Text tattoo ideas

2,685 photos and flash · 86% Lettering, 26% Fine line · Forearm most common

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Black ink drawing of a skull built from hand-lettered quotation text on a cream background, a lettering design with no body placement shown.
Skull formed from hand-lettered text
Black and grey hand-drawn design of a stack of books with the words I might read until I feel better in lettering across the spines.
Stack of books with a reading quote
Black and grey drawing of a heart breaking into fragments, with the words When it's over, I'll count back from ten, and you can listen to glass hearts shattering around it.
Shattering black heart with lyric text
Black linework flash design of a Darth Vader helmet and a stormtrooper helmet with roses, leaves and JOIN THE DARK SIDE banners, drawn on paper.
Darth Vader and stormtrooper helmets with roses
Black handwritten-style lettering design reading Tick Tock Goes the clock on a plain white background, with no body placement shown.
Tick Tock Goes the clock lettering
Line drawing flash of a yellow crescent moon above a ribbon banner reading Fighting evil by moonlight, with a second banner reading Winning love by daylight, on a pink background.
Crescent moon and banner quote design
Black line drawing of a tattoo design reading God is greater than the highs and the lows, with angular G, chevron and V shapes above the words.
God is greater than the highs and the lows
Pencil drawing of a Cheshire Cat style grin and whiskered face with blue-green eyes, above the words we're all mad here, with no body placement shown.
Cheshire Cat grin with blue-green eyes
Black line drawing of a cross joined to a heartbeat trace that ends in an open heart, with the words FAITH, HOPE and LOVE beneath, in a fine line style with no body placement shown.
Cross, heartbeat and heart line design
Black ink hand-lettered design of a phrase on tan kraft paper, with no skin or body placement shown.
Hand-lettered phrase on kraft paper
Black and white flash design of two eyes with diamond-cut irises, dripping tears and the words Cover Your Crystal Eyes, with no body placement shown.
Crystal eyes with tears and lettering
Black flash design of two swallows in flight above the words we only part to meet again, set in black lettering on white.
Two swallows above a quote
Black line drawing of an upright cross with the words 'my GOD'S NOT DEAD' set in a thin, hand-lettered typeface on the crossbar, shown as a flash design.
Cross design with 'my God's not dead' text
Fine line drawing on white paper of the words PIZZA NEVER DISAPPOINTS arched around a pizza slice, drawn in black ink with a fine liner pen beside it.
Pizza never disappoints slice design
Black ink pen drawing of a long cursive lettering line with swash tails on cream paper, a flash design for a lettering tattoo.
Cursive lettering line design on paper
Black and grey drawing of an ornate compass rose tattoo design with a fleur-de-lis at the top and the words Une Vie Extraordinaire around the ring.
Ornate compass rose design
Red and cream woodcut-style drawing of a top hat with the words WE ARE ALL MAD HERE lettered across its crown, with radiating lines either side.
We are all mad here top hat
Hand-lettered black text reading too weird to live, too rare to die, with a flock of black bats, on a yellow background; a lettering design that could be used as a tattoo.
Lettering design with bats on yellow
Black ink pen drawing of a sailing ship on rough waves with a dangling anchor and the script words a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor, on white paper.
Sailing ship and anchor with quote
Pen and ink drawing of a teacup with a Cheshire cat grin, turquoise eyes, spotted turquoise mushrooms and the words We're all mad here.
Cheshire cat teacup with mushrooms
Hand-lettered black ink design reading You Are Enough inside a double circle on white paper, in a script lettering style.
You Are Enough lettering in a circle
Fine line script lettering design reading ..and in time, this too shall pass. in black ink on a plain white background.
Script quote lettering design
Black cursive lettering design reading no weapons, no hope, no friends, take that all away and what is left? me., shown on a plain white background with no body part visible.
Handwritten quote in cursive script
Pencil drawing of a clenched fist with red nails, showing the words be kind to yourself and a small heart as lettering tattoo design on the forearm.
Be kind to yourself lettering on a drawn wrist
Six gold lettering designs on white backing reading brides maid, wifey and MOH, in brush script and bold block styles, with no body placement shown.
Gold bridesmaid, wifey and MOH lettering designs
Black handwritten lettering design on a white background reading A teenage vow in a parking lot 'til tonight do us part, in a lettering style with no body placement shown.
Handwritten lettering reading a teenage vow
Black script lettering reading don't blink on a plain white background, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Don't blink script lettering design
Black handwritten script lettering design reading it is okay to not be okay, shown on a plain white background with no body part visible.
Script quote: it is okay to not be okay
Black line drawing of the words you are my anchor in handwritten lettering, above an anchor whose shank forms a heart, suitable as a lettering and anchor tattoo design.
You are my anchor lettering with anchor and heart
Black and grey tattoo design drawing of the words WILD SPIRIT in hand-drawn capitals above a shaded feather, with no body placement shown.
Wild Spirit lettering with a feather
Black and red lettering design reading Once upon a time in blackletter script, with a black feather dissolving into flying birds, drawn as a tattoo design on a pale background.
Once upon a time feather and birds design
Black design drawing of a row of spiral and angular symbols above the word UNFOUND in serif lettering on a white background.
Unfound lettering with spiral symbols
Dotwork-shaded line drawing of an anatomical heart with a small room inside showing a chair and hanging light bulb, with the words YOU LIVE THERE beneath.
Anatomical heart with chair and light bulb
Black and white flash design of a skull pierced by a dagger, with the words MISTAKES WERE MADE beneath, suitable as a tattoo design.
Skull pierced by a dagger with lettering
Single-line drawing of four rolling waves above the handwritten phrase go with the flow, shown as a fine line design on a plain light background.
Line drawing of waves with go with the flow text
Pastel illustration of a fluffy-headed bat hanging upside down, with a blue ribbon reading EVERYTHING and WILL BE OKAY, shown as a flash design with no body placement.
Upside-down bat with Everything will be okay ribbon
Traditional-style flash design of a seated boxer dog above a red banner reading BOXER MOM, with two swallows and pink swirls, shown without any body placement.
Boxer dog with banner and swallows
Black ink design of a large stylised letter K inside a circle, with a quotation written around the ring in hand-lettered capitals.
Circular quote around a large K
Black Arabic script above the English words "Appreciate life" in quotation marks, on a plain white background.
Arabic script with "Appreciate life" text
Black and grey tattoo design of birds taking flight beside the script words Don't be afraid to fly, shown without any body placement.
Birds in flight with 'Don't be afraid to fly'
Black lettering design reading Take me anywhere in script and capitals, with two arrows below, drawn on a plain white background as a flash design.
Take me anywhere lettering with two arrows
Fine line handwritten script reading things change in black ink on a white background, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Things change script lettering design
Black handwritten lettering design reading filled it up with novocaine and now I'm just numb, set between two horizontal rules on a white background, in a lettering style with no body placement shown.
Handwritten lettering quote on white
Pen drawing of a fine line tattoo design with the script words Do you suppose she is a wildflower, surrounded by dandelion, poppy, daisy and cornflower sketches.
Wildflower script and flower sketch design
Pencil-style tattoo design drawing of a crescent moon above a feathered arrow, with the words 'You have set on me but you are not the sun' beneath it.
Crescent moon and feathered arrow with quote
Black line drawing of the words I AM A in thin capitals above warrior in a flowing script, with an outlined heart, shown as a tattoo design on a white background.
I am a warrior lettering with heart
Black line drawing of a curling swirl, two arcing strokes and two diagonal lines above a handwritten phrase reading I am in control of my emotions, shown as a tattoo design without a body placement.
Swirl and arcs with an affirmation line
Hand-drawn black ink design of an anchor with the words I refuse to sink curving around it in a loop, sketched on textured paper.
Anchor with I refuse to sink lettering