Traditional tattoo ideas

4,572 photos and flash · Forearm most common

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Black linework sketch of an apple with a worm, a stack of books, a pencil and a leaf, drawn as a tattoo design on tracing paper.
Apple, worm, book and pencil design
Traditional style butterfly tattoo in bold blues, reds, oranges and greens with black outlines, placed on the inner forearm.
Traditional butterfly on a forearm
Close side view of a woman in a black bikini showing a grey anchor tattoo on her left side ribs, in a traditional style.
Anchor tattoo on the side ribs
Traditional-style tattoos on both feet, showing a blue dotted teacup and saucer on one foot and a blue dotted teapot with a pink rose on the other, with 'tea heart time' written across the toes.
Teacup and teapot with tea time toe lettering
Traditional colour tattoo on a thigh showing an outstretched hand, a lantern with a flame, green leaves and a dangling bead chain.
Hand, lantern and rosary beads on a thigh
Two black and grey cartoon tattoos on the backs of two hands, one showing Sally with stitches and flowing hair and one showing Jack Skellington's head, in a bold traditional style.
Sally and Jack tattoos on the hands
Traditional-style flash drawing of a mermaid with a flower crown, long hair and a spotted tail, painted on textured paper.
Spotted mermaid flash design
Colour tattoo on a lower leg showing a maneki-neko cat with a raised paw, a skull-patterned moth and red petals, in a traditional style.
Maneki-neko cat and skull moth on a calf
Traditional style colour tattoo of a gramophone with a red rose, green leaves and a small blue flower on the outer thigh.
Gramophone and rose on a thigh
Traditional black and grey tattoo of a stretching cat on a cushion beneath an Easy Life banner, on the forearm.
Stretching black cat with Easy Life banner
Traditional style tattoo of a unicorn head with pink and blue flowers and green leaves on the top of a foot.
Unicorn head and flowers on a foot
Traditional style tattoo on a forearm showing a red and white eye within rays and clouds, above a woman's face in a headpiece and a red rose.
Eye, rays and rose on a forearm
Traditional tattoo of a grey-shaded sailing ship with red sunburst, waves and a Sail On banner, on the upper back.
Sailing ship with Sail On banner on upper back
Traditional style colour tattoo of a green pickle inside an ornate gold scrollwork frame with a banner reading The Pickle, on the calf.
Green pickle in an ornate frame on a leg
Traditional colour tattoo of a cartoon couple within a gold-edged heart frame with red roses, on the outer thigh.
Cartoon couple in heart frame on thigh
Traditional colour tattoo of a red and grey owl holding two yellow skull-topped keys, with a crescent moon inside a red triangle, on the upper leg.
Owl holding skull keys beside a crescent moon
Colour tattoo on a thigh of an artist's palette, two paintbrushes, a yellow rose, leaves, a beaded chain and an open pocket watch, shown in two side-by-side photos.
Palette, brushes, rose and pocket watch on a thigh
Colour neo-traditional tattoo on a forearm of a compass, red roses and a banner reading wherever you go, with a small oval plaque at the top.
Compass, roses and banner on a forearm
Black and grey traditional style flash design of a hockey mask on a blade shape, with the words IT'S FRIDAY FRIDAY curving along the edge.
Hockey mask and blade flash with Friday lettering
Traditional style tattoo of a sloth hanging from a branch with banners reading NAP ALL DAY, SLEEP ALL NIGHT and PARTY NEVER, on a leg.
Sloth with nap banners on a leg
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a teal bird resembling a peacock, with a red rose and green leaves, on an upper arm.
Peacock and rose on an upper arm
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a grey anchor wrapped in rope with two pink roses, green leaves and a pink flower on skin.
Anchor and pink roses tattoo
Black ink traditional flash sheet of butterflies and moths, including a central moth with a woman's face, skulls, tigers and a lantern, on cream paper.
Butterfly and moth flash sheet
Traditional style tattoo of a revolver crossed with a DAD banner and red flowers, on the forearm.
Revolver and DAD banner on a forearm
Small traditional-style tattoo of a red flower and green leaves with a banner on the ankle, above teal marbled leather boots.
Small red flower tattoo above teal boots
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a tombstone reading WISH YOU WERE HERE with a flower and a leaf at its base, on the upper leg.
Tombstone reading Wish You Were Here
Traditional style colour tattoo on a forearm showing a stack of strapped books with red roses, a small red flower and green leaves.
Stack of books and roses on a forearm
Black and grey tattoo of a sailing ship with a flock of birds flying from its sails, waves beneath and the words SAIL ON on the forearm.
Sailing ship and birds on a forearm
Black and grey unicorn head tattoo with a small pink rose on the top of a foot, in a bold traditional style.
Unicorn head with rose on a foot
Traditional style colour tattoo of a swallow in flight beside red rosebuds and gold leaves on the upper arm.
Swallow and rosebuds on upper arm
Traditional black and grey tattoos of a crescent moon and a sun with faces, placed side by side on a forearm.
Crescent moon and sun on forearms
Black and grey poison bottle tattoo with a stippled skull and crossbones on a forearm, with a partial bird and rose at the left edge.
Poison bottle with skull and crossbones
Traditional style tattoo of a Darth Vader helmet decorated like a sugar skull, with a blue daisy on top and pink flowers, on the outer thigh.
Darth Vader sugar skull on thigh
Traditional style tattoo of a matryoshka doll in a red headscarf with a pink rose on its apron, shown in two close-up photographs.
Matryoshka doll and rose tattoo
Black and grey back tattoo of a shaded map of the British Isles with a dashed route, compass rose, ships, a sea serpent, two heraldic beasts and a banner, placed across the upper and lower back.
British Isles treasure map across a back
Black and grey traditional-style tattoo of a stack of three books with a moth on the top cover, placed on the forearm.
Stacked books on a forearm
Colour Traditional-style tattoo on a calf of a heart wrapped in pink yarn, with two crochet hooks and a yellow banner reading Don't Panic.
Yarn heart with crochet hooks and Don't Panic banner on a
Traditional style tattoo of a teal anklet strap with a gold buckle and a diamond tag, shown on an ankle from two angles.
Anklet strap tattoo with tag on ankle
Black and grey tattoo of a hand holding a flower with an eye at its centre and radiating rays, with leaves, on a forearm.
Hand holding an eye flower on forearm
Two bare legs resting on white sheets, covered in colourful traditional tattoos of roses, a dagger and a lantern on the calves and thighs.
Traditional tattoos on legs against white bedding
Colour traditional-style tattoo of Homer Simpson biting a sprinkled donut while Bart Simpson peers out of it, on a calf.
Homer and Bart in a donut on a calf
Pink flash-style design of a heart with a banner reading FEMINIST and two roses with leaves, drawn in bold outlines with no body placement shown.
Feminist banner, heart and roses flash
Black line flash drawing of two long-nailed hands with stylised flames, sparkles and the words Fire Walk With Me above a chain.
Hands with flames and Fire Walk With Me
Hand with black lettering across the fingers reading Don't ask me about my tattoos, with teal diamonds, a bow and small pink and grey motifs in a traditional style.
Finger lettering reading Don't ask me about my tattoos
Traditional colour tattoo on a forearm showing a planchette with a moon, a yellow rose and a spider, above a hand with a jewelled ring and spiders crawling near a red cuff with a web.
Planchette, hand and spiders on a forearm
Black line drawing of two sugar skulls, one in a veil and one in a top hat, framed by roses and a banner reading 'Til Death Do Us Part, in a traditional tattoo flash style with no body placement
Sugar skull couple with roses and banner
Traditional style tattoo of a red rose with yellow and orange flowers, dark green leaves and a ribbon banner on a forearm.
Traditional rose and flowers on a forearm
Orange and black monarch butterfly tattoo in a traditional style on the ankle of a foot wearing a printed shoe.
Monarch butterfly tattoo on a foot