February is the month of love, and although Valentine's Day has been and gone, it's still the perfect excuse to check out some cute love heart tattoos.  The beauty of heart tattoos is that they can be created in so many styles, so there's something suitable for everyone.  From simple traditional bold red hearts to realistic anatomical hearts and everything in between, you can opt for a really detailed and complex design, or if you prefer you can go for something simple and sweet.  There are plenty of tattoo ink colours to suit whatever tattoo style and type of heart you go for! 

Typically a symbol of love, cute love heart tattoos are often accompanied with another component, such as a scroll with a name in it to represent a loved one, or some pretty florals to add more colour to the equation.  Depending on your reason for getting a heart tattoo, you may want to explore your options and see what kind of style works best with the type of heart you choose.  Dotwork heart tattoos tend to look great with decorative elements such as beads or jewels, and geometric patterns within the heart, whereas an old-school heart tattoo may look better with some simple traditional flowers or a dagger through it.  If it's a realistic style tattoo you're after then an anatomical heart is definitely the way forward. 

Heart tattoos have been a popular subject for tattooing for a long time.  They frequently featured during the 1920's and 30's with sailors and military servicemen collecting these old-school style tattoos when they were stationed on land in between journeys. Sailors were continuously at the mercy of the elements and would frequently get tattoos of religious imagery and odes to their loved ones so they could keep them close, which made them feel at ease when they were so far away from home in dangerous situations. 

 

Sailor Jerry Heart Flash



Sailor Jerry style heart tattoo done by Scott Crabtree

 

Old-school tattoos with great quality tattoo needles and coil tattoo machines that created bold lines are just one way of representing heart tattoos, and although they're a classic design which undoubtedly set the trend for future tattoos, there are plenty of other kinds of heart tattoos with different meanings and styles behind them. 

Sacred Heart Tattoos are quite a frequent theme in the world of tattooing.  Historically, Sacred Hearts were represented as early as the 2nd century and were made popular around the 17th century in France. The Sacred Heart is usually portrayed as a flaming heart, and in tattooing it's often adorned with a dagger or some flowers.  It is a symbol that's been prominent within Catholicism, and is often depicted in imagery of Jesus Christ.  These look great in all manner of styles, including traditional, blackwork, black and grey, and new-school. 


Tattoo done by Alex Nunez 


Tattoo done by Bruno Casarin


Tattoo done by Alex Duquette

Cute Love Heart Tattoos are really popular at the moment, and they're pretty versatile too so it's easy to see why these gorgeous little tattoos are so appealing.  They may be meaningful for some, but for the most part they simply serve as a cute and cool tattoo! They work great as gap fillers and look amazing when coloured with pastel tones. 


Tattoo done by Little Rach

Bert Grimm Heart Tattoos are another popular choice for those who are into their traditional tattoos. Grimm is one of the earliest pioneers in the tattoo industry and his influence in traditional tattooing is huge. Hailing from the USA, Grimm had a colourful career and began hanging around tattoo shops from the age of 11 and acquired his first tattoo machine at 12 years old.  Throughout his career he tattooed in various locations such as Chicago, Las Vegas, LA, Honolulu, and China.  He even tattooed at circuses and travelling shows before settling down at his own shop Bert Grimm's World Famous Tattoo.  The original crying heart tattoo is a traditional style tattoo typically depicting a sad faced teary-eyed heart - a timeless design that's still tattooed to this day. 


Tattoo done by @postgambino

Blackwork Hearts are a really great idea for a tattoo, with blackwork becoming increasingly popular over the years. There's such a stunning contrast between the black ink and negative space in blackwork tattoos which give a really striking result for any blackwork heart. Whether in the form of a geometric style, or as a black traditional tattoo, blackwork hearts really stand out from the crowd. 


Tattoo done by Chris M 


Tattoo done by Izabela Borowiak

Anatomical Hearts are perfect for those who want to have a more realistic touch to their tattoo.  Cute love heart tattoos may be suitable for those after something small and traditional or neo-trad, but it's good to see anatomical hearts in tattoo form too, and they can often be portrayed really nicely in a realistic style. A crimson red tattoo ink is the perfect match for an anatomical tattoo, not forgetting the blue tones that feature in a typical diagram of an anatomical heart. 


Tattoo done by Bianca Seagrave

Tattoo done by Melody Kussner

So there you have it - a broad selection of heart tattoos to match your personality and style or to simply suit wherever the mood takes you at the time!  There are plenty of incredible tattoo artists out there who specialise in specific styles so you'll have a lot of choice when it comes to deciding on the right kind of work for you, and there's a vast range of tattoo supplies to cater to any style.  For tattoo artists who are looking to expand their colour palette to create those eye-catchingly cute love heart tattoos, or simply wanting to stock up their studio, then be sure to check out our online store. 






Inspiration: 
Sailor Jerry Tattoos
101 Heart Tattoos
Black and Grey Sacred Heart Tattoos
Bert Grimm's Legacy Seen in Tattoos of Grinning Suns and Crying Hearts