Wave tattoo ideas

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

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Navy engraved-style drawing of a curling wave with foam and a dark speckled circle on a beige background, a flash design with no body placement shown.
Curling wave with splatter circle
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a sailing ship on rolling waves with a dotted anchor hanging below, on the inner forearm.
Sailing ship and anchor on a forearm
Black fine line tattoo of a sailing ship on rolling waves with a dotted line descending to a small anchor, placed on the inner forearm.
Sailing ship and anchor on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a bearded sea god holding a trident, with waves and a sea serpent, on the forearm.
Sea god with trident and serpent on forearm
Small black and grey tattoo of a three-masted sailing ship above waves, with stippled shading, on the back of a hand.
Sailing ship on the back of a hand
Black and white flash design of a bearded figure framed by two surfboards, anchors, waves and dotwork bands, with no body placement shown.
Symmetrical surfboard figure flash
Black and grey dotwork design of a teacup with rolling waves, a sailing ship, a storm cloud with lightning and rain, and flowers on the cup and saucer.
Storm in a teacup with a sailing ship
Black ink tattoo on the side of the body showing a crescent moon with clouds, sun rays and a wave, in fine line and stippled dotwork.
Moon, sun and wave on the side
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on a calf showing a circular night scene with a moon, a flying figure, clouds, mountains and a sailing ship on water.
Night sky landscape with ship on a calf
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a palm tree on a small stippled island, placed on the side of the ribs.
Palm tree on a small island on the ribs
Black and grey circular tattoo of a curling wave with dotwork shading, on a forearm.
Hokusai-style wave in a circle on a forearm
Fine line black and grey geometric tattoo of a curling wave, mountain peaks and overlapping circles on a forearm.
Wave and mountains geometric forearm tattoo
Colour tattoo of three stacked arrowheads over a dotted circle with orange watercolour washes and teal wave lines, on the outer thigh.
Three arrowheads over a watercolour circle
Fine line and dotwork tattoo of a moon with stars, small clouds and wavy sea lines on the upper arm.
Moon, clouds and waves on upper arm
Black and grey lighthouse tattoo within a leaf and flower wreath on the thigh, in a traditional engraved style with dotwork water.
Lighthouse in a floral wreath on a thigh
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a whale, paper boats and a moon inside a circle on the inner forearm.
Whale and paper boats in a circle on forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a breaking wave inside a circle on the inner wrist, shown in a close photograph.
Breaking wave in a circle on the wrist
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 blackwork tattoo of a lighthouse under a starry night sky, enclosed in a teardrop shape on the forearm.
Lighthouse in a teardrop on a forearm
Traditional flash design of a paper boat on stippled waves beneath a red lightning bolt and clouds, framed by a rope border with a red flower at the base.
Paper boat and lightning in a rope oval
Black and grey geometric dotwork tattoos on two forearms, showing a sun over mountains and pine trees in one triangle and a moon, clouds and waves in the other.
Matching sun, mountain, moon and wave triangles
Black ink tattoo of four palm trees above a dotted sand band with wave lines, wrapping around the inner forearm.
Palm trees and beach band on forearm
Black and grey blackwork tattoo on an upper arm showing a sailing ship, a hot air balloon with a Take Me Home banner, and stylised waves, shown in two side-by-side photographs.
Sailing ship, hot air balloon and waves on upper arm
Black and grey geometric forearm tattoo in dotwork style, with a shaded triangle containing a swirling wave above linked triangles, squares and circles.
Geometric triangles and circles on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a curling wave inside an inverted triangle on the outer thigh, shown beside black shorts.
Wave inside an inverted triangle on a thigh
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a sun over clouds and waves in a circle on the forearm, with the scene mirrored below a horizontal split.
Sun, clouds and waves in a circle on a forearm
Black and teal hot air balloon tattoo with mandala patterns, stars and a crescent moon on the upper arm, in a dotwork and geometric style.
Hot air balloon mandala 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
Fine line black ink tattoo of a curling wave inside a circle on the forearm, shown against a pale arm and dark sleeve.
Wave in a circle on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork sleeve tattoo on a forearm showing a sailing ship, a diver in a brass helmet, a submarine, fish and an octopus.
Nautical sleeve with diver and sailing ship
Black and grey dotwork and fine line tattoo of a curling wave and feathers running along the outer forearm.
Wave and feather on a forearm
Small black fine line tattoo of a mountain inside a circle with dotwork shading, on the outer forearm of a woman wearing a patterned shirt and woven bracelets.
Mountain in a circle on a forearm
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
Two black and grey dotwork tattoos inside circular outlines on the legs, showing a mountain range on the left and a curling wave on the right.
Mountain and wave tattoos in circle frames
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
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on a calf showing a storm cloud with lightning, a wave and a sailing ship rising out of a floral teacup.
Storm cloud and ship in a teacup on a calf
Black ink line drawing of a sun with dotwork and rays above geometric mountains and wavy sea lines, all enclosed in a triangle, shown as a tattoo design on white paper.
Sun, mountains and waves in a triangle
Black ink drawing of a lighthouse inside a circular compass rose, with dotwork and patterned panels, sketched as a tattoo design.
Lighthouse inside a compass rose design
Small fine-line black tattoo of a curling wave inside a circle on a pale forearm, with a dark sleeve at the left edge.
Wave inside a circle on a forearm
Black ink flash sheet of six alien-themed designs, including a UFO over pine trees, a banner reading Scully and Aliens, and a Believe diamond.
Six UFO and alien flash designs on paper
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 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
Black and grey dotwork and linework tattoo of a whale tail among curling waves inside a circle, placed on a woman's upper back.
Whale tail in circular waves on upper back
Black and grey fine line tattoo on a forearm showing a wave inside a circle, with triangles, arrows and dotted geometric lines.
Wave in a circle with arrows on a forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a cat in a striped jumper fishing from a rowboat under a dotted crescent moon, on the upper back.
Cat fishing from a rowboat on the upper back
Black and grey full arm sleeve with chrysanthemums, flower of life geometry and dotwork, with red script on the forearm, shown on both arms.
Full sleeve with chrysanthemums and sacred geometry
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 dotwork tattoo of peonies and a mandala across a woman's forearm, with a partly visible second tattoo at the lower right.
Floral mandala forearm tattoo