Tribal tattoo ideas

556 photos and flash · 54% Blackwork, 9% Geometric · Upper arm most common

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Black tribal-style gecko tattoo with a curling tail, sitting on the outer forearm against a dark background.
Tribal gecko on a forearm
Pencil drawing of a ram head with curled horns and tribal-style patterning, shown as a tattoo flash design with no body placement visible.
Ornamental ram head design
Black tribal flash design of a sun with a spiral centre and an eight-pointed star behind it, shown as a solid black stencil-style drawing.
Tribal sun and star design
Black tribal tattoo with curved blade-like shapes, chevron bands and a spiral on the side of the ribs.
Tribal-style tattoo on the side of the ribs
Black tribal-style design of two fish curving around each other, with solid black bodies, white linework and small diamond cut-outs, shown on a white background.
Two interlocking fish in tribal style
Black and grey lotus mandala tattoo covering an older tribal design on the lower back, shown in a before and after photo.
Lotus mandala cover-up on lower back
Close-up of a shirtless man with a bold black tribal tattoo covering his shoulder, upper arm and upper chest, with red skin around the design.
Black tribal shoulder and upper arm tattoo
Black tribal-style flame tattoo on a person's lower back, with a laser handpiece held over the skin beside it.
Black flame tattoo on back being laser treated
Black polynesian-style tribal tattoo covering the shoulder and upper arm, with solid black fills and geometric linework.
Polynesian tribal sleeve on upper arm
Black and grey photo of a bold tribal swirl tattoo on the neck behind an ear, with a small stud earring visible.
Tribal swirl behind the ear
Shirtless bearded man with black tribal knotwork tattoos across his left shoulder, upper arm, chest and forearm.
Tribal knotwork tattoos on shoulder and chest
Black tribal band tattoo design with spirals, zigzag edges and a central flower motif, drawn on a white background.
Tribal band design with spirals
Black and white drawing of a full sleeve tattoo design in a geometric tribal style, with bands of triangles, chevrons and curved stripes on an upper arm outline.
Tribal-style sleeve design drawing
Black tribal-style lizard tattoo design with swirling linework on a plain white background, shown without any body placement.
Tribal-style lizard design
Black and grey drawing of a wolf head in profile with bold tribal linework flowing behind it, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Wolf head with tribal armband design
Three people stand side by side with black tribal blackwork tattoos covering their forearms and upper arms, faces out of frame.
Three blackwork tribal arm sleeves
Solid black tribal tattoo on the lower back of a person lying on a white bed, above low-rise denim jeans.
Black tribal tattoo on lower back
Black tribal tattoo in a Polynesian-style pattern across a man's upper back and shoulder, photographed from behind against a dark background.
Tribal pattern across a man's shoulder and upper back
Black and grey tribal tattoo of spiral curls and chevron bands across the upper back.
Tribal curl design across the upper back
Red tribal-style cat face design on a white background, drawn with bold, flowing linework and no body placement shown.
Tribal cat face design
Black and grey tattoo covering the back of a hand and forearm with bold tribal-style geometric motifs and a central face-like design.
Geometric tribal-style hand and forearm tattoo
Black and white ink drawing of a front-facing elephant covered in dense geometric tribal patterns, in a design style suited to a tattoo.
Ornamental elephant line drawing
Black and grey circular tribal design with a hibiscus flower, palm tree, island outlines and sun-ray motif, shown as a drawn flash design.
Circular tribal design with hibiscus and palm tree
Large purple and grey 3D-shaded swirling tribal design covering the upper arm and shoulder, set over a yellow-brown cracked textured background.
Purple swirling tribal design on an upper arm
Black tribal-style Cancer zodiac symbol drawn as a design on a plain white background, with no body placement shown.
Cancer zodiac symbol design
Black tribal swirl tattoo on the back of a wrist, beside a thin multicoloured beaded bracelet.
Black tribal swirl tattoo on wrist
Black and grey back tattoo showing Snow White holding a poisoned apple, Alice with a pocket watch and Jack Skellington, with roses and music notes, beside a colour sleeve on the upper arm.
Disney-themed back piece with Snow White and Alice
Black tribal-style sea turtle tattoo with spiral patterns in its shell, placed on the ankle.
Tribal sea turtle on an ankle
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
Black tribal sleeve tattoo design drawn as two arm sleeves on a white background, with circular motifs near the top and bold banded patterns below.
Tribal sleeve design in black
Black tribal blackwork half sleeve with bold geometric bands covering the upper arm and shoulder of a person wearing a white vest.
Tribal half sleeve on upper arm
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
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 tribal dragon tattoo with spiky wings and a curled tail across the upper back and shoulder blade.
Tribal dragon on upper back
Black and grey tribal geometric tattoo across a shoulder and upper back, with linework that appears pale against dark skin.
Tribal patterned shoulder and upper back
Black ink tribal design of two swallows in flight, drawn in bold blackwork linework on a sketchbook page.
Tribal swallows in flight
Grey tribal-style wolf head design drawn in flowing lines on a dark textured background, shown as a standalone design with no body part visible.
Tribal wolf head design
Black ink drawing of a symmetrical owl with intricate knotwork and tribal linework on its face and body, with bright blue eyes, shown on a white background with no body part visible.
Symmetrical owl design with blue eyes
Black and grey blackwork tribal sleeve with swirls, dots and triangles covering the upper arm and shoulder of a person shown from the back in a sepia photograph.
Black tribal sleeve on upper arm and shoulder
Solid black tribal goat head design with curled horns and a diamond-shaped brow, shown in blackwork style on a white background.
Tribal goat head design
Black ink tribal design of a bull's head with long horns, drawn inside a circle on white paper, shown as a design rather than a tattoo on skin.
Tribal bull head inside a circle
Black and white flash design of a seated cat covered in swirling, tribal-style linework, with curled whiskers and a curled tail.
Seated cat with swirling tribal linework
Black ink tribal design of a wolf head howling upwards, drawn with bold solid shapes on a white background.
Tribal howling wolf design
Black tribal tattoo of a stylised animal with a curled head and flowing tail on the upper arm and shoulder.
Tribal animal tattoo on upper arm
Black tribal lion head tattoo with swirling ornamental lines running down the upper arm and shoulder.
Tribal lion tattoo on upper arm
Black tribal band design with spirals, chevrons and geometric motifs, shown flat on a white background, with no body placement visible.
Tribal band design in black ink
Three views of a solid black Polynesian-style tribal tattoo covering the shoulder and upper arm of a man's arm.
Polynesian tribal sleeve on shoulder and upper arm