Top 40+ Best Luna Moth Tattoo Ideas – [2022 Inspiration Guide] 2023

One recent trend in the world of animal and insect tattoo sees more people choosing the luna moth as inspiration for their incredible tattoo art.

The effect created by a luna moth tattoo can be impressive. Many people using a variety of styles and approaches to recreate the lovely insect on their bodies.

The significance of these beautiful creatures is varied, although many people use a luna moth tattoo as a symbol of positive change and transformation thanks to the profound metamorphosis that all moth species – including fellow tattoo choices popular death moth and white moth – go through.

Whether as standalone luna moth tattoo ideas or simply as an element in a larger tattoo, these mysterious insects are the perfect choice for a tattoo art enthusiast that finds beauty, meaning and symbolism in the natural world.

1. Arm Moth Tattoo Ideas

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People have been getting designs inked on their arms for ages and it remains a popular body art location for a few reasons. As the luna moth tattoo designs in this collection demonstrate, the arm provides a large canvas that can accommodate more intricate designs than other locations.

It is also a good choice for the ease with which a tattoo design can either be covered or displayed: a suit and tie professional can show off an arm tattoo at the beach without management having the slightest idea.

2. Back Ink

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The largest canvas on the body, the back is a great location for a big and striking luna moth tattoo. Many people choose to get their luna moth designs inked on their back because of the way a piece can literally spread its wings: these pieces in this collection demonstrate just how compelling a luna moth tattoo can be when stretched across the shoulder blades. The back also provides plenty of room to unfurl the luna moth’s distinctive long hindwing tails.

3. Black and Gray Lunar Moth

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While it is commonly associated with the Chicano style of tattooing, black and gray is not limited to any specific design approach. The excellent luna moth tattoo designs in this gallery display the smooth shading and precise line work that allows a tattoo artist to take black and gray work to the next level.

These pieces prove that a tattoo doesn’t need vibrant colors to standout. Also, if you’re looking for black and gray tattoo but are not sure on your placement, don’t be afraid to trial a temporary tattoo for a test run. A super cute temporary tattoo can be useful if you’re unsure on size, or whether or not the black ink insect tattoo idea you’ve been craving looks good in a visible space

4. Luna Moth Chest Piece and Sternum Tattoo

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Another large canvas, the chest is perfectly suited for big and bold luna moth tattoo designs. Some people choose to get their luna moth chest piece on top of their pectoral muscle, either on the right or left side depending on the significance.

Another chest placement that is particularly popular with women places the moth on the sternum, just below the breasts, making use of the body’s natural lines to create a more dynamic luna moth sternum tattoo. Whether dead center, stretching across the entire chest, or located above the heart, these luna moth tattoos demonstrate just how exciting these designs can be when given room to breathe.

5. Color Creature Designs

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For some people a tattoo simply isn’t complete without a bit of color, and these luna moth tattoos perfectly demonstrate this aesthetic. Using a variety of styles and approaches-neo-traditional, new school and realistic designs are all represented here. Each tattoo artist uses vibrant color to create a unique luna moth tattoo design that is sure to turn heads for years to come.

6. Flower and Insect Tattoo

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Flower Tattoo design is great addition to body art concepts and luna moth designs are no exception. Each of these luna moth tattoo ideas takes a different approach to incorporate flowers into the design, with great results. One piece uses black and gray approach, demonstrating that even without color ink a flower and luna moth design can still make an incredible tattoo.

7. Geometric Death Moth Illustration

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Tattoo trends are always evolving, with different styles emerging as artists continue to push boundaries and experiment with their medium. One emergent trend sees complex geometric patterns incorporated into a seemingly endless variety of subject matter and these pieces show off what can be done with the luna moth as inspiration. The growing interest in Sacred Geometry also means that many of these tattoos have much deeper significance than meets the eye.

8. Blackwork Tattoo and Hand Designs

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Twenty years ago a neck tattoo meant you were either a sailor or a convict, but now, in the world of Post Malone even Justin Beiber has a neck tattoo. This isn’t to say that neck tats aren’t appealing, as this blackwork line luna moth tattoo design demonstrates. For those that want the whole world to see their love for these nocturnal creatures, a luna moth blackwork tattoo placed directly on the neck is a bold choice.

Hand tattoos aren’t for those just jumping into the tattoo game but the striking effect created by inking a vibrant design on the back of your hand is undeniable. The luna moth tattoo designs here demonstrate just how exciting these “job killers” can be with such a fascinating insect as subject matter.

9. Leg

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Besides the back and chest, the legs are one of the largest canvases on the body, making them ideal for big luna moth tattoo designs. Whether on the hip, front of the shin or upper thigh, the legs provide a tattoo artist with plenty of space and natural lines to utilize when creating exciting and unique luna moth tattoo designs.

10. Rib

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One of the most painful places to get a tattoo, getting your ribs inked isn’t for the faint of heart, although the results can be impressive. Many women choose this location for the way that a rib tattoo often peeks out from beneath a shirt or dress and the mysterious created by this placement is especially well suited for a luna moth tattoo design.

11. Small

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Not everyone wants a large tattoo; in fact many people choose to get small tattoos, although this is often just the first step in a long love affair with ink. Whether it’s your first or fiftieth piece, this luna moth design demonstrates that even small tattoos can be compelling with a talented tattoo artist at the helm.

12. Stomach

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The stomach is another canvas that is perfectly suited to large tattoos thanks to its size. The designs here demonstrate just how exciting a luna moth tattoo can be when applied to such a large and central location as the stomach.

13. Neo Traditional Illustration

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Characterized by bold lines and vibrant colors, both American traditional and neo-traditional approaches are well suited to luna moth designs. Along with the classic sensibilities of this style, there are also a variety of other design elements that can be successfully incorporated into a traditional luna moth tattoo. These pieces demonstrate how flowers, eyes and the crescent moon can all be utilized to take a traditional luna moth tattoo to the next level.

Luna Moth Tattoo FAQs

What does a luna moth tattoo represent?

The luna moth is a truly mesmerizing animal rarely seen up close, they have earned an interesting mythology thanks to their mysterious nature. However, the most common of these associations is as a symbol for transformation.

The luna moth-like the white moth, black moth and butterflies-begins its lifecycle as a lowly caterpillar, gorging itself on leaves before building itself a cocoon. It is within this cocoon a miracle of nature occurs. The caterpillar’s body is completely broken down to its base elements, only to be reformed and emerge as a completely different animal.

It is for this reason that a luna moth tattoo is such a perfect symbol of personal transformation. The luna moth represents resilience in the face of adversity and adaptability as well as determination and success, all which stem from this fascinating process of transmutation.

Is a luna moth a symbol of death?

Moths are often considered symbols of death, which can be traced back to their depiction in a style of still life painting.

Arising during Middle Ages mythology and common in funerary art, the vanitas style uses still life paintings of different artifacts associated with death as a meditation on the futility and emptiness of life. Often certain animals were included in these motifs, with crows and vultures being popular for their carrion diet and association with death.

Other animals that made it into the vanitas style were moths. Thanks to their nocturnal habits-and a general misunderstanding and distrust of the natural world at the time-moths became associated with death and decay. This morbid association has continued and some still see moths as portents of ill fortune.

Is a luna moth bad luck?

The association of the luna moth as a symbol of good and bad luck varies from culture to culture. As we have discussed, most people consider the luna moth to be a symbol of positive and profound transformation. We have also seen that these moths have an older association with death thanks to their nocturnal reproduction habits.

In Mexico-part of their natural distribution throughout North America-luna moths are seen as bad luck, especially if one makes it into your house. In parts of Mexico, it is said that if a luna moth flies into the house of a sick person, it is an omen that they will die.

While these beliefs aren’t as common as they were in the past, they demonstrate that the luna moth and its morbid associations still hold weight in certain communities.

Did you enjoy these lunar moth tattoo design ideas and body art inspiration? Click on the links below for more cool tattoo designs you can apply to your next – or first tattoo:

Categories: Tattoos
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