Traditional tattoo ideas

4,572 photos and flash · Forearm most common

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Traditional style tattoo of a red and grey striped lighthouse above waves and rocks, with an 'On the Rocks' banner, on the upper arm.
Lighthouse with waves and banner on upper arm
Colour neo-trad tattoo of a red and grey bird perched on a branch beside a teal medallion of pink roses, shown on skin.
Bird and roses on a branch
Shower curtain printed with traditional style flash designs of hearts, a swallow, a dagger and roses, hung in a bathroom.
Traditional flash hearts on a shower curtain
Close-up of a colourful traditional-style tattoo on the upper arm, showing a pointed elongated shape with yellow rings, red and orange rays and black lightning bolts.
Traditional colour design on upper arm
Traditional style colour tattoo of a ship at sunset in a circular medallion with flowers and a lower urn-like motif, on the upper arm.
Ship and flowers in a traditional medallion on the upper arm
A bare leg with a large colour traditional tattoo of pink peonies and roses across the thigh and calf, with dark foliage, on a yellow floral bedspread.
Pink peony and rose leg tattoo
Black tribal tattoo design drawn on white paper, built from bold swirling spirals and sweeping pointed spikes, shown as a flash sheet without a body part.
Black tribal spiral design on white paper
Black outline tattoo of two roses with leaves in a traditional style, shown on the forearm against a white background.
Two roses in outline on a forearm
Black and grey tattoo of a mountain above pine trees and stylised waves inside a square frame, on the upper arm with a light red tint in the peak.
Mountain, pines and waves in a square frame
Flash design of a cream skull with a pentagram on its forehead, framed by red ribbon banners reading Salt and Burn, in a traditional illustrative style.
Skull with pentagram and Salt & Burn banner
Traditional style tattoos on the back of a hand, showing a bow and arrows, a half heart, red drops and the word ROMANTIC in black lettering.
Bow, arrows and lettering on the hand
Traditional style colour tattoo of a teacup with yellow flowers, red roses and a banner reading Sally on a limb.
Teacup and roses with Sally banner
Traditional style tattoo of a teal eye with red and yellow tear drops inside a book, surrounded by black star dots on a limb.
Eye in an open book with star dots
Colour tattoo of a sunflower with a bee and a white daisy on a person's upper back, drawn with bold black outlines in a traditional style.
Sunflower, bee and daisy on the upper back
Traditional style pin-up woman in an orange baker's hat, with pretzels, cookies, cupcakes and a BAKER banner, tattooed on the upper arm.
Pin-up baker with pretzels and cupcakes
Traditional style colour tattoo of two swallows, a birdcage with a heart and a yellow rose on a forearm, shown in three close-up photographs.
Swallows, birdcage and rose on an arm
Colour traditional-style tattoo on a calf showing a cartoon man with an afro, glasses and moustache in a red and white bobble hat and striped top, with the words Hello and Is it me you're looking for.
Cartoon caricature with quote on a calf
Flash sheet of five traditional-style flower designs with red, yellow and orange petals and dark green shaded leaves on a pale background.
Five traditional flower designs on a flash sheet
Traditional style dagger tattoo with a twisted purple hilt, green leaves and a banner reading TRUE TILL DEATH on a lower leg.
Dagger with true till death banner on calf
Black ink flash sheet of five tiki mask designs in bold outline and hatched detail, drawn as tattoo-style designs without any skin shown.
Five tiki mask designs on a sheet
Traditional style colour tattoo of praying hands holding a red heart with yellow flowers, on the lower leg.
Praying hands and heart on a lower leg
Traditional flash collage showing a purple skull with a LOVE KILLS SLOWLY banner, pin-up women, a koi fish, a mermaid, a dragon head and roses.
Traditional flash collage with skull and pin-ups
Traditional style flash design of a hand holding a quill over a scroll reading Dear John, with a red rose, black feathers and a heart envelope.
Quill, scroll and rose flash design
Neo-traditional tattoo on the lower back showing a pink bow, a winged heart, outlined roses, leopard print and pink ribbon banners.
Pink bow, winged heart and roses on lower back
Black and grey traditional style compass rose tattoo with a banner reading not all those who wander are lost, on the forearm.
Compass with banner on forearm
Black and grey traditional-style drawing of a straight razor resting across a rose with leaves, shown as a tattoo design on paper.
Straight razor and rose flash design
Traditional style tattoo of a woman in profile with a red rose in her dark hair and a small black spider on a thread, set against a grey web pattern on the upper arm.
Woman in profile with rose and spider
Flash sheet of four traditional-style portraits of princesses, each with a red banner bearing a name, set against a cream background.
Four princess portraits with name banners in traditional
Two hands showing traditional red rose tattoos with green leaves and chain drapes ending in a heart pendant on the back of each hand, with script on the fingers.
Traditional roses with chain drapes on hands
Flash sheet of 30 small tattoo designs in Japanese style, pairing kanji characters with animals, flowers and symbols such as a rose, tiger, koi carp and dragon, each with an English label.
Kanji and animal tattoo flash sheet
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a woman in profile wearing a polka dot headscarf with lace trim and roses, on the upper arm.
Profile woman in headscarf with roses
Traditional style tattoo of two sugar skull figures embracing, one in a black hat with a red flower and one in a polka dot dress, on the upper arm.
Sugar skull couple embracing on upper arm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on a thigh of a circular mountain, pine tree and river scene framed by laurel leaves and a flower.
Mountain landscape and flower on a thigh
Close-up of a traditional style leg tattoo on a thigh, showing a dark panther head, a purple flower with teal stems and red hearts, while a hand holds an ice cream tub.
Traditional panther and flower leg tattoos
Black and grey traditional tattoo covering a man's chest and stomach, with a woman in a headdress, roses, a skull in a heart and an anchor.
Traditional chest and torso piece with woman and anchor
Colour tattoo of a pink ball of yarn pierced by a grey crochet hook, in a traditional style, on a area of pale skin.
Pink ball of yarn with crochet hook
Traditional style tattoo of a large multicoloured flower with teal petals and leaves, placed over the elbow of a bare arm.
Colourful flower on an elbow
Colour tattoo of an ornate key with a filigree heart bow in mint green on the forearm.
Ornate key with green bow on a forearm
Traditional style tattoo of a white cat with blue and yellow eyes and red ears, curled round a circle with an open mouth, on the upper arm.
Cat curled in a circle on an upper arm
Black and grey dotwork palm tree tattoo with birds and a sunset over the sea on an upper arm, beside a bold grey cloud outline and coloured tattoo edges.
Palm tree and sunset on an upper arm
Black and grey Traditional style tattoo of a hooded grim reaper holding a scythe, shaded in grey, on the side of a person's ribs.
Grim reaper with scythe on ribs
Traditional colour tattoo of a red stand mixer with a steel bowl and two orange roses with green leaves on the outer thigh.
Red stand mixer and orange roses on a thigh
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a woman with cat ears, teardrop earrings and a pearl necklace, on the upper leg.
Cat-eared woman portrait on the thigh
Traditional style tattoo of a hand holding a sprig of yellow wheat, red berries and green leaves, on the inside of a forearm.
Hand holding wheat and berries on a forearm
Traditional-style design of Hello Kitty with a pink heart, a banner reading Hello Kitty, roses and leaves, shown as a sticker on a white background.
Hello Kitty heart and banner tattoo design
Bold red traditional tattoo of a rampant heraldic lion with black outlines and shading, on the forearm.
Red rampant lion tattoo on a forearm
Traditional-style red rose with teal leaves and orange thorny stems on a forearm, with a second tattoo of a purple flower visible on the upper arm at the right.
Red rose with thorns on a forearm
Black and grey traditional eagle tattoo with swirling feathers covering the upper arm and elbow of a man in a striped vest.
Eagle tattoo on upper arm and elbow