Swirl tattoo ideas

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

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Black and grey realism tattoo across a person's upper back showing lilies, a hummingbird, a skull and scrollwork.
Lilies, hummingbird and skull on a back
Black and grey dotwork mandala half sleeve with floral and paisley motifs covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Mandala half sleeve on upper arm
Black and grey tattoo of an elephant with its trunk raised and spraying swirls, on the lower back.
Elephant spraying swirls on the lower back
Fine line black tattoo on a forearm showing an arrow inside a dotted loop, script lettering and an ampersand, ending in an arrow pointing to a small circular motif.
Arrow and script loop on a forearm
Black and grey Japanese style drawing of a peony, cherry blossoms and a swirling wave, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Peony and cherry blossom wave design
White ink fine line tattoo of a heart with spiral swirls and a small heart on the forearm.
White ink heart with swirls on an arm
Black and grey realism feather tattoo with swirls, small birds and a script quote across the upper back.
Feather and script quote on upper back
Grey and purple ivy leaves and roses tattoo running down a person's back, in a botanical neo-traditional style.
Ivy leaves and roses down the back
Fine line black script tattoo reading faith with a small swirl and dash on the side of a hip, partly covered by dark clothing.
Faith script on the hip
Black and grey crescent moon tattoo with a monogram, swirling tribal-style linework and small stars on the side of a person's torso.
Crescent moon and stars on the side
Small black fine line tattoo of a swirled butterfly on the upper chest near the collarbone.
Swirled butterfly on upper chest
Black and teal mermaid silhouette tattoo with swirling teal and black vines on pale skin.
Mermaid silhouette with teal tail and vines
Close-up of a black ornate lettering tattoo reading TRUE with looping flourishes on a forearm, with a smaller reddish version below on a finger.
TRUE lettering with loops on forearm
Close-up photograph of a light, faded tribal-style tattoo with spiral scrolls, a dot and small drops on a limb of pale skin.
Light ink tribal-style motif with spirals
Black tribal-style wolf head design set within a circle, drawn on a light background, with bold swirling linework and shaded areas.
Tribal wolf head in a circle
Fine line white ink tattoo of a filigree heart made of swirls on the inner wrist.
Swirling filigree heart on the wrist
Black ornamental mandala tattoo with swirls and floral motifs on the outer forearm of a person wearing a black Adidas top.
Ornate mandala tattoo on a forearm
Small black fine line tattoo of a walking elephant with a raised trunk, its body filled with fingerprint-like swirls, on a forearm.
Fingerprint-patterned elephant on forearm
Black fine line tattoo of scissors with thin swirling flourishes on the inner wrist.
Scissors and swirls on the inner wrist
Black and grey tattoo of a fairy with butterfly wings and swirling tendrils on the upper back, near the shoulder blade.
Winged fairy tattoo on upper back
Two side-by-side views of a bold black tribal-patterned tattoo of spirals and waves with red chevron fills, wrapping the upper arm.
Tribal spiral and wave design on upper arm
Solid black heart design surrounded by swirling scrolls and small hearts on a white background, shown as a flash-style drawing.
Black heart with swirls and small hearts
Black line drawing of an ornate capital letter with a swirled base, a five-petalled flower, small buds and leaves on vines, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement.
Ornate capital letter with flowers and leaves
Shaded pink rose with dark leaves beside a black swirling filigree butterfly tattoo on a person's upper back.
Pink rose and filigree butterfly on a back
Watercolour-style flash design of a sailing ship being wrapped by an octopus tentacle among swirling waves, with an anchor and rope below.
Sailing ship, octopus and anchor design
Script infinity symbol tattoo reading Mother and Daughter, in black and grey with some green and brown tones, across the upper back.
Mother and daughter infinity symbol on the back
Solid black blackwork-style design of a circle with white zigzag lines, with curling swirls trailing beneath it, shown on a white background.
Zigzag circle with flowing swirls
Solid black tree of life tattoo with swirling branches and roots enclosed in a circle on pale skin.
Tree of life in a circle
Colour realism tattoo of a ginger cat's face with green eyes inside a teal knotwork frame, on the outer thigh.
Ginger cat portrait in a teal swirl frame on thigh
Black ink drawing of a tree of life with patterned leaves, curling swirls and a dotted circular border, shown on white paper beside two fine liner pens.
Tree of life design with patterned leaves
Fine line outline tattoo of a small elephant with swirl patterns on its body, placed behind a person's ear.
Swirled elephant behind the ear
Small black and grey tattoo of a loose curled motif on the side of the torso, with a pink crochet bikini and warm sunlight.
Small grey curled tattoo on the side ribs
Black ornamental scrollwork tattoo spanning the upper back and shoulder, seen from behind on a woman with dreadlocks in a peach one-shoulder top.
Ornamental scrollwork tattoo on upper back
Black and grey tattoo of a heart-shaped dreamcatcher with a feather and looping lines on the top of a foot.
Dreamcatcher heart and feather on a foot
Bold black tribal tattoo covering a man's upper arm, shoulder, chest and side torso, shown shirtless in black ink.
Tribal arm, shoulder and chest tattoo
Black and grey tribal tattoo with Celtic knotwork covering a man's shoulder and upper arm.
Tribal and Celtic knot shoulder piece
Black and teal flash design of a stylised bird with swirling patterned linework, perched on a branch with circular accents.
Patterned bird perched on a branch
Dark teal tribal-style bird tattoo with a swirling tail on the inner wrist of a raised hand against a black background.
Teal bird tattoo on the wrist
Black ink tribal design of two swallows in flight, drawn in bold blackwork linework on a sketchbook page.
Tribal swallows in flight
Tattoo of a purple butterfly with a black outline and black scrollwork swirls with dots on the side of a foot near the ankle.
Purple butterfly with swirls on the foot
Black line drawing of Celtic knotwork shamrocks on curling vines, with a single shamrock and a vertical shamrock border, shown as tattoo flash design.
Celtic knot shamrocks on vines
Black and grey realism tattoo of a rose and a pocket watch with Roman numerals on the forearm, with swirling shading beside the flower.
Rose and pocket watch on an arm
Coloured pencil drawing of a koi fish and a long-beaked bird above stylised swirling waves, in a Japanese-influenced flash design.
Koi and bird over swirling waves
Ornate botanical lily tattoo design drawn on white, with dense black and grey patterned petals, orange stamens and a green leaf curling to the left.
Ornate lily with green leaf and swirls
Black tribal-style manta ray tattoo with a long tail running down the spine, and a smaller turtle on the lower back of a woman's bare back.
Manta ray and turtle on a back
Black ink drawing of a treble clef with a small cross running through its centre and swirling flourishes, shown as a tattoo design on plain grey paper.
Treble clef with a cross design
Black tribal-style swallow tattoo on the upper chest near the collarbone, with swirling tail lines extending onto the shoulder.
Tribal swallow on the upper chest
Ornamental puzzle pieces in black and grey linework on a forearm, set over soft watercolour-style splashes of purple, orange and teal.
Puzzle pieces on a forearm