Traditional tattoo ideas

4,572 photos and flash · Forearm most common

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Black and grey traditional tattoo of a teacup with a dotwork rain cloud above it, raindrops falling onto the cup and flowers and leaves around its side.
Teacup and rain cloud tattoo
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a green sea turtle with a yellow and black compass rose shell on a calf, set against blue-grey clouds.
Turtle with compass shell on a calf
Four black and grey traditional-style tattoos across the fingers of a hand, including a rose and a skull with dotwork shading.
Rose and skull finger tattoos
Colour traditional tattoo of a pin-up woman in a star and stripe outfit holding a top hat, with a banner reading Kiss My American Ass, on a forearm.
Pin-up in stars and stripes with banner
Traditional style spider tattoo with a purple gem-like abdomen and dotted web lines on a lower leg, beside a partly visible green leaf.
Spider with dotted web on a calf
Traditional style tattoo of an ornate grey heart with a keyhole and red accents on the chest, with a colourful tattoo on the forearm below.
Ornate heart and keyhole tattoo on the chest
Shirtless man with a black NY cap covering his face, showing traditional style roses, a heart and script lettering on his chest, abdomen and full sleeve tattoos on both arms.
Traditional roses and lettering across chest and arms
Colour tattoo on an arm of a cartoon tornado with pink clouds, black cows and the words WE GOT COWS in traditional-style lettering.
Cartoon tornado with cows and a slogan
Traditional style colour tattoo of a red-nailed hand above two red roses, gold wheat stalks and red berries, on an arm.
Hand, roses and wheat on an arm
Traditional style colour tattoo of a circus performer with a red parasol balancing on a tiger, placed on the outer thigh.
Circus performer riding a tiger on a thigh
Black and grey line tattoo of a beetroot with leafy stems and roots on the inner upper arm, drawn in a hatched engraving style.
Beetroot with leaves on an upper arm
Pencil sketch of a winged hourglass topped with an eye, a winged skull and roses, drawn in a neo-traditional style for a tattoo with no body placement shown.
Winged hourglass with roses sketch
Two forearm tattoos side by side: a shaded realism gas mask with orange eyes and a daisy on the left, and a black line banner with a star on the right.
Gas mask and daisy forearm, with banner tattoo
Colour tattoo of Mickey Mouse breaking through torn skin on the upper arm, in a traditional cartoon style with bold black outlines.
Mickey Mouse tearing through skin on upper arm
Black and grey traditional flash design of a heart holding a hand clasping a cat paw, with a crescent moon, stars, a flower and the words Boys Whatever Cats Forever.
Heart with clasped hand and cat paw
Black and grey traditional style penguin tattoo with dotwork shading on a calf, with outlined stars partly visible beside it.
Penguin tattoo on a calf
Two photos of a traditional style tattoo of cartoon baby faces on an upper arm, one smiling with a lollipop and one crying with a pink bow and tear.
Smiling and crying cartoon baby faces on upper arm
Traditional style tattoo on the back of a hand showing a grey and black cat with pink-tinted hair buns, a robe and a banner reading NERF HERDER, beside a photo of the real cat.
Cat portrait tattoo with banner on the hand
Traditional style flash design of a cartoon boy in a bow tie inside a scalloped heart framed by roses, with the words I choo choo choose you on banners.
I choo choo choose you heart flash
Black line drawing flash sheet of an ornate blackletter capital alphabet with floral flourishes, suitable as lettering designs for a tattoo.
Ornate blackletter capital alphabet sheet
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a terrier in a suit and red bow tie, set in an ornate gold frame with flowers, on the outer thigh.
Terrier in a gilded frame on a thigh
Two matching death's head moth tattoos in traditional style sit on the forearms just below the elbow, with roses tattooed higher on the upper arms.
Matching death's head moths on forearms
Black and grey owl tattoo with a dotwork mandala chest, shown on the forearm in a black and white photograph.
Owl and mandala on a forearm
Black tribal design with a red rose and green leaves tattooed on the upper arm, photographed close up.
Tribal and rose design on upper arm
Traditional style flash drawing of a dark anchor wrapped in gold rope, with two red stars, on a cream background.
Anchor with rope and two stars
Traditional colour tattoo of a woman with dark wavy hair holding a skull, framed by red roses, on the upper arm.
Woman, skull and roses on upper arm
Traditional style tattoo of a dagger piercing a shaded rose with leaves, with an orange and black hilt, on an upper arm.
Dagger and rose on an upper arm
Two people holding hands outdoors, with a black and grey traditional rose tattoo on one forearm and geometric patterned tattoos on the other arm.
Couple holding hands showing forearm and upper arm tattoos
Black and grey tattoo of two swallows in flight with small stars and dots, sitting on the side of a torso.
Two swallows with stars on skin
Close-up of a small grey traditional-style anchor tattoo on the neck behind the ear, with a white earphone cord visible.
Small anchor tattoo behind the ear
Traditional style tattoo of an ornate key with a red polka-dot Minnie Mouse bow and grey shading, on the back of a lower leg.
Minnie Mouse bow key on the calf
Colour tattoo of an anchor wrapped in rope and pink roses with green leaves, on the outer lower leg, in a traditional style.
Anchor and roses on a calf
Black and grey traditional-style tattoo of a coffee mug with banners reading Death and Before Decaf on a leg.
Coffee mug with Death before decaf banners
Traditional tattoo of a three-masted sailing ship with billowing sails, framed by clouds and gulls, with a Sailors Grave banner and red flower across the upper back.
Sailing ship with banner on a back
Black and grey traditional rose tattoo with bold outlines and stippled shading across the top of a foot, set on sandy ground.
Black and grey rose on the top of a foot
Traditional style tattoo of a red and black coiled snake with orange and teal dots and a small butterfly above it, placed across the centre of a person's chest.
Coiled snake and butterfly on chest
Traditional style tattoos across a woman's back and upper arm, including a large butterfly, a red rose and a spider web.
Traditional back and arm sleeve
Traditional style flash drawing of a shark wearing a top hat, monocle and tailcoat inside a rope border, with no body placement shown.
Shark in top hat and tailcoat in a rope frame
Colour traditional tattoo on skin showing a red and white lighthouse inside a golden rope heart, with birds, sea, and a pink flower with green leaves below.
Lighthouse in a rope heart with pink flower
Traditional-style tattoo of a yellow banner with a script phrase, a teal ribbon and a teal-tipped arrow on the outer forearm.
Arrow and banner on a forearm
Traditional style colour tattoo of a pale blue diamond with orange banners reading SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND, on the upper arm.
Diamond with Shine On You Crazy Diamond banners
Black and grey pencil drawing of an anchor wrapped in rope with a ship's wheel on the shank, shaded with fine hatching and stippling, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Anchor with rope and ship's wheel
Traditional tattoo sleeve on the upper arm showing a mermaid holding a bouquet, a red heart, pink roses, a skull and a blue rose, outlined in black.
Mermaid and heart sleeve on upper arm
Solid black traditional tattoo of a hand holding a flower sprig with a leafy stem and a flower-patterned cuff, on the inside of a forearm.
Hand holding a flower sprig on a forearm
Colour tattoo of a cartoon pizza slice with bat wings, fangs and the word VAMPIZZA above it, in a bold traditional style on a leg.
Vampizza pizza slice with bat wings
Black and grey traditional style tattoo of a striped cat curled around the upper arm, with bold outlines and shaded stripes.
Striped cat tattoo on upper arm
Colour traditional tattoo of a teal house with a yellow roof inside a pink scalloped heart, with a home sweet home banner and red flowers on a lower leg.
Home sweet home house and heart on a calf
Black and grey anchor tattoo with a rope coiled around it on a person's ribs, shaded in a traditional style.
Anchor and rope tattoo on the ribs