PachoChoosing the best sun and moon tattoos for you can be an overwhelming endeavor, especially if you aren’t sure what you want to express. Any tattoo is an extension of what you think, feel, and want to show the world. However, the juxtaposition of the sun and moon together is a strikingly different message than you have when you get a butterfly or a rose. As beautiful as this type of tattoo is, you need to decide what kind of message you’re trying to send before that first color is selected.
60 Playfully Elaborate Sun and Moon Tattoos for Any Part of Your Body
Anyone who gets a tattoo of a moon and a sun inherently creates a distinct contrast on themselves. What is more opposite than an orb that only rises at night, or one that only rises during the day? The two cannot exist without each other, but they cannot exist alongside each other either.
The way that the Sun and Moon are positioned and sketched can tell a personal story for you, but their purpose is to bring a stark contrast. While some people choose them to create contrast between good and bad, others will show masculinity/femininity or life/death. The way that these concepts are shown is through the colors, style, and other features that surround it. Traditionally, the sun is thought of as a masculine, bright, and optimistic presence, which the moon conveys its direct counterpart. However, it’s up to you to decide what it means for your body.
Choosing a sun and moon tattoo can be a freeing experience, choosing a way to honor the idea that every person has two sides. The sides that you want to convey can easily be expressed through some time with a tattoo artist that understands your goals. Check out the images below to find the best sun and moon tattoos for your self-expression.
1. Beautiful Geometry Design Sunset Tattoo for Nature Lovers
If you are someone who loves the beautiful coloration of a sunset, this tattoo can show the gradual transition with vibrance. As the scene goes from day to night, the sun is seen dipping into the water, as the moon reflects. With the active waters of the ocean, this tattoo could be showing the violent difference between the two, but perhaps the transition is a trigger to calm it.
2. Minimalist Sun Tattoo Idea: Wavy Sun and Moon Tattoo With a Triangular Flare
The implied triangle of this tattoo has three elements – the sun, the moon, and the waves of the ocean. Clearly depicting the diversity of nature, this monochromatic tattoo creates gentle imagery with a minimalist sun design.
3. Moon Design: Couple Goals ‘Moon of My Life’ to Showcase Your Love
Are you looking for a beautiful sun and moon tattoo for a couple? This design shows the contrast that all sun and moon tattoos show, but it splits the message into two separate pieces. They wrap beautifully around the forearm, allowing you and your partner to show how close and meant to be you are.
4. Moon Design: Broken Pattern Half Sun and Moon for the Spiritual Souls
With a tribal tattoo spin on this already-unique design, the sun can be seen frowning from being the shoulder This tattoo looks very beautiful especially when placed on the shoulder blade, highlighting the natural muscle. Though it is entirely monochromatic, it is also opaque, making a bold look for the sun in the middle with the shelter of the crescent moon.
5. Moon Design: The Dark Night Sky With an Overlooking Crescent Moon
A hand tattoo is a bold statement, but the clever and bold intricacies of this design can make a big impact. Amongst the black lines and shading is a small yet elaborate tattoo, displaying the relaxed expression of a feminine moon. With the rays of the sun coming off of the outer edge of the moon, the sky is decorated with stunning stars.
6. Moon Design: Moon Kissing With His Lady for the Lovers
Rather than just decorating the skin with the sun and moon alone, this moon design tattoo features the beautiful depiction of an enamored woman where the sun typically goes. The moon, though drawn as a crescent, has just as human an expression to match it.
7. Moon Design: Snowflake Design Sun and Moon Tattoo for Pattern Lovers
The outlined tattoo design of this pattern combines multiple themes that seem to work effortlessly together. With the stars to outline one part of the sun, the rest of the edge is made up of a beautifully decorated crescent moon.
8. Wavy Facial Sun Tattoo Design
With an open-mouthed expression, this tattoo design runs from the knuckles to the middle of the forearm. Is this a look of shock, horror, surprise, or vocalization? That’s up to you. To highlight the detail in the forefront, waves run through your forearm to your elbow. The detailing of this tattoo is mystical with no moon in sight.
9. Outstretched Sun and Moon Tattoo Look with Archaic Elegance
This tattoo balances the old-fashioned yet daring elegance. With only the use of black, the artist mixes a single crescent moon amongst the sun’s rays. The huge sun is decorated with a geometrical triangle in the middle that adds to the new-age appeal of this tattoo.
10. Moon Design: Golden-Haired Moon for the Perfect Depiction of Beauty
Rather than only depicting the moon in a monochromatic theme, the golden ink and white lines make this tattoo design practically glisten in the light. With just one side of a woman’s face, her brow gently furrows as she gazes forward. The golden hair is the only color, paired with the shine of the crescent moon.
11. Gleeful Sun Smiles With a Tribal Angry Moon
This tribal moon design tattoo has an ornate sense of beauty, displaying the sun and moon with strikingly different expressions. While the sun has exaggerated eyes and a smiling face, the teeth seem to be gritted in joy. The moon, on the other hand, curls at the lips, suggesting that the moon is angrier than the sun.
12. Elaborate Gaze of the Sun and Moon Floral Design
Rather than gazing in the distance or at the person who wears this tattoo, the sun and moon look at each other. Their eyebrows show a deep expression, which may be nervousness or apprehension of what the other has in store. Still, they remain close against the clouds and leaves, demonstrating the oneness of the soul.
13. Half-Circle Pair of Daytime and Nighttime Scenes That Fit Together
This tattoo is split into two parts – two semi-circles on each side, showing quite different scenes of the same landscape. With matching mountain landscapes, one tattoo shows morning time with the rays of the sun. On the other, you see a nighttime scene with the moon and the stars – what a beautiful depiction of the circle of life!
14. Elaborate Landscape Tattoo Design for Nature Lovers
The large design covers the entire upper back, displaying the rise and fall of the two orbs on either side of a pine tree. Which one is rising? Which one is falling? That’s for you to decide!
15. Intricate Nature Scene With Expressive Mythical Creatures
Elaborate and ornate, this half-sleeve tattoo design starts with the loving sun and moon atop the clouds. The scene beneath them becomes even more complex, filled with clouds, dragons, and other winged creatures. At the bottom is a beautiful landscape with mountains and a river that flows freely.
16. Thick-Lined Design for an Old-Fashioned Sun and Moon Faces
The traditional tattoo design of the sun and moon provide no extra scenes or other characters. Instead, the boldness is in their simplicity, using thick lines to imply shadows and old-fashioned illustration for their faces. Though the design is made to be monochromatic, they can be filled with color later if you decide.
17. Goddess Tattoo Design for the Astronomy Lovers
Both the sun and the moon are shown to be feminine like some kind of goddesses which adds more elegance to the tattoo design. Each one is deeply colored, leaving only a little space of shadowing to make a more significant impact.
18. Masked Sun and Moon Tattoo for the Depiction of Phases of Life
The transition from one life phase to the next can be significant, and this tattoo perfectly articulates it. The two halves of the sun’s face separate from one another, showing the peaceful moon in the middle. The darkness is accentuated by the stars in each half, glowing with the golden rays of the outer sun.
19. Flowery Half Moon Tattoo Design
This tattoo shows a half moon surrounded by the rays of the sun, offering a faceless center. The petals along the edge complement the look, as tiny dots complete the boundless rays.
20. Bold Sun and Moon Tattoo Design for the Striking Personalities
The sun and moon each get their own hand to decorate, but the scribbled coloration within each face shows a different style of art than fully filling them in. The linework provides a simple hint of a smile on the sun’s feminine lips, while the turned corners of the moon’s mouth is much more solen.
21. Bold Chest Design with a Sun and Moon for Each Side
On two sides of the chest, you see the boldness of an opaque moon and a hollow swirl within the sun. This artistry is minimalistic without taking away from the natural beauty of each line. This tattoo might be the design for you if you want to keep the look clean and simple.
22. Miniature Sun Moon Wrist Tattoos
If you don’t want an ornate or embellished tattoo design, that doesn’t mean you have to avoid a moon/sun tattoo entirely. Made to be a wrist tattoo, the design varies on each side. While the moon is hollow on one wrist, it is filled with black ink on the other. This same pattern matches the sun, pairing the filled-in sun with the open crescent moon.
23. Diamond Sun Moon Face Design for the Angular Thinkers
If you love to compress imagery into geometric shapes, then this tattoo has the pairing that might appeal the most to you. With a solid rhombus, the sun and moon are pushed into each other’s space, gazing at each other with hopeful expressions.
24. Illuminating Sun Moon Tattoo Design for the Light Seekers
This tattoo shows the sun and the half-moon looking at each other with the sun’s rays seeming to illuminate the half-moon. Both the sun and the moon are backed by clouds that offer beautiful linework to imply shadow and texture.
25. Florally-Patterned Moon Pairs With Traditional Sun
With flowers and petals, the moon has a highly intricate appearance, showing much more elaboration than the simple sun. Is this a suggestion of the complexities of the dark side of the psyche? As the sun sets to the side, it just barely escapes the grasp of the edges of the crescent moon stage.
26. Elaborate Sun Rose Tattoo Design for a Realistic Look
If you are a fan of a realistically shaded tattoo, this piece brings a human-like tone to the sun’s face. Seemingly shining down on a rose (which is equally realistic), the dewy beads of water sit gracefully on the petals.
27. Bold Chest Design with a Vacant Expression
For people who want to keep their two sides upfront, this chest design offers a detailed shadowing with lines instead of fading the black ink. While a half-moon sits on one side with diamond-shaped stars, the other side has a relaxed sun with heavy cheekbones.
28. Sun and Moon Tattoos With an Aged and Worn Expression
Though most sun and moon tattoos provide an ageless facial expression, that is not true of this design. The masculine moon has wrinkles along his forehead, accompanied by a wavy yet thin beard that gradually becomes the fluffy clouds beneath it. The sun is not nearly the same size, almost reaching the inner edge of the moon with the extended rays that come off of the sun.
29. Long Geometric Rays Add Compass Design to Sun and Moon Tattoos
If you love geometrical shapes, this outline of such tattoo designs rays mimics the design of an old compass, forcing you to come to terms with the direction that your life may be in. Though the sun sets at the bottom, the solid moon hangs above, laying over the lined rays.
30. Sun and Moon Tattoos: Four-Eyed Sun Keeps a Watchful Stare
If you like to experiment with the idea of reality, such tattoo designs as this could be that opportunity. The design of the sun glances above with each of its four eyes. It also has a geometrical outline of small patterns and leaves, separating the sky and its rays.
31. Simplistically Small Sun and Moon Wrist Ink
If you want the beauty of the sun with a moon, but you don’t want something very large, then this little decor could be right. Almost as an accent, you can wear the sun and moon on each wrist in a small enough design that it can be concealed if necessary.
32. Sun and Moon Kissing for the Intimate Lovers
With the beauty of young love, this tattoo design shows the sun and the moon near each other’s faces to kiss each other. While the moon is depicted as male, the sun represents a female as she leans in. The hair strands of the sun female are much like the actual rays of the sun.
33. Sun and Moon Couple Hangs Pendulum Along with Beautiful Rays
This tattoo shows a sun and a moon that have long and beautiful lashes to convey femininity. With angled eyebrows, the pouting lips of each complement the wildly long petals. The sun represents a feminine side of the wearer.
34. Tarot Plays Its Hand with the Sun and Moon
With a rugged frame along the edges, the artist of this tattoo cleverly illustrates the Tarot cards that reveal these symbols. The sun and moon have strikingly different symbolism in this type of deck, adorned by natural surroundings. Each one has rosy cheeks, full eyebrows, and curved eyelids.
35. Pendulum Style Sun and Moon Amalgamation Tattoo Design
As the innocent face of the sun looks outward, the patchy moon lays along the bottom with eyes closes. The rays of the sun are like flames, starting from the sides of the sun. Below it is chained dangling down from the structure like a pendulum with intricate detailing.
36. Vibrant Personification of Half Sun and Moon in the Sky
Rather than taking on the classic appearance of the sun and moon, this is a colorful sun tattoo that shows them as a long-haired couple. The sun is depicted as a male, colored in shades of yellow and orange. The moon, on the other hand, is depicted as a female and is shaded in white and blue. They have their backs to each other as their hair joins them together to form a full structure.
37. Vibrantly Shaded Sun and Moon Structure for Colorful Souls
Though the sun and moon don’t have much detailing in them to speak of, the color that emanates behind them is much different. With yellow, blue, purple, and many other colors, the combination of structure and freedom speaks volumes of this look.
38. Honorable Sun Bride Accepts Loving Moon’s Look
This tattoo design is very beautiful, depicting the moon as a bride with a rich jewel along with her head. The moon gazes on, wrapping the edges around the sun in a tight hug.
39. Dreamcatcher Mandala-Style Sun and Moon Tattoo Design Over a Flower
As stars decorate the inside of this moon, the sun has a quite different look. Petals and leaves extend outwardly as the faceless circles mimic the design of a dreamcatcher.
40. Gem-Struck Beauty For Anklet Sun and Moon Tattoo Design
This tattoo is split into two, adorning each ankle of the wearer. With the artsy and creative design, the sun looks on with eyes open wide, while the sun keeps its eyes closed. Both feature jeweled droplets from the corners that they naturally include, like the end of the crescent shape and the tips of the sun’s rays.
41. Sleeping Woman Cradles by Two Moon “Pillows”
The female seen in this tattoo is relaxed and almost completely comforted by the two fixtures that rest behind her. Though her chest is covered with sunflowers, the sun and moon watch carefully over her with a sense of both admiration and protection.
42. No Fury Like the Sun and Moon Scorned
As two strong forces rest with their backs to one another, this tattoo depicts the sun and the moon as two women with much different dispositions. The hair of both looks wild and as rich with emotion as the women they are paired with. While the hair of the sun female is flowy, the moon female has a braided hairstyle in a blue and white shade – taking the shape of a half-moon.
43. Elaborate Facial Expression Sun and Moon Tattoo Design
This is a very ornate and detailed tattoo design, featuring a waning moon and an earthy sun. The sun has flowy and wild rays, though both the sun and the moon are laden with heavy jewelry, adding more beauty to the design.
44. Interconnected Sun and Moon Dreamcatcher Design for an Elegant Back
If you are looking for a tattoo for your back, this unique pairing of the sun above the moon could meet your needs. It is made up of two dreamcatcher sequences – one with the sun and the other with the moon. The sun is bigger and while the moon structure is relatively smaller, but both are connected by designed chains to form a beautiful design.
45. Small and Hollow Pendulum of the Sun and Moon
If you do not want to get an elaborate tattoo, this tattoo has just a fraction of the detailing of other designs in this collection. Though it is a little larger, it still has minimal lines and detail to stay classy. The moon envelopes the sun, decorated with uniquely designed chains hanging off them.
46. Overlapping Sun and Moon Tattoo Design Depicting Dependence
With a wise and feminine glow, the sun looks outwards in a hopeful and gently happy appearance. his tattoo shows the sun and the moon overlapping each other and yet completing each other’s structure which only goes on to depict the dependence in life.
47. Blue and Yellow Sun and Moon Dreamcatcher for a Fantasy Lover
If you are a fan of dreamcatchers, this medium-width tattoo features a singular face that has been fractured into a sun and moon. Though feathers hand from the center in black color, the sun’s orange and yellows pair well with the deep blue stars.
48. Simple Sun and Moon Outline for a Drawn Appearance
If you do not prefer a huge and elaborate tattoo, this hand tattoo conveys the simple structure that may work better for your design. Every line has the same thickness, though some of the edges appear to have been over-sketched for a unique appearance.
49. Blissful Sun Accepts Gentle Moon Kiss
If your heart and mind are in the stars, this sharp figure may encompass the emotions you feel inside. Though the face of the sun and moon are gentle and realistic, the rays include sharp lines, shaded to imply a sword-like surface.
50. Beaded Sun and Moon Dreamcatcher Flower
Rather than including faces, the sun and moon of this tattoo are nature-based. The sun is a combination of different flower variations, showing a detailed center that is encircled by different petal shapes. From the bottom, you see simply decorated leaves, flowers, and beads.
51. Forward-Facing Sun and Moon Shows Bold Personality
These tattoos may be on opposite ends of the body, but they are equal in their detailing and natural shading. With only black ink to convey their emotions, the sun and moon both have neutral expressions.
52. Interconnected Petals Imitate Sun and Moon
Though this is a far cry from the typical appearance of the sun and moon, they create the look in a different way. The mandala art brings a spiritual spin, showing the gently decorated chains that connect them.
53. Elaborate Sun and Moon Pendulum to Show Off Your Legs
If you are looking to get a tattoo on your legs, the long chains of these pieces hang evenly to showcase your shape. Starting just below the knee, the highly-jeweled Sun and Moon both have feminine features that bring a familiar sense of love.
54. Sun and Moon Sprouting Flowers
Shown as a piece for toned calves, the Sun and Moon begin with a basic circle, but that’s where the “traditional” look ends. Each one has beautiful flowers that sprout from them, decorated with dark leaves along the edges.
55. Hand-Delivered Night and Day Design
Wrapping around the ribcage, this tattoo shows two open hands. One offers a curled moon, while the other shows the glistening sun. Though both symbols are left unfilled, this design is meant to be edgy and sensual as it highlights the natural curves of the body.
56. Wobbly Sun and Melting Moon for Abstract Minds
This tattoo doesn’t quite have the rigid linework that other pieces do, but their abstract look takes a different tone. Perhaps this style is intentional, suggesting pain behind the moon’s eyes. However, the sun seems to be paired with its own crescent moon already. Could this tattoo show heartache or the promises of the future?
57. Half-Moon Overlap in Pristine Shape
Every aspect of this tattoo is even and structured, made for anyone that doesn’t want to stray away from the usual appearance of the Sun and Moon. While the moon lays on the sun, the face of the sun has a neutral appearance, neither happy nor sad.
58. Creative Sunflower Blooms As a Moon Tattoo Design
Looking from the base of this tattoo, the leaves and petals suggest that it will become a flower, but the blooming state is much different. Though the sun’s rays could pass for the uncurling of newborn petals, the crescent shape of the moon shows a different outcome.
59. Arrowed Emblem with Whimsical Sun and Moon
With the octagonal structure of the sun, it may seem a little strange to pair the design with wavy rays, but the pairing works. Designed to be paired with a flowery moon, each pattern is interrupted by long strings of jewels.
60. Innocent Child Sun Looks On Nervously
The eyes of the sun and the moon say it all in this tattoo. The face is childlike and innocent, characterized by rosy lips and large eyes. Decorated designed chains hang from the sun and the moon alike, which gives the tattoo design a royal vibe.
60 Best Sun and Moon Tattoo Combinations
A Sun and Moon tattoo provides a perfect way to express the inner conflict or the inner peace that someone feels with the different sides of their personality. The tattoo has just as much of an impact on the mind as it does the body, and some people even use them as a way to express their spiritual side. Regardless of the reason you want this type of tattoo, the images here should give you a little inspiration for your final piece. How will your Sun and Moon look? For more ideas check out our mosaic tattoos!
