Swirl tattoo ideas

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

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Ink drawing of an ornate owl with swirling patterned feathers and a long curled tail on cream paper, shown as a tattoo design without a body placement.
Ornate owl tattoo design
White ink floral lace tattoo spreading across a shoulder and upper back, with red hair visible at the top of the frame.
White ink floral lace on a shoulder
Pencil sketch of a daisy and leaf vine with curling tendrils, drawn as a tattoo design on yellowed paper, with no body placement shown.
Floral vine sketch with daisies
Black fine script lettering tattoo across the upper back, two lines of flourished text running over the shoulder blades.
Two lines of script quote across upper back
Black fine line tattoo of an anchor with a looping swirl and a small cross bar on the upper arm, photographed close up on pale skin.
Anchor and swirl fine line tattoo
Black and grey lily tattoo with trailing swirls and small stars on the side of the ribs, with bright cyan star graphics added over the photo.
Lily and swirls on the side ribs
Black fine line tattoo of a paw print with curling swirl stems on the inside of a wrist.
Paw print and swirl vine on a wrist
Black and grey blackwork elephant with a lotus mandala above it, tattooed on the upper arm, with dotwork shading beneath.
Elephant and lotus on upper arm
Colour tattoo of a teal rose with black beaded chain and swirling linework wrapping around an ankle, set against an orange lace cloth.
Teal rose and beaded chain on an ankle
A hand uses a black marker to draw a tribal-style swirl design on a person's arm, showing the outline before any tattoo is inked.
Tribal swirl design being drawn on skin
A purple tribal-style cat tattoo with swirling inner patterns and black outlines, sitting on the upper back.
Purple tribal cat on upper back
Black ink tattoo of a seated cat seen from behind, filled with swirling ornamental linework, on a forearm against a dark background.
Ornamental cat silhouette on a forearm
Colourful painterly brushstroke tattoo wrapping a man's upper arm and forearm in orange, red, yellow, teal and black.
Painterly brushstroke sleeve tattoo
Colour tattoo of a grey arrow crossing a stylised symbol, framed by blue swirling waves, on the shoulder.
Arrow symbol with blue waves on shoulder
Black and grey dotwork elephant tattoo with paisley and mandala ornament covering the calf.
Ornamental elephant on a calf
Black tribal-style design of a swan with a swirling patterned wing on a white background, shown as a drawing with no body placement.
Bold black tribal swan design
Green four-leaf clover tattoo with black outlined swirling stems on skin, shaded in two tones of green.
Four-leaf clover with swirling stems
Soft, wispy smoke-like tattoo in purple and red shading across a forearm, photographed against a pale background.
Purple and red smoke tattoo on a forearm
Close-up of a black and grey feather tattoo with curled tendrils on the skin behind an ear, beside several ear piercings.
Feather tattoo behind the ear
Black and grey ornamental scrollwork tattoo on an upper arm, with the shading softening and fading towards the lower edge of the design.
Ornate scrollwork tattoo on upper arm
Black tribal-style flash design of the Togepi character, with a spiked crown, swirl motifs and bold eye shapes on a white background.
Tribal-style Togepi design
Small black fine line tattoo of a crown above a heart with a swirl, on the side of a person's ribs, with a silver key necklace hanging beside it.
Small crown and heart on the side ribs
Pencil sketch of three lilies joined by curling vines, a design suited to a fine line or botanical tattoo.
Three lilies with swirling vine design
Small colour tattoo of a peacock feather with green, blue and orange tones and a curling tail, placed on a woman's shoulder near the collarbone.
Peacock feather tattoo on a shoulder
Black linework mandala with floral scrollwork tattooed on the outer thigh, in a fine line and dotwork style.
Mandala and scrollwork tattoo on a thigh
Dark brown floral mehndi-style design with swirls and dotwork running from the ankle across the top and side of a bare foot.
Floral henna-style design on a foot
Colour tattoo on a forearm of a woman with closed eyes and long hair, surrounded by purple flowers, green leaves and a teal swirl, in a bold neo-traditional style.
Woman with purple flowers on a forearm
Hand-drawn lettering design reading Never give up in ornate script with flourishes, sketched in pencil on paper beside a pencil.
Never give up lettering design
Brown line drawing of an engraved acanthus scrollwork design with curling leaves and stippled shading, shown as a flash design with no body placement.
Engraved acanthus scroll design
Realistic colour tattoo of a blue-green eye with long lashes, red petal shapes and a tear drop on the arm, with black swirl linework above.
Realistic eye with red petals and a tear
Colour tattoo of a swirling blue and yellow night sky with orange stars across a woman's shoulder and upper arm.
Swirling night sky tattoo on shoulder
Fine line tornado tattoo on the back of a person's neck, drawn in dark red and grey ink with a dark-haired head and black strap visible.
Small tornado tattoo on the back of the neck
Pen-drawn ornate lettering design on paper with a large decorative initial, swirling flourishes and a cursive script word, shown beside a black fineliner pen.
Ornate flourished lettering design
Gold metallic floral design with swirls and a dotted line running along the fingers, on the back of a hand.
Gold floral temporary tattoo on the back of a hand
Black and grey tattoo design of a trail of shaded five-pointed stars linked by curling vines, drawn on a white background with no body placement shown.
Cascading stars with swirling vines
Grey shaded cat head with teal eyes, surrounded by scrolling swirls and lotus flowers, tattooed on the side of a thigh.
Cat head with teal eyes and lotus flowers on thigh
Black and grey crescent moon tattoo with a carved face, four stars and dotted chains with drop pendants, placed on the upper back.
Crescent moon and stars on upper back
Black ink drawing of a crescent moon decorated with flowing swirls and scroll details on a white background.
Ornamental crescent moon design
Small black swirl and dot tattoo on the ankle, shown in a close photograph of a bare foot.
Small swirl and dot tattoo on an ankle
Colour tattoo of purple lilies with green swirling vines wrapping around an ankle, in a botanical style.
Purple lily vine around an ankle
Black ink script lettering reading Worth it, with a swirling outline behind the words, tattooed on the inner wrist.
Worth it script lettering on the wrist
Black ornamental rooster design on a white background, with swirling line detail and dotted patterns filling the body and tail.
Ornamental rooster design
Back view of a person lying down, showing red and pink flower tattoos with grey shaded swirls across the hip and thigh, plus script on the upper back.
Floral tattoos on back and thigh
Black line drawing of a leafy tree with swirling branches and twisted roots, with a small bird above, shown as a design on white.
Tree with swirling branches and roots
Drawing of a fox seen from behind, sitting with its head turned, filled with red, orange and purple swirling linework and a white-tipped tail on a white background.
Ornate swirl-patterned fox seen from behind
Black cat tattoo with blue eyes, a pink collar with a blue tag and a curling tail, with grey swirls and small leaves beneath it on skin.
Black cat with curling tail
Black script lettering reading Dream, with a swirl across the D and two star bursts, on the inner wrist in a fine line style.
Dream script with star bursts on a wrist
Black and white yin yang design with two roses and swirling vines, drawn as a tattoo-style flash design with no body placement shown.
Yin yang with roses design