Wave tattoo ideas

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

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Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of a koi fish on the upper arm and a dragon with flowers and waves across the shoulder and chest.
Black and grey koi and dragon shoulder piece
Colour sleeve tattoo on an upper arm and forearm showing a cat, dolphins, hearts and a star, worn beside a pastel rainbow dress.
Colourful cat and dolphin sleeve tattoo
Upper arm sleeve tattoo in black and grey shading with a ship wheel, waves and a banner reading of the Sea, with pink flowers and a compass star.
Ship wheel sleeve with banner and flowers
Japanese style koi fish with orange flowers and waves covering the upper arm and shoulder, shown in two side-by-side photos.
Koi fish and flowers on upper arm and shoulder
Back view of a man with a large flowing wave tattoo in black outline and orange and brown fills covering the shoulder and upper arm.
Flowing wave tattoo across back and upper arm
Black and grey engraved-style tattoo of mountains framed by curling waves and rays of light, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Waves and mountains on an upper arm
Black and grey neo-traditional tattoo of a woman's face framed by swirling hair and pearl strands, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Woman portrait with pearls on upper arm sleeve
Colour tattoo of purple and red chrysanthemums with green leaves and grey shading across an upper arm and shoulder, with a real butterfly resting on the flowers.
Purple chrysanthemum tattoo on upper arm
Black and grey realism tattoo of a lighthouse in a stormy sea on the chest, with a sailing ship on the upper arm and shoulder.
Lighthouse in a storm on chest and ship on arm
Black fine line tattoo of wavy parallel lines running from the shoulder down the upper arm, shown on a woman in a black bandeau top.
Wavy parallel lines across shoulder and upper arm
Black and grey fine-line geometric wave tattoo running from the upper back over the shoulder and down the outstretched upper arm.
Wave linework across back and arm
Black and grey realism sleeve tattoo on an upper arm showing a pocket watch, a sailing ship in rough sea with a tentacle, and a dotwork mandala.
Pocket watch, ship and mandala sleeve
Black and grey realism tattoo of a galleon under full sail above breaking waves, across a man's upper arm and shoulder.
Galleon and stormy waves on upper arm
Colour Japanese koi fish tattoo with white wave swirls and a white lotus bloom, wrapping the shoulder and upper arm.
Koi fish and lotus on upper arm
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 traditional tattoo of a sailing ship, rose, ship's wheel and anchor across an upper arm and shoulder.
Sailing ship, rose and anchor on upper arm
Black and grey realism tattoo of storm clouds and a rolling wave across a man's shoulder and upper arm.
Clouds and wave on a shoulder
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder showing a whale tail above a man in profile with a moustache, with a bearded man in the waves.
Whale tail and face in the sea on upper arm
Back view of a woman on a beach showing a small black fine line wave tattoo on her left shoulder.
Small wave tattoo on a shoulder
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 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 a bearded sea god with a trident and a blue horse among turquoise waves, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Sea god and blue horse on upper arm
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
Colour tattoo of a sunset beach with palm trees, breaking waves and surfboards, with pink hibiscus flowers, covering an upper arm and shoulder.
Sunset beach scene and hibiscus 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
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
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
Colourful peace symbol tattoo on a shoulder, with sun faces, stars, clouds, flowers, a globe and a butterfly in a bold illustrative style.
Peace symbol with sun and nature panels on shoulder
Black and grey blackwork tribal flame tattoo with a thin-line infinity loop and curled ends, placed on a shoulder.
Tribal flame and infinity swirl on shoulder
Black and grey circular tattoo of a crescent moon, stars, waves and a whale tail in fine line and dotwork on the upper back near the shoulder.
Moon, waves and whale tail in a circle on a shoulder
Colourful neo-traditional tattoo of a breaking wave with an orange sun inside the curl, set against a sunset sky, on a man's upper arm and shoulder.
Colourful breaking wave and sunset on shoulder
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
Black and grey realism tattoo of a sailing ship in a storm with lightning and a compass on a man's upper arm and shoulder.
Sailing ship in a storm with compass on upper arm
Black tribal spiral and wave design tattoo wrapping around the upper arm and shoulder, in a blackwork style.
Tribal armband tattoo on upper arm
Black and grey Polynesian-style tribal tattoo with plumeria flowers across a shoulder and upper arm.
Polynesian tribal shoulder and upper arm
Side-by-side photos of a Japanese-style swirling cloud tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder, the left before treatment and the right after, with the colour noticeably faded.
Japanese swirl sleeve before and after laser fading
Small black fine line wave tattoo on a woman's shoulder, with a turquoise pendant necklace and a white crochet bikini top visible.
Small wave tattoo on a shoulder
Full arm sleeve tattoo in dotwork and geometric patterns, with black and grey shading on the shoulder and upper arm fading to red and orange dots on the forearm.
Geometric dotwork sleeve with a pale sun
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a rising sun over teal waves and pine trees, with grey clouds on the shoulder, shown on an upper arm from three angles.
Sun, waves and clouds on an upper arm
Black and grey dotwork skull tattoo on a shoulder, with a scalloped crown filled with raindrop dots and wave lines.
Skull with raindrops on the shoulder
Black and grey sleeve tattoo of a ship's wheel, waves, clouds and script reading 'of the Sea', with pink flowers, on an upper arm and shoulder.
Ship's wheel and sea sleeve on an upper arm
Black and grey Japanese-style wave tattoo covering the upper arm and shoulder, with swirling curls and shaded crests.
Black and grey wave sleeve on upper arm
Black and grey dotwork fish tattoo spanning the upper chest and shoulder, with fine geometric lines and wave-like fronds beside it.
Dotwork fish tattoo on chest and shoulder
Full Japanese-style sleeves on both arms and a chest piece, with pink and yellow koi, cherry blossoms and black-grey waves, shown on a shirtless torso.
Japanese koi and blossom full sleeves
Black and grey realism tattoo of a surfer riding a curling wave above hibiscus flowers on the upper arm and shoulder.
Surfer riding a wave with hibiscus flowers
Black and grey Japanese style koi fish, flowers, clouds and waves covering a full sleeve from shoulder to forearm, shown from two angles.
Koi and waves full sleeve
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