a grey skeletal frame, with teal butterflies drifting off across the skin.
Horse and skeleton with blue butterflies on forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a whale skeleton running from the wrist up the forearm and onto the upper arm, showing the skull, ribs, spine and tail fluke.
Whale skeleton tattoo on forearm
Two people in black tank tops embrace, showing black and grey blackwork sleeves: a skull and owl on her upper arm, and a grim reaper with a scythe on his upper arm and wings on his forearm.
Owl, skull and grim reaper sleeves
Black and grey realism tattoo of Jack Skellington inside an ornate oval frame on a calf.
Jack Skellington in an ornate frame on a calf
Black silhouette flash design of two skeletons facing each other, with their arms forming branches and leafy twigs above and roots below, suited to a botanical tattoo.
Two skeletons with a tree of branches and roots
Black and grey neo-traditional tattoo of Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, sitting on the back of a calf.
Jack and Sally on a calf
Black and grey skeleton tattoo on an upper arm, beside a white ringer t-shirt with a small embroidered heart.
Skeleton tattoo on upper arm
Fine line tattoo of five small bones in a row on the inner upper arm, in black ink.
Five small bones on an upper arm
Realistic colour tattoo of the bones of a foot, showing metatarsals and toe bones with shaded depth, on the top of a foot.
Realistic skeletal foot tattoo
Realistic black and grey tattoo of bones, tendons and muscle tissue across the top of a foot, with the toes visible above it.
Realistic skeletal foot tattoo