Sketch tattoo ideas

480 photos and flash · 22% Botanical, 14% Fine line · Forearm most common

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator

Clear filters

Red pencil sketch of a neo-traditional tattoo design showing a dreamcatcher, two roses and a feather, drawn on white paper.

Dreamcatcher, roses and feather design sketch

Hand-drawn sketch of a wolf head with blue shading, grey pencil hatching and red and teal watercolour splashes on white paper.

Sketched wolf head with watercolour splashes

Red pencil sketch of an arrow passing through a ribbon bow, drawn on a sketchbook page as a tattoo design.

Arrow and ribbon bow sketch

Black and grey pen sketch of a front-facing lion's head with a dark shaded patch over one eye, shown as a tattoo design without a placement on skin.

Lion head sketch with shaded eye

Pencil drawing of a face with smeared dark eye makeup and a red grinning mouth, above the script words Love is a Joke, with coloured pencils and pens around it.

Joker face sketch with Love is a Joke lettering

Pencil sketch of a tattoo design with a pocket watch, roses and script lettering, in a neo-traditional style.

Pocket watch and roses pencil design

Twelve hand-drawn black ink arrow designs in a row on a notebook page, with chevron, triangle and feather details, beside a patterned page edge.

Hand-drawn arrow designs in a notebook

Black ink sketch in a notebook of an ornate key with a keyhole, a star, a chain and swirling linework, drawn as a tattoo design.

Ink sketch of a key and star design

Black and grey pencil drawing of a lighthouse and ornate compass tattoo design on paper, with a hand holding a pencil at the top left.

Lighthouse and compass tattoo design

Pencil sketch of six loose feathers scattered across a pale page, drawn with soft shading and fine hatched strokes, shown as a possible tattoo design.

Scattered feather sketches in pencil

Pencil sketch of a tattoo design showing two lilies and a small blossom joined by swirling linework, drawn in black and grey shading.

Pencil sketch of lilies and swirling flourishes

Pencil drawing of a rose whose petals form a human skull, with a leaf and thorned stem, shown as a tattoo design on plain white paper.

Skull and rose design sketch

Pencil sketch of an open hand with the words Promise, love, PROVOKE, DIRECTION and Good Luck written around the fingers, shown as a tattoo design idea.

Hand sketch with word designs

Pen and ink sketch of a hummingbird in flight with loose, feathered linework on cream paper, shown as a possible tattoo design beside a black fineliner pen.

Hummingbird sketch in ink

Ink sketch in a spiral notebook of a treble clef and 4/4 staff that flows into a double helix with piano key rungs, with faint pencil studies beside it.

Musical staff merging into a DNA helix sketch

Black ink pen drawing of a mermaid seen from behind, with wavy hair raised above her head and a fishtail, shown as a tattoo design sketch with no body placement.

Mermaid with flowing hair, seen from behind

Pencil sketch of a small fairy seated with tall, swept wings and curling flourishes, drawn as a tattoo design on paper.

Pencil sketch of a fairy with wings

Pen sketch of a tattoo design showing a safety pin with a bow and two lettered ribbons, drawn on paper with no body part visible.

Safety pin and bow with lettered ribbons

Loose ink sketch of a hummingbird in mid-flight with black and teal linework on a pale grey background, drawn as a possible tattoo design.

Hummingbird sketch in black and teal ink

Pencil sketch of a bee in flight above a faint geometric pattern of overlapping circles and hexagons, drawn as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.

Bee sketch over geometric circles

Four purple ink sketches of cats with octopus tentacles for bodies, arranged in a grid on white paper.

Cat and octopus hybrid sketches

Pencil and ink sketch of a small girl with her hair in a bun, holding balloon strings behind her back, with the words Sometimes you have to let go, to be able to move on around a circle.

Girl releasing balloons with circular quote sketch

Egyptian woman with eye of Horus and ankh sketch

Pencil and colour sketch of a grey Celtic knot ringed by green and purple thistles, a tattoo design drawn on paper.

Celtic knot with thistles

Black ink mandala flower drawings on sketchbook paper, with the foreground design in dotwork and fine line, shown without a body placement.

Mandala flower design drawings on paper

Red pencil drawing of a skull shaped as a dripping ice cream cone, with a fishnet leg in a heel and the script words I'm so above it.

Skull ice cream cone with dripping melt

Black ink line drawing of a small sun with rays and a crescent moon with three dots, sketched on white paper as a tattoo design.

Sun and crescent moon sketch

Pencil sketch of a calla lily tattoo design with leaves and curling scrollwork, drawn in a botanical style with no body placement shown.

Calla lily design with swirls

Pen and ink sketch of an ornate clock face with scrollwork borders and fine radiating detail, drawn on paper beside two fineliner pens.

Ornate clock face design sketch

Hand-drawn ornate script lettering reading New York with fine line flourishes on white paper, sketched in progress with a pen.

New York ornate script lettering design

Pencil sketch of the words Stay a little longer in flowing script lettering with swirled flourishes, drawn on paper beside a stencil and an eraser.

Stay a little longer script lettering sketch

Pencil sketch on white paper of a fine-lined symbol made of curling swirls and an infinity-style loop, with a small number written beside it, shown as a possible tattoo design.

Swirl and loop symbol pencil sketch

A hand with a black pen sketching an ornate scrollwork heart frame on paper, with a small anchor tattoo on a finger.

Ornate scroll heart frame sketch with anchor

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

Pen sketch on grid paper of a maned lion wearing a crown beside a lioness wearing a tiara-style crown, drawn as a possible tattoo design.

Lion and lioness with crowns, pen sketch

Pencil and ink sketch of a pocket watch with Roman numerals, surrounded by leaves and scrolls, drawn as a neo-traditional tattoo design with no body part shown.

Pocket watch with leaves and scrolls

Blue pen sketch of a crystal cluster with flowers and sparkles, drawn as a tattoo design in a neo-traditional style, shown beside real stones on a sketchbook page.

Blue crystal cluster with flowers and sparkles

Pen sketch on grid paper of a looped, abstract seated figure with the word love in handwritten script beneath it, shown as a possible tattoo design.

Looped figure sketch with love script

Pencil sketch of a cartoon owl with large round eyes, shaded feathers and a tufted head, drawn as a tattoo design on paper.

Cartoon owl design sketch

Pencil sketch of a symmetrical lotus flower with dotted petal detail and small dots above and below, shown as a botanical tattoo design on plain paper.

Lotus flower pencil design

Pencil and red ink sketch of a vertical black arrow passing through a circle, with a red spiral curve and construction lines on a white background.

Arrow and red spiral design sketch

Pencil sketch of a looping acanthus scroll with leaves and small flower shapes on translucent paper, with the handwritten word angel at the top left.

Acanthus scroll pencil sketch

Pencil sketch of a compass rose with a leafy tree and twisting roots at its centre, with a heart-tipped loop line running to the east point.

Compass rose with tree and roots sketch

Pencil sketch of a compass rose design with shaded points, a ringed centre and map outlines with stars in two quadrants.

Compass rose with map quadrants

Pencil sketch of two bell-shaped lily of the valley flowers on a thin curved stem, drawn in fine line on white paper.

Lily of the valley pencil sketch

Pencil sketch of a tattoo design with a rose at the centre, leaves, stacked triangles and dotted lines, drawn on skin.

Rose and geometric triangles sketch

Pen sketch of a safety pin with a bow and two ribbons carrying lettering, drawn as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.

Safety pin and bow sketch

Pencil and ink sketch of a fine line botanical design of ferns and small flowering sprigs arranged in an open arc, with a pen resting beside it on white paper.

Botanical sprig arc design sketch