Traditional tattoo ideas

4,572 photos and flash · Forearm most common

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Traditional colour tattoo on a forearm of a Ouija planchette with an eye, above a hand holding pink crystals and wearing a bracelet.

Ouija planchette and hand holding crystals on a forearm

Colour neo-traditional tattoo of an orange and yellow rose with bold black outlines and green leaves on the forearm.

Orange rose with green leaves on a forearm

Traditional-style flash drawing of a black skull filled with pink roses, green leaves and white highlights, on a pale background.

Rose skull flash design

Colour tattoo of a curly-haired boy in sunglasses with the words EAT YOUR HEART OUT above, on the upper thigh in a traditional style.

Sunglasses portrait with Eat your heart out slogan

Pencil flash design of a pirate ship under a compass rose with Tinker Bell and shadowy figures, above the words Second star to the right and straight on till morning.

Pirate ship and compass rose flash design

Two flash designs on a white background: a black and grey sword with a skull and dragons, and a colour dragon coiled around a red-hilted sword with flames.

Skull, sword and dragon flash designs

Traditional style tattoo of a red and grey flying saucer over mountains, pine trees and a crescent moon inside a diamond frame, on the calf.

Flying saucer over mountains in a diamond frame

Colour traditional style tattoo of two facing profiles inside a heart outline, framed by purple pansies and a bud, on the forearm.

Profile faces in a heart with pansies

Back view of a person with hands on their shoulders showing a skull on one hand, small star and heart tattoos on the fingers, and neck and upper arm tattoos.

Hands and fingers with traditional tattoos

Black and grey portrait of a woman with a red circle behind her head, tattooed on the back of a hand, in a traditional style.

Female portrait tattoo on the back of a hand

Arm with a colourful traditional-style sleeve of a rabbit and an animal design on the forearm and upper arm, worn with a white camisole and belt.

Colour animal sleeve on an arm

Traditional style tattoo on a limb showing a handshake in front of a red sun, with GRATITUDE arched above and red and orange flowers below.

Handshake and flowers with GRATITUDE lettering

Man in a grey waistcoat and turquoise tie holding an MR sign, with colourful traditional-style tattoos covering both forearms and small tattoos on the fingers.

Colourful sleeve tattoos on forearms holding an MR sign

Black and grey traditional flash sheet of a cathedral with onion domes, compass roses, a skull, an anchor, crossed bones and barbed wire motifs on a white background.

Traditional flash sheet with cathedral and nautical motifs

Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a roaring tiger and a green snake with a red disc and flames, on the upper arm.

Roaring tiger and snake on upper arm

Traditional hourglass tattoo with a red flower and black leaves above it and red flames at the sides, on a forearm.

Hourglass and red flower on a forearm

Colour tattoo of a cartoon pin-up in a red polka dot dress with a teddy dog, bold black outlines and traditional styling, on the lower leg.

Cartoon pin-up with a teddy dog on a calf

Crow with banded body in traditional style

Small colour tattoo of a robin with a red breast and tan wing in a simple black outline, on the inner wrist of a forearm.

Robin tattoo on the inner wrist

Black and grey shaded dagger tattoo with scrolled crossguard on a person's ribs, with a white top lifted to show it.

Dagger tattoo on the ribs

Traditional colour tattoo of a pelican perched on a wooden post beside a rope, with pink clouds behind it, on a calf.

Pelican on a post with rope

Pencil drawing of a tattoo design showing a striped lighthouse, a sailing ship and stormy waves framed inside a ship's wheel, in a traditional nautical style.

Lighthouse and sailing ship in a ship's wheel

Traditional style colour tattoo of a heart-shaped padlock with a red bow and roses, on the inner forearm.

Heart-shaped padlock with red bow on a forearm

Colour traditional tattoo of a teal crab holding a palm tree sunset in its shell beside an orange plumeria flower, on the thigh.

Crab with palm sunset and plumeria

Traditional style tattoo of a snarling bear head in orange, red and black on the back of a hand, with dark patterned ink on the wrist above.

Snarling bear head on the back of a hand

Traditional style tattoo of a blue square and gold compasses with a letter G, on the inside of a forearm.

Square and compasses with G on a forearm

Traditional colour tattoo of the Golden Gate Bridge with a banner reading HOME and a red heart held in hands, on the inner forearm.

Golden Gate Bridge and heart on a forearm

Traditional colour tattoo of a red rose with green leaves and an orange Deathly Hallows symbol, with a lettered banner, on the forearm.

Rose and Deathly Hallows banner on arm

Traditional outline tattoos of a sailing ship in an oval frame with roses and a ship's wheel, one on each thigh.

Twin sailing ship tattoos on thighs

Black and grey sunflower tattoo with a smiley face centre on the stomach, framed by two hands forming a heart, with small peace and heart tattoos on the hands.

Sunflower tattoo on the stomach

Black linework flash sheet drawn on paper, showing a skull with a flower, a flowered heart, a bouquet, a hand and a rope banner reading forget me not, in traditional style.

Traditional flash sheet with skull, heart and flowers

Colour tattoo of a mermaid with a green tail rising from blue and white waves across the lower back, in a traditional style.

Mermaid rising from waves on lower back

Neo-traditional tattoo of a red rose bud with a skull shaded inside its petals, with olive leaves and a thorned stem, on skin.

Rose bud with skull shading on the upper body

A grey tabby kitten rests on an arm with a traditional-style snake and flower tattoo on the forearm and a LUCK banner tattoo on the upper arm.

Kitten resting on a tattooed forearm

Traditional style tattoo of a glass bottle holding a small red heart, with red and yellow flowers, dark green leaves and part of a swallow, on an upper arm.

Bottle with heart and flowers on an arm

Black and grey compass rose tattoo on a calf with the script words Not All Who Wander Are Lost arranged around it.

Compass rose and quote on a calf

Traditional colour tattoo of a hand with crossed fingers, framed by red flowers and green leaves, on the upper arm.

Crossed fingers and flowers on upper arm

Traditional colour tattoo on the side of the ribs showing a green and grey helmet with a yellow visor, a rifle, two red roses and a red sunburst.

Helmet, rifle and roses on the ribs

Traditional style anchor tattoo with rope wound around the shank, shaded in grey and muted red, on the lower leg.

Anchor with rope on a calf

Traditional style colour tattoo of a grey and blue owl with yellow eyes perched beside a pink rose with green leaves, on a limb.

Traditional owl and rose on skin

Traditional flash design of a paper boat on stippled waves beneath a red lightning bolt and clouds, framed by a rope border with a red flower at the base.

Paper boat and lightning in a rope oval

Colour traditional tattoo of an hourglass with blue gems, red tulips and teal leaves on the inner forearm.

Hourglass with tulips on a forearm

Profile woman in teal frame on a forearm

Traditional style colour tattoo of an arrow with two flowers and leaves, placed on the upper arm.

Arrow and flowers in traditional style

Two side-by-side photos of a traditional style compass rose on an inner wrist in black ink and an anchor wrapped in rope on a forearm in blue and grey shading.

Compass rose and anchor on forearms

Black and grey shaded owl tattoo with large round eyes and feathered wings, sitting on the inner forearm above grass.

Shaded owl on a forearm

Forearm with a colour traditional rose and star, a grey deer framed by flowers, and the words Don't let me drown in black lettering, with a thigh tattoo visible below.

Rose, deer and lettering on a forearm

Black and grey shaded tattoo of a ship's wheel with a coiled rope and anchor, with compass star points, on a person's upper back.

Ship's wheel and anchor on the upper back