Blackwork tattoo ideas

2,168 photos and flash · Forearm most common

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Black tribal-style Pisces tattoo of two fish joined by a cross-shaped line, placed on the back.

Tribal Pisces symbol on skin

Black and grey Polynesian-style tribal tattoo covering the upper arm, shoulder and chest, with bold solid patterns and a central sun-like motif.

Polynesian tribal shoulder and chest piece

Black tribal-style lion head design with a roaring mouth, bared teeth and flowing mane lines on a white background.

Tribal lion head design

Black tribal-style bull head design with swirling horns and ornamental linework, shown on a white background with no body placement.

Tribal bull head design

Black and grey blackwork tattoo on a forearm showing three silhouetted figures, wisps of smoke and a triangle, circle and line symbol beside small script.

Silhouette figures and triangle symbol on forearm

Black ink tattoo covering a person's whole back in a symmetrical pattern of spirals and scrolls, with the figure photographed from behind against a dark background.

Full back spiral tattoo

Black and purple watercolour tattoo of a bare tree, crescent moon and stippled mountains, with ink splatter, on a limb.

Bare tree and crescent moon with watercolour sky

Black and grey dotwork and blackwork tattoo of an anatomical heart with a pinwheel above, framing a dog and a penguin in a window, on the lower leg.

Anatomical heart with pinwheel and animals

Solid black tribal-style scorpion tattoo on a person's back, shown in a close photograph of bare skin.

Black scorpion tattoo on the back

Two photos of a black and grey blackwork forest tattoo on a forearm, showing pine trees and a small bear silhouette fading into dark ground near the wrist.

Black forest scene with a bear on a forearm

Man seen from behind with a solid black tribal tattoo covering his upper arm and shoulder and running down the side of his back, in a blackwork style.

Black tribal design across arm, shoulder and back

Black ink ornamental mandala tattoo across the chest and ribs of a woman wearing a black bralette and denim shorts, shown from the chin down.

Black ornamental mandala under the bust

Black and grey blackwork tattoo of pine trees on a forearm, fading into dots towards the wrist, shown in two photos.

Pine forest sleeve on a forearm

Black tribal sun design with rays and three spiral roses at the centre, shown as a flash drawing with no body placement.

Tribal sun with three roses

Solid black eagle tattoo with spread wings across the upper chest, shown on a woman wearing a green checked shirt over a grey vest top.

Spread-winged eagle across the upper chest

Black and grey lace-pattern tattoo with dotted chains and droplet accents across the upper back, beside a pale shaded rose.

Lace pattern with dotted chains on upper back

Black ink tattoo of a stretching cat decorated with tribal patterns and spirals, on the outer upper arm beside a white sleeve.

Stretching cat with tribal patterning on upper arm

Black and grey dotwork tattoo of an elephant with peacock feathers, hibiscus flowers and a mandala pattern on the outer thigh.

Elephant with peacock feathers on a thigh

Black linework tattoo of a faceted geometric giraffe head with hatched shading and solid black spots, sitting on the upper arm.

Geometric giraffe head on upper arm

Solid black silhouette design of a mermaid with flowing hair, swirling curls and a long fin-like tail on a cream background, shown as tattoo flash with no body placement.

Mermaid silhouette flash design

Black and grey dotwork snake coiled up the forearm with flowers, leaves and small dotted accents, in blackwork style.

Snake and flowers on a forearm

Solid black tribal design with flame-like curls and a spiral, shown as a standalone drawing on a white background with no body placement visible.

Black tribal flame design

Back view of a woman with a black ornamental blackwork tattoo spreading from the nape of the neck down the upper back.

Ornamental neck and upper back tattoo

Black geometric tattoo of stacked triangles and chevrons on the inner forearm, shown in a black and white photograph.

Geometric triangle tattoo on a forearm

Solid black blackwork tattoo of a sun-like star motif above a hatched crescent moon, placed on the lower abdomen above a dark waistband.

Sun motif above crescent moon on stomach

Black and grey tattoos on two forearms: the word Amore in script on one wrist, a fine line world map and a shaded compass rose, with a real brown butterfly perched on the arm.

Amore script, world map and compass on forearms

Black ink ornamental swirl tattoo with a small blue shell motif on a person's hip and thigh, in a blackwork style.

Ornamental swirl tattoo on hip and thigh

Black tribal-style sitting cat design with bold solid shapes and swirling lines, shown as a flash drawing with no body placement visible.

Tribal sitting cat design

Black and grey pen drawing of a wolf's head merging into a raven's wing, framed by a diamond outline and bare branches, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.

Wolf and raven wing design in a diamond frame

Black ink drawing of a hummingbird in flight, its wings and body filled with swirls, dots and teardrop shapes, on a pale paper background.

Ornamental hummingbird design in black ink

Black and grey jellyfish tattoo with stippled bell and long trailing tentacles, shown on the upper arm near the shoulder.

Jellyfish on the upper arm

Small solid black cannabis leaf tattoo on the side of a person's ribs, in a blackwork style.

Small cannabis leaf on the ribs

Pencil drawing of a bold black tribal design with a curling spiral and tapering spikes, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.

Tribal spiral design in pencil

Black blackwork feather tattoo with dotwork shading and a fine line above it, on the ankle.

Geometric feather on an ankle

Black ink blackwork tattoo of a dotwork floral mandala running from the forearm across the back of the hand, with black nail polish and a thin silver ring.

Blackwork floral mandala on forearm and hand

Skull in feathered headdress, side profile

Person seen from behind with a full blackwork tattoo covering the back, buttocks and legs, featuring a lattice spine panel, swirling motifs and hexagon patterns.

Full back and legs blackwork tattoo

Black and grey scorpion tattoo design with raised pincers and a curled tail, shown on a white background in a bold blackwork style.

Black scorpion tattoo design

Large black tree of life tattoo within a circle, with leafy knotwork branches and roots, across a man's upper back.

Tree of life in a circle across a back

Full back tattoo of black tribal patterns with chevron and spiral panels, photographed on a man's back with his arms partly tattooed.

Full back tribal pattern tattoo with sleeves

Illustrated pair of hands with solid black sun face designs on the wrists, a black circle with crossbars on each palm, and the letters of DEATH across the fingers.

Sun and circle hand tattoo designs

Profile and words on a calf

Black dotwork and white-ink snakes coil together on the inner forearm in a blackwork-style tattoo.

Intertwined snakes on a forearm

Black and grey blackwork raven with spread wings across a person's upper back, with a square and compass eye tattoo at the lower left edge.

Raven with spread wings across a back

Two photographs of a back with a black ornamental tattoo running down the spine, one with swirls and diamond motifs and one with fine line moon circles and dots.

Ornamental spine tattoos on a back

Blackwork and red-line sleeve on an upper arm and forearm, with a circular symbol, arrow-like marks and lettering.

Abstract black and red arm sleeve

A hand paints black ink onto a mandala flower tattoo design drawn on white paper, with heart motifs and dotted borders around the petals.

Black ink mandala flower design being painted

Black and grey tattoo of eight moon phases in a vertical row down the forearm, shown against a grey textured blanket.

Moon phase circles on a forearm