The Top 27 Cherry Tattoo Ideas – [2022 Inspiration Guide]

The cherry is described as a bona fide sexy symbol in body art. Trent Aitken-Smith in the Tattoo Dictionary describes cherry tattoos as: 

“Nearly always chosen because of its association with feminine sexuality, fertility, and desire… It has a duality that calls to mind both a playful innocence as well as more passionate, carnal desires, its ambiguity constantly treading a fine line between purity and hedonism.”

Cherries are a tasty, bright red summer fruit, sweet and enjoyable. They are popular within tattoo art as an illustration of sexuality and sensuality, positivity, and good health. 

A pair of cherries are most often used to depict simple yet colorful styles of tattoo art, ranging from simple American traditional or realistic ink examples to more eclectic pieces that utilize elements of cuteness, vivid color bombs, or other individualistic elements.

For those looking to create a contrast from the established sexy, sunny summer fruit, a more brooding connotation can be created through using elements such as skulls, eyeballs, and more macabre imagery to create a different themed yet no less entrancing symbolic design.

Cherry fruit tattoos look great as standalone pieces, but when co-opted into designs with skulls, their positive meaning of sensuality, health, and happiness is replaced by the element of duality.

Duality is the concept of opposites, where a symbol of good and light is contrasted against another of darkness or negativity.

Skulls–one of the single most popular tattoo motifs across all tattoo styles –are often used in tattoo art in conjunction with positive, sexually charged images such as cherries to create this contrast.

The majority of cherry tattoos are small designs etched in vibrant color (or have significant shading). 

An established professional is likely to charge around $150 per hour to do a piece, while neo-traditional tattoo and/or realism tattoo experts charge more per hour.

Small pieces or black and gray designs are likely cheaper because they take less time, and may only cost the shop’s minimum fee. Allow 15% of your budget for tipping your artist.