Swirl tattoo ideas

3,253 photos and flash · 24% Botanical, 17% Fine line · Forearm most common

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Fine line black tattoo of a spiral and infinity loop symbol on the inside of a wrist, shown with the hand raised.
Spiral and loop symbol on a wrist
Black ink pen drawing of a lotus flower on a looping, script-like stem, sketched on paper as a tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Lotus and looping stem design sketch
Black and grey blackwork butterfly tattoos with swirling tendrils on two hands pressed together.
Matching butterfly tattoos on two hands
Colour tattoo of embracing figures in a painterly, ornamental style with patterned robes, placed on the side of the ribs.
Embracing figures tattoo on side ribs
Teal and black compass rose tattoo with calligraphic swirls and letters, on the inner forearm.
Teal compass rose on a forearm
Black tribal-style winged dragon above a shaded pentagram medallion with a small red stone, tattooed across a woman's upper back.
Winged dragon and pentagram across upper back
Two black ink infinity symbol ring tattoos on interlaced fingers, one with a knot design and one with swirls and a small central dot.
Matching infinity ring tattoos on fingers
Black line drawing of an ornate dragonfly design with filigree swirls and gear details on its wings, with a key forming its body, shown without any skin or placement.
Ornate dragonfly and key design
Coloured pencil drawing of an open shell holding a pearl, shaded in purple, pink and teal, with pencil ribbon swirls around it, as a tattoo design.
Open shell with pearl and swirling ribbons
Black ink design drawing of a stylised bird with patterned wings and a long tail that curls into spirals, shown on a plain white background.
Stylised bird with swirling tail
Colour tattoo of a fox in a sketchy, watercolour-like style on the upper back and shoulder blade, with orange, red and grey washes and black linework.
Sketchy fox tattoo on the upper back
Side by side, a purple outline stencil and a finished black shaded butterfly tattoo with tribal swirls on the lower back.
Butterfly with tribal swirls before and after
Large black tribal tattoo covering a man's upper back and shoulder blades, photographed from behind in a Blackwork style.
Tribal back piece across shoulders
Black and grey photograph of a blackwork ornamental scroll tattoo with leaf motifs on the neck behind an ear.
Ornamental scroll tattoo behind the ear
Black and grey realism tattoo of comedy and tragedy theatre masks with swirling ribbon linework, placed between the shoulder blades on a woman's back.
Comedy and tragedy masks on upper back
Traditional style colour tattoo of a red heart with a banner reading MOM, red flowers and green leaves on a forearm.
Traditional heart with MOM banner and flowers
Colour realism tattoo of purple orchids and a blue hummingbird with teal swirls on the side of a torso.
Hummingbird and orchids with swirls on the side
Close-up photograph of a small teal awareness ribbon tattoo with black outline, shaped into a heart-like curl, on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Teal awareness ribbon on a wrist
Blue ornamental drawing of two intertwined fish covered in dotwork and paisley-like filigree on a pale grey background, shown as a design rather than on skin.
Blue ornamental twin fish design
Black and grey sketch of a howling wolf head merging into a butterfly wing, with flowing lines and curled swirls, drawn as a tattoo design on plain paper.
Howling wolf with butterfly wing design
Colourful Japanese style phoenix tattoo with peacock style feathers and red flowers running down the side of a torso and onto the thigh.
Phoenix and flowers down the side
Colour Japanese style half sleeve tattoo of red koi fish and pink cherry blossoms over a grey swirl, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi and cherry blossom half sleeve
Colour tattoo of a green and purple butterfly with a red blossom branch on a woman's middle back, in a botanical style.
Butterfly and blossom on the back
Forearm tattoo of the words Diabetic Type 2 Blood B+ in black script, surrounded by soft purple and blue swirls and small red sparkles.
Diabetic Type 2 lettering with swirls on forearm
Colour tattoo of a pumpkin carriage with a heart keyhole, two blue birds, small stars and green and blue swirls, on the thigh.
Cinderella pumpkin carriage with blue birds on thigh
Black fine line swirl tattoo with a small leaf sprig on a limb, shown in a close, slightly soft photograph.
Fine line swirl and leaf tattoo
Black script tattoo reading Walk by faith and Not by sight, with swirls and a small flourish across the top of a foot.
Walk by faith quote with swirls on a foot
Black and white yin yang design built from stylised calligraphic shapes and swirls, shown as a standalone graphic on a grey background with no body placement.
Yin yang with calligraphic forms
Watercolour style design of three howling wolves with rainbow smoke swirling above them, drawn on a white background with no body placement shown.
Three howling wolves with rainbow swirls
Pencil sketch of a tattoo design showing a tiger and a wolf in tribal linework with swirls, a star and the kanji for love above, shown without any body placement.
Tiger and wolf tribal design with kanji
Black line drawing of a crescent moon filled with swirling ornamental scrollwork, with three arrows crossing vertically through it, shown as a tattoo design without a body placement.
Crescent moon with crossed arrows
Grey outlined anchor tattoo with swirling scrollwork and a pale blue curved section at the top, sitting on the upper back near the shoulder blade.
Anchor with swirls on the upper back
Shirtless man with platinum hair and his face hidden by his hands, showing a black blackwork tree-line band on his right forearm and a dark ornamental sleeve on his left arm.
Forest band and ornate sleeve on a shirtless man
Side of a torso showing a botanical tattoo of pink flowers and black swirling leaves around a fine-lined star on the ribs.
Floral star tattoo on the ribs
Black and grey realism lion head in profile with tribal swirl patterns across the face, tattooed on the upper arm and shoulder.
Lion head with tribal swirls on upper arm
Pink lily tattoo with black tribal-style vines and swirls on the lower back and hip, in a botanical neo-traditional style.
Pink lily with black vines on a lower back
Coloured pencil drawing of a pink and orange phoenix facing a green dragon in a flowing, interlocking tattoo design on white paper.
Phoenix and green dragon design
Black and grey compass rose tattoo with scrolled ornamental arms on the side of an ankle, shown in a black and white photograph.
Compass rose tattoo on ankle
White fine-line mandala design with lotus-style petals on the back of a hand, placed on the hand and wrist, with silver rings and grey nails.
White mandala design on the back of a hand
Line drawing of the words Love yourself in flowing script, framed by paisley-style flowers, feather shapes and swirling flourishes on a tan textured background.
Love yourself script with floral flourishes
Colour tattoo of pink plumeria flowers, teal swirls and green leaves with palm trees and a wave along the ribs and side of the torso.
Colourful floral side piece with palm trees
Fresh blackwork tattoo of a large solid black area with a black line spiral on a lower leg, partly covered by clear plastic wrap.
Solid black fill and spiral on a lower leg
Small purple swirl heart tattoo with lilac shading on the lower back, above the waistband of a pair of jeans.
Purple swirl heart on the lower back
Black and grey butterfly tattoo with fine line swirls and dots on the ankle, shaded wings against a pale blue background.
Butterfly and swirls on an ankle
Photograph of four black turtles in a wavy line, with faint swirl shading, on the upper back near the shoulder blade.
Four turtles in a line on the upper back
Colour tattoo on a calf of a gold armillary sphere with stars and a grey centre, above and below script lettering reading The ones we love never truly leave us.
Armillary sphere with script quote on a calf
Colour neo-traditional full sleeve tattoo of red poppies, blue-grey daisies and green leaves on an upper arm and forearm.
Full sleeve of red poppies and daisies
Colour tattoo on an upper arm showing four cartoon-style men with mop-top hair in a psychedelic illustrated style, surrounded by flowers and swirling patterns.
Four illustrated figures and flowers on an upper arm