Wave tattoo ideas

1,081 photos and flash · 24% Japanese, 20% Fine line · Forearm most common

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Full back tattoo of an ornate colourful skull surrounded by clouds, beads and red peony flowers, in a neo-traditional style on a bare back.
Ornate colourful skull full back piece
Pencil sketch of a geisha with cherry blossom, clouds and a koi fish in Japanese style, drawn on pink paper as a tattoo design.
Geisha with koi and cherry blossom sketch
Five views of a colourful full sleeve tattoo in neo-traditional and Japanese-inspired style, showing birds, swirling clouds and rays across the upper arm and forearm.
Colourful bird and cloud full sleeve
Black and grey Japanese-style tattoo of a wolf with swirling clouds on the upper arm and shoulder, shown from two angles.
Wolf and swirling clouds on upper arm
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of an oni mask with lotus flowers, waves and chrysanthemums covering the shoulder and upper arm.
Oni mask and lotus flowers on a shoulder and arm
Black and grey tattoo on an upper arm showing a tentacled creature head beneath a full moon and stars, with swirling waves below.
Tentacled creature, moon and waves on upper arm
Japanese style tattoo of a black and grey koi with a pink lotus, cherry blossoms and waves, on the side of the thigh.
Koi and lotus with waves on the thigh
Coloured Japanese-style design of a samurai warrior in armour holding a drawn sword, surrounded by yellow lightning bolts, clouds and black waves.
Samurai warrior with lightning and waves
Japanese style full sleeve tattoo on an arm showing a koi fish, rolling waves, lotus flowers and a skull, shown from three angles.
Koi, waves and lotus full sleeve
Blue ink drawing of two koi fish circling in a yin and yang arrangement, surrounded by stylised water swirls, in a Japanese style.
Two koi fish in a yin and yang circle
Colour tattoo of stylised blue and teal waves with black outlines and a curled crest, on the thigh, in a Japanese-influenced style.
Stylised blue waves on a thigh
Full colour sleeve tattoo in a Japanese and traditional style on a raised arm, showing a rose, clouds, a wave and a script banner on the forearm and upper arm.
Colour sleeve with clouds and script banner
Full back Japanese style tattoo of samurai warriors, flames, clouds and birds, with blue waves across the lower back.
Japanese back piece with samurai and flames
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a maneki-neko lucky cat holding a gold coin, with koi fish and clouds, on the upper arm.
Maneki-neko lucky cat on upper arm
Blue Japanese-inspired wave tattoo with a handwritten quote on the inner forearm, reading You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
Blue wave and quote on a forearm
Black and grey Japanese dragon full sleeve tattoo with scales, waves and clouds, covering the shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
Japanese dragon full sleeve
Black and grey dotwork and linework tattoo of a stylised Great Wave off Kanagawa inside a circle, with small circles and Mount Fuji, on a forearm.
Great Wave tattoo in a circle on a forearm
Colour Japanese-style sleeve tattoo on an upper arm, with black and grey waves, green leaves and pink flowers.
Japanese sleeve with waves and blossoms
Full-colour Japanese style flash design of a green spotted lion dog beside a pink peony, set among black and grey waves and swirling clouds.
Peony and lion dog back piece design
Three views of a full arm sleeve tattoo in Japanese style, showing a man rowing a boat on blue waves and a red octopus with suckers on the upper arm and forearm.
Full sleeve of a boatman, waves and red octopus
Black line drawing of a koi fish with flowing fins and curling waves, shown as a Japanese style tattoo design on a white background.
Koi fish with swirling water design
Full body Japanese-style tattoo with green and orange dragons, koi and goldfish over black wave-patterned ground across the chest, arms and thighs.
Full body Japanese irezumi with dragons and koi
Japanese style red and orange koi fish tattoo with black swirling waves and white highlights, shown from two angles on a limb.
Red koi fish with black waves
Black and grey Japanese-style wave sleeve tattoo covering the shoulder and upper arm of a shirtless man, with swirling water and wind motifs.
Black and grey wave sleeve on a shoulder and upper arm
Colour tattoo of two purple and teal koi fish swimming through stylised blue waves, in Japanese style, on a forearm, shown twice side by side.
Purple and teal koi fish on forearm
Full back tattoo in Japanese style showing a geisha holding fans, cherry blossoms, butterflies and wind lines in colour across the back.
Full back Japanese piece with geisha and butterflies
Black and grey Japanese style back tattoo of a geisha with chrysanthemums and wave patterns, covering most of the upper back.
Geisha and waves across a back
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a red koi fish with a pink lotus flower and turquoise waves on the upper back.
Koi fish and lotus on the upper back
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a koi fish leaping through black and grey waves with pink cherry blossoms, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi and cherry blossoms on upper arm
A full colour Japanese style sleeve tattoo of a red koi fish, cherry blossoms and waves on a woman's upper arm and forearm.
Koi and cherry blossom sleeve on an arm
Black and grey tattoo of curling waves, swirling clouds and a stippled sun with rays, on the upper arm, in a linework style.
Waves and rising sun on an upper arm
Black and grey photograph of a raised arm with a Japanese style sleeve on the upper arm, showing clouds, swirling waves, wings and script lettering.
Japanese style arm sleeve with wings and script
Black and grey Japanese style sleeve tattoo with a koi fish on the upper arm and shoulder and wave-like linework on the forearm.
Koi and wave sleeve on a arm
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a red koi fish, yellow and blue flower and grey waves covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi fish and flower on an upper arm and shoulder
Person seen from behind with a full blackwork tattoo covering the back, buttocks and legs, featuring a lattice spine panel, swirling motifs and hexagon patterns.
Full back and legs blackwork tattoo
Full back tattoo of a red koi fish swimming among pink cherry blossoms and water swirls in Japanese style, across the upper and middle back.
Koi fish and cherry blossom on a back
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a dragon and an eye with wave and cloud details on a lower leg, above black trainers with a floral swoosh.
Japanese dragon and eye tattoo on a calf
Three views of a colour Japanese-style half sleeve on the upper arm and shoulder, with teal waves, red blossoms and dark shaded rays.
Japanese waves and blossom half sleeve
A tattooist in blue gloves uses a machine to work on a colourful Japanese-style koi fish and wave tattoo on a forearm.
Koi fish tattoo being inked on an arm
Black and grey Buddha face with pink blossoms, a pagoda and a coloured lotus across an upper arm, in a Japanese style sleeve.
Buddha face, pagoda and lotus upper arm sleeve
Colour tattoo of a stylised wave curling inside a circle, in blues, teal and green with black outlines, on the inner forearm.
Stylised wave in a circle on a forearm
Black line drawing of a Japanese-style koi fish swimming among lotus flowers and swirling waves, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement.
Koi fish with lotus flowers and waves
Black linework flash drawing of a Japanese-style dragon coiling among peony, cherry blossom, wave and cloud motifs, with no body placement shown.
Japanese dragon with peonies and cherry blossoms
Japanese style flash drawing of a black and grey snake coiled around two blue peonies, with a small skull in grass at lower left.
Snake and peony flash design
Overhead view of a seated person with hands on their knees, showing a Japanese-style red flower tattoo on one forearm and a black and grey cloud design on the other.
Japanese-style forearm tattoos seen from above
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of an orange koi carp, purple lotus flowers and grey waves across a person's back.
Koi and lotus on a back
Blue and black tattoo of Hokusai's Great Wave inside a golden ratio spiral grid, on the inner forearm.
Great Wave with golden ratio grid on forearm
Black and grey dolphin tattoo with splashing waves on the outer thigh, in a Japanese-inspired style.
Dolphin and waves on the thigh