Swirl tattoo ideas

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

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Black blackwork tribal tattoo with koru-style spirals across the top of a foot and ankle, photographed against a dark background.
Tribal spiral design across the top of a foot
Close photo of a small black fine line tattoo of an abstract figure with a curled swirl on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Small fine line swirl figure on a wrist
Realistic red roses with black swirling vine linework running down a person's back, in a botanical style.
Rose vine running down the back
Side view of a shirtless man showing a bold black tribal tattoo across his shoulder and upper arm.
Black tribal tattoo on a shoulder
Two people seen from behind, each with a black swirling tree tattoo on the upper back, with one also showing a pink bow tattoo beside it.
Matching swirl trees and bow on two backs
A glowing UV-reactive dreamcatcher tattoo with a flower of life centre and trailing feathers, sitting across the shoulder and upper arm, in geometric and fine line style.
UV-reactive dreamcatcher on upper arm
Black scrollwork and a butterfly-style motif with pink outlines and pink dots, running from the ankle up the calf and onto the top of the foot.
Scrollwork and butterfly ankle tattoo
Illustrated design of a woman with a sugar skull face, a feather headdress, roses, butterflies and a skull, drawn in a mixed black, grey and colour style.
Sugar skull woman with feather headdress
Black ink line drawing of a dragonfly with swirling blackwork patterns filling its wings, shown as a tattoo design on a white background.
Dragonfly with swirled wings
Black and grey pen drawing of a compass rose surrounded by swirling lines and dots, shown as a tattoo design with no body part visible.
Compass rose with swirls and hatching
Black and grey tattoo of a realistic wolf head on the upper arm, with the right half of the face filled with an ornamental mandala-style pattern.
Wolf head with mandala pattern on upper arm
Black and grey fine line tattoo of two lilies with curling vines on the top of a foot.
Lily and swirl tattoo on a foot
Black linework butterfly flash design with purple shaded wings, scrolling tendrils and a white background.
Purple tribal butterfly design
Pencil sketch of an abstract symbol made of looping swirls, a long vertical stroke and scattered dots, drawn on plain paper as a possible tattoo design.
Swirling abstract symbol sketch
Colour tattoo of an abstract feathered flourish with red, orange, yellow and blue washes and grey shading, on the side of the hip above jeans.
Watercolour flourish on the hip
Hand-drawn tattoo design of a fox with an orange body, white-tipped tail, green leaves and blue swirls on white paper, with no placement shown.
Fox with leaves and swirls design
Black and grey blackwork owl tattoo with ornamental patterns on an upper arm, shown during application by a gloved tattooist using a machine.
Ornate owl tattoo being worked on
Black fine line tattoo of a treble clef, musical staff and floating notes curling across a forearm.
Musical staff and notes on a forearm
Black and white drawing of a long S-curved shape filled with paisley and tribal ornament, shown on a plain white background with no body part visible.
Elongated paisley and tribal ornament design
Black script tattoo reading Family, Where life begins and and love never ends, with a swirl flourish, shown in two photos on skin.
Family script tattoo with swirl flourish
Black and grey tribal sleeve tattoo on an upper arm with a dimensional, cracked stone effect.
Tribal pattern on an upper arm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a humpback whale curling around a peony on the upper back, with fine outline linework.
Whale and peony on upper back
Black tribal-style lotus flower design with swirling flame-like tips and a curling vine stem, drawn on a white background with no body placement shown.
Tribal lotus flower design
Black fine line drawing of a continuous looping design with the script words you, me and in love, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Looping line with you, me and in love
Two fine line black tattoos on a forearm: an open birdcage with a hanging key on the left, and a flock of birds rising from swirling lines on the right.
Open birdcage and flying birds on forearms
Black fine line tattoo of a treble clef entwined with swirling vines and leaves, on the upper back below the nape of the neck.
Treble clef and vine swirls on upper back
Black and grey line drawing of a Polynesian-style spiral ornament design with hatched fill on a white background.
Polynesian-style spiral ornament design
Colour tattoo of a large paisley with a mandala flower centre and scrollwork on the upper leg, shown in pink, teal, yellow and green.
Colourful paisley with mandala flower on upper leg
Black ornamental design of an owl with spiral eyes and swirling filigree body perched on a curling branch with a heart-shaped chest, shown as a flash drawing with no body placement.
Swirl owl perched on a branch
Close-up of a fine-line tattoo in teal-blue ink on the side of a neck, drifting from behind the ear down towards the collarbone in wispy, smoke-like trails.
Blue wispy smoke tattoo on the neck
Black line drawing of a crescent moon dreamcatcher with two roses, swirling ornaments and dangling feathers, shown as a fine line tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Crescent moon dreamcatcher with roses
Dark swirl tattoos on the preserved digits of a mummified hand or foot, shown in black ink on dried, yellowed skin.
Swirl tattoos on preserved digits
A bold black triskelion of three curling spirals on a plain peach background, shown as a standalone tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Black triskelion design
Black and white photo of a fine line heart with a looping curl tattoo on the back of a person's neck, below hair pulled up.
Single-line heart with curl on the neck
Black and grey tattoo of a dark shadowy figure with a reaching hand across a shoulder, with a swirl design continuing onto the upper arm.
Shadowy figure tattoo on a shoulder
Circular colour tattoo of Van Gogh's The Starry Night on the middle of a person's back, showing swirling blue sky, yellow stars and a dark cypress tree.
Starry Night circle tattoo on upper back
Black anchor tattoo with a heart-shaped loop and curling scrolls on the inside of a wrist, shown in a photo taken indoors.
Anchor with swirls on a wrist
Black ink drawing of a four-point compass star over an ornate mandala of swirling petals on cream paper, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Compass star mandala design
Black tribal-style guitar tattoo with swirling body ornaments and a looped neck, on the inner forearm.
Black guitar tattoo on a forearm
Colourful neo-traditional tattoo of cartoon cat characters with bows, flowers and sweets across the fingers of a hand.
Cartoon cat and candy sleeve across fingers
Black silhouette design of rosebuds, leaves and curling vines on a white background, suited to a botanical stencil or flash piece with no body placement shown.
Rosebud and swirling vine pattern
Black linework tattoo of a circular botanical design with swirls, leaves and a bud, on the upper back near the neck.
Ornamental botanical circle on upper back
Black and green drawing of a stylised horse head with a swirling mane, shown as a design on a white background.
Swirling horse head design
Coloured pencil drawing of a tattoo design with pink and purple lilies, an orange patterned butterfly and black swirling vines, with no body placement shown.
Lilies, butterfly and swirls tattoo design
Colour tattoo of two sunflowers with grey and black butterflies and green leaves, with a black linework swirl border, on the outer thigh.
Sunflowers and butterflies on a thigh
Black ink line drawing of an ornate goldfish with flowing fins and swirled scale patterns, drawn on cream paper as a tattoo design.
Ornate goldfish line drawing
Flash sheet of black crescent moon tattoo designs, some with stars, swirls, sparkles, a face and the words Blue Moon, in black and grey ink.
Crescent moon tattoo flash sheet
Black ink ornamental swirl tattoo with dots running up the ankle and onto the top of the foot.
Black swirling ornamental ankle tattoo