All kinds of flower and sun tattoos look stunning, but a sunflower tattoo can combine the wholesome and aesthetic qualities of both things into one. It is used both in floral patterns as well as a way to symbolize the sun. While sunflower tattoos make for pretty and delicate tattoo ideas, there are various meanings and symbols behind them as well.
Whether you’re considering a sunflower tattoo for its beauty or for the special meaning the flower holds for you, you are in the right place. In this post, we will help you look through all the options so you can decide on the right design for you. Moreover, we will also discuss all that a sunflower tattoo can mean or symbolize.
Sunflower Tattoo Meaning
Identifiable by its large stalks and giant flowers, the sunflower holds a significant meaning. For many people, this symbolic flower represents a sunny image and a cheery disposition. A sunflower tattoo can hold numerous positive meanings, with some arising from Greek mythology and others from the appearance and qualities of the flower itself. Let’s have a brief look at all the positivity a sunflower tattoo can radiate.
Joy
Because of its bright yellow color, people can associate sunflowers with concepts like summer, happiness, joy, and positivity. The flower is often seen as a symbol of warmth and happiness for this reason. People get a sunflower as a tattoo to symbolize that humans can radiate warmth and be a source of happiness for others as well as themselves. Similarly, others choose to get a sunflower tattoo as a reminder of life’s joy and happiness.
Love
It is no surprise that flowers symbolize love and romance, the same being the case with a sunflower. However, it does more than just serve as a symbol of love. It comes with the additional message of love that is hopeful as well as everlasting. In contrast to a rose that represents the passion and lust in love, a sunflower conveys the soft, unspoiled, and genuine side of love. This could be why some people prefer wearing a sunflower tattoo as opposed to a rose tattoo to express the love in their life.
Longevity/Vitality/Good Luck
The sunflower is also said to symbolize longevity, vitality, and good luck. This meaning mainly comes from Chinese culture as they believed sunflowers could make them immortal. For this reason, members of the Chinese royal family would eat sunflower seeds as a snack as a way to achieve immortality. Although we now know that it is not possible to become immortal by consuming sunflower or its seeds, people still believe that sunflowers bring good luck and long, happy life. You can wear a sunflower tattoo as a lucky charm for longevity and vitality.
Peace
While it is not hard to believe that the beautiful flowers may be a symbol of peace, the story behind it can be quite surprising. In the past, sunflowers have played a huge role in the war against nuclear weaponry. This is because sunflowers happen to absorb radiation from the soil faster and better than any other plant. After the 2011 radioactive spill in Fukushima, over eight billion sunflowers were planted in the area to reduce and neutralize its effects. This was when sunflowers became a symbol of peace along with all the other positive things.
Friendship
Nobody is quite sure of how sunflowers became the symbol of healthy and long friendships. Some people believe that florists came up with the idea of yellow flowers representing friendships. They began to do this because red ones were associated with romance, while white ones meant purity. Since they represent friendships, sunflowers make for great friendship tattoos, especially when you and your friend are looking to get matching ones. On the other hand, some people choose to get a sunflower tattoo in memory of lost friends.
Sunflower Tattoo Variations
Sunflowers have been a part of tattoo artwork ever since humans discovered the art of inking their bodies. This means you can choose from a variety of styles to get a tattoo of a sunflower. Here are a few of the most popular ways to wear your sunflower tattoo.
Sunflower Vases
Artists love creating sunflower tattoos because of the bright color combinations and brush strokes. To experiment further, tattoo artists came up with sunflower vase tattoos that let them experiment with different hues of yellow. Besides this, the tattoo style is gaining increasing popularity among tattoo enthusiasts. Consequently, more people are getting sunflower vases as a tattoo.
Stem-less Sunflowers
Sunflowers are popular for their bright yellow petals and a huge center. While they look great with the stem, stem-less sunflower tattoos are a favorite among clients who have a preference for minimalist tattoos. If you are also someone who loves the solar imagery of a sunflower, this tattoo idea may just be the right one for you. You can get it as a small piece or fill up an entire part of your body with the gorgeous design of a sunflower.
Blooming Sunflower
As we already know that a sunflower symbolizes happy friendships and genuine love; you can get a blooming sunflower tattoo to represent your blooming relationship. A blooming sunflower tattoo represents the different stages of the flower blooming. This can be used as a symbol of the growth and development of your relationship with your friend or romantic partner. You can also get it as a matching tattoo with your friend or partner.
Watercolor Sunflower
Watercolor tattoos look incredible with small details like a sunflower. Watercolor tattoos use vibrant colors that are delicately splashed like actual watercolor paintings. You can combine fine art tattoos with watercolors to get a gorgeous sunflower tattoo that stands out. The tattoo artist will create a black outline of sunflower and use gentle colors to create a watercolor effect. This will further add contrast and depth to the picture.
Final Thoughts
The above mentioned are just a few symbols and designs of sunflower tattoos. There are countless other variations of sunflowers in tattoo artwork. These include combinations of different inking styles and drawing techniques. However, if you are considering getting inked with a sunflower tattoo, we suggest you go ahead as it looks stunning and give off a lot of positive vibes.
