Tom Grennan’s tattoos range from a large chest flower and the name Dorothy to small hand marks, neck script and pieces he says he chose on the day. Their stories reach from his music and family to friends and spur-of-the-moment decisions. One fresh forearm tattoo even left him worrying about infection after a birthday festival.
The fresh forearm tattoo
During an interview about his debut album, Grennan kept looking at a new tattoo on his left forearm. It was red and sore, and he wondered whether it might be infected. The black-and-red piece still had the look of work just finished.
The forearm is easy to show onstage or in a short sleeve, and easy enough to cover when he wants. His collection also shows that a visible piece doesn’t have to fill the whole area: a clear patch of dark ink or a small accent can stand on its own.
The Dorothy chest tattoo
The flower on Grennan’s upper chest sits beside the handwritten name Dorothy. Bold lines and dark leaves give the flower weight; the softer lettering looks more like a note. Smaller pieces sit below them, including a winged figure and a boxed Evering Road E5, a reference to his second album.
The name has space around it instead of being folded into the flower. Together, the larger image and smaller text make a chest composition without forcing every piece into the same style.
The arm collection: flowers, figures and small black marks
Grennan’s arms mix flowers, figures, lettering, dark shapes and quick-looking outlines. Small designs on his hands and fingers show when he raises his arms or turns his palms toward a camera. One hand tattoo also points to his father’s Irish family roots.
The collection grew in different sizes and styles rather than as one planned sleeve. Grennan wears it in motion, reaching for a microphone or guitar and lifting his arms while performing. Some lines look deliberately loose, which gives the mix a less formal feel without making the pieces look unfinished.
The shoulder wing and cross-body ink
A wing-like piece crosses Grennan’s shoulder and upper chest. Dense shading and a broad dark shape give it more weight than the fine lines on his forearms. When his arm is down, it looks compact; as he moves, the design stretches across the upper body.
The darker piece gives the eye a place to land among the smaller tattoos. If you want a collection that grows over time, one larger design can anchor the area while leaving open skin for later work.
The neck script and the little tattoos that finish the look
Fine script runs in short lines up the side of Grennan’s neck. It reads more like a private sentence than a slogan, and the placement makes it hard to hide completely. Lower down, hand and finger marks fill smaller spaces. He has also described the #1MORE tattoo on his leg as the result of a group decision with friends.
Those pieces don’t all need the same explanation. Some connect to music or family; others mark a joke or a day with friends. That mix is what gives the collection its lived-in look.
If you’re planning your own, take time with the parts that matter to you and let the rest develop gradually. A collection doesn’t have to look finished in one sitting.