Flower Tattoo Ideas

Popular Flower Tattoo Styles to Signify New Beginnings, Spiritual Growth and More

Flower tattoos are considered some of the most timeless and versatile tattoo designs in the ink world. You can create them very simple, or they can be highly detailed, stylized and realistic. No matter what style of tattoo and whether you choose subtle or vibrant colors for your tattoos, these tattoos can carry deep and symbolic meaning.

As with any tattoo, the style you choose can depend on your artistic preference, as well as the emotion that you wish to express. Here are some common examples of floral tattoos.

• Realism Tattoos: These are very lifelike flowers and appear to be very vibrant in color. You can also opt for gray and black if you want a classic look.
• Minimalist Tattoos: These are much simpler flower tattoos, yet they can still be extremely elegant and delicate. If you’re looking to make a subtle statement of personal significance, this might be a good style to choose.
• Watercolor Tattoos: These tattoos are much softer and can mimic the strokes of actual paintbrushes. Many people who get this type of floral tattoo will use pastel tones to make it more delicate.
• Traditional or Neo-Traditional Tattoos: If you’re looking for a design that pops, you can opt for different shading techniques, bold outlines and bright, vibrant colors — all of which could make your flower tattoo look vintage, too.
• Blackwork and Dotwork Tattoos: This style will really enhance the detail and depth of flowers, by using dot shading techniques that are very intricate.
• Geometric Tattoos: If you prefer a more modern tattoo, you can integrate structured shapes such as sacred geometry or mandalas with your flowers. 
• Single-Continuous Line Tattoos: For a more sleek design, this technique often includes the flower being drawn using an unbroken line, which makes it flow ever so elegantly, representing the beauty and purity of nature.

Best Placement of Lotus Flower and Rose Tattoos to Signify a Birth Month … and More

Placement is huge for flower tattoos, whether you’re opting for sunflower tattoos, a wildflower tattoo, a lily of the valley tattoo or anything else. Depending on where you place your tattoo, it can have unique symbolism that connects to various cultural backgrounds.

Where on the body you place your body art can also be dependent on how you want it to flower, the detail you’re looking for, the overall size whether you are wishing to include other symbols such as the sun, or whether you want to represent hope, rebirth, remembrance of loved ones or personal experiences, innocence and/or new beginnings.

Some of the best placements for tattoos with flowers include …

• Forearm Tattoos: The forearm is a very versatile spot for flowers, whether you’re looking for a small tattoo with rich symbolism or a larger design showing flowers in bloom. You can get very intricate detailing here by using different colors around the powerful symbol of flowers that include the fleeting nature of life or personal growth. 
• Ribs or Side Tattoos: If you’re looking for a more elegant design, then the ribs or the side of the body is great. Here, you can get tattoos that tell your own story of vibrant energy or moral integrity with roses and vines, cherry blossoms, lily of the valley or even entire tattoo designs that represent late winter, late summer or the harvest season.
• Wrist or Ankle Tattoos: The wrist and ankle are both great for elegant and delicate designs. Many women choose these areas to place their tattoos, symbolizing purity, innocence, passion, happiness and rebirth.
• Back or Shoulder Blade Tattoos: Larger tattoo designs with a lot of details are good on the shoulder blade or back. Here, you can add other elements of symbolism such as birds and butterflies, as well as different flowers that can emote delicate beauty or even be an homage to your birth month.
• Collarbone Tattoos: Flower tattoo designs on the collarbone can be stunning yet dainty at the same time. Tattoo enthusiasts will love this positioning for small watercolor flowers, floral linework and anything else that can pay tribute to their own unique symbolism.
• Thigh Tattoos: More dramatic flower tattoo designs can go on the thigh, making them perfect for rose tattoos, sunflower tattoos, lotus tattoos, lily of the valley tattoos and more. All of these can represent symbols of peace and spiritual awakening, which could be an homage to the Japanese culture or other eastern cultures where they have deep meanings related to life.
• Hand or Finger Tattoos: Smaller and more delicate flowers such as wildflowers and the daisies work very well on the fingers or hand. You can get a beautiful tattoo with great art here, while still being understate.

You can really take advantage of the natural contours of the body when choosing a location for your flower tattoos, allowing them to flow gracefully a play into whatever symbolism you’re going for.

Popular Ideas for Women: Sunflower Tattoos, Lotus Tattoos, Lily of the Valley and More

Many women choose flower tattoos that focus on elegance, symbolism and beauty. They may represent themes such as true love, be symbols of remembrance of the life of loved ones, purity, rebirth, hope or just signify their birth month.

Some popular ideas for women who want these tattoos include …

• Floral Vine Tattoos: These tattoos can flow gracefully along the wrist, ankle or arm to give a graceful and natural effect. They are often used to emote happiness, purity or to just be an amazing work of art.
• Roses with Fine Line Details Tattoos: Roses are commonly known to symbolize passion and love. That’s why this style with the rose is so popular among women, who want tattoos with these meanings and that of romance.
• Lotus Flower Tattoos: The lotus is known to represent inner strength, growth and purity in life. Many women will place these tattoos on their sternum or their back, making them discreet symbols of deep meaning.
• Cherry Blossoms Tattoos: This flower is a symbol of renewal and femininity. To play to these meanings and symbols, these tattoos are often done in a watercolor style with many different colors being used.
• Lavender or Wildflowers Tattoos: These tattoos are also soft and minimalist in design, symbolizing tranquility and peace that is an overarching theme of many cultures.

Popular Ideas for Men: Going More Bold

As with many other types of tattoos, men generally choose to go for a bolder design. They tend to use other items to pair with a specific type of flower to give extra symbolism. 

While men may not look for tattoos that represent happiness and purity, they do often get tattoos that emote meanings such as hope, beauty and new beginnings in life. And there are no shortage of flowers and symbols that can be integrated, including daisies, roses, Lillies or tattoos that represent peace by showing flowers in bloom.

Some popular ideas for these tattoos for men include …

• Blackwork: The strong contrast of these tattoos can be very striking and masculine at the same time, symbolizing the power in life and their place in the world.
• Roses with Skulls: Men often get tattoos with dual meanings. In this one, the rose is paired with a skull, symbolizing the balance between life and death, as well as beauty and resilience.
• Floral Sleeve: These tattoos also incorporate other elements such as geometric shapes and symbols, leaves and vines. It can show flowers in bloom with the sun shining down, which can carry rich symbolism of hope and new beginnings. 
• Sunflowers or Peonies: Both of these tattoos can be significant symbols that represent honor, happiness and strength.
• Japanese-Inspired Floral Designs: Men can use these as the main symbols of their tattoos to be paired with other things such as samurais and waves. Chrysanthemums, lotus flowers, cherry blossoms, daisies and lilies are great here, symbolizing life, purity and many other things.

Men use these tattoos to pay homage to the beauty of nature, with deep symbolism toward strength, which makes the tattoos both dynamic and meaningful.