For ink addicts who also happen to be hooked on throwing mean strikes, bowling tattoos can be a perfect fit. From pins to balls to shoes, there are so many creative ways to express a love of all things bowling with a new tattoo.

Because there are so many possibilities in terms of composition and exact subject matter, bowling tattoos can be done in virtually any style.

Feel free to choose anything from bold outlines and traditional color, to smooth black and gray, to bright, eye-popping new school. This is one of those cases where the artist and client have total control in combining elements, choosing colors and settling on a style.

A bowling scene featuring a standard pin set up with a standard bowling ball in the foreground might be the perfect scene for one person, while for others, nothing short of a skull-shaped ball heading toward flaming pins with screaming faces will do.

One point to consider with bowling tattoos is the subject matter of the background or filler. It might follow the bowling theme, or it could be any other image the client wants incorporated, such as flames, beer steins, roses, shamrocks, stars, or a number of other ideas, so long as it can be worked in to the piece in a way that flows visually and makes some level of sense.