35 Hot Sun and Moon Tattoos Ideas [2024 Inspiration Guide] (2024)

Explore the ink of night and day with the best 35 sun and moon tattoos. Discover different design ideas and ink inspiration from the sky that are as old as we can remember.

In every culture, in everyera, in every place,there’s reverence, mythology and superstitiontied tothe sun and the moon– theyare central to every society. It’s forthis reasonthey’re so popular as tattoothemes worldwide.

Stylistically your choices are almost unlimited, so there’s almost endless options for you to execute your tattoo idea. Images of the sun and moon make for a perfect matching tattoo: the sun as masculine energy and the moon as feminine energy depicted in attractive designs. Whether small or large, amazing options abound. The sun can be as easy as a small tattoo circle with rays, or the crescent moon outlined amongst other lunar traits.

Sun and moon tattoos aretherare designs that cross the gender divide.A very delicate fine line crescent moon tattoo for the feminine,aheavyblack ink tribal sun tattoo for the masculine, the delicately balancedhalf moontattoo against the simple sun asa tattooetchedin between.

Because of the power inherent in these symbols – going back to ancient times there have been tattoo interpretations of sun god and moon goddess – they scale up and down.

Large, colorful, in your face pieces workbrilliantly, asdo toned down tiny tattoo options. And for a lot of people aesthetics are the top value, whether it’s a simple minimalist tattoo on the wrist, versus an entire intertwined half sun shoulder tattoo.

There’s nothing stopping you from getting a sun and moon tattoo just becausetheylook so damn cool.Below you’ll find 35 of the best sun moon tattoo design examples to use as inspiration for your next piece of body art.

1. Eye Catching Color Sun and Moon Tattoos

Color is surprisingly rare for sun and moon tattoos. Usually the designs are simple – a tribal sun, entwined in a crescent moon tattoo. Either fine line or outlines with little shading. If you opt for color, you’ll have an interesting piece that stands out.

Color is aesthetically pleasing for all different types of tattoo lovers, suitable for a variety of stylistic applications. More realistic depictions will have the sun in orange or gold, and a faint blue colored moon design. The juxtaposition of warm and cool can be used to great effect in images where the two symbols form a whole – they look classy and add to the effect of opposing balance and force.

For a free-spirited, artistic sun and moon tattoo consider applying a watercolor tattoo, adding geometric patterns, or detailed floral designs.

2. Abstract Sun and Moon Tattoos

The combination of these two symbols fires the imagination. Whether children’s bedtime stories, mythological tales, or even deciphering the tides, there’s plenty of room for creativity.

The sun and the moon are often depicted as lovers – man and woman. But they work just as well as planetary bodies reflecting each other in an artisticlandscapedesign. Once you start to imagine the two as alive,all sorts of ideas and abstract images come to mind, likea simple tribal sun tattoo on one half, balanced creatively against a moon and stars tattoo.

Imagine a Picasso faced twin sun and moon,a coruscating mandala tattoo alternating the brightness of a simple sun against the darkness of a moon. Orbody artfashioned into tribalpatternsas if in an ancient dream.

Sun and moon tattoosare a great opportunity for you to showcase your abstract styleand customized sense of independence.

3. Black and Gray Sun and Moon Tattoos

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Black and graytattooscreate the opportunityfor an impressive amount of detail.A skilledtattooartist can useshadingtoadd depth and texturewhenbringingyournewpieceof body artto life.

Black and gray also adds gravitas to your piecebutisn’t so great for depicting whimsy.Ifyou want more serious, deep,and conceptuallypowerfulfor your sun and moon tattoothen black and gray is the right choicein application.Likewisefor larger pieces, black and gray is the goldstandard for adding texture and nuance to background work.

4. Delicate Sun and Moon Tattoos

Gone are the days where tattoos were only forthebig, beefy, biker blokessporting a wicked neck tattoo, their old ladies with a demented fairy inked on a shoulder blade. Our tattoo sensibilities have evolved to the point that they can support any tattoo idea you wish to consider, with development inskills of the tattoo artist,inkand kit technology to bring them to life, and even temporary tattoosfor those with reservations.

Whether cutesy, whimsical, funnyorfeminine, allsorts of tattoo designare possible these days. If you want to go for afine line style thenconsidersingle needle work matching simple sun and moon tattoo design,craftingvery thin, delicate lines,ordotwork– also known as pointillism.

Dotworktattoo involves the artist buildingeither part,ortheentiretattooimage out of singularly etchedpoints. It’s a time consuming, painstaking technical applicationbut well worth itwhen inked by an experienced professional.The striking visual effect cannot be replicated with any otherstyle. It is naturally delicatesuiting a tiny tattooor small, spiritual aesthetic.

5. Geometric Sun and Moon Tattoos

The sunand moon were once sacred to all of mankind.Viewed symbolically they’re a natural fit for geometrictattoos.

Most commonly,a sun and moon tattoo designgetsincorporated intoalready existing geometric designssuch asa mandala, the flower of life,orMetatron’scube for example.These obviously have sun and moon shaped free space.If you are wantingaslightly differentdepiction, thenconsider a binary top/bottom placementanduserepeating shapes orgeometric linework to connect them.

Geometric sun and moon tattoos – like a perfectly halved sun moon tattooor-are a great choice forincorporatingspiritual inkinto a memorable design.

6. Heavy Black Ink Sun and Moon Tattoos

Just as the masculine sun complements the feminine moon, heavy blackinkisthego-toformasculinetattooexpression. Powerful and bold, heavy blackinkdesigns draw the eye likenothing else.This style affords the artistgreat expression throughapplyingoppositionprinciplesoffully saturated ink withnegative space.

Be forewarned though, heavy blacktattoos of this kind arenot for the faint hearted. Depending on how large you go it couldmeanserious hours in the chair. They’re a big investment in both time and money. That said, you will reap the rewards with awell etchedheavy black piece.

7. Linework Sun and Moon Tattoos

Linework isanobvious choice for many subjectswhen it comes tothe design aspect of theirsun and moon tattoos. Their traditional depiction is simple and almost cartoonishby modern artistic standards,making lineworkthe perfect subjects for this style.

Like heavy black, linework tattoos afford the tattoo artist greatleewayand individual interpretation. Throughcreatively usingnegative space linework tattoos can show a lotof stylewith a littlebit of clever application, turning yourhalf mooninto a classical wolf tattoobalancing the elements of night and day.

Simple outlines can be used to create half silhouettes where more is alluded to than shown. On a practical note, small linework tattoos are serious bang for your buck, representinglot less time (and pain) than a moretimeconsumingcolor orfilled in piece.

Sun and Moon TattooFAQs

What does a sun tattoo symbolize?

As a tattoo design itself the sun is incredibly versatile.Some sun symbolism is universal: light, warmth, new life, always above us. There is a natural reverence all life must have for the sun for without it not only would we perish we would never have come to exist. The sun is a masculine symbol, it’s our symbolic father. Forever watching over, forever radiating its glorious rays down on us. Helping us grow, helping us see clearly.Astrologically the sun has the most powerful influence on your horoscope. Your star sign isin realityyoursunsign.

Because of the broadness of these meanings a sun tattoo can be paired with countless other images to transformtheirmessage.If you go with a standalone sun tattoo it will symbolize one,or allthe aboveinterpretations. But depending on what you pair it with – think of a mandala tattooor traditional Aztec ink – the meaning will change,andsometimes drastically.

What does a moon tattoo symbolize?

Likesun tattoos, there is amazing variety in moon tattoo meaningand thematic application.Traditionally,a moon tattoo ideasymbolizes motherhood, femininity and fertility.She also has a long and storied association with the occult: witches and wicca particularly.

Feminine to the sun’s masculine in many ways,the moon’s lunar traits represent opposing but complementary forces.Solar traits are forceful, radiating their own light. The moon is receptive, softly and gently reflecting the light of the sun.

A moon tattoo design can also symbolize the cyclical. Be it the waxing and waning of the tides, the monthly transition from new moon to full moon,oreventhe menstrual cycle. The moon symbolizes the continuous nature of lifefrom birth to death to rebirth.Everything changes and changes back again.The mooncarriesvastspiritual weight as a symbol and is very popular in new age circles.

What is the symbolic meaning of sun and moontattoosincombination?

The sun and moon together in a tattoo design symbolize the complementary unity of opposites. It’s polarity but without opposition. This isn’t good vs evil, it’s masculineandfeminine,cooperationnot conflict.

While the sun is the life giver, the moon is fertility and the cycle of birth and rebirth. Most of all, the sun and the moontogether symbolize perfect wholeness and balance.