Traditional tattoo ideas

4,572 photos and flash · Forearm most common

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Colourful neo-traditional tattoo of an owl face with ornate patterned feathers and swirling tendrils on the thigh.
Ornate owl and swirls on a thigh
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a red cabin with a smoking chimney, pine trees and a UFO beaming light, on the outer calf.
Cabin, pine trees and UFO on a calf
Woman in a black racerback top showing colourful traditional-style tattoos on her upper arm and forearm, including a bear and a rose.
Colourful tattoos on a woman's arm
Black and grey claddagh tattoo with two hands holding a heart under a crown, set inside a Celtic trinity knot on skin.
Claddagh within a Celtic knot
Flash sheet of tattoo designs photographed on a gift box, including a blue owl, a koi fish, a realistic eye, three BELIEVE lettering designs and a feathered headdress, all shown without a body
Traditional flash sheet with owl, eye and lettering
Black ink line drawing on paper of a rope-framed heart holding a lighthouse, waves and birds, with a flower and leaves below and a small anchor, shown as a tattoo design sketch.
Lighthouse heart and flower design sketch
Traditional style colour tattoo of a skull-topped cupcake with a red bow and the words Cut cake not wrists, with a small pink flower beside it, on a forearm.
Skull cupcake with lettering on forearm
Black and grey flash design of two swallows flying towards each other in mirror image on an aged, parchment-coloured background, in a traditional style.
Two swallows in mirrored flight
Traditional-style pomegranate tattoo with black leaves on the back of a hand, with a small black flower and numerals above the wrist.
Pomegranate on the back of a hand
Traditional style colour tattoo of a butterfly with a red crescent moon, green leaves and a red flower on a leg.
Traditional butterfly with crescent moon
Black and grey crescent moon with a face, stars and clouds, in traditional style with dotwork shading, on the lower leg.
Crescent moon with face on a calf
Colour tattoo of a grey kitten with blue eyes inside a pink lace heart with a yellow bow, in a vintage neo-traditional style on the upper thigh.
Grey kitten in a pink lace heart on a thigh
Colour traditional tattoo of a feathered headdress with beaded bands and ribbons across the upper arm and shoulder.
Feathered headdress tattoo on upper arm
Woman in a dark grey band t-shirt showing colourful traditional rose and floral tattoos on her upper arms and forearms.
Tattooed arms in a band t-shirt
Traditional-style swallows holding a gold key and a red heart with ribbons, printed on a white baby bodysuit hung on a line.
Swallows, key and heart on a baby bodysuit
Small colour tattoo of a pineapple with green leaves and orange segments on skin, shown beside a US quarter for scale.
Small pineapple tattoo beside a quarter
Traditional colour tattoo of a black cat with yellow eyes beside two red roses and green leaves on a forearm.
Black cat and roses on a forearm
Traditional style colour tattoo of a globe on a stand with pink blossom and a WANDERLUST banner, on a forearm.
Globe with cherry blossom and Wanderlust banner
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a woman with closed eyes and a flower crown, with a lace-collared dress, on the upper arm.
Woman with flower crown on upper arm
A traditional flash sheet printed in cream on navy blue, showing a sheet of tattoo designs including a skull eagle crest, pistols, roses, a shark, a snake and a woman's bust.
Traditional flash sheet in cream on navy
Traditional style flash drawing of a sailing ship framed by red roses, a yellow butterfly and crabs, drawn on paper.
Ship, roses and butterfly flash design
Coloured pencil tattoo design of a mermaid wearing a rose crown, drawn in a neo-traditional style with no body part shown.
Mermaid with rose crown and ship design
White line drawings of traditional tattoo flash motifs, including an eagle, skulls, a hand, a bear and a skeleton, on a black fabric tapestry hung against a white wall.
Traditional flash sheet on black fabric
Black line flash sheet of traditional-style designs with banners, including a microphone, teapot, coffin, bear with dagger, and a rabbit in a top hat.
Traditional flash sheet with banner designs
Traditional style tattoo of green holly leaves and red berries wrapping around an ankle, outlined in bold black linework.
Holly and berry band on an ankle
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a cartoon girl with orange pigtails holding a doll, set against a pink heart, on the forearm.
Cartoon girl with doll on a heart
Traditional style flash design of a black and white striped lighthouse in an oval frame, with clouds, rocks, mountains and a red flower.
Lighthouse in an oval frame
Colour tattoo on a forearm of pink roses and green leaves with black outlines, wrapped by a ribbon banner carrying lettering, in a neo-traditional style.
Roses and ribbon banner on a forearm
Purple line drawing of a leaping lion pierced by two arrows, with a banner reading BE NOT AFRAID across its body, in a traditional tattoo flash style.
Leaping lion with arrows and banner
Traditional style flash design of a grey dagger wrapped in yellow ribbon banners with lettering, a red cross detail and a red drop of blood, shown as a drawing with no body placement.
Dagger and cross with lettered banners
Traditional colour tattoo of a red and black tugboat with grey smoke clouds and a TUG LIFE banner on the arm.
Tugboat with smoke and TUG LIFE banner
Traditional style flash design of a mermaid with a ship's wheel, a red rose and a banner reading FOLLOW ME, drawn in colour with bold outlines.
Mermaid with ship wheel and rose banner
Traditional-style colour tattoo of a pin-up woman with knitting needles in curled hair and a banner reading I love yarn, on the upper arm.
Pin-up knitter with I love yarn banner
Traditional style tattoo of a blue shark with bared teeth biting a diver's yellow flipper, with red blood splashes, on skin.
Shark biting a diver's fin
Traditional flash drawing of a sailing ship inside a rope-edged star with an anchor behind it, shown on a stained paper background.
Nautical star with anchor and sailing ship
Traditional style colour tattoo of a blue-green cactus with a red flower and red buds, in a striped and triangle-patterned pot, on the forearm.
Cactus in a patterned pot
Colour traditional tattoo of a green cactus with red hearts and an orange zigzag-patterned base, on the forearm.
Cactus with hearts on a forearm
Traditional colour swallow tattoos with red roses and small stars on the tops of both feet, above navy espadrilles.
Matching swallows and roses on both feet
Black and grey shaded rose tattoo with leaves on the shoulder, with a hand resting against the arm.
Black and grey roses on a shoulder
Close crop of a person with lilac hair and a mint lace bustier, showing a traditional-style chest tattoo of a heart, a woman's face and the word SUGAR, with tattooed arms.
Chest and arm tattoos under a mint lace bustier
Black and grey line drawing of a Celtic knotwork design shaped like an S, with interlaced bands and pointed tips at each end, drawn as a tattoo stencil.
Interlaced knotwork S-shaped design
Colour neo-traditional tattoo on an upper arm of a grey cat wearing a top hat and sitting in a teacup beside a red flower.
Grey cat in a teacup on an upper arm
Two matching red ladybird tattoos with trailing black dot stars on the ankles, in a traditional style.
Matching ladybird and star ankle tattoos
Flash design of a solid black Gemini zodiac symbol surrounded by green and black nautical stars on a white background.
Gemini symbol with nautical stars
Flash-style drawing of a large key wrapped in two banners reading Courage is the Key, with a heart-shaped lock, a compass and bubbles, in traditional-style colour outlines.
Key with Courage is the Key banners
Traditional style tattoo of a grey cat holding a pale fish, with blue tears, on the upper thigh.
Grey cat holding a pale fish on a thigh
Neo-traditional tattoo of a snarling grey wolf head pierced by an arrow and dagger with red splatter, on the forearm.
Wolf head with arrow on a forearm
Traditional colour tattoo of a compass hanging from a chain, with a compass rose face and blue waves, on an arm.
Compass and waves on an arm