Traditional tattoo ideas

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Traditional colour tattoo of a dagger gripped by a hand with a crown pommel, above a red rose and black leaves, on the upper back.
Dagger and rose on upper back
Black and grey traditional swallow tattoo on the upper back, with a banner reading it's just a spark but its enough beside a starburst.
Swallow with spark quote on upper back
Black and grey ornate teapot tattoo with floral scrollwork pouring a stream of bleeding hearts into a teacup on the upper back.
Ornate teapot pouring bleeding hearts onto a shoulder blade
Black and grey tattoo of the state of Texas with the word Texas in script, a cross above and shaded roses with leaves, on a person's upper back.
Texas state outline with cross and roses
Orange and black traditional tattoo of a phoenix with spread flame wings above a triangle and circle motif on a person's upper back.
Phoenix over triangle and circle on upper back
Black and grey sugar skull tattoo with roses and leafy vines across the upper back, shown from behind.
Sugar skull and roses on upper back
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a crescent moon with a woman's face, roses and a banner reading LA LUNA on a person's upper back.
Crescent moon with face and roses on back
Large black and grey traditional back tattoo of a pin-up style woman in a feathered headdress holding a staff and shield, surrounded by roses and flowers.
Feathered pin-up and roses across a back
Black tribal tattoo with a central sun-like disc and swirling wings across the upper back, in a Polynesian-inspired blackwork style.
Tribal sun motif across the upper back
Black and grey engraving-style tattoo across a person's back, showing a crossbow, a noose, a snake, a hunter with a musket, a horned figure with a horn and a hound, with text lines.
Engraved collage of crossbow, noose and hunter on back
Traditional style tiger tattoo across a man's back, with bold black linework, grey shading and red accents around the mouth and paw.
Tiger across a back
Person seen from behind with black and grey tattoos covering the back, neck and both arms, including a winged figure on the back and a rose on the upper arm.
Heavily tattooed back and arms seen from behind
Black compass rose tattoo with N, E, S and W lettering on the upper back near the shoulder, shown from behind.
Compass rose tattoo on upper back
Traditional style colour tattoo of a black witch hat with a purple ribbon on a broomstick, placed on the upper back.
Witch hat and broomstick on upper back
Black and grey eagle, globe and anchor tattoo across a man's upper back and shoulder blade, photographed from behind.
Eagle, globe and anchor on upper back
Colour traditional-style tattoo on the back of a caterpillar smoking a pipe on a red spotted mushroom, with purple-edged leaves behind it.
Caterpillar smoking on a red mushroom
Traditional-style rose tattoo on the upper arm and small star tattoos near the wrist of a person with raised arms, seen from behind with a bare back.
Rose and star tattoos with raised arms
Traditional style tattoo of a snarling black panther with a raised curled tail, yellow claws and red accents, on the upper back near the shoulder blade.
Snarling black panther on the upper back
Full back tattoo in traditional style showing a swooping eagle above red roses, a sailing ship on waves and a red sun, with colour ink throughout.
Eagle, roses and sailing ship back piece
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a compass rose, two pink roses and a banner reading Not All Who Wander Are Lost, on the upper back.
Compass and roses with banner on upper back
Close photo of a cartoon cat with a pink bow holding a red heart, with grey shaded wings either side, tattooed on the back.
Cartoon cat with heart and wings
Collage of four tattoos: a traditional hot air balloon with roses on the upper back, a colourful traditional anchor with rope and hearts on the upper arm, a black and grey anchor with a compass and
Four nautical and balloon tattoos collage
Colour Traditional-style tattoo of a green shamrock framing a Claddagh hand-held heart with a gold crown, on the upper back.
Claddagh and shamrock on the back
Colour tattoo of a red cardinal perched on a branch with olive leaves, placed on the upper back in a traditional style.
Cardinal perched on a branch on the upper back
Colour tattoo of a black swallow filled with red, orange and yellow roses and green leaves, on a person's upper back near the shoulder blade.
Swallow filled with roses on upper back
Traditional style colour tattoo of a grey scorpion with red accents beside a pink hibiscus flower on a person's upper back.
Scorpion and hibiscus on the upper back
Traditional style colour tattoo of a pink and red dahlia with green leaves on the upper back near the shoulder.
Dahlia tattoo on a shoulder
Photo of a flying red dragon tattoo with black outlines on the upper back near the shoulder, with a grey tribal tattoo to the left.
Red dragon tattoo on upper back
Colour traditional tattoo of a peacock with red flowers and leaves above a large feathered tail, across a person's upper back.
Peacock and red flowers across a back
Traditional style colour tattoo of a crown above a red rose with green leaves and a stem, on a person's upper back between the shoulder blades.
Crowned red rose with leaves on upper back
Two black and grey traditional swallows in flight, one above the other, tattooed on a person's back.
Two swallows on the back
Colour traditional tattoo of a phoenix with spread wings in orange, red and yellow on a person's upper back near the shoulder blade.
Phoenix on upper back
Traditional style hot air balloon tattoo with pink flowers, clouds, birds and a small aeroplane on the upper back near the shoulder blade.
Hot air balloon with flowers on the upper back
Four-panel collage of tattoos: a cat with a skull and lotus in traditional colour, a cat with a red daruma doll in traditional colour, a black and grey Japanese lion on a back, and a black and grey
Four cat and Japanese motif tattoos
Woman seen from behind with a grey and teal bird and pink flowers with green leaves tattooed on her upper back, in a gold sequin dress.
Bird and flowers on upper back
Black and grey crown tattoo with beaded arches, a fleur-style finial and floral details, centred on the upper back in a traditional style.
Shaded crown on upper back
Black and grey tattoo of a decorated elephant with its trunk raised, in a traditional style, on a person's upper back near the shoulder blade.
Ornate elephant on upper back
Colour tattoo of an orange mockingjay bird with an arrow inside a black circle with an orange ring, with a banner reading May the odds be ever in your favor, on a person's upper back.
Mockingjay badge on upper back
Back view of a person with two blue traditional swallow tattoos, one on each side of the upper back near the shoulder blades.
Two traditional swallows on upper back
Two photographs of a full body Japanese-style tattoo: on the left a back piece seen while kneeling in water, on the right a torso and sleeves with an eagle, cherry blossom and koi.
Full body Japanese-style tattoo in two views
Traditional colour tattoo of a shaded skull over crossed bones and a red shield, with script reading In My Darkest Hour, on the upper back.
Skull and crossed bones with script on upper back
Black and grey tattoo of three shaded roses with leaves on the upper back near the shoulder blade, seen from behind.
Three black and grey roses on a shoulder blade
Black and grey moth tattoo with shaded wings on the upper back, just below the base of the neck.
Moth tattoo on upper back
Back of a person with a black and grey traditional style tattoo of roses, clasped hands holding a scroll that reads Everything we left unsaid, and a small coloured rose at the left shoulder, placed
Roses and clasped hands with script across upper back
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
Shaded grey cross with a rainbow monarch butterfly tattoo across its lower arm, placed on the upper back.
Cross and butterfly on upper back
Black and grey owl perched on a branch with leaves, tattooed across the upper back in a shaded traditional style.
Owl on a branch with leaves
Colour tattoo of a blue ball of yarn with crossed knitting needles and a loose yarn end, in a bold outlined traditional style, on the upper back between the shoulder blades.
Yarn ball and knitting needles on upper back