Water tattoo ideas

300 photos and flash · 22% Japanese, 20% Realism · Forearm most common

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Colour tattoo of stylised teal and blue ocean waves with white foam crests and black outlines, on the forearm.
Stylised ocean waves on a forearm
Fine line black and grey tattoo of a curling wave inside a circle, placed on the inner forearm.
Small circular wave on a forearm
Colour tattoo of a leaping dolphin above stylised waves on a person's lower abdomen, above low-rise blue jeans.
Dolphin and waves on the lower abdomen
Black and grey realism tattoo of two palm trees above a setting sun over water, on the side of the ribs.
Palm trees and sunset on the ribs
Small coloured dragonfly tattoo with green body and teal wings, perched above a teal water splash on bare skin.
Dragonfly over water splash
Black tattoo of snow-capped mountains under a crescent moon and stars, with horizontal water lines beneath, shaded with dotwork on the forearm.
Mountains, crescent moon and stars on a forearm
Black line drawing of two flowing betta fish with long trailing fins and rising bubbles, shown as a tattoo flash design.
Two flowing betta fish with bubbles
Black and grey traditional tattoo on a thigh showing mountains, pine trees, a rising sun with rays, two roses and the script Let's be Adventurous.
Mountain lake scene with script on thigh
Sketch-style tattoo of three goldfish with black linework and orange wash, placed on the side of the torso over the ribs.
Three goldfish sketch on the side of the torso
Black line drawing of four triangle symbols in a row, each with a handwritten label, showing an upward triangle, a downward triangle, an upward triangle with one bar and a downward triangle with two
Four element triangles with handwritten labels
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of blue waves running down a bare back, with pink and orange lotus flowers at the lower back.
Blue waves and lotus flowers across a back
Colour tattoo of pink lotus flowers and a blue bird on the abdomen, shown beside a close-up of a surgical scar with sutures.
Lotus and bird tattoo over abdominal scar
Black tribal-style cat leaping from a shaded purple lotus towards a small blue butterfly, tattooed on skin.
Tribal cat leaping from a lotus
Two colour flash designs on a white background: a blue water and red flame yin-yang, and a sun and moon face in blue and gold, in a traditional style.
Yin-yang fire and water with sun and moon face
Small fine line tattoo of a sailboat above a wavy sea line, placed on the upper chest near the collarbone.
Sailboat on the upper chest
Watercolour-style blue wave tattoo with green and purple splashes wrapping around a forearm, shown in two photos.
Watercolour-style wave on forearm
Painted flash design of three stylised wolves, one made of blue water, one of orange flame and one of green leaves, on white paper beside markers.
Three elemental wolves in water, fire and leaves
Small dark geometric tattoo on the outer forearm of a woman whose face is hidden behind a camera, with silver rings and bracelets on her wrists.
Woman with camera and small forearm tattoo
Black and grey botanical tattoo of a rose with leaves on the back of a hand, held under clear turquoise water.
Rose tattoo on the back of a hand
Colour Japanese style half sleeve tattoo of red koi fish and pink cherry blossoms over a grey swirl, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi and cherry blossom half sleeve
Colour tattoo of a trout above waves with the script words Gone Fishin' in Heaven, placed on the left ribs.
Gone Fishin' in Heaven on a rib
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a green and blue fish tail curling through black-outlined waves on skin.
Green and blue fish tail with waves
Teal and black Japanese-style wave tattoo on the inner wrist, shown from three angles in a collage with a small grey tattoo on another wrist.
Teal wave tattoo on a wrist
Colour tattoo on a forearm of a cartoon child in a red top reading a book, with green ferns and a blue and grey wave beneath.
Child reading on a wave with ferns
Black and grey Japanese-style wave tattoo covering the upper arm, with pale skin showing through the wave crests.
Japanese waves on an arm
Colour tattoo of a moonlit castle on a hill above rippling blue water, with a full moon, stars and a dark silhouette at the top, across the upper arm and shoulder in a bold neo-traditional style.
Moonlit castle night scene on upper arm
Colour tattoo of a black mermaid silhouette swimming through teal and pink bubbles, with two small fish silhouettes, on the side of the ribs.
Mermaid silhouette with teal bubbles on ribs
Colour realism tattoo of a great white shark breaching above waves and a second shark with open jaws beneath the surface, on the calf.
Great white sharks on a calf
Colour traditional-style tattoo of the state of Texas on a calf, showing a red sunset, mountains, water and a red and teal tent.
Texas outline with sunset and tent on a calf
Close-up photo of a black tribal-style turtle tattoo with two blue wavy lines across its centre, on skin.
Tribal turtle with blue waves
Colour tattoo of a swimming sea turtle with orange plumeria flowers and blue waves, in a Neo-trad style on the upper back.
Sea turtle and plumeria in blue waves
Black typewriter-style lettering reading "Nothing gold can stay" on a forearm seen underwater, with light patterns rippling across the skin.
Quote lettering on an underwater forearm
Black line design of the word Love arranged inside a heart outline, with a small heart and a Song of Solomon 8:7 quotation in mixed lettering styles.
Heart-shaped lettering reading Love
Coloured pencil tattoo design of a mermaid wearing a rose crown, drawn in a neo-traditional style with no body part shown.
Mermaid with rose crown and ship design
Fine black dotwork tattoo of a small sailboat with a stippled reflection below it, placed centrally on a person's upper back.
Small sailboat with dotted reflection on upper back
Two side-by-side photos of colour forearm tattoos of Pokémon characters, Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur, with leaves, water and a Poké Ball.
Pokémon characters across two forearm tattoos
Realistic colour tattoo of a pale water lily with green lily pads and an orange koi on a person's upper back.
Water lily and koi on upper back
Neo-traditional colour tattoo of a brown cartoon bison-like creature with teal flowers and four element symbols on a forearm.
Cartoon bison and flowers on a forearm
Black line drawing of two koi fish swimming in a circle among sakura blossoms and water ripples, a Japanese-style tattoo design with no body placement shown.
Two koi fish with sakura flowers
Side-by-side photos of a botanical swirl tree tattoo in black ink above blue wave shading on an upper arm.
Swirling tree and blue waves on an arm
Traditional colour tattoo of an anchor wrapped in rope, with a red rose, green waves and black droplets, on a forearm.
Anchor and rose on a forearm
Blue wave tattoo inside a black-outlined inverted triangle on a forearm, with light blue shading behind the wave.
Blue wave inside a triangle on a forearm
Black ink dreamcatcher tattoo with a mandala centre across the upper back of a woman standing in water, with a partial design on her shoulder.
Dreamcatcher tattoo on upper back
Back view of a woman with a long blonde braid and a white crochet top, showing a small black script tattoo between her shoulder blades.
Small script tattoo on upper back
Colour realism tattoo of a mermaid with teal hair, pearls, an orange starfish and seashells across an upper arm.
Mermaid portrait with starfish on upper arm
Black line tattoo of four elemental symbols stacked down the outside of a lower leg, showing water, earth, fire and air.
Four element symbols down a calf
Black and grey Japanese style koi fish tattoo with wave linework on a person's upper back and shoulder blade.
Koi fish and waves on upper back
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo design of a koi fish swimming among stylised waves, lotus flowers and maple leaves.
Koi fish with lotus flowers and waves