Skull tattoo ideas

1,900 photos and flash · 27% Realism, 23% Traditional · Forearm most common

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Black and grey traditional style tattoo of an owl above a sugar skull with floral ornament, on the upper arm, shown in a three panel collage.
Owl and sugar skull on upper arm
Black and white dotwork and hatched drawing of a skull wearing a ribbed knitted beanie, shown on a white background.
Skull in a knitted beanie
Black and grey realism tattoo of a pocket watch, skull and roses on the side of the ribs, with a butterfly and swirling ornament.
Pocket watch, skull and roses on ribs
Flash sheet of a sugar skull face design with a red rose, orange flowers, teeth and eye petals, intended for placement on the face.
Sugar skull face design sheet with rose and flowers
Black and grey realism tattoo of a skull with fading butterflies and handwritten script on the outer thigh.
Skull, butterflies and script on a thigh
Black and grey pencil drawing of a skull with a guitar headstock, two roses and music notes, shown as a tattoo design.
Skull, guitar and roses design
Black line drawing of an ornate moth design with a skull on its body, lace-patterned wings and hanging beaded chains.
Ornate moth with skull and beaded chains
Colourful watercolour-style skull tattoo in blue, pink, orange and green with black splatter marks on the upper arm.
Watercolour skull on upper arm
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
Black and grey realism tattoo on the calf showing a figure in a sombrero, a bullet bandolier, a skull and a sugar skull style woman with a skull face.
Skulls and a sombrero figure on a lower leg
Colour Neo-trad tattoo on an upper arm of a pale, dark-haired illustrated girl with a cross on her forehead, holding a bottle with a skull label, surrounded by orange leaves and berries.
Pale girl with bottle and leaves
Traditional-style tattoo of two skulls and a banner on the upper back of a person in a white lace dress, with tattooed hands holding beer bottles.
Skull and banner tattoo on a lace-backed dress
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a hooded grim reaper skull with the words DEAD SERIOUS beneath it, on an upper arm.
Grim reaper with DEAD SERIOUS lettering
Colour illustration of a botanical sleeve design with a golden skull, pink roses, green vines and blue butterflies, shown beside a character with a tattooed upper arm and forearm.
Skull, roses and butterflies sleeve design
Black ink flash sheet on aged paper showing a teapot, a winged key, a sorting hat, a trunk, round glasses and a triangle with a circle and vertical line.
Flash sheet of six small designs
Neo-traditional colour tattoo of a fierce goddess with a jewelled crown and tongue out, with skulls below, on the outer thigh.
Goddess with skulls on a thigh
Pencil drawing of a tattoo design with a skull framed by roses, leaves, lace motifs and dotted chains, shown on paper with no body placement.
Skull, roses and lace design on paper
Black outline tattoo of a skull with a snake coiling around it, on the forearm, in a traditional style.
Skull and snake on a forearm
Black and grey tattoo of a hooded, cloaked figure reaching towards a triangle symbol with a vertical line, placed on the upper back.
Hooded figure and triangle symbol on upper back
Traditional style flash design of a grinning skull with flames, crossed pistols, spade symbols and a banner reading Diablo, drawn in black, cream and red.
Skull with flames, pistols and banner
Greyscale illustration of a skull with a cracked clock face on its crown, Roman numerals and red accents in the eye sockets, shown as a tattoo design.
Skull and clock face design
Colourful illustration of three decorated sugar skulls with pink roses, leaves and scrollwork on a black background, shown as a design rather than on skin.
Three sugar skulls with roses
Full colour Japanese style tattoo of a horse in an ornate bridle, pink peonies and a blue bird, running down the side of a thigh.
Horse, peonies and bird down the side of a thigh
Black and grey dotwork skull tattoo on a shoulder, with a scalloped crown filled with raindrop dots and wave lines.
Skull with raindrops on the shoulder
A grid of colourful sugar skull flash designs with bows, hearts, wings, roses and crossbones, shown as drawings rather than tattoos on skin.
Sugar skull and bow flash sheet
Black and grey sketch-style tattoo of a horned animal skull with leaves and flowers on the upper arm, shown in a black and white photograph.
Horned animal skull and leaves on upper arm
Black and grey blackwork tattoo of a snarling wolf and a skull with geometric lines and triangles on a forearm.
Wolf and skull with geometric lines on forearm
Black and grey realism tattoo of a shaded skull with angular frame lines and a dagger below, on the outer forearm.
Skull and dagger on a forearm
Colour tattoo of a purple cartoon bat with large blue eyes, a pink skull bow and blood drips, placed on the ankle.
Cartoon bat with skull bow on ankle
Black and grey botanical tattoo of a ram skull, antlers and leaves on the outer thigh of a standing person in black shorts and knee socks.
Skull, antlers and leaves on a thigh
Traditional style skull tattoo with heart-shaped eye sockets, a pink bow, crossed teal crochet hooks and two banners reading Hook Fast and Die Warm, on the inner forearm.
Skull with crochet hooks and pink bow on a forearm
Black and white traditional-style flash sheet of sixteen designs, including playing cards, a dagger, dice, pizza, a skull with an eight ball, cobwebs, a coffin and a tombstone.
Black and white flash sheet with skulls and cards
Traditional-style flash design of a flaming heart with an eye, a dagger and red roses, framed by a sunburst and the Spanish banner text Sólo un corazón verdadero.
Flaming heart, eye and roses flash sheet
Ink drawing of a skeleton with many arms raised around a halo and a full moon, with feathered wings behind the skull, in navy and cream.
Multi-armed skeleton with moon and halo
Colour tattoo of a blue and grey yarn skull with crossed knitting needles and the words KNIT FAST and DIE WARM, on the upper arm.
Yarn skull with knitting needles and lettering
Black and grey dagger piercing a shaded skull in front of a shield-shaped banner, tattooed on the calf.
Dagger and skull on a calf
Japanese-style tattoo of a cat face with yellow eyes, black and grey markings and a red rope beneath it, on the outer thigh.
Cat mask with rope on thigh
Solid black flash design of a small skull with crossbones set within a sweeping dark shape, shown on a white background.
Skull and crossbones in a black silhouette
Four photographs of a black and grey dotwork and geometric leg sleeve on the lower leg, showing a skull with an eye, a stacked spine motif and a mandala on the calf.
Skull, eye and mandala leg sleeve
Black and grey flash sheet of tattoo designs including a pipe, key, skull cameo, feather, tobacco tin, compass, pocket knife, matchbox and honeycomb, set on a dotted background.
Flash sheet of pipe, key, skull and feather
Black and grey realistic skull tattoo with smoky shading on the side of a ribcage, with a white top lifted above it.
Shaded skull tattoo on the ribs
Black and grey pencil drawing of a tattoo design with a skull, city skylines and partial lettering, shown without any body placement.
Skull and cityscape tattoo design in grey pencil
Neo-traditional flash design of a pin-up woman with a red rose in her hair, half of her face a skull, with the quote I got a beautiful heart but a twisted mind around her.
Pin-up woman with half skull face and red rose
Linework tattoo on a thigh combining a wireframe cube, an eye within a compass, a skull, a crescent moon and a red sunburst.
Geometric skull and all-seeing eye on a thigh
Black ink drawing of a deer skull with antlers entwined with flowers and leaves, pinned to a line on a paper sheet against a dark background.
Deer skull with flowers ink drawing
Black and grey realism tattoo of a hooded grim reaper holding a scythe and hourglass on the upper arm.
Grim reaper with scythe and hourglass on upper arm
Close-up of a black and grey wolf skull tattoo with red watercolour splashes on the inner forearm.
Wolf skull on the inner arm
Black and grey realism tattoo of a skull wrapped in banknotes, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Skull wrapped in banknotes on upper arm