Rose tattoo

100+ Rose Tattoos: Meanings, Tattoo Desings & Artists

The passion, the pleasure, the pain.

Rose Tattoos

One of the best things about rose tattoos is that they’re perfect for both men and women and can be used in a variety of designs.

They are also great tattoos because they can be tattooed in a slew of different hues, each conveying their own meaning, symbolism, and emphasis.

Although rose tattoos have been a popular design choice for men and women for decades, choosing the perfect rose tattoo design isn’t as simple as it may seem.

Here are a few different things you should keep in mind when choosing the best rose tattoo design for you.

Rose Tattoo Meanings

Rose tattoos commonly represent love and beauty, as the rose itself is a beautiful flower and offended gifted to someone as a token of love and admiration.

Coming in many different colors and with meanings across many cultures, the rose is a timeless tattoo design.

The list of meanings associated with rose tattoos is laughably long – you’re sure to find a strong connection to these tattoos whether it lies in the color, design, or theme.

There are countless tattoo designs that revolve around roses.

Not strictly reserved for any gender, roses can accentuate a pair of shapely hips or a muscly bicep.

No matter how popular they become, there is something special about roses.

Is it their dense petals, their distinct fragrance, the contrast between their gorgeous blooms and thorny stems?

If you’re thinking of getting a rose tattoo, it’s worth exploring the symbolism of roses, as well as reflecting what the flower means to you.

Here are some meanings of having a rose tattoo, all relating back to the theme of love:

  • Love
  • Passion
  • Life-Long Companionship
  • Heartbreak

Love is the most basic interpretation of a rose tattoo, but also the most important one.

Rose tattoos often have to do with love, whether it’s romantic love or the love of a friend.

Rose tattoos also symbolize passion.

Passion is a part of being in love, but can also refer to passion for music, or for fashion.

A rose can signify life-long companionship with a best friend, partner, or even a pet.

Rose tattoos can represent one of these that you have loved in the past, present, or even are hopeful about in the future.

When the rose is shown with darker stylistic qualities, it can symbolize heartbreak.

It also commonly represents the death of someone you loved.

What Does Each Color of Rose Tattoo Mean?

The first thing you will want to consider when choosing the perfect rose tattoo design for you is color.

When it comes to rose tattoo designs, color can be deeply meaningful.

Each rose coloring holds a different meaning.

Men may choose to get their rose tattoo design in black and grey ink to boost masculinity while women may prefer to convey deep meaning and beauty in their rose tattoo design by using bright colors.

Regardless of your specific preferences, consider the color of your rose tattoo design carefully when working with your tattoo artist to craft the perfect design.

When presenting someone with a rose, it is important to note the color.

The same goes for getting a rose tattoo.

With the addition of food dye, a rose can be any color.

Whether it’s a natural rose color or an artificial one, each color of rose tattoo symbolizes a unique reason why someone should wear one.

The following are examples of rose tattoo colors and their meanings:

White Rose Tattoos

A white rose tattoo is symbolic of purity and innocence.

There’s no better way to describe the sacredness of love than a white rose.

This is a love that is innocent and fragile, sometimes even eternal.

White Rose Tattoo

The color white almost always symbolizes purity.

And since the rose almost always symbolizes love, put them together, and you have pure love.

This is a type of love that is innocent and sacred, sometimes even religious.

Red Rose Tattoos

Undoubtedly the most common rose tattoo, red rose tattoos symbolize full-blooded passion and an unquenchable thirst for true love.

The most common red rose tattoo is a symbol of true passion.

The red rose tattoo is also a sign of one’s thirst for true love and romance.

A symbol of deep love, the red rose is one of the most popular flower tattoos.

Red Rose Tattoo

This tattoo will always remain as a reminder that nothing can replace the person it comes from and that they are always in our hearts.

The red rose tattoo is a symbol of romance and can be received as a memory of someone you care about so that their love is always with you.

A red rose is the most classic color choice for these tattoos, as a traditional symbol for love, passion, romance, and sacrifice.

For added feelings of loyalty and devotion, people often choose to include a name with red rose tattoos.

Red Rose Tattoos

The flower is not only a classic, ageless piece of art but also host to several underlying meanings, making red rose tattoos an ideal blend of inner and outer beauty.

Different themes can change the interpretation of red rose tattoos too.

When paired with blue rose tattoos or yellow rose tattoos, for instance, instead of simply representing romance or a personal relationship, it can switch to an impossible love or a friendship that’s blossomed into a romantic coupling.

Realistic Tattoo

Although the style of tattoo you get is completely up to your personal preference, you may also choose it based on the meanings behind a particular style.

For instance, traditional tattoos show your appreciation for the history of tattoos as an art form, or a watercolor tattoo style indicates freedom and living life outside the lines. 

While a bouquet of roses can represent multiple people, a single red rose usually depicts an individual person, relationship, or sacrifice.

Single Red Rose Tattoo

Historically, they were an appreciation for a loved one, with many getting a single red rose with a name or “Mom” incorporated into the design.

  • Red Rose & Snake Tattoos

Another twist on a classic, a snake and red rose tattoo often depicts temptation, blind passion, a rocky relationship, or betrayal.

A snake tattoo entangled with a red rose is frequently chosen to represent the sensation of simultaneous love and hate or corruption of innocence and beauty.

Conversely, it could also be a reference to letting go, moving on, and detaching from negative energy or bad influences.

Red Rose and Snake Tattoo
  • Red Rose with Rosary Tattoos

As a symbol of love, devotion, and forgiveness, a red rose with a rosary is meant to erase sin as rosary tattoos are usually representations of the Catholic faith.

With that said, many get rosary beads purely for aesthetics or to fend off negativity.

Red Rose with Rosary Tattoo
  • Red & Blue Rose Tattoos

While blue rose tattoos are known to symbolize the impossible, fantasy, or mystery, when added to a red rose tattoo it can mean that a forbidden or seemingly unreachable love has been attained.

These two colored roses are often put together for a long-time crush, hidden love, or fascination with someone that turned into a real relationship.

Blue and Red Rose Tattoo
  • Red & Yellow Rose Tattoos

Red and yellow roses together can represent affection for two different people; a friend and a lover, or for one individual; a friendship that bloomed into a romantic relationship.

A yellow rose tattoo can also inspire feelings of warmth, luck, and happiness, so alongside a red rose it can add joy and good luck to a romance.

Blue and Red Rose Tattoo
  • Traditional Red Rose Tattoos

With bright, vivid colors and bold lines, traditional red rose tattoos stand out and are perfect for any traditional tattoo fan.

This old-school tattoo style is not only visually appealing with a cartoonish flair, but easy to make as simple or complicated and as small or large as you like.

Traditional Red Rose Tattoo
  • Red Rose Tattoo Sleeve

A red rose sleeve could include an entire bouquet of roses or a singular flower with vines, thorns, buds, and blooms expanding across the arm.

A sleeve tattoo is a fantastic way to portray your uniqueness and creativity, and red roses are a flexible, stunning choice no matter the tattoo style.

Red Rose Sleeve Tattoo
  • Realistic Red Rose tattoos

A realistic red rose is an exquisite tattoo meant to be as convincing as a real photograph with precise details and layering.

Realistic rose tattoos can be wonderfully captivating, with 3D effects and extra details making these really pop out against any skin tone.

Realistic Red Rose Tattoo
Red Rose Tattoo Placement

Where you place your tattoo is totally up to you – your body is a canvas that you can paint however you choose.

With that said, the placement can have its own meaning, or be chosen purely by how high your pain tolerance is or whether you want to be able to cover it up or prefer to have it on constant display.

Because red rose tattoos are so versatile, you can put them almost anywhere you like.

From large blossoms sprawling across your arm to a tiny simple rose on your finger, your placement options are almost endless.

  • Red Rose Forearm Tattoos

An ode to “wearing your heart on your sleeve”, a red rose tattoo on the forearm can be designed in several ways.

It could be a skinny, singular rose with a long stem spanning most of the length of your forearm, or one big blossom sprawling across your skin.

No matter the style, the forearm is an ideal canvas for both you and the tattoo artist – it’s one of the less painful places to get inked.

Red Rose Forearm Tattoo
Red Rose Forearm Tattoo
  • Red Rose Shoulder Tattoos

As a spot that is relatively painless and great for connecting to the elbow, forearm, clavicle, or back, the shoulder is a well-liked place for a red rose tattoo.

The flexibility of this flower makes it ideal for filling up the shoulder, whether it’s a singular, graceful rose or a bold, perfectly round bloom.

Red Rose Shoulder Tattoo
  • Red Rose Neck Tattoos

For a reminder of your ink and the meanings behind it every time you step in front of a mirror, try a red rose neck tattoo.

It makes an obvious statement if you’re able to tolerate the pain of getting inked here and aren’t afraid of the commitment of a difficult to conceal area.

Red Rose Neck Tattoo
  • Red Rose Thigh Tattoos

The thigh provides an ideal canvas for larger, more elaborate tattoos that can be easily hidden or shown off.

It also adds a layer of seductiveness and intimacy to really play up the passionate side of a red rose tattoo.

Red Rose Thigh Tattoo
  • Red Rose Hand Tattoos

Regardless of the style and size, a red rose hand tattoo is sure to be noticed.

Symbolizing loving through action or just to show your devotion to the meaning behind it, red rose hand tattoos are almost always on display.

This placement is also popular for couples to get matching tattoos as a gesture of commitment and devotion, or for one person to get identical images on both hands.

Red Rose Hand Tattoo

Red rose tattoos have been one of the most requested for years, thanks to their timelessness and authentic beauty with many meanings suiting all types of people.

A red rose tattoo is incredibly adaptable in size, style, and meaning – a perfect option for first-timers and heavily inked people alike.

A red rose tattoo may be chosen for a lengthy, everlasting love that has deepened and withstood the test of time, or the opposite; a new love with all the adventures and excitement which lay ahead.

Pink Rose Tattoos

Pink roses are delicate, elegant flowers that symbolize femininity, grace, maternal love, or a new romance.

These graceful tattoos emit gratitude and innocence; a much softer, more airy choice than many other rose colors.

Pink Rose Tattoo

But there’s more to them than just that; pink rose tattoos symbolize a gentle caring love, and can even be placed with the breast cancer symbol to honor a loved one.

It connotes femininity and elegance, but also a fierce devotion to the strong women in our lives.

Pink Rose Tattoo

Inked on the chest or shoulder, pink roses can stand alone or be paired with other tattoo motifs, such as the breast cancer ribbon.

For a tribute to a new romance, a mother’s love, a first love, elegance, and/or femininity, choose a pink rose tattoo.

Yellow Rose Tattoos

A yellow rose tattoo can signify a start to something fresh in life, especially something that brings you joy.

Yellow roses are the roses of friendship, kindness, and community.

This is why a yellow rose tattoo often depicts joy, happiness, and protection.

Yellow Rose Tattoo

They once represented jealousy, but have come to symbolize friendship or remembrance.

They’re also especially significant to people in the American South, with songs like the ‘Yellow Rose of Texas’ becoming popular media representations of the flowers.

Yellow rose tattoos represent a community of like-minded people with strength and friendship to help connect them!

People also get yellow rose tattoos in honor of a friendship they hold near and dear to their hearts. 

Orange Rose Tattoos

Orange rose tattoos represent excitement and happiness — both simple but effective concepts.

If used as a symbol of a friend, the tattoo can be thought of as a sign of your trust and faith in them, and your commitment to their friendship.

An orange rose tattoo is a common choice of both men and women, especially if they wish to show off their more sensitive side.

Orange Rose Tattoo

The orange rose tattoo can range in style from geometric to highly realistic-looking.

Its tattoo meanings are passion and happiness.

An orange rose tattoo can be done as a symbol of a friend that you are passionate about, not in a romantic way, but in the way of being life-long platonic companions.

Purple Rose Tattoos

Purple is the color of royalty, luxury, and elegance.

Purple roses are rare, but their existence makes them even more exclusive and elegant.

Purple Rose Tattoo

Because of their rarity, purple roses are an exclusive flower and a purple rose tattoo represents your elegance while displaying a gorgeous hue that jumps off your skin.

Getting a purple rose tattoo signifies your commitment to high-end exclusivity and elegance, as well as being a beautiful deep ink color that stands out on your skin.

On this side of the meaning of love, purple rose tattoos mean magnetic love.

Purple Rose Tattoo

The meanings of the purple rose tattoo are enchantment, charm, and attraction.

To inspire feelings of regality, luxury, or enchantment, opt for a purple rose tattoo.

Blue Rose Tattoos

Completely unattainable in the natural world due to genetic limitations, blue roses can only be created through a genetic modification that uses a specific blue pigment in order to create the colors.

A blue rose is one of the rarest roses of all.

Blue Rose Tattoo

The second most popular rose tattoo color, the blue rose tattoo often has black shadowing and white highlights and can be in any tattoo style.

Blue rose tattoos can symbolize fantasies or spirituality, an ethereal quality, or something unattainable.

Blue Rose Tattoo

Considered to represent mystery or the impossible a blue rose tattoo marks you as a man or woman of total mystery to wearers.

The tattoo meanings behind the blue rose tattoo are fantasy, an unreachable dream, or a change in one’s self.

Blue Rose Tattoo

By getting a blue rose tattoo, you may wish to symbolize unnatural beauty, something unattainable or mysterious, or a hidden love. 

Black Rose Tattoos

The black rose tattoo is slowly becoming one of the more popular colors of rose tattoos.

Black rose tattoos represent the epitome of ephemerality, strength, and power.

A black rose tattoo is a beautiful message of strength in times of adversity as well as fierce protection against the world around you and a powerful deterrent to any threats that may try to take advantage of you.

Black Rose Tattoo

With a black rose tattoo, you’ll signal that you’re not someone to be messed with and can hold your own against any challenges!

It makes sense why so many people get a black rose tattoo; it has one of the most detailed tattoo meanings.

The black rose tattoo means grieving the death of a loved one: the rose typically means love, so when it’s black, it means that the loved one has died.

It also can refer to the death of bad habits or a bad event and growth into a new state of mind.

Black Rose Tattoo

Although black rose tattoos tend to signify death and despair or grieving someone that has passed, they may conversely be used to represent a new beginning with the death or end of something like a bad habit, for instance.

These tattoos are signals of strength and overcoming adversity, ideal for portraying your toughness and ability to hold your own.

  • Half Black Half Red Rose Tattoo

When a rose tattoo, for example, has a black stem and leaves and a red flower, its black color symbolizes love loss or the sacrifices of love.

The red color refers to the passion involved with a true romantic escapade.

Therefore, the tattoo meanings of half red half black rose tattoos are undying love and the hardships associated with relationships. 

The Meanings in the Shapes of Roses

The shape of the rose tattoo also affects the underlying meaning; usually, the stage of growth is linked to different stages of human life or relationships.

A fully blossomed rose tattoo could represent feelings of completion or knowing your true self, whereas a wilting rose or one with the petals dropping off could symbolize feelings of being incomplete or suffering a loss.

Alternatively, a rosebud tattoo can indicate a fresh start or new beginnings.

When getting a rose tattoo, consider how “mature” the rose is.

A budding rose could translate to a new, budding romance, or a blossomed flower might signify balance and achievement, for example.

Roses in full bloom represent maturity, and something coming to fruition.

A rosebud tattoo represents new beginnings, something on the horizon.

Wilting roses represent impermanence, disappointment, and (sometimes necessary) endings.

Just as human life has various stages, so too does the rose and as such, these make great tattoos symbolic of any phase from starting your struggle to coming into your own.

Rose Tattoo Meanings in Different Cultures

Japanese Rose Tattoo Meaning

Although more common in Eastern tattoo art, the Japanese rose tattoo refers to hope and love, a love that is relentless and all-consuming.

It is often accented with black and white lines or shading, and undoubtedly is one of the most beautiful flowers with additional tattoo meanings such as beauty and innocence.

Rose Tattoo in Central America  

Members of the Mexican Mafia often get rose tattoos to symbolize an assault on a person considered an enemy.

This is considered a high honor and is a message of intimidation to other Central American Gangs.

Rose Tattoos in Russian Mafia

A rose tattoo is often the first tattoo someone gets when joining the Russian Mafia.

It’s a symbol of that member’s youth being torn away from them along with their innocence.

Mandala Rose Tattoo

A geometric, spiritual tattoo for Buddhists and Christians, the mandala tattoo symbolizes love and passion.

The mandala rose tattoo can be in many colors, all having different meanings.

For example, the pink rose mandala tattoo symbolizes first love.

Irish Rose Tattoo

Irish rose tattoos often show the rose sitting between the Celtic cross tattoo or the triquetra, a type of Celtic knot tattoo.

Ireland was once referred to as the black rose, still used as a metaphor for Ireland dating back to the 16th century.

Main Themes in Rose Tattoos

Rose tattoos can appear in many different and exciting styles depending on your culture and connection to the image.

If you’re ready to dive in and commit to a brand new rose tattoo but aren’t sure what you want your rose to look like, there are plenty of trends, tattoo styles, and variations you can take on to help your rose tattoo feel one of a kind.

Rose tattoos can have special meanings when paired with different symbols.

Being one of the most popular tattoos out there, the rose tattoo can be placed in many different ways and with many other symbols, each affecting its meaning.

There is a multitude of depictions and designs to consider in regard to rose tattoos.

Depending on your style, your rose tattoo could appear in a number of different ways.

It could be anything from a simple black outline to a complicated, intricate design.

These flowers are perfect for anyone, anywhere with their ability to blend in with or complement any tattoo.

Let’s take a look at how different rose tattoo motifs change their symbolism:

Dried Rose Tattoos

A rose in bloom is not the only kind of rose tattoo there is.

Dried rose tattoos have powerful symbolism for many people as a sign of an end, a passing pain, or a feeling of deep sorrow that you’re unable to shake.

Dried Rose Tattoo

A dried rose tattoo can have special significance for people who are moving on from a long-time relationship or starting a new chapter in life.

The dried rose tattoo typically depicts a thorny stem with a sinking flower head drooping down and slowly dying.

The tattoo meanings of the dried rose are heartbreak, loss of a loved one, or fading love.

Skull & Rose Tattoos

Skull and rose tattoos are striking yet stunning pieces.

Skulls and roses on their own are very popular themes in tattoos and are often incorporated in larger pieces.

Combining these two themes is quite common in tattoos, as they pose an intense and beautiful piece together.

Skull and Rose Tattoo

They hold deep meanings that resonate with many different people.

These tattoos pose a shocking duality between opposites, providing a visual representation of the deep differences between these themes.

Rose and skull tattoos symbolize the inevitability of the end and the love that makes you live on forever in people’s hearts.

Skull and Rose Tattoo

Ephemerality and love are common themes in life, literature, music, and entertainment, and especially in art.

Skull tattoos and rose tattoos are beautiful symbols of the pain and beauty that are found in impermanence, the artful elegance of skulls, and the thorns on roses.

Lush red ink and dark black shadows create the perfect contrast in many tattoo designs.

Often attached aesthetically, these two symbols together mean unending love, sacrifice, and respect.

Skull and Rose Tattoo Sleeve

The death symbol of a skull tattoo mixed with the rose’s meaning of love can also refer to a memorial for the death of a loved one.

When alongside the stark skull as a symbol of death and finality, a rose and skull tattoo symbolizes how beautiful and fragile both life and death are.

Overall, skull and rose tattoos hold symbolism related to beauty, life, death, good, and evil.

Skull and rose tattoos together may represent the beauty and fragility of life and the finality of death.

They may also symbolize the struggle between good and evil.

These main themes expand and change throughout different types of skull and rose tattoos.

Skull and Rose Tattoo

There are plenty of beautiful designs for your skull and rose tattoo.

You can stick with more black and red coloring, or incorporate multiple bright colors throughout your tattoo.

Depending on what you are looking for, there are many options for any tattoo design you have in mind.

  • Sugar Skull and Rose Tattoos

Sugar skulls represent the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday that celebrates and remembers lost loved ones.

Sugar skull tattoos represent death and decay, while simultaneously symbolizing the idea of life after death.

One may get this tattoo to serve as a reminder of an afterlife, or to memorialize a lost loved one.

Sugar Skull and Rose Tattoo
  • Watercolor Skull and Rose Tattoos

Watercolor skull and rose tattoos incorporate colorful and unique designs into a more serious tattoo, bringing levity and depth to the tattoo.

Depending on the use of watercolors, this may bring a more surreal feeling to your tattoo as well.

The colors can go outside the structured lines of the tattoos, creating a dreamy look and feel to your overall watercolor tattoo piece.

Watercolor Skull and Rose Tattoo

Grateful Dead Skull and Roses Tattoos

These tattoos depict a skull tattoo, or sometimes a full skeleton tattoo, wearing a crown of roses.

The highly recognizable design is popular amongst fans of the Grateful Dead, a popular rock band from the ’70s.

Grateful Dead Skull and Roses Tattoo

This recalls the Grateful Dead’s first album, “Grateful Dead” cover design.

Skull and Rose Tattoo Placement

There are many placement options that are perfect for your skull and rose tattoo.

They are ideal tattoos for any person regardless of gender.

Placing your skull and rose tattoo on your chest holds another meaning in itself – a representation of life and death so close to your heart is symbolic of your own life and mortality.

This is a standout piece that will draw attention when you are wearing clothing that shows your tattoo off.

Skull and Rose Tattoo on Chest

Getting your tattoo on your forearm allows you to choose when you want to show off your piece.

You can choose to cover it up with a long-sleeve shirt or showcase it with a short-sleeve or tank top shirt.

Skull and Rose Tattoo
  • Skull and Rose Tattoo Sleeve

These types of tattoo sleeves represent the entirety of life and death.

They combine the morbidity of death and decay with beautiful, delicate pieces of life throughout, represented through the roses.

Skull and Rose Tattoo Sleeve

These tattoos are shocking yet stunning and incorporate tons of detail and beauty into one design.

These are statement tattoo pieces that often represent life and death, love and beauty, and deeper meanings in a gorgeous overall design.

There are many great choices for your skull and rose tattoo that will best represent what you are looking for in your next tattoo to consider.

Clock & Rose Tattoos

Clocks are popular tattoo designs because of the significance of time to many people.

Roses can also be beautiful symbols of time because of their impermanent nature and tendency to wilt and wither.

Clock and rose tattoos together represent a connection to time, both permanent and impermanent, and a stunning piece of visual art.

Clock and Rose Tattoos

Pocket Watch & Rose Tattoos

This beautiful tattoo, typically done in red and black, symbolizes new beginnings.

The pocket watch means time passing or a whole lifetime, and when added to the rose it means that there is a promise for a new chapter in your life.

Pocket Watch and Rose Tattoo

Hourglass & Rose Tattoo

The hourglass tattoos and rose tattoo means that time will carry on between you and your loved one and you will be together forever.

Rose and Hourglass Tattoo

Money Rose Tattoos

Everyone knows that time is money.

Roses are the perfect symbol of the nature and passing of time, and their delicate nature adds to their symbolic nature.

Money Rose Tattoo

With money rose tattoos, dollar bills are woven into the intricate shape of flower petals and rose silhouettes, depicting the perfect imagery of money, time, and beauty.

A money-rose tattoo shows the petals of a rose with bills of currency spiraling together.

The petals can either be highly symmetrical or look as if they are falling apart.

Depending on its style, this tattoo can represent mortality, the hypocrisy of wealth, or the struggle to survive in a capitalistic society.

Bleeding Rose Tattoos

The bleeding rose can be a very creative tattoo: but what does it mean?

Roses are often described as bloodred in literature and poetry.

The piercing red on the petals is a beautiful deep red that often strikes many people as a lush piece of color ink.

Bleeding Rose Tattoo

Roses are also dangerous flowers, with thorns that can pierce if they need to protect themselves.

These rose tattoos depict the protective nature of beauty and the pain that can come from mishandling it.

The bleeding rose tattoo represents tears related to love as if the rose is crying.

Therefore it typically refers to heartbreak. 

Zoomorphic Themes

What combination goes together better than plants and animals?

These beautiful tattoos depict the lush imagery of both animal life and roses as a powerful symbol of strength, beauty, and delicate grace and strength.

Tiger & Rose Tattoos

Rose and tiger tattoos are some of the more famous and recognizable tattoo combinations.

Together, they might represent an homage to tattooing history as well as the gentle intertwining of life, color, and vigor that comes with a rose and tiger.

Tigers are one of the fiercest predators in the jungle, but their fierce outer nature shelters a gentle, playful, and delicate inner nature that shines in their eyes and their playful smiles.

Roses are the perfect symbol to represent tigers because of their tough outer shell of thorns and delicate inner nature; much like tigers, they are both tough and gentle.

Tiger & Rose Tattoo

Roses and tiger tattoos are both common subjects because the thick lines, outlines, and coloring of both roses and tigers lend themselves well to the American traditional style.

Eagle & Rose Tattoos

Eagles have long been a symbol of freedom, prosperity, and bravery.

When combined with the delicate and fierce nature of roses, eagle tattoos and roses depict a fierce love for freedom, a desire to wander the skies with confidence and bravery and to bring beauty and protection with us wherever we go.

Eagle & Rose Tattoo

Lion & Rose Tattoos

The king of the jungle, the lion tattoo represents strength and power.

When a rose is added, the meaning is transformed into the strength of someone’s love for another.

Lions dominate the food chain in every way.

Lion & Rose Tattoo

Their powerful walk and fierce growls protect them, their family, and everyone around them.

As a dominant force in the animal kingdom, lions are the perfect representation of feline grace and agility alongside incredible beauty and style.

Lion tattoos and a rose are the perfect combination of strength, beauty, and power, highly symbolic of both their natures.

Wolf & Rose Tattoos

A wolf tattoo and a rose tattoo combine the fierceness and courage of the wolf with the love and heartbreak of the rose.

The tattoo meanings for this one are fighting through a tough heartbreak, or on the same but different track, fiercely loving someone.

Wolves are known to be fierce predators and pack animals who bond together to protect and defend their families.

Much like a rose bush, wolves grow together, fiercely defending every member of the pack with strength and poise.

Their shared sense of protection is much like the thorns on roses, and a wolf tattoo paired with a rose is equally beautiful and fierce.

Wolf & Rose Tattoo

Hummingbird & Rose Tattoos

Hummingbirds are the gentlest and fairest animals of the avian world.

Their gentle wings and quick humming beat are synonymous with gentle fragility and delicate grace.

Roses are known for being fragile flowers with thin and soft petals that fold easily.

A hummingbird tattoo and a rose tattoo are full of delicate grace and beauty, making them the perfect tattoo pair.

Hummingbird & Rose Tattoo

Butterfly & Rose Tattoos

Butterfly and rose tattoos hold meaning for growth and change, representing a development in someone’s life in a beautiful depiction.

These tattoos symbolize a personal “metamorphosis”, similar to what a butterfly goes through in its development.

Butterfly and Rose Tattoo

One may get this tattoo as a memory of their own personal growth experience to remind them of this time in their lives.

Butterfly tattoos are a symbol of hope, perseverance, and strength.

Their fair wings and beautiful coloring represents hope and faith in better things to come, and their perching on delicate flowers and roses can mean the idea of believing in love, strength, and faith to come again.

Rose and Butterfly Tattoo

A rose and butterfly tattoo can be designed in several ways.

Whether you want the butterfly to gently rest on the rose or be in mid-flight next to it, this duo makes for a beautiful tattoo.

In terms of meaning, these tattoos indicate hope and perseverance, with the idea that love will come again.

It could also represent a metamorphosis or transformation, symbolizing the circle of life or love, with many people choosing this to portray that they have changed after heartbreak, for instance.

Realistic Rose and Butterfly Tattoo

Snake and Rose Tattoos

A snake tattoo wrapped around a rose has many tattoo meanings.

These include corruption, evil passions, and the mastery behind the growth of all living things.

Snakes are the clever and dangerous predators of the animal words, symbols of fierce protection and a cunning nature that prizes the self over others.

Snake and rose tattoos show the dark side to beauty; the cunning intelligence that lies behind it, and the sharp force waiting to strike when you disrespect it.

The snake is long recognized as the original tempter, a corrupting animal whose cunning intelligence can bring anything to a screeching halt.

A snake tattoo with a rose tattoo symbolizes how quickly beauty can be corrupted and how innocence and beauty can quickly be lost.

Owl & Rose Tattoos

Owl tattoos are often associated with the meaning of wisdom.

Therefore, owl and rose tattoos mean that you have learned from past relationships and that you are continuing to learn more about love.

Dove & Rose Tattoo

Place a dove sitting in-between a bed of roses, and you can get many tattoo meanings.

This tattoo can represent beauty, love, warmth, and fondness.

Swallow and Rose Tattoos

Rose and swallow tattoos symbolize a sailor’s promise to return home to those who love them.

This tattoo means you have a lot of love and compassion for your friends and family members.

Rose and Swallow Tattoo

Swallows can fly far, far away from where they come from, and find their way home just as easily.

Roses & Other Floral Tattoos

Roses are a popular feature in many floral arrangements, but their versatility means they pair well with many other plants or flowers.

Whether an expansive bouquet or a delicate collection of rosebuds, these options will allow you to pick the perfect floral tattoo.

Sunflower & Rose Tattoos

Sunflowers are considered the flower of the sun, of happiness, excitement, and fidelity.

When combined with roses, the flower of love, loyalty, and passion, your bouquet sends the message of excitement and passion, fidelity and fervent love.

You can be loyal to yourself and to your love with a sunflower tattoo and rose tattoo!

Sunflower & Rose Tattoo

Hibiscus & Rose Tattoos

Hibiscuses are a beautiful tropical flower with great cultural significance to many Polynesian and other culturally indigenous tribes. (see hibiscus tattoos!)

Combining the rich cultural and spiritual history of the hibiscus flower with the passion and power of the rose makes for an incredible statement on history, love, passion, and peace.

Hibiscus & Rose Tattoo

Rose Bouquet Tattoos

Rose bouquet tattoos can mean many different things depending on the style and coloring of the roses you’ve chosen to have tattooed.

Every rose means a different thing depending on the size and coloring.

Your rose bouquet can choose to send a message depending on the colors you pick or can represent a special moment of love and happiness whenever you have it tattooed.

Rose Bouquet Tattoo
Rose Bouquet Tattoo

Four Leaf Clovers With a Rose Tattoo

We all know that the four-leaf clover tattoo means good luck, but when added to a rose tattoo it can mean “lucky to have met you,” or it can be a good luck charm for love to come your way.

Nautical Tattoo Motifs

Sailors would often wear red rose tattoos as a symbol of the women they left behind on their voyage: their mothers, daughters, and lovers.

Take to the sea in a new and exciting way with these beautiful rose and nautical tattoo themes!

Bring passion and wanderlust to the sea by combining these beautiful tattoo designs together.

Compass & Rose Tattoos

Compass tattoos and rose tattoos signify a search for love.

This tattoo design means that you will never give up on searching for the love of your life.

Compasses, much like clocks, mark the passage of movement, motion, and space.

Compass tattoos can be the perfect symbol of time and location, helping you orient yourself when you feel lost and redirecting yourself when the path feels uncertain.

Combine roses, the flower of loyalty and pursuit, with your compass and gain a new sense of direction and focus!

Compass And Rose Tattoo

Lighthouse & Rose Tattoos

Lighthouses are traditionally the protectors of the seas, the guardians of the waves and the ones who break across the storm with a clear and guiding light.

Roses share a protective nature too, twisting toward the light and weaving thorns around their bushes to protect themselves.

A lighthouse tattoo combined with a rose tattoo represents this perfect combination of the role of guardians.

Lighthouse and Rose Tattoo

Rose & Anchor Tattoos

Anchors represent stability and are associated with the ocean and sailors.

A typical tattoo for women, the anchor and rose tattoo represents a stable relationship, love, or honor.

Anchors are one of the most iconic symbols of the tattooing history world.

Their iconic imagery has been used to represent everything from fidelity and loyalty to adventure and passion, so it makes sense that an anchor would be perfectly paired with a rose as a depiction of faith, fire, and adventure!

Rose & Anchor Tattoo
Rose & Anchor Tattoo
Rose & Anchor Tattoo

Dagger Through Rose Tattoo

A dagger tattoo is a rough image, while the rose tattoo represents a loving flower.

A dagger tattoo often portrays death, malice, pain, and destruction – the opposite of a rose tattoo standing for vitality, love, and growth.

Rose and daggers are a common tattoo combination that has incredible significance for many people.

Therefore a duality plays into the dagger through the rose tattoo, symbolizing pain and beauty, mortality and life, love and heartbreak.

A rose tattoo is already recognized as a beautiful dual symbol of both beauty and danger, one that’s made even more powerful with the inclusion of the dagger tattoo.

A sharp dagger tattoo is a representation of death, betrayal, and destruction, which provides a beautiful contrast alongside the stunning and fragile beauty of the rose.

Rose and dagger tattoos symbolize heartbreak or a reminder not to let your passion pull you down.

When the two are joined together in a tattoo, they have a dramatic effect, representing the harshness of life and paying homage to the saying, “Life is no bed of roses”.

A rose with a dagger is a great reminder to never let your passion be your demise, or alternatively, a symbol of heartbreak or betrayal.

Rose and Dagger Tattoo
Rose and Dagger Tattoo

Sword and Rose Tattoos

Like the dagger and rose tattoo, the sword and the rose tattoo is a symbol of duality.

If the sword is not through the rose, the tattoo means balance in life.

If the sword pierces the rose, it refers to opposites attracting or rebellion of youth.

Sword through Rose Tattoo
Sword and Rose Tattoo

Dragon & Rose Tattoo

The dragon and rose tattoo symbolize power and passion, especially in love.

This tattoo represents passion matching the ferociousness of a dragon.

Upside Down Rose Tattoos

Some people wear tattoos upside down to show their tattoos to the public rather than themselves.

However, be careful: upside-down tattoos can mean the opposite of their typical meaning.

In the case of the rose tattoo, when it is upside-down it can refer to heartbreak or the death of a lover.

Noose & Rose Tattoos

A noose tattoo is a typical prison tattoo referring to death.

Mix that with a rose’s symbolism, you create a dark story of heartbreak or the death of a loved one.

Rose Tattoo Sizing

Sizing is another important thing to consider when crafting the perfect rose tattoo design.

While this can tie in with the meaning of your tattoo, it is important to consider sizing carefully when choosing the perfect rose tattoo design as this will later determine another important part of the process: tattoo placement.

Consider the size you want your rose tattoo design to be careful throughout the process of choosing the right design as this will later determine where you are able to place your tattoo as well as the meaning you want to convey.

Small Rose Tattoos

Small rose tattoos often symbolize delicate or simple memories that you want to convey or remember specifically for yourself.

A small rose tattoo can represent various stages of growth and purpose as well as being the perfect small reminder to yourself to seek beauty every day.

Small rose tattoos are versatile in that they can be placed anywhere on the body and will still convey their meaning.

These tattoos fit nicely on fingers, ankles, and wrists, but can be worn anywhere, with any tattoo motif.

A small rose tattoo can symbolize many things — it may represent a newly blossoming love, a delicate memory from your childhood, or a secret that you want to keep close to your heart.

The meaning of rose tattoos is always different for everyone, as each one illustrates a unique memory or idea.

Small rose tattoos can serve as a great tribute to loved ones.

Whatever the reason for getting it, a small rose tattoo is a perfect way to represent something special without showing off.

Small rose tattoos, offered in a wide variety of tattoo styles, can be mixed and matched with other tattoo themes, like butterflies or tribal motifs.

A small rose tattoo is perfect for a stand-alone piece or as an extension of your existing tattoo design.

Small and discreet tattoo designs are common options for first-time tattoo wearers — especially when placed on the wrist or ankle.

You might want to consider your pain tolerance and whether or not you plan on covering it up.

The smaller the design, the less pain you’ll experience during the process.

In the end, tattoo placement is a matter of choice: some like to place it where they can easily hide it; others, where they can admire it every day.

  • Small Rose Neck Tattoos

If you have a strong sense of commitment and don’t mind the pain, having a tattoo on your neck is a great way to communicate that.

It makes an obvious statement — if you can stand the pain!

Small Rose Neck Tattoo
  • Small Rose Tattoos behind the Ear

Behind the ear tattoos are having a moment and when done right they can become a showstopper.

This placement is perfect for a small tribute that you can display whenever you choose.

Being a visible area, behind the ear tattoos and also neck tattoos need to be planned more thoughtfully than other areas of the body.

You should consider a rose tattoo design that represents your values and life goals in the best way possible.

Roses are usually associated with love and romance, but they can also be used to create a fashionable behind-the-ear tattoo.

Small and hidden, getting your tattoo behind your ear is a clever way to hold your significant meaning close to you.

Small Rose Tattoo behind the Ear
  • Small Rose Ankle Tattoos

Small rose ankle tattoos are cute enough to make a statement without going overboard and easy enough to cover up should the wearer change their mind later down the line.

They’re also going to hurt more when you get them done!

Rose tattoos can be cute and playful, or they can be dark and mysterious.

However, the placement of an ankle flower tattoo can affect how it is perceived by the viewer.

Small Rose Ankle Tattoo
  • Small Rose Tattoos on Hip

Small tattoos are almost as exciting as big ones.

Hip tattoos are often overlooked in favor of shoulder and back-piece tattoos, but they can make a bold statement on their own.

When done right, a small rose hip tattoo can look incredibly sexy.

Small Rose Tattoo on Hip

Large Rose Tattoos

Do you want your tattoo to be bright, flashy, and easily-seen?

If so, you may want to consider getting a large rose tattoo.

Will you be featuring several roses in your rose tattoo design or, perhaps, a bouquet of roses?

If so, you’ll probably want to get a large tattoo and this can play a huge role in your decision on placement.

Large rose tattoos make an incredible statement of power and passion.

Whether you’re pursuing a statement sleeve or a single, well-defined and detailed hyper realistic rose, a large rose can symbolize your confidence in your own skin and your comfort in pursuing your artistic passions.

Large Rose Tattoo
Large Rose Tattoo

Rose Tattoo Placement

Once you’ve settled on a design for your next rose tattoo, it’s time to determine where the best place to put it will be!

Roses make great tattoos no matter where you put them, but some places are better suited than others to showcase your stunning new ink.

The location of your rose tattoo can have a tremendous impact on the overall look and meaning of your ink – a face tattoo signifies toughness where one on the ankle appears more feminine.

Where you decide to place your rose tattoo design is obviously a very personal decision.

Considering the fact that rose tattoo designs feature both a large amount of depth and meaning, it is important to consider placement carefully when thinking about your design.

Your body is a canvas and where you choose to place your rose tattoo design can either be personal and meaningful or just a matter of personal aesthetic preference.

Luckily, rose tattoo designs are very versatile and can be put nearly anywhere on the body.

Rose tattoos can be placed either behind the ear or on the neck, on the wrist, or anywhere else you can imagine.

Your decision of placement when it comes to your rose tattoo design, however, largely depends on your own pain tolerance as well.

It is important to remember that chubbier areas of your body will be more able to tolerate more elaborate designs while areas with less fat will be likely a bit more sensitive, perhaps best left for a smaller, more simple rose tattoo design.

Take this into consideration when choosing where to place your rose tattoo design.

If you have any questions about where the best place to put your rose tattoo design is, don’t be afraid to ask your tattoo artist!

They can help you make the best decision for you.

Each of these locations can bring new life and energy to your rose tattoo as well as invigorate your tattoo design and style!

You can begin to narrow down the options by thinking about how big or small you want it, what design or theme you plan on picking, and how high your threshold for pain is.

If you’re a newbie to tattooing, maybe start small and opt for an ankle or wrist tattoo.

If you have a high tolerance for pain and want your piece to make a solid impact, go for a tattoo on your neck.

Rose Chest Tattoos

A rose tattoo on your chest is a popular tattoo option, especially for men, because it provides a great surface space to show off tattoos or the names of special people in your life.

You can create a huge, expansive rose-inspired chest piece or simply tuck a small rose tattoo right over your heart to symbolize a loved one.

A rose tattoo on your chest allows you to hold your loved ones and the symbol of love close to your heart for the perfect balance of love and care.

A rose on the chest is a great way to carry a loved one with you or close to your heart, especially if it’s a red or yellow rose.

Either way, the chest is a great place to put a traditional flower tattoo!

Rose Tattoo on Chest
Rose Tattoo on Chest
Rose Tattoo on Chest
Rose Tattoo on Chest

Rose Forearm Tattoos

Rose tattoos on the forearm are a great way to show off some seriously talented art.

The forearm is a popular place for people to put signature tattoos that they’re very proud of.

With a rose tattoo on your forearm, you’re demonstrating your commitment, bravery, and love for tattooing to the world as well as celebrating the colorful and proud nature of the rose.

Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm
Rose Tattoo on Forearm

Rose Wrist Tattoos

Rose tattoos on the wrist look awesome when they are inked with deep colors like red or blue ink- and even more beautiful when paired with a contrasting color.

It is a small reminder of your loved one or experience you can look to at any time.

You can go traditional with a red rose tattoo surrounded by leaves and stem, or get creative and unique by adding a splash of color in the form of yellow roses or pink flowers on the wrist tattoo.

Rose tattoos on the wrist are a beautiful site to put a delicate and personal tattoo that symbolizes power, strength, and beauty.

By tattooing a rose on your wrist, you’re ensuring that you’re always connected to the source of your strength and inner beauty as well as ensuring that your artwork is seen and appreciated by many!

Rose Tattoo on Wrist
Small Rose Wrist Tattoo
Rose Tattoo on Wrist
Rose Tattoo on Wrist
Rose Tattoo on Wrist

Rose Shoulder Tattoos

Rose tattoos on the shoulder are prime locations for any big tattoo plans.

The shoulder is a beautiful space for wrap-around tattoos that include many delicate, trailing vines and leaves, especially when it comes to roses.

These large and elegant tattoo pieces complement any tattoo sleeve or serve as a statement piece on their own.

A rose tattoo on the shoulder is the perfect way to send a signal that you’re a fierce lover of art and beauty and can take the pain of a good tattoo!

Rose Tattoo on Shoulder
Rose Tattoo on Shoulder
Rose Tattoo on Shoulder
Rose Tattoo on Shoulder

Rose Finger Tattoos

A rose finger tattoo is a great way to give yourself a one-of-a-kind look.

Finger rose tattoos are an intimate and personal way of demonstrating your love for flowers and for simple things.

Minimalist rose tattoos are especially popular for fingers because of their simple design that doesn’t fade messily or take up too much space on your finger.

One of the least painful ways to get inked, rose finger tattoos are also one of the more affordable options — and best of all, you can show them off wherever your day takes you.

Since fingers are one of the most exposed parts of the skin, you should choose a monochromatic tattoo design that won’t require frequent touch-ups.

Add a rose to your finger for a permanent commitment to beauty and strength!

Finger Rose Tattoo
Small Rose Tattoo on Finger
Finger Rose Tattoo

Rose Tattoos on the Upper Arm

A rose tattoo on the upper arm is a great way to signal that you’re seriously committed to your current life path.

Roses are popular symbols of fidelity and everlasting love.

If you’ve got something in your life that you cherish and love without a doubt, a rose tattoo is a great way to connect that item to you permanently for a beautiful and personal touch.

Rose Tattoo on the Upper Arm
Rose Tattoo on the Upper Arm
Rose Tattoo on the Upper Arm
Rose Tattoo on the Upper Arm
Rose Tattoo on the Upper Arm
Rose Tattoo on the Upper Arm

Rose Hand Tattoos

A rose hand tattoo is one of the more common and more beautiful places to put your tattoo.

Rose tattoos are a beautiful yet serious expression of art that often require a big commitment from both artist and recipient to tattoo.

A rose tattoo isn’t just beautiful: it’s a commitment.

A rose tattoo on your hand is a sign that you’re not afraid of pain or a challenge and love welcoming new experiences, including a stunning new tattoo that takes up most of your hand.

A hand rose tattoo is a sign that you’re not afraid of expressing your love for something.

Getting your rose tattoo on your hand allows you to display it constantly.

With your significant memories right in front of you, you are always reminded of your tattoo’s personal meaning.

You have a lot of flexibility here in tattoo style and size, whether you want a delicate single rose and stem along your palm or a large and detailed rose on the back of your hand.

No matter which direction you go, your rose tattoo on the hand will make a statement about beauty and power whenever you shake someone’s hand next!

A hand tattoo can be a big commitment to displaying bold ideas, but a remarkable spot for a rose tattoo as well.

The circular area of the back of the hand fits a blossoming rose perfectly or use the long lines of the side of the hand for a more delicate, long-stemmed rose.

Rose Hand Tattoo
Traditional Rose Hand Tattoo
Rose Tattoo on the Back of the Hand
Small Rose Tattoo on Hand
Rose Tattoo on the Back of the Hand

Rose Neck Tattoos

The neck is a bold place to put statement tattoos, and roses are bold statements of love, passion, and desire.

The two make the perfect pair, so having a rose tattoo on your neck almost makes sense!

Rose tattoos on the neck are a sign that you’re a serious romantic at heart.

The neck is considered a sensitive and permanent place to many and adding a rose can be a sign that you’re willing to open yourself up to new experiences and loves.

You can select a single rose for a more simple approach or turn to multiple roses or rose-inspired tattoos depending on your style and preference.

As a sign of being an old romantic and willing to make yourself vulnerable in new experiences that may be painful, rose neck tattoos are sure to make a lasting impression.

If you’re looking to stand out and have your tattoo noticed, your neck is a great choice for a brilliant rose blossom.

Rose Tattoo on the Neck
Rose Tattoo on the Neck
Neck Tattoo
Rose Tattoo on the Neck
Neck Tattoo

Rose Sternum Tattoos

Rose tattoos are beautiful linear works of art that can often incorporate some of the best detailing and line work the modern tattoo world has ever seen.

A rose tattoo on the sternum is the perfect expression of your love for art, truth, and beauty, and the deep red contrasts nicely the shadows and highlights the perfect tattoo will have. (See sternum tattoos!)

Rose Tattoo on Sternum

Rose Thigh Tattoos

For a more subtle and sultry look, try a thigh tattoo.

Thighs are a popular place to get tattoos because more and more people are looking to get larger and more intricate tattoo designs, including roses.

This tattoo placement continues to draw in new clients who love using up all the blank skin on their thighs to add new and dramatic new tattoo art.

With a larger canvas comes even more opportunity for creativity and expansion, while this spot also supplies the choice of being on display or discretely hidden.

Whether you opt for a massive flower tattoo, a chain of roses wrapped around your leg, or the tiniest of roses, the thigh is a phenomenal choice for rose tattoos.

Rose Thigh Tattoo
Rose Thigh Tattoo
Rose Tattoo on the Thigh

Rose Calf Tattoos

Rose tattoos on the calf are a cool way to disguise some of the more intricate tattoo designs out there.

A rose on your calf could mean that you want to carry faith and beauty with you wherever you go, but many people also take a rose on the calf to mean that the people who had them tattooed are especially brave and valiant.

Rose Tattoo on Calf
Rose Tattoo on Calf
Rose Tattoo on Calf
Rose Tattoo on Calf

Rose Knee Tattoos

Knees are one of the more painful places to get tattooed, but having a rose on your knee is nonetheless a great place to show off some new ink!

A rose tattoo on your knee might symbolize the connection between beauty and pain that’s present in roses, as you’ll be getting a beautiful flower and beautiful new tattoo but in a sensitive and painful location!

Knee Tattoo

Rose Elbow Tattoos

Roses are flowers that symbolize beauty but also protection.

Having a rose tattoo on your elbow can symbolize your desire to see and be protected by your rose at all times, as well as enjoying the dual and balanced nature of the rose when it comes to beauty and protection.

It’s also a great place to get a wrap-around tattoo, which is a good style to enjoy with flowers so you can consider doing an entire bouquet of roses!

Traditional Rose Elbow Tattoo

Rose Tattoo Styles

Roses are a classic on the tattoo scene for a reason.

It’s impossible to talk about rose tattoos without mentioning the long-held associations with love and passion.

It makes sense, then, that traditional and contemporary tattoo techniques are frequently used when creating a small rose tattoo.

With so many possibilities for shapes, colors, and designs, you can really make your rose tattoo your own.

Still in the “budding” stage of your rose tattoo concept?

Some of the most common tattoo styles we’ve seen include:

Black & Grey Rose Tattoos

Roses are known for their vibrant colors and larger-than-life designs, but a black and grey rose tattoo can be just as significant and beautiful.

Black and grey rose tattoos are considered to be more masculine colors due to their severity and strength.

A black and grey rose tattoo could be an allusion to the fierce strength and nature of men, or it could also reflect a somber reflection on new life and end, another common theme associated with roses.

Black And Grey Rose Tattoo
Black And Grey Rose Tattoo
Black And Grey Rose Tattoo
Black And Grey Rose Tattoo
Black And Grey Rose Tattoo
Black And Grey Rose Tattoo
Black And Grey Rose Tattoo
Black And Grey Rose Tattoo

Traditional Rose Tattoos

As a symbol of beauty, power, sacrifice, and passion, the traditional rose is a versatile tattoo design that has several major themes consistent throughout its design styles and patterns.

From simple and sweet to detailed and highly significant, roses are stunning and natural wonders of the world rich with meaning, beauty, and power both as flowers and tattoo subjects.

Most of these rose tattoos are in the traditional tattoo style, a stunning example of historic tattooing characterized by bold lines, bright colors, and timeless subjects.

Traditional Snake and Rose Tattoo

The rose is one of the most common subjects of traditional tattoos and makes for the perfect traditional style because of the thick lining of the petals and color opportunities in each tattoo.

Traditional rose tattoos are popular with many thanks to their history within the tattooing community and their beautiful artistic opportunities.

Roses make great small traditional tattoos because of their delicate nature and intricate detailing.

Traditional Rose and Skull Tattoo

With a small traditional rose tattoo, you can use fine-lining or other detailing to help emphasize the beauty and simplicity of the rose as well as create a personal reminder of beauty, perseverance, and power.

Luckily, there are many sub-styles of traditional rose tattoos that you can take and personalize to help make your own.

  • Traditional Rose and Panther Tattoos

American traditional is a popular tattoo style among many contemporary tattoo fans due to its historic legacy in the tattoo industry.

American traditional is one of the oldest tattoo styles and is instantly recognizable thanks to its bold lines and primary coloring.

These themes play well in rose and panther tattoos.

Roses are beautiful, bright, and shocking examples of beauty and delicate grace that provide a sharp contrast to the fierce, final beauty and strength of the stalking panther.

Traditional Rose and Panther Tattoo

Realistic Rose Tattoos

When deciding on what kind of rose tattoo you are going to get or how many you are going to get, you may want to start off with a realistic version, since they are universal images that have been universally used and have never been limited to a certain type of rose or color.

Realism tattoos bring your ink to life by looking like they are pictures of the real thing embedded into your skin.

Realistic Rose Tattoo

When done properly, a realistic rose tattoo will have a 3D effect with layering and gradual shading, unlike traditional styles with clearly defined black outlines.

Representative of a wealth of meanings, realistic rose tattoos are highly adaptable, multifaceted, and exquisite to look at no matter where they are worn.

Realistic Rose Tattoo

If you are looking for a tattoo that is representative of your feelings and yet has a certain elegance that is just romance, then you may want to consider getting a realistic rose tattoo.

It is a very versatile tattoo design, it is also simple enough to become an original piece of body art that many people can get inked into their skin.

A realistic rose tattoo is a masterpiece that mixes art with beauty and nature.

Realistic Tattoo

They can be inked in any color to not only alter the appearance but the meaning behind it too – a red rose has drastically different symbolism than a black rose.

Tattooed illustrations of realistic roses can have an assortment of meanings intertwined simply by adding color or other symbols to them.

Realistic Tattoo

Any tattoo can be customized, but realistic roses provide a myriad of options from shades of black and grey to rainbow colors, tiny to massive pieces, and positive or negative connotations.

If you’re looking for a classy tattoo, timeless work of art that will never get old, try a realistic rose tattoo – as pretty as a picture.

Realistic Black & Grey Rose Tattoos

By using only black and grey ink, your realistic rose tattoo will look like an old-school black and white photograph.

Alluding to strength and/or life and death, a black and grey realistic rose tattoo is a striking tribute to beauty and pain.

Or it could merely be that you prefer the look of colorless tattoos.

Regardless, a black and grey realistic rose tattoo is a powerful piece.

Realistic Black and Grey Rose Tattoo
Realistic Black and Grey Rose Tattoo
Realistic Black and Grey Rose Tattoo

Micro-realist Rose Tattoos

Micro-realist tattoos, also called single needle tattoos, are a new kind of tattoo that is gaining popularity among celebrities, like Justin Bieber and Cara Delevigne.

Perfect for commitment-phobes or a first tattoo, a small realistic rose tattoo is popular among females as a dainty memento.

Tiny long-stemmed roses fit nicely on fingers, the wrist, or behind the ear, but can really be placed anywhere, with any tattoo design.

Although small rose tattoos are usually a feminine choice, they will also blend well into larger pieces and sleeves on any gender.

Single needle tattoos are pioneering innovation in modern tattoo design that creates delicate, fine lines of ink with a single needle in order to preserve the fine imagery of a single line.

A rose tattoo is usually drawn with many fine lines or detailing that helps create the detail that a rose is known for, and a single needle rose tattoo helps create the perfect depiction of delicate and intricate beauty.

Using one needle, these designs are increasingly popular with tattoo aficionados who want a more minimal yet detailed look.

The highly detailed thin lines of this tattoo style resemble pencil drawing, allowing the artist to put emphasis on the most important aspects of your rose tattoo.

The careful shading of the petals and the delicate outlining create an intricate micro-realist rose tattoo that resembles real roses.

Single Needle Rose Tattoo
Single Needle Rose Tattoo
Single Needle Rose Tattoo

Black-work Rose Tattoos

Deep black-work rose tattoos are beautiful expressions of intimate beauty that can be found in monochromatic tattoo design themes.

With a black-work tattoo, your spirit will feel free to explore while you celebrate yourself and your new ink in style and luxury.

Black-work Rose Tattoo
Black-work Rose Tattoo
Black-work Rose Tattoo
Black-work Rose Tattoo
Black-work Rose Tattoo
Black-work Rose Tattoo
Black-work Rose Tattoo
Black-work Rose Tattoo

Watercolor Rose Tattoos

Watercolor flower tattoos are becoming popular thanks in large part to their gentle and vibrant color palette that gracefully dots outside of the lines for an authentic and colorful watercolor approach.

Watercolor rose tattoos are a gorgeous piece for any person’s latest tattoo.

The delicate details of a rose combined with striking watercolor paint make for a standout piece, regardless of size.

Watercolor Yellow Rose Tattoo

One might get a watercolor rose tattoo to symbolize love in their life, or potentially a lost love they are trying to memorialize.

The watercolors may hold a deeper meaning depending on the color.

While rose tattoos as a whole hold deep symbolism on their own, oftentimes the color of the rose signifies an even deeper meaning.

Watercolor blue rose tattoos may potentially represent something unattainable or difficult to achieve.

These tattoos may also symbolize change, dreams, and desire for an individual.

Representing a childlike feeling, watercolor pink rose tattoos symbolize innocence, or signify a new love.

One may get a watercolor yellow rose tattoo to represent joy in their life or as a devotion to a joyous or happy memory.

Watercolor Purple Rose Tattoo

Simple, bright pastels and gentle highlights make this watercolor tattoo style popular with all ages, and roses as timeless tattoo symbols of love and elegance pair especially well with watercolor!

Watercolor red rose tattoos represent passion and love.

People who get these tattoos could be memorializing a loved one or using the tattoo to signify deep passion for another person.

A watercolor purple rose tattoo symbolizes royalty, majesty, and enchantment.

Someone may choose to get this tattoo to dedicate to a special, enchanting love in their life.

Watercolor Pink Rose Tattoo

The watercolor pink rose tattoos are delicate reminders of innocent love.

These tattoos also potentially represent a lost love.

Holding more difficult memories for a person, watercolor black rose tattoos most commonly represent grief and loss.

Many people get these kinds of rose tattoos to remember a lost loved one, or potentially grieve a significant loss of something in their lives.

Watercolor Black Rose Tattoo

Watercolor rose tattoos are perfect anywhere on your body.

These beautiful tattoos are stunning for any person and serve as a striking reminder of any meaning they hold.

With all the different colors and placements possible for your watercolor rose tattoo, there are plenty of designs you can choose from.

Each of these designs is a stunning tattoo artwork that represents the delicate beauty of a rose.

Watercolor Tattoo

Watercolor rose tattoos are perfect to memorialize a loved one or significant time in your life.

They serve as tasteful reminders of life’s beauty.

The sophisticated rose flower coupled with gorgeous watercolors creates a unique and meaningful tattoo piece for any person.

Regardless of their intended meaning, a watercolor rose is a perfect piece for your next tattoo choice.

Dot-work Rose Tattoos

Dot-work rose tattoos are beautiful and intricate tattoos designed to draw the eye in with effortless and minimalist shading that focuses the attention on clean lines and thick black outlining for detail.

A dot work rose tattoo represents attention to detail and a commitment to passion and excellence, all things a regular rose can represent as well.

Dot-work Rose Tattoo
Dot-work Rose Tattoo
Dot-work Rose Tattoo

One Line Rose Tattoos

One-line tattoos have become increasingly more common thanks to their sharp rise in popularity with the younger generation.

A single line rose tattoo helps establish the unbreakable, unyielding nature of roses and demonstrates how powerful it can be to have the strength of the fully protected and thorned rose on their side.

One Line Rose Tattoo
One Line Rose Tattoo

Horror Inspired Rose Tattoos

Roses aren’t all love-dove-y and honest; sometimes roses can be a powerful and effective horror tool to shock people into accepting the contrast between fear, beauty, pain, and love.

In horror tattooing, roses represent a sharp contrast to traditional darker themes, presenting color and life in horror-tinted tones.

Horror Rose Tattoo
Horror Rose Tattoo
Horror Rose Tattoo
Horror Rose Tattoo
Horror Rose Tattoo
Horror Rose Tattoo

Negative Space Rose Tattoos

Negative space tattoos are stunning depictions of light and dark that can often draw attention to the interplay between good and bad.

For roses, which traditionally represent beauty and pain, this interplay of duality is a very beautiful statement on life and power.

Negative Space Rose Tattoo
Negative Space Rose Tattoo

Illustrative Rose Tattoos

These cartoon-inspired pieces often feature vibrant colors, rich imagery, and bold outlines and shading details to help inspire and emphasize the beauty of of roses as a drawing or illustration.

Whether you’re an aspiring artist or simply drawn to sketching and coloring, illustrative rose tattoos are a beautiful symbol of creativity and passion.

Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo
Illustrative Rose Tattoo

Stick & Poke Rose Tattoos

Social media have given rise to a new generation who think outside the box when it comes to body art bringing the handpoked tattoo back to life.

One of the oldest methods of tattooing, stick-and-poke tattoos are made without electric tattooing machines, similar to the tebori technique.

Stick and poke tattoos are a beautiful style of modern tattooing involving individual dots of ink pressed into the skin instead of crossing lines.

Stick and poke tattoos take much longer and require far more precision and detail, but often produce finer and more delicate tattoo results.

A stick and poke rose tattoo represents patience, beauty, and delicacy, traits held by both stick and poke tattoos and rose tattoos.

These tattoos typically have a looser, less-clean look than those made with electric tattoo guns, although there are some professional stick-and-poke artists who can match machine-made tattoos for boldness and clarity.

Stick-and-poke rose tattoos are highly sought after for their raw, authentic outlook and vintage appeal.

Stick & Poke Rose Tattoo
Stick & Poke Rose Tattoo

Sketchy Rose Tattoos

For artists or art-lovers, sketchy rose tattoos are the perfect way to combine two passions: graphic sketched imagery and the beautiful, ephemeral nature of rose tattoos.

The perfection of roses and plants combined with the careful drafting and sketching of the roses in different stages of art make for a beautiful statement on the process of growth, beauty, and change both in art and in roses.

Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo
Sketchy Rose Tattoo

Geometric Rose Tattoos

If you seek a fresh take on a classic tattoo motif, geometric tattoos are the way to go.

A geometric rose tattoo represents a sense of balance and stability in life.

Geometric flower tattoos have an artful simplicity, proving that graphic lines and shapes can look just as elegant as conventional tattoo art.

Geometric rose tattoos are the perfect compromise for those who want a discreet flower tattoo but aren’t fond of feminine, petal-inspired tattoo designs.

Geometric rose tattoos hold meaning related to balance, stability, and symmetry.

Someone may get a geometric tattoo to represent stability in their own life, or serve as a reminder of stability and balance when needed.

Geometric Rose Tattoo

Ornamental Rose Tattoos

Roses are considered the jewels of the floral world, and ornamental tattoos that combine the beauty of roses with the beauty of jewels and other intricate detailing and royal art is the perfect way to demonstrate the ornamental, rich quality of both flowers and fine jewels.

An ornamental tattoo is a great symbol of elegance and luxury, especially with the rose featured.

Ornamental Rose Tattoo
Ornamental Rose Tattoo
Ornamental Rose Tattoo
Ornamental Rose Tattoo
Ornamental Rose Tattoo
Ornamental Rose Tattoo
Ornamental Rose Tattoo
Ornamental Rose Tattoo

Etching Rose Tattoos

An etching rose is a beautiful tattoo style that uses a combination of shading and pointillism to make it seem as though it’s been carved out of your skin.

The etching rose tattoo can represent the painstaking beauty of art and how carefully it can be crafted or created into the skin as a living, breathing masterpiece of artistic value.

Etching Rose Tattoo
Etching Rose Tattoo
Etching Rose Tattoo
Etching Rose Tattoo

Graphic Rose Tattoos

For cartoon or comic fans, a graphic rose might be the perfect blend of two lifelong passions.

Graphic tattoos feature beautiful shadowing, delicate outlining, and masterful use of negative space in order to create the illusion of depth and shading.

A graphic rose tattoo represents the powerful nature of love and passion that makes it the perfect graphic design theme.

Graphic Rose Tattoo
Graphic Rose Tattoo
Graphic Rose Tattoo

Contemporary Rose Tattoos

People who enjoy modern art and art styles will feel drawn to the contemporary rose tattoo designs that blend vibrant color and modern art designs with traditional tattooing and imagery.

A contemporary rose tattoo might depict the beautiful combination of classic themes and modern art styles.

Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo
Contemporary Rose Tattoo

Rose Tattoo Ideas

Do you have the perfect rose style in mind but don’t know where or how to incorporate it?

These rose tattoo ideas are the perfect way to combine your ideal tattoo styles and placements to create the perfect tattoo design.

Check out these popular rose tattoo ideas to help inspire your rose piece!

Bracelet Rose Tattoos

A bracelet rose tattoo is a beautiful wraparound tattoo style that can sit on your forearm, your wrist, your arm, or anywhere you like.

A bracelet rose tattoo is the perfect way to constantly carry a reminder of a rose’s protection and beauty with you at all times.

Bracelet Rose Tattoo

Rose Sleeve Tattoos

Rose sleeves are a stunning tribute to beauty, pain, and power, both tributes represented by a rose and associated with the act of getting a huge sleeve tattoo done.

A rose sleeve tattoo might represent your dedication to love and beauty or a desire for the thorny protection of a rose carried with you always.

Rose Sleeve Tattoo
Rose Sleeve Tattoo
Rose Sleeve Tattoo
Rose Sleeve Tattoo
Rose Sleeve Tattoo

Simple Rose Tattoos

A minimalist rose tattoo is a small design that doesn’t draw too much attention to itself, but it’s still a powerful tattoo symbol when worn on one’s body.

Simple rose tattoos are delicate and simple ways to combine your favorite rose styles with a minimalist and bare tattoo that doesn’t draw too much attention to it but is a reminder of your own strength and beauty.

Though the rose is a complex flower with many petals and thorns intertwining to make one beautiful piece of floral art, it doesn’t have to be a complex tattoo to be beautiful.

Simple rose tattoos represent love, patience, and power, making them beautiful personal reminders for yourself.

A minimalist rose tattoo is a great way to enjoy the simple beauty of the rose through streamlined tattoo and detailing.

Because of their simplicity, simple rose tattoos are particularly effective on the fingers, wrists, or ankles, being the perfect reminder of your goals.

Small and Simple Rose Tattoo
Simple Rose Tattoo
Simple Rose Tattoo
Small and Simple Rose Tattoo

Long Stem Rose Tattoos

Long stem rose tattoos are particularly meaningful because they usually represent a love that’s particularly long-lasting and never-ending.

The longer the stem, the longer the love or relationship that the rose represents.

Long-stemmed rose tattoos might represent your ongoing passion or romance as well as a never-ending love for someone or something.

Also, the long stem rose tattoo, particularly one with a lot of thorns, symbolizes heartbreak.

The rose stem is their protector, containing sharp thorns and thick, bushy leaves that help keep roses safe from predators.

A rose and stem tattoo represents the defensive protection that often accompanies great beauty and the dual nature between pleasure and pain.

Long Stem Rose Tattoo
Long Stem Rose Tattoo
Long Stem Rose Tattoo
Long Stem Rose Tattoo
Long Stem Rose Tattoo

Infinity Rose Tattoos

Roses are considered to be depictions of temporary beauty, as the flowers bloom for a short but stunning time before wilting and dying.

An infinity rose tattoo could represent the extension of that beauty into an eternal, infinite thing that outlasts any personal lifespan.

Infinity Rose Tattoo

Cherokee Rose Tattoos

A Cherokee rose tattoo is an entirely different style of rose with white outward petals that don’t fold into each other quite as much and a yellow center.

Its meaning is taken from the legend of the Cherokee rose.

In the story, the Cherokee rose represents the blood and tears of the struggling Cherokee who were forced out of their homes to walk on the trail of tears.

Three Rose Tattoos

Why one, when you can have three?

Three roses in a tattoo signify three times as much beauty and elegance.

It is used to emphasize one’s aestheticism as well as their belief that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Single Rose Tattoos

When someone gives you a single rose, it means that they are trying to express their love simply.

Without excess, the single rose tattoo conveys a love that is pure and deeply emotional.

Rose Tattoo Artists

Finally, your tattoo artist is definitely something to take into consideration when choosing the best rose tattoo design for you.

Your chosen tattoo artist’s unique skills and abilities are something you should consider when working with them to create the best rose tattoo design.

Some tattoo artists are better at creating rose tattoo designs than others- in fact, some tattoo artists even specialize in rose tattoos.

While the ability to tattoo complex, beautiful roses tend to be something nearly any tattoo artist can do thanks to how common they are, it’s important that you take a look at your tattoo artist’s portfolio before making a final decision.

It is very likely that your tattoo artist will have a rose tattoo somewhere in their portfolio and you should take a close look at what they have completed in the past.

Taking their unique style into account, ask yourself if this type of rose is something you will be proud to wear for the rest of your life.

If so, you can go forth with confidence that your tattoo artist will be able to create a rose tattoo design that you can cherish for the rest of your life!

Megan Massacre Tattoo
Vic Vivid Tattoo
Mark Wade Tattoo
Phil Garcia Tattoo
Alessandro Capozzi Tattoo
Levgen Tattoo
Jose Guevara Morales Tattoo
Sam Barber Tattoo
Clifford Chen Tattoo
Andrés Acosta Tattoo
Liz Venom Tattoo
Adam F Tattoo
Chris Rigoni Tattoo
Pony Wave Tattoo
Zihwa Tattoo
Doy Tattoo

Summing Up

As highlighted above, rose tattoos can convey various symbolic meanings.

For this reason, it is crucial that you consider the symbolism you want to convey in your rose tattoo design (if any) when working collaboratively with your tattoo artist.

One thing to consider when thinking about the symbolism behind your rose tattoo is how many roses you are getting tattooed.

Believe it or not, the number of roses used in your tattoo can carry meaning.

A single rose tattoo, for example, can symbolize independence, courage, love, and individuality.

On the other hand, several rose tattoos are equally as meaningful.

Small budding roses with a single rose, for example, means that you are looking into the future as an individual, and two rose tattoos can symbolize your future with a loved one.

A bouquet of rose tattoos is typically used to symbolize the involvement of several loved ones in your life story while a black bouquet of roses can be symbolic of the story of loss.

Consider the meaning you want to convey with your rose tattoo design carefully as this is a huge component of the overall design.

It’s important to note that just because the rose tattoo mostly means something to do with love, doesn’t mean that’s always the case.

Remember, tattoo symbolism is always subjective to the individual and can have personal significance, unrelated to its typical meaning.

In the case of the rose tattoo, regardless of its meaning, it is a beautiful tattoo to wear— in any color.

Rose Tattoo FAQ

What does a singular rose tattoo represent?

Love
Passion
Heartbreak

What do different rose tattoos symbolize?

Blue rose tattoo meaning: fantasy, an unreachable dream, or hidden love.
Yellow rose tattoo meaning: joy, happiness, friendship, kindness, and community.
Red rose tattoo meaning: passion, desire, and love.
White rose tattoo meaning: purity and innocence.
Black rose tattoo meaning: grieving someone that has passed.
Pink rose tattoo meaning: new romance, a mother’s love, first love, or femininity.

What does a black rose tattoo mean?

The black rose tattoo means grieving the death of a loved one: the rose typically means love, so when it’s black, it means that the loved one has died. It also can refer to the death of bad habits or a bad event and growth into a new state of mind. These tattoos are signals of strength and overcoming adversity, ideal for portraying your toughness and ability to hold your own.

How do I choose a rose tattoo?

The main things you should consider when designing a rose tattoo are:
1. Tattoo Style
2. Tattoo Size
3. Body Placement
4. Other tattoo motifs you want to include in the overall tattoo design

How much would a half-sleeve of roses tattoo cost?

While it can range from $300 to even $4000 depending on the tattoo artist, the average cost for a half sleeve tattoo is $800.

What is the meaning of a dying rose tattoo?

Dying rose tattoos have powerful symbolism for many people as a sign of an end, a passing pain, or a feeling of deep sorrow that you’re unable to shake. The tattoo meanings of the dying or dried rose are heartbreak, loss of a loved one, or fading love.

How can I fix my terrible rose tattoo sleeve?

The best way to redesign a sleeve tattoo is to make an appointment with a tattoo artist that specializes in cover-up tattooing or retouching. In general, cover-up tattoos cost more than regular ones.

Why do so many people have rose tattoos?

Because of their universal symbolism about love and passion, many people relate to the rose tattoos, making them one of the most popular tattoos.


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