In general, playing card tattoos are popular but a Queen of Hearts tattoo is especially popular with women (particularly those who consider themselves “queens”). It’s a tattoo that symbolizes love as well as a strong sense of independence. But if you think a Queen of Hearts tattoo is just for women, it has a special meaning when worn by men.
Keep reading to learn about the Queen of Hearts tattoo. It may be just the right tattoo if you’re a sassy woman who knows her heart, or if you have a woman in your life who is the queen of your heart.
Queen of Hearts Tattoo Meanings
A Queen of Hearts tattoo meaning can represent different things depending on whether or not it’s worn by a man or a woman. But there are some common meanings that apply to either sex, such as romantic love. A Queen of Hearts tattoo can also have a meaning as obvious as the wearer being a fan of Alice In Wonderland or someone who really enjoys card games.
Queen of Hearts Tattoos For Women
When worn by a woman, however, a Queen of Hearts tattoo tends to have meanings about her personality or her love life.
- The tattoo can represent femininity/feminism.
- It can send the message that the wearer is strong-willed, independent, and unapologetically the “master of her own heart.”
- It can mean that a woman is powerful and in control of herself — she runs her feelings without them running her.
- The tattoo can be a symbol for love and may represent the ups and downs a woman has had in her love life — it can even be about being a survivor and overcoming hardships.
- It can be a symbol that the wearer owns her sexuality, but in a less-obvious way than if she had chosen a more overt tattoo.
- A Queen of Hearts tattoo is sometimes part of a “couples tattoo” where the man wears a King tattoo (sometimes it’s a heart suit, but not always) — in this case the Queen of Hearts tattoo represents love and devotion.
- Four friends may decide to each get a specific Queen suit tattoo, with one of them wearing the Queen of Hearts; in this context, all the Queens symbolize female friendship.
Queen of Hearts Tattoos For Men
When a Queen of Hearts tattoo is worn by a man it usually represents love for his mate and the queen is often done as a realism portrait of that woman.
Queen of Hearts Tattoo Variations
The Queen of Hearts tattoo can appear in a number of variations.
- A classic double-ended image from a deck of playing cards
- A partially inked card design
- The queen on a card design can appear in many forms such as: a portrait-image of the wearer, a portraiture of a mate, a single female image or a double-ended image, sometimes the lower figure is a skull or both are, the woman may appear in a Dia de los Muertos style, or a heart may be a tattoo over one of the woman’s eyes. There may be a banner with a woman’s name on it.
- A Queen of Hearts may be a simplified figure, rather than a complicated design
- A classic Disney Queen of Hearts
- A Helena Bonham Carter’s Queen of Hearts
- A creative Q font and heart design (no playing card image). There may be a crown above the Q and heart.
- A Royal Flush Tattoo.
Some Alternatives To Traditional Queen of Hearts
There are a few tattoo images that someone will choose instead of a traditional Queen of Hearts tattoo that express similar meanings.
- A tattoo of an anatomical heart with a crown (still implies being the master of one’s heart, but in a more grounded sense)
- Irish Claddagh heart with crown — represents friendship, loyalty, and love.
- Judith tattoos — based on the Biblical figure Judith who is a symbol of female independence and strength.
- Queen of Cups Tarot card — represents the same things as the playing card Queen of Hearts, but also includes compassion and intuition in the meaning. This tattoo may be about rusting one’s heart and instincts.
Queen of Hearts Tattoo Styles
The Queen of Hearts can be a complex tattoo image and only certain tattoo art styles can create the right effect.
Black and Gray Realism or Color Realism
For tattoos that show the figure of the woman in a portraiture style, a tattooist will create a design as either a black and gray realism or a color realism tattoo. These are some of the most beautiful Queen of Hearts tattoos out there.
Blackwork
This can be used for simplified female figures or figures that don’t have to look like a woman the wearer knows. It can also be used for tattoos that are “Q” and heart designs (with or without crowns).
Old School/Traditional
This style can be used to create colorful tattoos, particularly of classic playing card images. Or it can be used for the Disney Queen of Hearts or the Helena Bonham Carter Queen of Hearts character.
Watercolor
A watercolor tattoo style can be used to create a Queen of Hearts tattoo with a softer feel to it.
Dotwork
The dotwork tattoo style can be used to create a very detailed Queen of Hearts tattoo with shading and contours.
Queen of Hearts Tattoo Considerations
There aren’t any negative meanings of a Queen of Hearts tattoo that need to be considered.
Queen of Hearts Tattoo Placement
A Queen of Hearts tattoo can be worn anywhere because of all the possible variations. Obviously, complicated realism tattoos need more skin than a simple “Q” and heart. But this is a tattoo that can appear anywhere on the body because of the many forms it can take.
A man who is wearing the tattoo to show his love and devotion to a woman may choose to have the tattoo placed on his chest near his heart, or he may choose a more prominent place, such as his arm.
A woman might choose to place the tattoo where it can easily be seen by others if she’s making a public statement about herself. Or she might opt for a more discreet location where it will be seen only by someone close to her.
Queen of Hearts Tattoo Examples
Queen of Hearts tattoos can be attractive images whether done in black ink only or using color to create the tattoo. Here are some images to inspire you.
Black Ink Images
Example 1: A Queen of Hearts image shown with the bottom half as a negative of the top half, but also showing the woman in skull form.
Example 2: In “gangster tattoos” women may be depicted as skulls or in Dia de los Muertos form.
Color Ink Images
Example 1: A classic image of a Queen of Hearts face card.
Example 2: A modified version of a Queen of Hearts face card.
Example 3: The crown implies “queen” and the banner can bear the name of the woman or simply read “Queen.”
Example 4: Another concept where the “queen” is implied by the crown, with a key and keyhole included in the image to send the message that the person named on the banner holds the key to one’s heart.
Example 5: A minimalist Queen of Hearts image.
Example 6: The Queen of Hearts can look many different ways in a tattoo image.
Example 7: The Queen of Hearts has a more sinister, ominous appearance in this image.
Noteworthy Variations/Styles Images
Example 1: A simplistic concept for a couples tattoo (note that the suit for the king doesn’t necessarily match the queen’s heart suit).
Example 2: King and Queen couple tattoos often show the man as a skull and the woman in a Dia de los Muertos style.
Example 3: Sometimes a couple tattoo shows both the man and the woman in skull form.
Is the Queen of Hearts Tattoo Right For You?
Are you a strong-minded, independent woman who isn’t afraid to be the queen of your own heart? Perhaps you’re a queen devoted to the man who is king in your life. Or maybe you’re a man who wants to let the world know that your mate is the queen who holds your heart. If any of these sound like you, then a Queen of Hearts tattoo might be the perfect body art image for you.
Are you curious about what other tattoos mean? If so, clickhereto read other blog posts in our “Tattoo Meanings” series.
