Sketch tattoo ideas

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

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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
Black fine line tattoo on a forearm showing a small crescent moon above a sketched feather-like shape with fine hatched strokes and a faint trailing line.
Crescent moon and feather sketch on forearm
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of a stylised animal head inside a circle, with dotwork shading and loose overlapping lines, on a forearm.
Sketched animal head inside a circle on a forearm
A woman in a dark linen slip dress shows two solid grey triangle tattoos on her upper chest and a fine line sketch tattoo on her upper arm and shoulder.
Grey triangles on chest and sketched line drawing on arm
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
Neo-traditional colour tattoo of a lion wearing a feathered headdress with red berries, placed on an upper arm, with a close-up and a pen sketch of the design beside it.
Lion with feathered headdress on an upper arm
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of a face with tousled hair and clasped hands on the forearm.
Sketched portrait and hands on forearm
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 and grey sketch-style tattoo of two cats with red flowers and stems on the inner forearm.
Two cats and red flowers on a forearm
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
Sketch-style tattoo on an upper back showing a seated figure beside ruined stone columns, with the words It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
Seated figure and ruined columns with a quote on back
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
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of a droid head with blue and red accents on the forearm.
Sketched droid on a forearm
Black ink sketch of a castle with a clock tower on the forearm, drawn in loose fine line strokes against a wooden table.
Sketched castle tower on a forearm
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
Black and grey mandala tattoo with script lettering on a forearm, shown alongside a pencil sketch of the design and a second mandala tattoo on another pair of wrists.
Mandala with script on forearms
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
Two sketch-style tattoos on thighs: a left thigh with a woman's face, a sailing ship, a red rose and a bird, and a right thigh with a red-haired woman in black line and watercolour wash.
Sketch-style portraits on two thighs
Pencil sketch of the words John 3:16 in flowing script lettering on squared graph paper, drawn as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.
John 3:16 script lettering sketch
Pencil sketch of a daisy with the cursive words Not all those who wander are lost arching around it, a botanical flash design with no body placement shown.
Daisy with script quote design
Two pencil sketches of layered flower designs on lined paper, drawn as possible tattoo flash with no body part visible.
Two pencil sketches of layered flowers
Black ink sketch of a tree above the handwritten words I climbed the tree to see the world on a forearm.
Tree and quote on the inner forearm
Sketched wolf head tattoo design with loose ink linework and shading on tan paper, shown as a flash drawing.
Wolf head sketch flash design
Black sketched stack of books with coloured watercolour splashes in pink, green and blue, tattooed on the back of a hand.
Stacked books with watercolour splashes on a hand
Fine line black tattoo of a circle with a cross and latitude lines on the inner forearm, with a handwritten reference sketch of a globe inset at lower left.
Latitude circle diagram on a forearm
Black ink compass rose design drawn on paper beside a pen, with an ornamental patterned star and fine radiating lines, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Compass rose tattoo design sketch
Black ink mandala drawing in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head, with leaf-petal motifs and dotted, looped patterns, drawn on a spiral sketchbook page.
Mandala design in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head
Pencil sketch of several plumeria flowers shaded in soft greys on lined notebook paper, a botanical design with no body placement shown.
Plumeria flowers pencil sketch
Pencil sketch of a fine line tattoo design of two spirals joined by an infinity loop, with a small dotted ".2" beside it, drawn on white paper.
Spiral and infinity design pencil sketch