Sketch tattoo ideas

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

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Three black ink heart designs drawn on brown kraft paper: a plain outline heart, a heart containing an anatomical heart, and a standalone anatomical heart.
Three heart designs on kraft paper
Black and grey pencil sketch of a shaded carnation bloom on a long stem, drawn on plain paper.
Pencil sketch of a carnation
Black, red and blue sketch-style tattoo of a car with paint splashes and a checkered flag on a person's upper back.
Car sketch with paint splashes on upper back
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of an anatomical heart with loose, overlapping linework and vessels, on an arm.
Sketched anatomical heart on an arm
Pencil sketch of a tattoo design showing an arrow running diagonally through a flame-like shape, with the words hope and fear in script across the shaft.
Arrow with hope and fear script sketch
Blue ink sketch of a woman wearing a wolf headdress with braids and a beaded necklace, drawn as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Wolf headdress woman design sketch
Pencil sketch of the Batman bat symbol with the word BATMAN in block lettering, shaded with hatching and cracked details, shown as a design with no body placement.
Batman logo pencil sketch
Three hand-drawn arrows stacked horizontally on a white background, with hatched and solid black fletching, shown as a tattoo design sketch with no body placement.
Three arrows in line drawing
Pencil sketch outline of a fairy wing with curled tips on white paper, a tattoo design shown without any body placement.
Fairy wing sketch outline
Pencil line drawing of a mermaid with both arms raised, flowing hair and a scaled tail, shown as a tattoo design sketch on paper with no body placement.
Mermaid with raised arms, pencil sketch
Seven-step tutorial showing a traditional-style rose built from pencil circles, then inked in black outline with red petals and gold accents, with no body placement shown.
Step-by-step traditional rose drawing
Three pencil sketches of a badger inside a shield-shaped crest, shown side by side on a white background, with no body placement.
Three badger crest designs in pencil sketch
Pen sketch of a seated cat with a collar and curled tail, with a small outlined heart above its head, shown as a line design.
Seated cat with heart sketch
Three pencil sketch panels on textured paper showing vine designs labelled basic vine, plumes and leaves, drawn as flash for tattoo linework.
Pencil sketches of basic vine, plumes and leaves
Black and grey pencil sketch of a daisy-style flower with shaded petals, drawn as a tattoo design on paper.
Daisy flower pencil sketch
Pencil sketch of a howling wolf head with tribal-style swirls and flowing bands beneath it, drawn as a tattoo design.
Howling wolf with tribal swirls sketch
Three stacked panels of ornate hand-lettered design: a pen-and-ink sketch of the words Black Magic on paper, a blurred close-up of white and red outlined letters on black, and a close-up of
Black Magic ornate lettering design
Black and grey pencil sketch of a tiger stalking downward with its tail curling above it, drawn as a tattoo design on a plain pale background.
Pencil sketch of a tiger with curling tail
Black marker sketch on white paper of open books rising and changing into a flock of birds, a tattoo design drawing.
Open books turning into flying birds
Pencil sketch of a tattoo design showing a curved heart outline with the words Beautifully Wonderfully Made in handwritten script and Psalm 139:14 beside it, with no body placement shown.
Pencil sketch of a heart with scripture lettering
Pencil sketch of a skull with a serpent coiling out of its jaws and looping down to a broken tail, drawn in grey shading on white paper.
Skull and serpent pencil design
Small cartoon elephant tattoo with sketchy black linework and blue and purple watercolour splashes on the forearm.
Sketchy elephant with watercolour splash on forearm
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of a woman's face and hand with a fan-shaped motif, running down the upper arm.
Sketched woman portrait and hand on arm
Set of pencil lettering sketches for a tattoo design with decorative block and script letters, shaded ribbon banner and flourishes, shown without a body placement.
Lettering sketches with ribbon banner and flourishes
Pencil sketch on paper of a tattoo design showing a circle set inside an upright triangle, with a vertical rod above, feather-like wisps and small stars, shown with no body placement.
Pencil sketch of a triangle and circle design
Three pencil sketches of snakes coiled inside shield-shaped crests, drawn as possible tattoo designs.
Three snake crest sketches in pencil
Geometric tattoo of a red rectangle, a teal rectangle and a black circle on the outer ankle, with a small line sketch of the design in the top left corner.
Red, teal and black geometric shapes on an ankle
Pencil sketch of a lupin-style flower spike on a single stem, drawn in a botanical style with faint blue guide lines.
Pencil sketch of a lupin flower spike
Black linework tattoo of a woman's face in wavy hair with a smaller face below and a crescent moon, with purple and orange accents, on the upper back.
Sketched woman's face with moon on upper back
Fine line sketch of a standing figure with pink, purple and yellow watercolour washes on the side of the ribs.
Sketched figure with watercolour splashes on ribs
Pencil sketch of a bare tree whose roots trail down into a rope wrapped around an anchor, shown as a tattoo design without a body placement.
Bare tree with roots and anchor sketch
Pencil drawing of a tribal-style heart with interlocking swirling lines and soft grey shading, being sketched on white paper with a yellow pencil.
Tribal heart design drawn in pencil
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of three faceless figures standing on a ground line, one holding a balloon, on the lower leg.
Three sketched figures and a balloon on a calf
Sketch-style tattoo of an elephant head with a compass rose, red and teal splashes and a trail of dots, on the outer forearm.
Elephant and compass on a forearm
Pencil sketch of a Japanese-style dragon surrounded by cherry blossoms, drawn as a tattoo design on paper.
Dragon and cherry blossom design sketch
Pencil sketch of a woman with curled hair and closed eyes holding an ornate hand mirror, with a pearl necklace and leaves in the background.
Woman with hand mirror and pearls sketch
Pencil sketch design of a woman with long flowing hair, a lion's head and two lotus flowers, drawn in teal ink on tan paper.
Woman and lion with lotus flowers sketch
Thigh tattoo of a sketched deer with a turquoise crescent moon on its brow, a sunburst above, and a hand mirror, with turquoise and purple watercolour washes.
Sketched deer and hand mirror on a thigh
Black and grey pencil drawing of a monstrous skull with an open jaw and long jagged teeth, shown as a tattoo design.
Monstrous skull with open jaw
Pencil sketch of a botanical bouquet with magnolia, daisy-style and blossom flowers and curling stems, drawn as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Pencil sketch of mixed flowers
Black ink line drawing on beige paper of a giraffe head whose neck is formed from musical staves and notes, shown as a tattoo design.
Giraffe with a music staff neck
Pencil sketch of three vertical scrolling leaf and flourish designs on paper, drawn as tattoo flash or stencil references.
Three vertical scrollwork and leaf designs
Brown ink sketch of two dandelion seed heads with drifting seeds and a looping stem with leaves, drawn as a botanical tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Dandelions with drifting seeds
Pencil sketch of a double helix built from bicycle chain links, with the word DNA written in rough capitals beneath it.
DNA double helix made from bicycle chain
Black and white flash sheet of pencil sketches of leaping hares above a bold ink line drawing of a running hare, with no tattoo placement shown.
Running hare sketches and ink study
Back of a person with a sketchy, watercolour-style tattoo of clothes pegged on a washing line and a figure, in black linework with blue, pink and green washes.
Watercolour washing line across the back
A hand draws a fine line botanical sketch of flowers and leaves on white paper, with a second hand resting flat beside it.
Botanical flower sketch being drawn by hand
Pencil sketch of a flower with flowing swirls, dots and small leaves, drawn as a tattoo design in black and grey shading.
Pencil sketch of a flower with swirls