Skeleton tattoo ideas

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

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Black and grey traditional flash sheet on a wooden table, showing video game themed designs including a castle, bomb, ghost, shy guy, tombstone reading GAME OVER and a pin-up figure.
Video game themed flash sheet in black and grey
Traditional colour tattoo of a skeletal cat head and ribcage in an orange oval frame with a red rose, on the forearm.
Skeletal cat and rose on a forearm
Black and grey traditional flash sheet of skulls, an eagle, a reaper, a pigeon, a deer head, a sun, and two feathered headdresses, with no placement shown.
Traditional flash sheet in black and grey
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a fish with a bold black and red outline, grey-blue shading and yellow and orange markings, beside a skeleton tattoo on skin.
Fish tattoo with a red outline
Two thighs with colourful traditional tattoos: a grey wolf head and roses on the left, and a crowned shield with a bird on the right.
Wolf, roses and crowned shield on thighs
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a skeleton holding a long staff inside a framed tarot card, placed on the upper arm.
Skeleton tarot card on upper arm
Black and grey dancing skeleton tattoo on a lower leg, with one arm raised and a small bird perched on the raised hand, in a traditional style.
Dancing skeleton on a calf
Flash design of a black skeleton cat holding up a blue butterfly, beside a red and gold rose and green leaves, in a traditional style.
Skeleton cat with rose and butterfly
Black and grey neo-traditional tattoo of a pin-curled woman kissing a skeleton in a suit, framed by scrolls and a heart keyhole, on a limb.
Kissing skeleton couple in a scrolled frame
Colour tattoo of a skeletal Rosie the Riveter in a red polka dot bandana and blue shirt, flexing one arm above a 'We Can Do It!' banner on the thigh.
Skeleton Rosie the Riveter on the thigh
Black and grey flash design of a pin-up skeleton woman and a top-hatted skeleton man holding hands, with a banner quote above and below them.
Skeleton couple with banner quote
Traditional style flash design of three cartoon characters, a vampire, a grinning skeleton and a witch, above a banner reading Three of a Kind and a red rose.
Three of a Kind witches and skeleton flash
Traditional tattoo of a woman embracing a skeleton that holds a red rose, bold black outlines and shading, on the lower leg.
Woman embracing a skeleton with a rose
Traditional colour tattoo of a skeleton mermaid with flowers in her hair, her scaled tail wrapped around a red anchor, on a limb.
Skeleton mermaid and anchor on a leg
Colour neo-traditional tattoo on a calf of a black cat with sugar skull face paint and skeletal ribs, above a red rose with orange flowers.
Sugar skull cat and rose on a calf
Colour tattoo of a yellow skeleton knitting with pink needles and blue yarn on the inner forearm, with a ball of blue yarn beside it.
Knitting skeleton and blue yarn on forearm
Black line drawing flash of a woman with a bun and a skeleton man embracing inside an oval rope frame, with roses and leaves below.
Skeleton couple embracing in a rope frame
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
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 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
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
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
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
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 and grey skeleton tattoo on an upper arm, beside a white ringer t-shirt with a small embroidered heart.
Skeleton tattoo on upper arm
Solid black traditional-style tattoo of a skull in profile, with the word HAHA inside the brain area, on a lower leg.
Skull in profile with HAHA on a calf
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a skeletal fox skull inside an orange ring, with green leaves and sprigs, on the arm.
Skeletal fox skull and sprig on the arm
Black and grey traditional style tattoo of Jack Skellington holding a carved jack-o'-lantern, on the outer thigh.
Jack Skellington holding a pumpkin on thigh
Forearm tattoo in a shaded traditional style showing the words The Goonies in orange and yellow lettering above a skull and crossbones, a Never Say Die banner, and a skeleton in front of crossed
The Goonies skull and skeleton forearm tattoo
Traditional style tattoo of two sugar skull figures embracing, one in a black hat with a red flower and one in a polka dot dress, on the upper arm.
Sugar skull couple embracing on upper arm
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a skeletal mermaid with long hair and a fish tail on an upper arm, with a peony above it.
Skeleton mermaid with peony on upper arm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of an anatomical heart with a skeleton holding a crescent moon inside, on a limb.
Anatomical heart with skeleton and crescent moon
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 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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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 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
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