Sketch tattoo ideas

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

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Pencil sketch of a round-eyed owl perched on a branch beside blossoms and leaves, drafted as a botanical tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Owl on a branch with flowers sketch
Grid of nine pen drawings on paper showing swirl, wave, dot and leaf-shaped line patterns in black ink, shown as tattoo design sketches with no body placement.
Nine pen sketches of line and dot tattoo designs
Coloured pencil drawing of a clenched fist with red nails and a lettering design reading 'be kind to yourself' with a small heart on the wrist, in a lettering style.
Fist with 'be kind to yourself' wrist design
Pencil sketch of a wide-eyed cartoon owl perched on a shaded branch, drawn in a spiral-bound notebook, shown as a possible tattoo design.
Pencil sketch of a cartoon owl on a branch
Black and grey flash sheet of Harry Potter themed tattoo designs, including the Deathly Hallows, a golden snitch, the Sorting Hat, a stag silhouette and Dementor-style skulls.
Harry Potter motif flash sheet
Pencil sketch of a large number five with swirling filigree ornaments and the word Thirty in script lettering above it, beside a green pencil.
Thirty script and ornate number five sketch
Black and grey sketch of two feathers, one dark and upright and one lighter and curving downward, drawn as a tattoo design on a white background with no body part shown.
Two black and grey feathers design
Black ink drawing of a rosemary sprig inside a dotted circle on a sketchbook page, in a botanical fine line style, beside a carved stone figure.
Rosemary sprig sketch with dotted circle
Black ink sketch of a barn owl in flight with spread wings, drawn in fine line and dotwork shading, while a hand holds a pencil beside it.
Barn owl in flight sketch
Pencil and ink sketch of a raven head with dotwork shading, set within overlapping triangles and circles, drawn as a tattoo design on a sketchbook page.
Geometric raven head design sketch
Coloured pencil sketch of a cartoon pin-up character with pigtails, holding a mallet and a pistol, with a red heart on the thigh and playing card letters beneath, drawn as a tattoo design.
Cartoon pin-up sketch with mallet and pistol
Pencil sketch of a curling fish or mermaid tail with scalloped scales and fanned fins, drawn in black and grey on a sketchbook page.
Curling fish or mermaid tail pencil sketch
Pencil sketch of a wolf howling up towards a large full moon, drawn on paper with faint construction guidelines.
Howling wolf and moon sketch
Black ink pen sketch of a dotwork cat creature with a leaf above and a lotus flower below, drawn on a sketchbook page.
Dotwork cat with leaf and lotus design
Pencil sketch of a swallow in flight among magnolia blooms and leafy sprigs, a tattoo design with no placement shown.
Swallow and magnolia design sketch
Hand-drawn flash design of a pink-shaded rose with leaves and dotwork mandala petals, held up over a person's chest.
Rose and mandala tattoo design sketch
Two pencil sketches of ornamental mandala-style flower designs on paper, drawn as tattoo designs with no body part shown.
Mandala flower and lace design sketches
Pencil and ink sketch of Medusa, a woman with snakes for hair, drawn on paper as a tattoo design.
Medusa sketch with snake hair
Hand-drawn flash sheet titled Actions and Senses, with black line drawings inside circles, each labelled with an action or sense word such as Travel, Fall, See and Smell.
Actions and senses flash sheet
Pencil sketch of a hamsa-style hand design with an elephant and leaves, drawn on paper on a wooden table.
Hamsa hand with elephant and leaves sketch
Pencil drawing of an open pocket watch with a rose and leaves, shaded in grey, drawn as a tattoo design on paper.
Pocket watch and rose design sketch
Pencil sketch of an ornate oval frame with a fleur-de-lis crest and three roses, drawn as a possible tattoo design on paper.
Pencil sketch of roses in an ornate oval frame
Hand-drawn flash sketch of two black ink arrows on lined paper, one with dotwork shading and one with geometric fills, each labelled with coordinates.
Two arrow designs with coordinates
Pencil sketch design of a fox lying down among leaves and flowers, with a faint butterfly outline, drawn on cream paper.
Sketched fox with flowers
Black ink line drawing of a flower with broad pointed petals and a dotted centre, sketched on white paper in a spiral notebook.
Black ink line drawing of a flower
Pencil flash sheet titled TREE WORLD showing whimsical treehouses, a mushroom house and small flying insects, drawn in black and grey with light blue accents.
Tree world flash sheet with treehouses
Pencil sketch of an ornate heart formed from curling scrollwork and leaves, a design suitable as a black and grey tattoo flash.
Swirled heart with leaves and vines
Black and white pen drawing of two dragons curled together in a yin and yang arrangement, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Yin and yang dragons drawing
Pencil sketch of a small bird with spread wings and long trailing tail feathers, drawn in fine line on pale paper, shown as a tattoo design.
Pencil sketch of a bird in flight
Pen sketch flash design of two roses, a small cottage and scattered diamonds drawn in purple ink on a sketchbook page, with no body placement shown.
Rose, cottage and diamond sketch design
Pencil sketch of a compass rose over a torn map with islands, shaded in black and grey on paper, drawn as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Compass rose over a torn map sketch
Black ink sketch of a mountain range above the script words "the mountains are calling", shown as a flash design on a white background with no body placement visible.
Mountain sketch with script quote
Pencil sketch design of a woman in a feathered headdress with a large peony flower and a skull, drawn as a tattoo design.
Feathered headdress woman with peony sketch
Pencil sketch of a pair of angel wings with layered feathers and shaded quills, drawn on lined notebook paper, shown as a tattoo design.
Pencil sketch of a pair of angel wings
Ink sketch of a young girl with her hair in a bun, holding three balloons, drawn in brown and red ink on a white background.
Girl holding three balloons sketch
Pencil sketch of a woman in profile framed by peony flowers, a botanical tattoo design for the shoulder and upper arm.
Profile portrait with peonies sketch
Black and white pen drawing of a yin yang symbol with a sun in the light half and a crescent moon and stars in the dark half, held up in a sketchbook.
Yin yang with sun and starry moon design
Black ink flash sketches on tracing paper showing an anchor, a lighthouse, an octopus in a sailor cap, a stag skull with a ship between its antlers, and a paper boat.
Nautical flash sheet with anchor, lighthouse and octopus
Black and white pen drawing of a pineapple filled with dense dotwork and linework patterns, being drawn on paper by a hand holding a pen.
Pineapple line drawing being inked
Pencil and ink sketch of three arrows with ornate patterned feather fletching, drawn as tattoo flash on paper.
Three arrows with patterned feathers
Red pencil sketch of a woman's face framed by flowing hair and a large rose, a neo-traditional tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Woman portrait with roses in red pencil
Four pink pen sketches of cats whose lower bodies become octopus tentacles, drawn in loose line work on white paper.
Four cat and octopus hybrid sketches
Pencil drawing of a cluster of three shaded roses with serrated leaves on paper, shown beside a quarter for scale, as a tattoo design sketch with no body placement visible.
Pencil sketch of three roses and leaves
Pen and ink sketch of a human skull drawn with dense cross-hatching on cream paper, beside a black mechanical pencil.
Cross-hatched ink skull sketch
Blue pencil sketch of a traditional-style swallow in flight with a heart-shaped key in its beak, drawn on a pale blue textured background.
Swallow carrying a heart key
Graphite sketch of two lilies, a butterfly and swirling lines with the word Love in script, drawn as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Lilies, butterfly and Love script design
Red pencil sketch of a woman in profile with curly hair woven with roses and a pearl necklace, a design drawn for a possible tattoo.
Profile woman with roses in red pencil sketch
Pencil sketch of an anchor with a rope coiled around the shank, a design that could suit a traditional style tattoo.
Anchor with rope pencil sketch