Floral designs make gorgeous tattoos, but there is something extra special about a vintage flower illustration that separates it from other ink designs. Weather it is a faded line technique, a type of collage and flower choice, or muted tones, tattoo artists have pretty clever ways to give a tattoo that vintage look that reminds us of our grandmother's wallpaper (in a good way). Vintage flower tattoos look so elegant and feminine, and they look good on pretty much any area of the body that one is considering adding some ink to. They can also make good additions to unfinished statement pieces.Â
Vintage flower illustrations can look good in color or black and white and they can incorporate many different things, such as other aspects of nature, inspirational quotes, sentimental representations, and more. Vintage flower designs have been on trend for a while now and can be seen in fashion, nail art, and home decor. After seeing all of these gorgeous tattoos, I'm considering getting one of them myself!Â
The vintage aesthetic gives the flowers a chic and classic look that just radiates beauty. Here are 40 vintage flower tattoos that are perfect for all of the old souls out there.
Arm Piece Vintage Flower Tattoo
This vintage flower arm piece uses a pretty combination of wild flowers and leaves. The artist used white space inside the flower petals to give the colors a softer look. The details are so pretty, and for being such a large piece, it's still so delicate.
Pretty Pink Vintage Flower Tattoo
This vintage flower tattoo uses shades of pink for a feminine look, which really helps bring the whole piece together. It's definitely a big commitment, but one that's well worth it. The large back piece flows perfectly and looks incredible!
Simple Bouquet Vintage Flower Tattoo
This small bouquet has a simplicity to it while still using a variety of colors. The different kinds of flowers make a really sweet combination. The only bummer about this? That the person with the tattoo can never look at it herself!
Wreath Vintage Flower Tattoo
This wreath design is delicate and pretty. The pinks and greens look really fresh together and it has a whimsical feel to it, like these are flowers someone found out in the wild and strung together in a chain to wear.
Crystals & Vintage Flowers Tattoo
This vintage flower piece uses purple crystals for a more personalized design. The yellow sunflower adds some contrast to the crystal and the overall design has a happy feel to it. For anyone who's a fan of the beautiful things in nature, this is perfect inspiration.
Black & White Vintage Flower Tattoo
Not all vintage flower tattoos have to use color, and this one still manages to make beautiful use of shading. This black-and-white flower design has a completely different vibe — it reminds us of an old black-and-white photo.
Sentimental Vintage Flower Tattoo
Some vintage flower tattoos can hold personal connections to loved ones. This tattoo artist shared on Instagram: "Recreated her mother's artwork on her forearm … Thank you for letting me have the honor of doing this piece Liz."
Bold Vintage Flower Tattoo
This bold tattoo uses a lot of line work and detail that give it an artistic feel, and at the same time, it's not overpowered by the vibrant colors in the piece. The pink, blues, and greens make a great combination for this statement piece.
Neck Vintage Flower Tattoo
The neck can be a tricky spot to position a tattoo (and it can definitely be a bit painful for the person who's getting the new ink), but this artist did a fantastic job. The black lines are clean and precise and the design is lovely.
Sunflower Vintage Flower Tattoo
This tattoo radiates positive vibes with its pink daisies and yellow sunflower. It's positioned perfectly on the shoulder and the choice in flowers combined with the lack of bold outlining really gives it a vintage aesthetic.
Single Peony Vintage Flower Tattoo
Not all floral tattoos have to include big bouquets or multiple flowers — this one gets the job done with just one. This pink peony flower is elegant and makes a lovely spine tattoo. The white used in the petals and leaves really brightens it up.
Anchor Vintage Flower Tattoo
An anchor is a classic tattoo choice. Anchors have a lot of meaning behind them, such as strength and stability. The incorporation of these vintage flowers gives it a distinctive touch that looks absolutely stunning.
Birdie Vintage Flower Tattoo
This vintage flower tattoo incorporates a bird and it looks like a gorgeous vintage painting — or something we'd see on a set of china found in an antique shop. The muted colors and shading all pull together so nicely.
Thigh Vintage Flower Tattoo
This thigh tattoo has a cute little bumblebee and various kinds of flowers incorporated. The lack of colors gives it a classic feel and it looks great wrapping around the side of the leg. Even though there's no color here, it looks perfect in black and white.
Soft Vintage Flower Tattoo
This tattoo makes great use of fading lines and colors to give it that old-school vibe. The design is so soft and pretty, and it just goes to show that complicated line work definitely isn't a requirement for a gorgeous tattoo.
Geometric Vintage Flower Tattoo
This floral tattoo has thin geometric shapes partially hidden behind it that create an interesting frame for the piece, setting this apart from all the other vintage floral tattoos out there in a big way. It's a great way to add flair to a vintage design.
Three-Cornered Leek Vintage Flower Tattoo
The positioning of this unusual design is perfection and it has such a sweet meaning behind it. The tattoo artist wrote on Instagram: "This is a three-cornered leek, which is the birth flower for her sister. Such a lovely idea and so grateful that she asked me to do it."
Blossoms Vintage Flower Tattoo
Though the biggest details in this tattoo have all been done in black and white, the little pink blossoms in this design provide such a pretty pop of color. The fading and shading give the larger flowers depth at the same time.
Line Work Vintage Flower Tattoo
This more simplistic design is delicate looking — and it's a perfect inspiration piece for anyone looking for something a bit more low key. The line work is clean and the choice to only use black ink works well for something more minimalist like this.
Clematis Vintage Flower Tattoo
These pink clematis flowers are large and vibrant, while still sticking with a more vintage style, thanks to the strategic coloring. The pink in the flowers pairs so perfectly with the green ink that was chosen for the leaves, too.
Shamrock Vintage Flower Tattoo
This lucky tattoo shows shamrocks with little blossoms. This makes a great hip piece and it can be a fitting way to represent Irish heritage — or it can be perfect for anyone who happens to love flowers and shamrocks, too.
Elbow Vintage Flower Tattoo
The elbow can make for an unexpected tattoo spot, and in this case, it totally worked out! This vintage flower design follows the curve of the elbow, making the illustration look like it was meant to be there. Very cute!
California Poppies Vintage Flower Tattoo
These orange California poppies make a pretty tattoo design, and it's pretty unique from the other vintage-y nature-themed tattoos out there, especially with that bright color. It's a summery flower and has a positive vibe.
Vibrant Vintage Flower Tattoo
The vintage look can still be achieved with bolder colors as well. These darker blues and purples make gorgeous flowers and the artists still did a good job of giving it a vintage feel. It looks like a floral design straight out of the '60s.
Upper Arm Vintage Flower Tattoo
This single flower has a lot of dimension in its petals, while the small green leaves add nice detail to the design. It's simple and chic, and just so pretty — a great inspiration piece for someone looking for something super feminine.
Moon Vintage Flower Tattoo
This moon design is already stunning, but it looks even better with some vintage flowers added to it. The large pink rose is so well done and the entire piece brings together the different elements in an unexpected way.
Gorgeous Bouquet Vintage Flower Tattoo
This wildflower bouquet looks great going up the arm, and even though it takes up a lot of space, in the end, the pay off of the design is definitely worth it. The various flowers look beautiful together and it all fits together so nicely.
Watercolor Vintage Flower Tattoo
The watercolor technique can also be a cool way to make a tattoo design look vintage. The yellow and green used here are just enough to give it some color, while still leaving a decent amount of negative space for effect.
Variety Vintage Flower Tattoo
These colors and flower shapes look magnificent. The pinks, purples, and blues seem to be a common combination, but it makes sense because they're so pretty together, adding to the vintage vibes the tattoo is giving off for sure.
Dainty Vintage Flower Tattoo
This floral tattoo design spaces the different elements out for a more dainty look. It's a great concept that adds a distinctive touch to a typical flower piece, setting it apart from all the others out there. Too pretty!
Birds & Flowers
Somehow, vintage flowers pair perfectly with birds like this one, creating a fully retro piece that we can totally appreciate. As if this cardinal wasn't beautiful enough, click over to see the bluebird perched on the flowers on the front of the tattoo, too.
Collarbone Tattoos
Getting a tattoo on the collarbone is a pretty popular placement, and it's easy to see why — tattoos here come out beautifully, especially with a design as feminine as these are. These colors and this style are giving us all of the '60s and '70s vibes.
Flowers & A Clock
These flowers look like they could have come straight off of a vintage dress or wallpaper, and the added clock is so pretty, too — it's really making us think of Alice in Wonderland. The light pink, blue, and green colors were chosen perfectly.
A Rose & Lavender
Trying to find a bigger floral tattoo that will make an impact? This one might just happen to be the perfect inspiration. This is a pretty huge tattoo, but it's well worth the real estate it takes up on the body, especially with how pretty the rose turned out to be.
A Sweet Combination
This tattoo also features a rose, this time a bit smaller (and with a more vibrant pink) and paired with lily of the valley. This kind of bouquet and the style of the tattoo itself has a major throwback factor that gives it a little extra charm.
Wildflowers
To so many people, wildflowers represent being wild and free — and here, they're extra pretty when the art is given a vintage spin. These colors all work so well together, and even the white ink on the flowers in the background seems to pop.
All the Colors
This tattoo is immediately striking — all the colors and different flowers are so unique and vibrant that it instantly catches our eye. And as the lucky person who got this tattoo shared in their Instagram caption, they didn't even have to use a filter. Whoa!
A Beautiful Garland
It's not every day that we see someone choose this area of their leg for a new tattoo, but in this case, we're really loving it! It's so cute to see the way this garland encircles the knee, especially in these bright, vintage-y colors.
A Pink Anemone
Wow, how gorgeous is this tattoo? This pink anemone definitely looks like art we would have seen hanging in our grandmother's house — and that's a huge compliment. Everything from the flower to the leaves comes together in such a pretty way.
So Cheerful
Is it just us, or does this tattoo look like something we would have seen on a vintage Valentine? Not only are these flowers gorgeous (all those colors and the detailing — wow!) but the cheerful, bright blue bird wearing a crown makes this an unforgettable piece.
