50 Traditional Rose Tattoo Designs For Men – Flower Ink Ideas
The rose flower has long been a popular tattoo for both men and women, ever since the 1930s. Most tend to believe the rose, a beautiful, bright flower, symbolizes beauty or is a representation of love.
Sailors would often receive the rose tattoo to honor their loved ones, including a girlfriend they had to leave behind while on a trip out to sea. For these brave individuals, the rose symbolized the peace they longed for but had to abandon for their livelihood.
Most who receive a traditional rose tattoo opt for a red color as it depicts love, passion, and war. But perhaps other colors may work for you. A pink rose, orange rose or even a purple rose can make your tattoo stand out from the crowd.
Most of these decisions are purely aesthetic such as the person’s favorite color, while some have a deeper meaning that can symbolize happiness, pureness, or true love.
The yellow rose means happiness and safety from envious lovers. The white rose means pureness, youth, and a secret admirer. The red rose, the most popular, symbolizes true love. For a darker meaning, the black rose often symbolizes death and grief.
But what is the best tattoo rose design for you? Read on to discover some of the best tattoos featuring traditional roses you’ll see.
See more about - The Top 75+ Best Rose Tattoos in 2020
1. Forearm Traditional Rose Tattoos
The forearm is always a great place to get a tattoo. It gives you the versatility of being able to show it off whenever you want but also hideaway your ink on formal occasions.
The rose forearm can look very striking. A full rose with a thorn and petals looks great here but you can also get more creative with your design. We think the combination of the traditional ship with a red rose can look incredible.
We can also see a stunning blue rose here along with some awesome black rose tattoos, and even one with a skull. It showcases all the elements you can add to a traditional rose.
2. Arm Traditional Rose Tattoos
While the forearm is a great spot, the bicep is equally good. For men who are quite hairy, this is often a clear spot that works as a great canvas for some ink.
We see many great designs here including a few which have a red and yellow rose. It’s also a great spot for black rose tattoos which can be a perfect memorial for those loved ones who have passed away.
3. Sleeve Traditional Rose Tattoos
Perhaps the most eye-catching tattoo of them all is a full sleeve. This is rarely hidden as can be the case with other tattoos and with the large area, you can create a tattoo idea that is truly unique.
It’s a great place for being able to combine a rose tattoo design with other elements such as animals or a personal symbol. They are a big time and cost investment but if you wanted a sleeve tattoo, then you’ll be getting admiring glances for the rest of your life.
4. Wrist Traditional Rose Tattoos
If you wanted something a little more subtle, then a small rose on a wrist is a great call. Whether you’re a man or a woman, this is a great place for a rose design. While small, it’s still enough of an area for a talented tattoo artist to create something magic.
5. Chest Traditional Rose Tattoos
In contrast to the wrist tattoo, the chest is a huge area for a rose design. Due to the large area, it’s best to have a tattoo style that either incorporates many different elements in a bigger tattoo or has a smaller rose design in the top corner of your chest.
6. Back Traditional Rose Tattoos
As with the chest, this is an area that is too big to just cover with just one rose flower. Here you can show off more elements of the flower such as the rose petals and thorn. We’ve looked at two great designs here that don’t have the rose as the main feature and have plenty of symbolism around them.
7. Leg Traditional Rose Tattoos
Calf tattoos look amazing and are the perfect place to put some body art. You get plenty of different ideas from these designs such as a black rose to symbolize death, animal designs, or a traditional rose tattoo design.
8. Thigh Traditional Rose Tattoos
We mentioned animal designs and here are a couple more amazing ones. They have a huge range of color but still with that stunning red rose tattoo. They show just how masculine a red rose can be as it can be more than just a symbol of love and devotion.
9. Shoulder Traditional Rose Tattoos
The shoulder is a great place to show what’s in your heart and get a tattoo design that has plenty of meaning. Many people choose a rose flower as it’s able to symbolize something important to them. Two very contrasting designs are shown here with a powerful black rose tattoo along with a red rose which is much more colorful.
10. Hand Traditional Rose Tattoos
The round space of the hand is a perfect place for rose tattoo designs. It suits that flower head perfectly where you can place a small rose and its beautiful petals. You can opt for a wide range of colors with a tattoo that will get plenty of compliments.
11. Elbow Traditional Rose Tattoos
An uncommon place to get a tattoo design on your body is the elbow. It’s underused as you can work with the curves to make something brilliant. This red rose tattoo perfectly covers the circumference of the elbow and looks incredible.
12. Neck Traditional Rose Tattoos
If you wanted to be bolder with your rose flower tattoo then the neck is the perfect place to put it. It works very well with a small rose and the neck tattoo will be a great talking point, especially if it has a deeper meaning. The back tattoo here just underneath the piercing looks very powerful.
13. Head Traditional Rose Tattoos
If you’re going bald then why not embrace it with a unique head tattoo? The black rose here is fantastically drawn which adds up to a powerful image. With the large canvas, you can also see some great detailing in the thorns, leaves, and petals.
14. Dotwork Traditional Rose Tattoos
Dotwork tattoos have boomed in popularity in recent years and it’s easy to see why. They are unique compared to most other tattoos and have a different creative heart. If you like your tattoos to stand out then dotwork is a great idea.
See more about - The Top 251+ Traditional Tattoo Ideas
FAQs
The rose tattoo meaning is fairly straightforward. The symbolism is all about beauty, passion, and love. Many like to show this in different ways as it may be a tribute to someone who has passed away or the love of your life. Alternatively, roses have also made an appearance in music and sports, and that may have personal significance.
It can mean whatever you want it to. If you just love the rose flower, then there’s no problem with that. There doesn’t need to be any symbolism and it can just be you think it looks great. People get tattoos for a wide variety of reasons but mostly the rose refers to love and devotion.
No. Of course we’re used to that romantic notion of a man giving a woman a rose but there is nothing overtly feminine about floral tattoos. Whether it’s a butterfly, a rose, or a skull, tattoos work best when you don’t care what others think. You can work with your tattoo artist to create something that matches your personality.
While the rose itself is one of the quintessential symbols of love, other parts of the rose can mean different things. As in real life, the thorns most reflect protection so it’s good to include them if your rose represents something or someone you want to defend.
While we’ve talked about love and devotion, the black rose often has a different meaning. For many, this is the colour of death. You can add in some beautiful black shades if you want your ink to be a tribute to a loved one.
