60 Beautiful Lily Tattoo Ideas [2024 Inspiration Guide] (2024)

People have beengettingflowers inked on their bodies for decades and more and more people are choosing to get lily tattoos thanks to their beauty and the significance they hold.The most common association with the white lily is that of purity and chastity.

Growing popularity of interesting and colorful varietiessuch asthe pink lily, tiger lily, stargazer lily, and purple lilymeanthat these lovely flowers holding rich symbolic meaningappeal to a broad cross section oftattoo lovers.

The tattoo designs on display here use numerous styles and approaches but all utilize the lily flower to create unique floral tattoos.

1. AbstractTattoo Art

Not everyone wants a realistic tattoo of a rose or lotus flower. In fact, just as some of the most popular artists of our time used an abstract approach to their work many people chooseto gettattoos that draw inspiration from the surreal.As these pieces demonstrate,a lily tattoo is the perfect choice for this abstract approach.

One of the reasons that so many people choose abstract tattoo designs is because of the freedom they provide: do you want tiger lily tattoos in a sleevecomplete with asnarlingtiger? No problem.A realistic portrait with a lily or lotus flower bursting from the head? It can be done.

Whether in color or black and gray, with a talented tattoo artist and creative tattoo designabstractlily tattoos aresure to turn heads.

2. The Animal ThemedLily Tattoo Idea

People have been getting animal tattoos forcenturies;in fact,some of the oldest tattoosever recorded were of animals. The variety of animalsand their associated symbolismmakethemgreat additions to any tattoo design, and lily tattoos are no exception.

While many people may think of incorporating a butterfly or sparrow into a lily tattoo these pieces demonstrate that just because it is a floral tattoo doesn’t mean that it’s relegatedto cute animals.

Interestingly, several of these lily design tattoos feature snakes, creating aconceptual juxtaposition thatbrings to mindscenes from the Garden of Eden while the appeal of a black and gray lion wearing a crown of flowers is undeniable.

3. The Beautiful Lily, Uniquely Placed

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There are several aspects thatmust be examined when considering a beautiful lily tattoo. The placement is a key factor in creating a successful piece of body art.This is another requirement of a good tattoo artist: understanding the lines of the body – for girl or boy – and how a tattoo design will lay on the skin.This brings us to these exceptional lily tattoos applied to the back and side of the torso.

While not for the faint of heart—the spine and ribs are notoriously painful—the effect created when a floral tattoo uses these placements is excellent. This tattoo idea increasingly popular among women, demonstrating that a girl is just as tough as any guy when it comes to sitting in the chair and getting inked.

4. Black and Gray Lily Tattoo Art

While it remains a staple of the Chicano tattoo style, black and gray continues to gainbroaderpopularity for the subdued elegance that is created by this monochromatic approach.

More than any one style, a variety of tattoo designs and concepts can be applied in black and gray, providing tattoo artists a high level of creative freedomwhenproducingbespoke tattoos with this approach.

Characterized by preciseline work and complex shading, these excellent designs demonstrate thata black and gray approach works surprisingly well when applied to lily tattoos.Thanks to the talent of each tattoo artist, these exceptional women’s tattoo designs don’t suffer from lack of color.

5. Colored

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The Meanings Of Lily Tattoos: An Extensive Explanation

As one would expect, many people choose to get a popular flower like the lily applied in brightcolors, to great effect.This vibrant approach is especially useful for lily tattoos given the different symbolism associated with different color flowers.

A white lily is associated with purity and innocence, which may perfectly suit the meaning behindon person’slily tattoo, however a red lily tattoo that symbolizes passion may be more appropriate for someone else’s lily tattoo design.

The variety of colors andspeciesof lilies is one of the main reasonsso many people choose this blossom foraflower tattoo.The diversity of these beautiful flowers meansthat there is a lily tattoo design out there for just about anyone and vibrant colors are a great way to complete these floral tattoos.

6. DelicateLily Design

Not every tattoo artist lives and dies by the “bold will hold” creed. In fact, more and more artists are taking advantage of modern machines and techniques to create delicate floral tattoos that arereminiscent of pencil drawings and the lily is an increasingly popular flower for this approach to tattoo design.

Often applied using a single needle, these delicate lily tattoos show how appealing a floral tattoo can be. While many of these pieces eschew color for a black and gray approach, subdued colors are also expertly utilized to create the effect of colorized photographs taking these delicate lily tattoos to the next level.

Perfect for a woman with a love of flowers, this delicate approach allows a tattoo artist to show off their precision and attention to detail.

7. InnovativeLily Tattooing

Tattoo artists are constantly pushing the envelope within their medium, and not just in terms of technical skill:the concepts and creativity ofmodern tattoo design havealsoevolved a lot since the anchors and daggers of American traditional work where tattooing got its start in the West.

The extent of this evolution is on full display in these innovative lily tattoos. Accurate recreations of Disney princesses, vibrant watercolor designs and meticulous stipple shading all demonstrate the diversity of modern tattoo design and with such a beautiful and meaningful flower as inspiration it is little surprise that a lily tattoo design can be so successful.

8. Linework Lily Ink

Without a doubt,the single most essential element in a successful tattoo istheline work.In fact, with strong lines and an interesting concept, a tattoo artist can create a successful tattoo design without the need for vibrant colors or complex shading.

This approach hasactually becomea style all its own, and these unique lily tattoos demonstrate just how clean a flower tattoo can be when precise and consistent lines are used to complete the design.

It’s also worth noting that just because a tattoo design skips color in favor of a more subdued approach doesn’t mean it is boring.Quite the contrary in fact, as these excellent lily tattoos exhibit interesting composition and expert placement to make up for their monochromatic approach.

9. Neo Traditional lily tattoo

Neo-traditional tattoos arose out of the American traditional school and while this newer style maintains bold line work and vibrant colors it takes a more relaxed stance on the rules regarding subjectmatterand palette commonly associated with American traditional tattoos.

The lily tattoos in this gallery are great examples of whatis possible when a talented tattoo artist utilizes design elements common in neo-traditional with such lovely flowers. A tiger lily sitting behind aDiadelos Muertos sugar skull, a pink lily held by a skeleton hand, andatiger lily bursting from a skull all create an interesting juxtaposition that takes these lily tattoos to the next level.

Lily Tattoos FAQs

What do lily tattoos mean?

The most common of the lily family, the white lily has a long tradition of spiritual associations.In ancient Greece the lily flower—the name comes from the Greek word “lerion”—was sacred, believed to have sprung from themilkof Hera, the queen of the Greek gods.

Within the Christian tradition the white lily represents the Virgin Mary’s purity and this beautiful flower is said to signify Mary’s role as the Queen of the Angels.

Within Western culture at large, the white lily represents purity, hence its ubiquitous presence at funerals: the white lily represents the deceased’s soul reaching arenewedstate of innocence allowing them to enter heaven.

The lily is also the 30thwedding anniversary flower which fits with the its other associations of devotion and humility.

What do different species and colored lilies represent?

When most people think of a lily flower the classic white lily is usually what comes to mind, however there areactually a wide variety of lily speciesthat come in different colors and sport interesting patterns as well as having their own unique symbolism.

Pink lilies are usually associated with love, compassion and femininity, while the yellow lily represents lighthearted happiness and friendship.An orange lily is often used to represent honor and confidence and purple lilieshavethe attributes of pride, dignity and admiration that are usually associated with this regal color.

The different species of lily also come with their own symbolism.The tiger lily, with its unique spotted petals is usually associated with wealth, confidence and success,while the oriental lily—of which the stargazer is one variety—isassociated with rebirth which makes them a common choice for weddings.

Calla lilies also associated with rebirth, are regularly used in Easter services as well as for funerals, symbolizing the restored purity of thedeceasedand their rebirth in the next life.

For all these reasonsand more, for many people a lily tattoo is the perfect way to commemoratethese powerful emotions.

Did you enjoy these lily flower tattoo designs? Click on the links below for ink steeped in rich symbolic meaning:

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