70 Rose Tattoos That Will Make You Reallllly Want a Rose Tattoo

Rose tattoos are so incredibly stunning. The artwork speaks for itself. Enjoy these GORGEOUS rose tattoos. Rose is an everlasting tattoo theme thanks to its beauty and symbolism.

Through centuries people have tattooed meaningful symbols on their skin, and rose is a popular image because it carries so many connotations in different cultures. And hey, who wouldn’t like to look at roses? They are a thing of beauty after all.

1. A modern rose

This beautiful rose is done in modern semi-abstract style that imitates pencil and watercolor. Amazing job by the artist. The spectacular but casually applied colors make each other and the tattoo in general stand out. I also love the placement. The symmetry of the back really brings the focus to the rose and makes it even more eye-catching. Seen on tattoo-ideas.us.

2. Peeking behind the ear

Micro tattoos behind ears can be fun, but sometimes a bit bigger piece brings the points home. This rose tattoo is beautifully shaded and shaped to fit the form of the ear and the neck. It looks like it’s reaching out from behind the ear. I bet it would also look great in color. Seen on tattooeasily.com.

3. Colored rose

Sometimes people get tired of the black and grey and choose to color their old tattoos. The results can be pretty amazing. This tattoo, for example, is far more mesmerizing in color than in black and grey. The colors match and look really vivid and deep. Post-colored tattoos often end up being quite dark, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing, like this one demonstrates.

4. Half sleeve with roses

A lot of guys rock rose tattoos, it’s an everlasting and genderless symbol, although many people associate it with feminine features. This sleeve is pretty badass. The red roses with dark green leaves gorgeously stand out from the black and grey background. This would also look good as a whole sleeve. From nextluxury.com.

5. Matching roses with your friend

Getting matching tattoos with friends or family is a great way to celebrate bonds. These tattoos even more amazing when there are two people who have them. The colors are strikingly beautiful, and the style reminds me of realistic paintings of flowers. These rose tattoos would look great combined with feminine outfits. Elegant tattoos are not an impossibility. Check out our popular best friend tattoo article.

6. Small and fragile

Sometimes small is beautiful – like this tiny rose. The details of the flower are incredible. You can even see the thorns. The smallness of the rose makes it look realistically soft and fragile. The pink color also has more innocent and softer connotations than the traditional red. Taken from reginaphalangephalange.tumblr.com.

7. Dark roses

This tattoo from cuded.com is a bit darker than most colored rose tattoos. It looks actually pretty gothic to me. The colors of the roses are divine, they look almost like velvet. I also like how it’s kind of like a sleeve, the roses are semi-combined with vines and climb all the way to her chest. Looks great combined with black clothes.

8. All outlines

Outline tattoos are tough. They look amazing, but I bet these roses would also look great in color. If she changes her mind later on, at least she has the option to put some color on them. The lack of color makes these roses look light and airy, like they were projected on her. The cursive text also fits the style perfectly.

9. Feminine foot tattoo

The detail on this foot tattoo is brilliant. The shading is beautifully done and the rose looks as realistic as a black and grey rose can look. A feminine detail that looks amazing combined with any outfit. The nail polish can also change the mood of the tattoo – grey makes it look softer and colder, red makes it look more sensual and lady-like. Great placement.

10. Different styles

This one’s really cool. It’s a modern one with a combination of different styles that makes it really interesting and eye-catching. I love both styles, I would love a tattoo done all in one of these styles, but combining them was a clever idea. This unique piece was found on brit.co.

11. Galaxy rose

Blog.tattoodo.com shows all kinds of tattoos of roses combined with other things, like baseballs, water, circus… and this one with a galaxy! It’s pretty unique and beautiful, I actually kind of wish it were even bigger with some other things involved. I bet that from distance this one looks like a giant bruise, but – a pleasant surprise – it’s not.

12. Rose with a mandala

Wow, this rose is incredible! Combining different styles sometimes works, and in this one it really works. The mandala on the background alone is beautiful, and the rose stands out like in 3D in spite of the black and grey colors… amazing work by the artist. The only thing I would change is the placement, I’d make it more symmetrical. From inkedone.com

13. Roses and henna style

Here’s another one that combines different styles. The lacy background reminds me of henna tattoos – although the black color makes it look almost gothic – and the contrast between pink and black makes the flowers stand out. Beautiful tattoo! Spotted on blog.tattoodo.com.

14. A fierce rose

Remember the galaxy one? Well, this one combines a rose with a tiger. I really can’t decide whether I like it or not. Artistically, it’s beautifully done and the tattooer is very talented. As a picture though, there’ a lot going on, maybe a little too much for me. At least this one is definitely unique. Seen on inkedone.com

15. Rainbow rose

This one is my favourite rainbow rose tattoo of all time. I’ve seen a few, but what I like about this one in particular is the style, which is very sketchy, and the pastel color scheme. The colors are beautifully done and fit into the casual style of the tattoo. I’m glad the person has it on his or her arm where people can see it. From tattoostime.com.

16. Ice blue roses

I like seeing tattoos done in one color other than black. Like this one. The celestial blue looks absolutely gorgeous on these roses. I think I would have preferred them a bit more refined, without the sketchy lines on the background.

17. A belt of roses

What a spectacular tattoo! This will turn heads on the beach. I love the size of it; the huge lush roses; and the swirls on the background. It’s super form fitting and really suits her body. The black and grey colors look great, although I bet it would also look amazing in color. From anon-clipper.polyvore.com.

18. Religious symbolism

People often get tattoos according to their ideas, morals and lifestyles, so it’s not surprising to get a tattoo with Christian symbolism if you’re a believer. Roses have meanings in Christian contexts, so they’re not an uncommon feature in religious tattoos. Also wow, that lion is majestic! From blog.tattoodo.com

19. Garden on your hands

This girl literally has a garden on her hands! Well, not literally I suppose, but it sure has all that a garden needs – flowers and bugs all over the place. This one really is an eye catching and stunning piece. The design reminds me of old botany drawings used for school books and such. Great way to recycle the style.

20. Pointy mandala

A rose inside a mandala, didn’t we see this one already? This mandala is pretty unique though and it has been adjusted to fit the person’s arm. The triangles that point outwards really bring out the rose and make it look more attractive. Beautiful design, but the photo could be better. From mariohiga.deviantart.com.

21. Painted roses

Sensational tattoo. Almost leaves me speechless. Almost. The roses look like they were actually painted on her. The tattoo artist must have been very talented. The colors, the shapes, everything looks outstanding. From nanabrianna91.tumblr.com.

22. Hip roses

Symmetrical tattoos can look really amazing when done by a good artist – like this one. These exuberantly red roses look amazing as a pair. They look super feminine and bring out her hips that without the tattoos would just look like pretty typical skinny hips. Tattoos can be a great way to bring out or hide away parts of your body.

23. A blue rose

I love the style of this tattoo but the placement – not so much. The colors and details are very picturesque, but to me the placement looks very random and unflattering to the tattoo. Surrounding the tattoo seem to be other nature or flower themed tattoos, that look very botany-book inspired. Maybe it’s all camouflage for walking in the garden? From inspiredtattoosideas.tumblr.com.

24. A modern bunch

I love the style of this tattoo. It’s breathtaking. The flowers are so delicately done. The placement is also beautiful – not everybody likes to have tattoos reaching up their neck because in some places it makes it difficult to find a job, but this girl doesn’t seem to mind. I wouldn’t mind with a tattoo like this. The flowers almost look like they’re reaching out for sun.

25. Traditional traditional

Here’s a tattoo with very traditional imagery. Flowers, skulls, swirls – it has it all. Maybe needs some swallows. Anyway, the bold colors look good against her pale skin, and the daring red of the roses really makes them stand out. The swirls are not quite tribal style, so at least that part’s a bit less traditional. Seen on tattooeasily.com.

26. A dreamcatching rose

Dreamcatcher tattoos have become increasingly popular in the past few years, but here’s one that own the theme. A rose dreamcatcher! Yes? Yes! I like this idea. The rose features some feathers among the petals and dangling feathers with gems; the dreamcatcher theme is not too obvious, I like the subtlety of this tattoo. From tattoo-ideas.us.

27. Shoulder protection

This is a more traditional rose tattoo. I like this one because it’s like a mini version of a sleeve tattoo – like a shoulder protector or t-shirt sleeve. It looks gorgeous. The colors and clear shapes guarantee that it will catch people’s attention and it will also work as a cute accessory to various outfits.

29. Abstract rose

Here’s a somewhat abstract rose tattoo. I like the colors, they are stunning – blue flowers instead of green are an original detail – but the lower part is kind of hard to interpret. It looks like it’s either melting or flowing, the shape reminds me of a waterfall. Anyway, the meaning is not very clear. From tattoosme.com.

30. Black and grey bunch

Thigh tattoos can look awesome, like this one. It’s a pretty traditional black and grey bunch of roses, inked beautifully. The placement is great and can look pretty feminine combined with different outfits.

31. Climbing roses

I love how this girl’s tattoos look like they have the same theme. They remind me of tapestries of ancient European kings and queens. Gorgeous style. The roses features spectaculat vines that reach out and curl with lots of pretty details. The tattoo climbs up her neck creating an eye-catching pattern. From tattooeasily.com.

32. Colorful bunch

The placement of this tattoo is quite unusual. The rose bunch itself is quite unusual too with different colors, however, the colors bring each other out beautifully. The most confusing thing is the little guy below the bunch. Who is he? What is he doing? Seen on tattooeasily.com.

33. Botany book roses

I love the style of this tattoo. It looks like a black and grey version of the old botany book pictures. This one stops on the chest, so it can be easily hidden for jobs where tattoos are not tolerated. It’s also a tattoo that probably ages well and never loses its charm. This and more on tattooeasily.com.

34. Contrasting colors

This combination of pink and grey is truly eye-catching. The harsh grey leaves really flatter the lush pink flowers and make them stand out. The placement is also nice; half on the back and half on the arm. This tattoo would look stunning with tube tops. From tattooeasily.com.

35. Roses and cameras

These tattoos are very well-made and interesting. I only wonder whether they were done together or separately? They make an odd combination. The camera tattoo also doesn’t look like it was very form fitted, it doesn’t flatter his body at all. It’s just kind of there. Seen on tattooeasily.com.

36. Mexican influences

This tattoo from tattooeasily.com combines modern style with traditional Mexican imagery. It features a picture of Santa Muerte, a Mexican folk saint, surrounded by roses, that are often combined with La Muerte. I love the muted colors and painting-like style of this tattoo. They bring something new to the old Mexican symbolism.

37. Jesus and roses

Roses have connotations in various different religious, and Christianity is one of them. Here’s a Jesus surrounded by roses. The style of these roses is fairly traditional black and grey. Roses make a pretty addition to existing tattoos. From tattooeasily.com.

38. Photoshopped roses

Here’s a breathtakingly beautiful and skillfully made tattoo. The picture looks like a photoshopped image of roses, it’s very realistic with a modified color scheme. This is definitely a unique and eye-catching tattoo. How awesome that she has it on her arm so that all the world can see it. Spotted on tattooeasily.com.

39. Roses and all kinds of things

This tattoo has a lot of things going on. A lady with an animal, roses and a deer peeking out of a frame. The meaning of all that is beyond me, and I won’t even try to guess what it could be. The style is old school with hints of modern touches, and I quite like it. The roses seem like a filler in this one. This tattoo is from tattooeasily.com.

40. Swirling rose

I can’t say that I can interpret this one either. It’s done by a talented artist for sure. The contrasting rusty red on the leaves makes an amazing contrast to the blue of the rose, almost like the true red of the rose is peeking out. The transparent swirls on the edges are pretty cool too. Seen on nextluxury.com.

41. With Celtic symbols

Celtic themes are pretty popular in tattoos, especially combined with religious symbolism like crosses, ironically. Here’s a rose inside a Celtic ring. This tattoo is gorgeous and I really like the placement, it’s totally eye-catching. The little dew drops on the rose make it look really fresh. From tattooeasily.com.

42. Matching feet

Matching foot tattoos are awesome! This old school matching rose tattoos are super feminine and look amazing in those heels. They also look super pretty done in color – I think better than they would in balck and grey. Foot tattoos are also nice and discrete, because you can hide them easily when you want to. Spotted on tattooeasily.com.

43. Like sculptures

This tattoo looks like a sculpture. The shading is strikingly beautiful and the colors are mesmerizing. I’m not sure what it represents, but it’s truly a piece of art. The softness or the face and the rose is breathtaking. This one is from tattooideas247.com.

44. Rose compass

Here’s a fairly modern take on the rose theme combined with a compass. I like the casual splatter of red on it, like the artist got sick of making it decided to head to the North. The style to me seems like old school with a modern twist. From twitter.com/blackdiamondtat.

45. Japanese influences

This tattoo features all the pretty woman things, but still succeeds at being manly. Any gender could wear this tattoo and rock it, because it’s a work of art. The detailed black and grey work is lightened by the soft pink flowers, and there’s an illusion of movement as the wind blows the Geishas’ hair on their faces. Seen on nextluxury.com.

46. Abstract and colorful

I don’t think this one would look like much without the colors. The vivid colors are what really crowns this tattoo. The contrasts and the splashes add another dimension to it, an impression of movement and life. Beautiful work. From nextluxury.com.

47. Anti-rose

This tattoo from nextluxury.com is quite interesting. Why is there a red cross over the dark rose? Does this person hate roses? Is it some kind of a symbol? Using two colors makes the tattoo really stand out – two contrasting bold colors guarantee that it won’t go unnoticed.

48. Feminine sleeve

Here’s a feminine version of the traditional rose sleeve. These roses are big and magnificent, they don’t hide away and would look great in color too. The tattoo starts from the wrist where she has some kind of a pretty ornamental pattern as their base. A great way to combine different elements in one tattoo.

49. All red

This rose tattoo is really unique! It’s done all in red and the style sort of reminds me of those drawings monks used to decorate books with in the Middle Age. It would look gorgeous anywhere on the body, and in any color although I love the red. The size good too – were it smaller it wouldn’t look half as spectacular. Seen on nextluxury.com.

50. Very abstract

If you’re looking for a good example of an abstract rose tattoo, then here’s one. The shape of the flower is the clearest part about it, otherwise it’s all over the place. The round shape on the background works as a frame for the rose. The colors are pretty standard, but used liberally. From tattoosme.com.

51. Dates and roses

Dates or phrases are commonly combined with roses. This manly sleeve tattoo combines series of numbers – not sure whether they’re dates or zip codes or something else – with roses. The roses seems to fade in and out of focus, the whole tattoo is skillfully made. Spotted on nextluxury.com.

52. Roses in the wind

This tattoo spotted on cuded.com features roses flying in the wind. It’s another abstract piece, and I quite like the style of this one. The roses have bits of red making them look more like roses, and the lines around them make them look dynamic, like they’re in a torment.

53. Colorful bunches

The placement of this tattoo is odd, but the flowers gorgeous. This might be a cover tattoo of some sort because of the placement. The roses are vibrant and lush, absolutely beautifully inked. I love the variety of colors the roses have. Seen on tattooeasily.com.

54. La vie en rose

This hyperrealistic pink rose looks almost soft to touch. The artist that did this tattoo is incredibly talented. The folds, the light, the shading – it’s a masterpiece. Pink roses represent happiness and joy, so it’s a nice symbol to have on your skin. This rose is so realistic, that even though the color is quite stereotyped, I think it could well be on a girl or a guy.

55. Pink and realistic

Here’s another pink rose done in a more painting-like style. The placement is eye-catching, although I think this tattoo would look good almost anywhere. The colors make the flowers stand out and look abundant. Seems like a fairly girly style tattoo to me, more girly than the other pink rose at 54. Spotted on wheresthekarma.blogspot.com.

56. Realistic

This painting-style rose looks like it wants to reach out for the sun. The colors are rich and bright and the inking work has been done by a skilled tattoo artist. A great example of a colored painting style tattoo. From cuded.com.

57. Traditional Mexican

Here’s some traditional Mexican style tattoos with calaveras, roses, swallows and all the most popular tattoo themes. This tattoo has been done by a good artist; although there are a lot of details, it’s not messy. All the elements are in some sort of harmony. The colors are black and red, always an effective combination. Seen on tattooeasily.com.

58. Cartoon

This is a style you don’t see that often; cartoon. A rose in a frame – we’ve seen that already a few times – but done in cartoon-like naive style is something more original. The picture looks quite pretty and girly in spite of the style. It’s not as simplistic as it might seem first. It features a lot of details especially in the shading and color work. Gorgeous. Spotted on inkluded.co.uk.

59. Old school

This is a tattoo truly loyal to the old school style. It features all the best clichés of old school tattoos. The roses are beautifully combined with other traditional symbols and a motivational phrase. I love that it’s such a big one – she must really love this tattooing style. From tattooeasily.com.

60. Simple combination

This is a simplistic one. A rose with a black splatter. It’s very effective in its simplicity, and I love the gorgeous color work on the rose. The black splatter is very black and splattery, I don’t really know what it represents. It could quite possibly be a cover-up.

61. How much do you love geometry?

Geometry tattoos are on the rise, and this girl loves them so much that she decided to take a whole rose in geometrical pattern. I sure didn’t love geometry at school as much as I love it in tattoos. This one definitely brings something new to the theme rose tattoos and in its simplicity is truly beautiful.

62. Traditional black and grey

This girl prefers the regular style, and this rose bunch is a beautiful example of it. The colors are quite dark, but the shading is masterful. It looks almost like a black-and-white photograph. I wouldn’t mind seeing some color on this one, or a bit more light touches to make parts of it stand out more.

63. A framed rose

This tattoo reminds me of Art Nouveau or early 20th century style. The violet rose is beautifully framed by this lace-like ornament. The tattoo looks almost like a giant bracelet. Very beautiful – but the color scheme is very particular and can be hard to combine with certain other colors. Seen on tattoosme.com

64. Underboob rose

This girl likes geometry a bit less than the one with the all-geometrical rose. Just a triangle on the background, to make it fit better. I like the style and coloring on this one. The rose is done in lighter shades, so it stands out beautifully. From damienelectrictattoo.com.

65. Colorful calves

What a bold tattoo! Matching tattoos on calves are something you don’t see a lot, and these ones are somewhat asymmetrical which makes them even cooler. The style is sort of modern abstract. The colors are similar but different, which makes the tattoo really fun. Spotted on tatspiration.com.

66. Random triangle

What is it with putting triangles everywhere? This person decided to put it in front of the flowers instead of the background. I guess the tattoo would otherwise be pretty regular. At least now people can wonder what’s the triangle about.

67. Line of best fit?

Here’s a unique back tattoo. The colors of this rose are gentle and dreamy, and the line on the background works as a line of symmetry on the back. The style reminds a bit of Japanese style tattoos. Great artwork. Taken from moviemetal3.deviantart.com.

68. Oops, I colored outside the lines

This rose is not red, but the background is. It changes up the theme a bit and makes the tattoo very eye-catching. I also love the tiny little leaves around the huge flower – what a fun contrast. A great take on a popular tattoo symbol. From ilbuetattoo.tumblr.com.

69. Diamond rising out of a rose

This one’s interesting. The style looks very hand drawn and unrefined – albeit with lots of details. Some geometrical shapes have been thrown in because, well, they’re cool. Not an ugly tattoo to have, and an original one for sure. Spotted on thebrokenhalfmoon.tumblr.com.

70. Roses in a sparrow

Sparrows and roses are often tattooed together. They’re traditional themes that have been popular for a long time, but I’ve never seen this version of the theme. Roses inside the sparrow. The colorwork is gorgeous and I must admit that I quite like this one. It’s unique and pretty, and looks almost like jewelry. From bustle.com