Whimsical tattoo designs

Browse strange, playful tattoo drawings and blackwork concepts. Contact Whimsical Woes about a design, placement, or custom artwork.

A lonely little ghost curled inside a chipped teacup, its tail becoming the handle. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Tea for One

The kettle's gone quiet. Someone has decided to stay in the cup.

A crooked mailbox with a single ghost-shaped letter halfway out. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Night Mail

A letter for the house at the end of the road. No return address, naturally.

An antique telephone receiver dangling above a small startled ghost emerging from the earpiece. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Last Call

The phone only rings after everyone who might call has gone to bed.

A hot water bottle with a mournful face and a tiny patch. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Cold Comfort

A little company for the cold side of the pillow.

A curled doormat becoming a yawning little monster, two blunt fangs. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Unwelcome Mat

Come in, if you must. The house has opinions about visitors.

An old key whose bow is a drooping melancholy face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Skeleton Key

For the door you keep finding in dreams and forgetting by breakfast.

A padlock shaped like a sad heart with one large keyhole. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Heavy Heart

Some things are easier to carry when you give them a name.

A squat candle whose flame is a shy ghost. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Ghost Light

Someone left the light on. Someone else took that as an invitation.

An hourglass with one ghost slipping through the waist instead of sand. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Borrowed Time

An extra minute, stolen from a clock that wasn't paying attention.

A small vintage television showing a solemn face pressed against its rounded screen. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Bad Reception

The signal is terrible. The caller seems very far away.

An envelope opened to release one folded paper ghost. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Dead Letter

It took a while to arrive. The sender had a great deal of time.

A closed umbrella with a drooping ghost curled around its hooked handle. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Rain Check

Tomorrow will probably be brighter. Today's little cloud is staying put.

A tiny gothic house carried on the back of a patient snail. Black ink tattoo design on white.

House Guest

A guest who has never quite understood the checkout time.

A mournful face resting in a simple arched window, one hand beneath its chin. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Window Seat

The best seat in the house, especially when the house is asleep.

A single mushroom house with a shy face peeking from its doorway. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Tiny Tenant

The lease said one occupant. Nobody asked what kind.

A handbell with a small ghost as its hanging clapper. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Quiet Bell

Ring once for company. Twice if you change your mind.

A wristwatch with two simple skeletal fingers as its hands, no numbers. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Second Hand

Someone has been moving the minutes while your back is turned.

A coat pocket holding a small rain cloud with a tired face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Pocket Weather

A small forecast to carry with you: peculiar, with a chance of rain.

A broad-winged moth with two bold crescent cutouts and a mournful face on its thorax. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Moon Moth

The porch light was nice, but this moth has bigger plans.

A snail with a simple black spiral shell holding one large white star. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Star Snail

Getting to the stars will take a while. There is no particular hurry.

A seated black hare whose long ears curve around a small white moon. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Midnight Hare

A hare with places to be after the garden goes dark.

A tiny bat wrapped in its own wings like a sleeping bundle. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Bat Nap

Please keep the daylight down. Some of us worked all night.

A squat solemn frog cradling one blank crystal ball. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Frog Oracle

The pond has an answer. It may not be the one you wanted.

A crow balancing one oversized old key in its beak. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Crow Keeper

Something shiny for a bird who keeps very careful accounts.

A black fish with flowing white-cut fins and one large teardrop eye. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Mourning Fish

Something has been swimming through the darker part of the dream.

A hunched black cat carrying a tiny ghost gently by its sheet edge. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Little Familiar

Small enough to follow you home. Strange enough to make itself useful.

A small mouse asleep in the curve of a crescent moon. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Moon Mouse

A midnight errand, conducted very quietly along the skirting board.

A cheerful worm emerging from a blank fortune cookie. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Worm's Fortune

The future looks promising, provided nobody starts digging.

A black swan curling its neck into the shape of a question mark, without lettering. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Sullen Swan

A graceful creature having a thoroughly ungraceful day.

A small moth carrying an oversized fallen leaf like a cloak. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Last Leaf

Holding on a little longer than the season expected.

A hermit crab with a simple coffin-shaped shell. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Hermit Home

Home goes where this creature goes. The neighbors are optional.

A small beetle pushing a single round seed like a wheel. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Night Gardener

The garden gets most of its work done when you aren't looking.

A short stoppered bottle containing a single crescent with a sleepy face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Bottled Moon

Saved a little moonlight for a less cooperative night.

A small potted plant whose thick roots form two dangling feet. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Rootbound

The pot is getting small. Leaving is still a bigger problem.

A black pear with a long mournful white face inset into its skin. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Odd Pear

Something sweet grew a little strange on the branch.

An onion peeling off one outer layer like a ghost taking off a coat. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Little Onion

Several layers of feelings, none especially interested in being peeled.

A single five-petaled flower with a blank masklike face at its center. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Forget Me

For a small memory that refuses to stay misplaced.

A split seedpod cradling a sleeping tiny face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Sleeping Seed

There is a whole odd garden waiting inside this nap.

A teabag with a drooping ghost face, one simple string and blank tag. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Tea Leaves

The cup has gossip. Whether you believe it is another matter.

A rosebud whose outer petals form a hood around a melancholy face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Last Rose

One more bloom before the garden closes for the evening.

A single sprout growing through a simple old keyhole escutcheon. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Garden Gate

The garden is open. Getting back out may take a different path.

A striped sock standing upright as a puzzled little creature. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Missing Sock

The laundry keeps taking one. At last, an explanation.

A spool of black thread with a ghost-shaped white gap, one trailing broad thread. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Loose Thread

One little pull, and the whole afternoon might come undone.

A small rag doll with two large four-hole buttons and one simple stitched seam. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Button Eyes

Not much escapes a gaze that never needs to blink.

An empty plain rocking chair with a tiny ghost curled beneath its seat. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Reserved Seat

Someone is saving this spot. Nobody remembers for whom.

A small ghost tucking itself into a matchbox bed. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Bedtime

One last check under the bed, then everybody gets some rest.

A pin cushion shaped like a black heart with only three large pins. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Soft Spot

Even the strange ones have a tender place.

A closed book with a small ghost bookmark peeking above the pages. Black ink tattoo design on white.

One More Page

The book can wait until morning. Its smallest reader disagrees.

A scruffy black dust bunny with long ears sitting beside one oversized button. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Dust Bunny

It has been living under the furniture long enough to have a personality.

A hairbrush with a sad face and a few widely spaced bristles bent into curls. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Bad Hair Day

Some mornings begin with a disagreement in the mirror.

A coat pocket opening onto a tiny arched doorway. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Pocket Door

An exit for emergencies, daydreams, and awkward conversations.

A single glove with a little eye in its palm, fingers loosely curled. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Misplaced

It was here a minute ago. Perhaps it needed a walk.

A wind-up mouse toy with an oversized key and a weary face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Wound Up

Running on nerves and whatever is left in the spring.

A small bird nest holding one ghost instead of an egg. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Empty Nest

A quiet place after everyone has flown the wrong way home.

A simple oval hand mirror reflecting a moonlike melancholy face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Face Value

A perfectly ordinary expression. Best not to inspect it too closely.

A bust whose tall head unwinds into one broad ribbon. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Unraveling

Trying to hold a thought together by its last little thread.

A small face tucked into the opening of a large shell. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Inside Voice

Some thoughts would rather have a room of their own.

A little hooded figure carrying a plain oval mask at its side. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Borrowed Face

This expression is on loan. Please return it when you're finished.

A hooded little figure reading a blank open book by a tiny candle. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Night Reader

Reading by the sort of light that makes every ending uncertain.

A cloaked figure sitting on a single smooth pebble, head resting on knees. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Small Grief

A small place for a feeling that takes up more room than expected.

A sleepy face with the top of its head opening into one cloud. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Daydream

Briefly elsewhere. Leave a note if anything important happens.

A little hooded creature holding an oversized seashell to its ear. Black ink tattoo design on white.

The Listener

You can tell it the whole story. It isn't going anywhere.

A crescent moon hiding half its face behind a broad leaf. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Shy Moon

Not every moon wants to be looked at.

A very simple crooked chapel with a sleepy eye as its round window. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Quiet Chapel

A little shelter for the thoughts that won't settle anywhere else.

A short staircase rising into a freestanding arched black doorway. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Stairwell

Up is a suggestion in this building.

A small cottage whose roof is the hunched back of a sleeping creature. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Homebody

Some people carry a home inside them. This one takes that rather seriously.

A black arched window with a white crescent caught in its curtain. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Night Window

One window awake while the rest of the street dreams.

A tiny ghost stubbornly propping open one heavy door. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Doorstop

Holding the door for something that hasn't quite arrived.

A simple squat stone well with two white eyes in the black opening. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Wishing Well

Choose your wish carefully. The well is listening.

A miniature crooked lighthouse with a single white eye as its lantern. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Last Lighthouse

Still looking out for the stragglers after the shore has gone dark.

A little house sprouting one enormous drooping flower from its chimney. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Roof Garden

There is always room for one more unlikely place to grow.

A spiral seashell opening onto three broad steps. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Secret Stair

For the upstairs room nobody mentions on the tour.

A rabbit-shaped charm with a sad face and a large plain hanging loop. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Unlucky Charm

A charm with a rather selective understanding of good fortune.

A folded paper crescent suspended from one simple string. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Paper Moon

Small enough to fold. Big enough to change the evening.

A black balloon with a white masklike face, tied to a small stone. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Black Balloon

A party favor from a celebration nobody quite remembers.

Two burnt matches leaning their heads together like tired companions. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Matchmaker

A very small arrangement between darkness and a little fire.

A bitten biscuit with a startled little ghost face in its remaining center. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Last Bite

Someone saved the best part. Someone else noticed.

A flint lighter opening to reveal a small sleeping ghost instead of flame. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Quiet Spark

Not a grand revelation. Just enough light to find the next step.

A squat cactus trying to hug a tiny ghost, just six widely spaced thick spines. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Cactus

Affection is welcome. Hugs require a little planning.

A startled little ghost flattened against the palm of an oversized playful hand, simple impact marks. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Smack

A tiny collision with an unexpectedly large opinion.

A squat bashful ogre with two blunt tusks holding a tiny daisy. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Ogre

Looks intimidating. Probably needs a snack and a quiet afternoon.

A wide-eyed candle character melting into a puddle while its ghost flame looks alarmed. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Panic

Everything is fine, apart from every available piece of evidence.

A black boot releasing one curling ghost-shaped odor wisp with a pinched face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Stinky

A little creature making a strong impression from across the room.

A solemn ram head with two large simple curling black horns and a white moonlike face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Ram

Stubbornness, given a very convincing pair of horns.

A little hooded oracle looking into a crystal ball containing one large eye. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Mystical

The answer is somewhere between a dream and the bottom of the cup.

A ghost reaching out from a simple lifebuoy toward a smaller ghost, clear uncluttered silhouettes. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Rescue

Everybody deserves a hand, even the things that haunt the furniture.

A little cloaked figure tossing its own round ghost head upward, one curved motion mark. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Toss

A small risk, currently suspended in the air.

A small worried ghost holding a folded paper umbrella with one bent corner. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Flimsy

Built on hope and not a tremendous amount of structural confidence.

An elegant melancholy lady bust with a tall moth-shaped black bonnet and simple white face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Lady

An entrance worth waiting for, even after midnight.

A small ghost raising both arms, wearing a crooked party hat, three large confetti shapes. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Hooray

A celebration small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

A long-legged little masked creature sitting with its knees awkwardly above its head. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Gangly

Too much limb, too little idea where to put any of it.

A simple hand-cranked box machine dispensing one tiny ghost, one large gear only. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Contraption

It definitely does something. Its inventor remains optimistic.

A round sorrowful bird wearing two small folded paper wings. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Flightless

The sky can keep its appointments. There are things to do down here.

A ghost peering at its own upside-down face in a hand mirror. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Confused

The instructions seemed perfectly clear until they were read.

A lanky little ghost reclining in a simple crescent-shaped chair. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Lounge

The haunting can wait. This is a very good place to sit.

A tiny black-cloaked hero holding a spoon like a sword, one boot on a pebble. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Hero

A brave little gesture in a world considerably bigger than its maker.

A handheld lantern containing a watchful white eye and two broad light wedges. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Beacon

For whatever is still trying to find its way home.

A slender masked ghost in a bow tie carrying a cane beneath a floating top hat. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Dapper

Dressed for an occasion that may or may not exist.

An oven mitt holding a loaf of bread with a sleepy ghost face scored into its crust. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Bake

Something warm from a kitchen with a few unusual regulars.

A porcelain-style oval melancholy mask split into two clearly separated halves, one broad crack. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Fracture

Still here, even with a line through the middle.

A zipper opening in a black oval pouch to reveal a shy white ghost. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Zip

A small escape, carried out with considerable urgency.

A puzzled little ghost trying to water a paper flower, playful self-contained visual joke. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Dumb

Good intentions. Questionable method. A very sincere effort.

A small two-handled trophy cup holding a tired ghost instead of a prize. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Trophy

First place in making it through the day.

A little walrus with two bold long white tusks curled around a tiny black heart. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Tusk

A tender little heart with substantial protection.

A black cookie with a bite missing and three large ghost-shaped white chips. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Cookie

Somebody got here first. They left the interesting part.

A tiny ghost flexing two comically large rounded arms with a deadpan face. Black ink tattoo design on white.

Flex

An impressive show of strength from somebody mostly made of sheet.