Skeleton tattoo ideas

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

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Black and grey traditional style tattoo of a skeletal Uncle Sam in a striped top hat pointing forward, on the forearm.
Skeletal Uncle Sam on a forearm
Black ink flash drawing of an anatomical ribcage and shoulder blade, a pelvis, a rose and a winged grasshopper, with no placement on skin shown.
Ribcage, pelvis and rose with insect design
Black and grey realism full sleeve tattoo on an upper arm and forearm, showing a skeleton, a grinning skull and a pumpkin face.
Skull and skeleton full sleeve
Black line drawing of a skeletal hand making the rock horns gesture, shown as a tattoo design on a plain white background.
Skeleton hand making rock horns sign
Black and grey tattoo of a grim reaper in a hooded robe dancing hand in hand with a girl in a dotted dress, on the forearm.
Grim reaper dancing with a girl
Black and grey traditional style tattoo of a skeleton in a jacket riding a motorcycle across the forearm, with the handlebars gripped and a trailing shadow behind.
Skeleton rider on a motorcycle on a forearm
Traditional style tattoo of a snarling skeletal wolf with a bold black outline and red tongue, across the side of a torso on the ribs.
Skeletal wolf on the ribs
Small black ink tattoo of two skeleton figures on the forearm near the wrist, one upside down and one standing.
Two skeleton figures on a forearm
Realistic black and grey ribcage tattoo with thin vines across the back of a hand, shading up towards the wrist.
Ribcage tattoo on the back of a hand
Painted design of a skeletal mermaid with a fishbone tail, holding a shell with a pearl, shown on a white background with no body placement visible.
Skeletal mermaid holding a shell
Neo-traditional flash drawing of a queen and a skeleton king on playing cards, with a red rose and red hearts, in black and grey with red accents.
Queen and skeleton king playing card design
Colour tattoo of a black and white cat stretching over a blue skeletal cat on the calf, in a Japanese-inspired neo-traditional style.
Black and white cat with skeletal cat on a calf
Two matching colour tattoos on adjacent fingers show Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, each holding a red heart, in a traditional style on the hands.
Jack and Sally finger tattoos
Black and grey forearm tattoo of a grinning skeleton holding a swirl lollipop, with two pale faced characters below in a sketchy illustrative style.
Grinning skeleton and characters on a forearm
Close crop of a woman in a red dress holding a white cat skeleton, with dark tattoos on her forearms and a flower design on the back of her hand.
Tattooed forearms holding a cat skeleton
Black line tattoo on the calf of a skeleton beside a RIP headstone, with a speech bubble reading CAN I PET YOUR DOG PLEASSSE.
Skeleton asking to pet a dog on a calf
Colour traditional tattoo of a hooded skeleton with sugar skull face and praying hands, surrounded by orange and blue roses, on a lower leg.
Hooded skeleton with roses on a leg
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a dark beast skull above green-lit skulls and a ribcage, on a limb with a red blood-splash background.
Neo-trad skull creature with bones on a limb
Colour tattoo of a black sugar skull cat with pink roses, green bones and red hearts on a person's upper back, in a neo-traditional style.
Sugar skull cat on upper back
Black linework flash design of a vertical sleeve layout with a skeleton face, butterfly, voodoo doll with pins, bat-winged figure, Alice-style girl and teacups.
Tim Burton style character sleeve design
Black and grey flash design of a skeleton pin-up in a polka dot headscarf, flexing one arm, with a We Can Do It banner beneath in a traditional style.
Skeleton pin-up with We Can Do It banner
Colour realism tattoo of a skeleton bride in a lace veil with red flowers, a ribcage and a moth, on an upper arm against a purple wash.
Skeleton bride with lace veil and red flowers on an upper
Black and grey skeletal dragon tattoo with ribbed wings and a long curled tail, across the outer thigh.
Skeletal dragon on a thigh
Colour flash design of a burning pirate ship above an octopus wrapped around an anchor, with skeleton arms and a skull and crossed swords at the top.
Pirate ship, octopus and anchor sleeve design
Black and grey sugar skull tattoo of a skeletal figure with a flower headpiece and ribcage, shaded across the upper arm.
Sugar skull figure with flowers on upper arm
Distressed vintage-style illustration of a dark-haired woman with red roses in her hair leaning towards a teal and cream skeleton, with clasped hands and swirling teal lines, shown as a design with no
Skeleton and woman embracing, distressed flash
Black and grey realism full sleeve tattoo on an upper arm and forearm, showing a skeleton, an all-seeing eye in a triangle, snakes and a horned figure.
Black and grey skeleton and horned figure sleeve
Black and grey leg sleeve tattoo of a horned beast, a winged demon and writhing nude figures running from the thigh down to the calf.
Black and grey demonic leg sleeve on thigh and calf
Traditional style colour tattoo of a grim reaper holding a scythe in front of an orange sun, on the calf.
Grim reaper with scythe on a calf
Black and grey traditional style tattoo of a hooded grim reaper holding a glass object with wisps of smoke, on a calf.
Grim reaper with smoke on a lower leg
Traditional flash design of a skeleton with crossed arms inside a black coffin-shaped bottle with a red cap.
Skeleton in a coffin-shaped bottle
Realistic 3D skeletal ribcage tattoo across the back of a hand and fingers, shaded in grey with dark blue shadows.
Skeletal ribcage tattoo across the hand
Two photographs of a black and grey realism full sleeve on an upper arm and forearm, with a winged armoured angel, a skeleton with wings and a skull.
Full sleeve of angels, skeleton and skull in grey
Colour tattoo on the upper arm of a skeleton wearing a hooded veil and crown, holding a rosary above a flaming red heart with thorns, in neo-traditional style.
Skeleton in veil with crown and sacred heart
Traditional style colour tattoo of a sugar skull figure in a sombrero and moustache, holding a green bottle and a blue skateboard, on the lower leg.
Sugar skull figure in sombrero on a calf
Black and grey realism tattoo of a skeleton in a fedora and suit playing a double bass, across the ribs.
Skeleton double bass player on ribs
Black and grey pen drawing of a seahorse whose body is formed from segmented vertebrae, shown in profile on a white background.
Seahorse drawing with vertebrae body
Black and grey traditional style flash design of a skeleton framed by banners reading COME BACK TO LIFE, with a VERB banner at the top.
Skeleton with come back to life banners
Realism style Halloween sleeve tattoo on the upper arm and shoulder, showing a skull-faced character, carved jack-o-lanterns, a bare tree and snowflakes in mostly grey shading with coloured pumpkins.
Halloween sleeve with skull character and pumpkins
Black and grey fine line tattoos of a beetle and a skeletal bird with fern sprigs across two forearms.
Beetle and bird skeleton on forearms
Colour tattoo of a skeleton mermaid with flowing red hair and a green scaled tail, in a traditional style, on a lower leg.
Skeleton mermaid on a lower leg
Black and grey realism tattoo of a skeletal drum major in a plumed shako hat and baton, with lettering above and below, on the side of the ribs.
Skeleton drum major on ribs
Neo-traditional style flash design of a robed skeleton figure in a red gown and teal cloak, with a golden halo, starry background and marigolds, with no body placement shown.
Robed skeleton figure with marigolds
Black and grey flash sheet of vintage Halloween designs including witches, bats, a skeleton, a black cat, apothecary bottles and a haunted house.
Vintage Halloween flash sheet
Black and grey engraving-style tattoo on an upper arm showing two skeletal figures fighting with swords, with a banner reading triumph of being alive.
Skeletal combat scene with banner on upper arm
Black and grey tattoo of a skeletal raptor-like dinosaur in shaded dotwork on the inner forearm.
Dinosaur skeleton on a forearm