Blackwork tattoo ideas

2,168 photos and flash · Forearm most common

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Black and grey tattoo of an outlined heart with an ornate mandala-style border on the upper arm, below a pink knit sleeve.
Mandala heart on upper arm
Black geometric band tattoo wrapping around a woman's bent elbow, with dotwork quatrefoil panels and striped triangles in blackwork style.
Geometric band tattoo around an elbow
Solid black crow tattoo with stylised feather scales on the upper arm of a person wearing a white t-shirt.
Black crow on upper arm
Black tribal tattoo with a central turtle motif wrapping the upper arm and shoulder in a Polynesian-style blackwork design.
Polynesian turtle tribal on upper arm
Black and grey blackwork tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder showing a hare wrapped in a snake, with roses and leaves above and an eye in a triangle below.
Hare, snake and botanical upper arm piece
Black tribal tattoo of a sun motif with triangular and spiral patterns covering the upper arm and shoulder of a person in a red vest top.
Polynesian sun tribal on upper arm
Close-up of a woman with her hands clasped in front of her, both arms covered in black ornamental blackwork and dotwork sleeve tattoos.
Black ornamental sleeves with hands clasped
Black tribal tattoo covering a shoulder, chest and arm sleeve, with a grey shaded panel of stars and a shield on the upper arm.
Tribal sleeve and chest piece in black ink
Black tribal sleeve tattoo with bold geometric bands, triangles and zigzags covering the upper arm and forearm.
Black tribal arm sleeve
Black and grey blackwork owl tattoo with ornamental patterns on an upper arm, shown during application by a gloved tattooist using a machine.
Ornate owl tattoo being worked on
Colour tattoo of purple and pink flowers with black lace and hanging feathers on a woman's shoulder and upper arm, in a botanical style with blackwork detailing.
Purple flowers and lace on a shoulder
Black and grey Polynesian-style tribal tattoo on a shoulder and upper arm, centred on a sea turtle with a star compass motif.
Polynesian turtle tattoo on shoulder and upper arm
Black and grey blackwork Polynesian tribal tattoo covering the shoulder, upper arm and upper chest of a bare torso.
Polynesian tribal shoulder and arm sleeve
Black Polynesian-style tribal tattoo covering the upper arm and shoulder, with bold triangles, bands and fine hatched fills.
Polynesian tribal upper arm and shoulder
Black tribal-style phoenix tattoo with flowing feathers and swirls across a shoulder and upper arm.
Tribal phoenix on a shoulder
Black and grey blackwork tattoo of a bearded man's face under a crown of antler-like branches, covering the upper arm.
Bearded man with antlered branches on upper arm
Black ink tattoo of a treble clef, bass clef and musical notes stacked together on an upper arm, in a bold solid style.
Treble and bass clefs with music notes on upper arm
Black and grey botanical tattoo of a peach with leaves, flowers and the words Life is peachy on an upper arm.
Peach and flowers on an upper arm
Black lace-pattern tattoo with pearl dots and hanging beads across the upper arm and shoulder, in a blackwork style.
Black lace and pearl shoulder tattoo
Black and grey witch hat tattoo with a buckle and a star at the tip, surrounded by a dotted arc of moon phases, on the upper arm.
Witch hat with moon phases on upper arm
Bold black tribal tattoo with a large spiral and an interlocking knot band across the upper arm and shoulder.
Tribal swirl and band on upper arm
Woman seen from behind with a large black and grey dotwork mandala covering her back, with a coloured sleeve tattoo on her upper arm.
Mandala back piece in dotwork and blackwork
Black and grey tribal S tattoo on an upper arm, shaded to look as if it is breaking through cracked skin.
Tribal S with cracked skin on upper arm
Black dotwork and blackwork tattoo on an upper arm showing a hand with a heart inside a triangle, an eye below, and a sun, moon and stars.
Hand, heart and eye in a triangle
Blackwork and dotwork geometric full sleeve covering a man's arm from shoulder to wrist, with diamond lattice and cog motifs on the upper arm and forearm.
Blackwork geometric full arm sleeve
Black and grey dotwork whale shark tattoo with blackwork shading on the upper arm, swimming diagonally up the limb.
Whale shark on the upper arm
Black and grey blackwork tattoo of a bird with spread wings on the upper arm, surrounded by jagged black lines that look like cracked skin.
Bird emerging from cracked skin on upper arm
Black and grey blackwork and dotwork tattoo of an anatomical heart overgrown with flowers and leaves, across an upper arm.
Anatomical heart with flowers on upper arm
Black blackwork tattoo of bold abstract shapes and bars on an upper arm, with a black and white design panel beside it.
Black abstract tattoo on an arm
Black and grey blackwork and dotwork tattoo of a wolf head framed by a mandala ornament on the upper arm.
Wolf head with mandala ornament on upper arm
Black ink full sleeve on a woman's arm, with mandala patterns, scrollwork and fern sprigs covering the upper arm and forearm down to the wrist.
Blackwork mandala sleeve with fern motifs
Two people in black tank tops embrace, showing black and grey blackwork sleeves: a skull and owl on her upper arm, and a grim reaper with a scythe on his upper arm and wings on his forearm.
Owl, skull and grim reaper sleeves
A woman in a bikini wades in turquoise water beside a boat, showing a large black ornamental sleeve tattoo with floral and tribal patterns on her right arm, in blackwork style on the upper arm and
Blackwork floral sleeve on a woman's arm
Black geometric tattoo of a heart filled with tribal bands and chevrons, placed on the upper arm of a woman in a black top.
Heart with tribal pattern on upper arm
Shirtless man with a bold black tribal tattoo covering his chest, shoulder and upper arm, shown against a dark patterned background.
Tribal black ink across chest, shoulder and arm
Close photo of a bold black tribal-style scorpion tattoo with small red eyes on the upper arm of a person with light skin.
Tribal scorpion tattoo on the upper arm
Black ink blackwork and dotwork tattoo of a curled-up cat in front of rooftops, a sun and waves, inside a circle on the upper arm.
Sleeping cat and town in a circle on upper arm
Black and grey blackwork elephant with a lotus mandala above it, tattooed on the upper arm, with dotwork shading beneath.
Elephant and lotus on upper arm
Black dotwork tattoo of three pine trees in front of a stippled circle with mountain outlines, on the upper arm of a woman in a dark vest top.
Pine trees in a dotwork circle on upper arm
Black tribal tattoo covering a man's shoulder and upper arm, with solid black circles, spirals and bands on lighter skin.
Black tribal shoulder and upper arm tattoo
Black and grey blackwork paisley and dotwork sleeve covering a forearm and upper arm, worn with a dark tank top.
Paisley blackwork sleeve on forearm
Black and white mirror photo of a shirtless man with a geometric blackwork sleeve on one arm and a mandala tattoo on the shoulder.
Blackwork sleeve and shoulder mandala
Four views of a black and grey upper arm tattoo of swallows perched on wires above long grass blades, in a painterly blackwork style.
Swallows on wires and grass across an upper arm
Small black and grey blackwork tattoo of a castle silhouette with horizontal stripes and a faint circle behind it, on an upper arm.
Castle silhouette on an upper arm
Man's torso, neck and arms covered in black blackwork tattoos, with a honeycomb pattern of hexagons and pentagons and a dotwork gradient around the navel.
Honeycomb blackwork torso piece
Black blackwork armband tattoo with tribal-style geometric bands wrapping around an upper arm, shown against a white sleeve.
Tribal-style armband on the upper arm
Black and grey ornamental blackwork sleeve tattoo with spirals and fern-like motifs running from the upper arm down to the hand, shown against a white wall.
Ornamental sleeve tattoo on an arm
Black and grey dotwork and linework tattoo of a mountain, winding river and pine trees in an oval frame on the upper arm.
Mountain, river and pines in an oval frame