The simplicity of this trio of wavy lines looks great tattooed on the subject’s inside forearm. It works best in isolation, allowing the waves to flow effectively on the horizontal. The temptation could be to tattoo the areas around it at a later date, but that could be a mistake of scale and space.

In elemental symbolism the triangle point down represents water, which makes it the perfect border pattern for the large, single needle crashing wave. Like the bold thickness of the triangle, which contrasts well with the elegant single line needle application within. Having the wave flow up and out of the triangle’s top side is also an effective style choice.

Usually with a small back tattoo of this type the recommendation would be to contain the wave within a border shape. But, the subject hasn’t got other body art in the area to compete with the beautifully crafted wave, so to a degree that point is moot. It’s well placed in the center, using smartly placed clean lines at different junctures to give it a sense of style and grace. Should the subject wish to utilize more ink on his back there are options to either incorporate it or seal it off. Nice work!

Killer calf tattoo going abstract with the wave idea. The artist has done a beautiful job creating a barrel type effect by priming a large space of circular negative space. The highlight of this piece is it’s textured black shadow approach that shapes the art to look like a combination watercolor and calligraphy style tattoo.

The diamond looks great in this landscape tattoo, primarily because it’s not defined. The artist has shown a great eye being able to incorporate a range of line and dot work patterns to extend to this non-existent barrier. The efficient use of simple double dots brings out the clarity in the surrounding line work that makes up the waves.