Heart tattoo stencils
14 heart designs, from a one-line heart for the wrist to an anatomical heart with vines for a sleeve. Every heart here comes as a clean outline first, with a mirrored stencil and a color flash sheet behind it.
4.50 in4.50 inSacred heart with cross
4.5″Sacred heart with cross
3.5″Winged heart, blackwork
3.5″Heart with banner (blank)
4.5″Sacred heart with thorns
1″Tiny heart, fine line
1.75″One-line heart, fine line
4.5″Anatomical heart
4.5″Heart and dagger
3″Geometric heart
5″Heart with wings
4.5″Chicano crowned heart
2.5″Heart lock and key
1.5″Simple heart outline
7″Anatomical heart with vines
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§1What a heart outline tattoo is
The phrase gets used two ways. Some people mean a heart drawn in line only, with no fill and no shading. HT-11 Simple heart outline, HT-03 Tiny heart and HT-04 One-line heart are exactly that, and at 1 to 1.75 in they are the smallest designs on the page. Others want the outline of a bigger piece, a sacred heart for example, to color in or to have tattooed as pure linework.
Every heart here has an Outline format: the same drawing in thin line, printed the right way round. Pick it when you want to see the design as it will sit on skin, try colors with pencils or trace it by hand. Pick the stencil when the print goes straight onto transfer paper, because that version is mirrored for the transfer. The flash sheet is the colored one, worth printing for HT-02 or HT-09 if the colors are still open.
§2Where the classic hearts come from
Hearts were common tattoos long before anyone called the style American traditional. The style took shape in the early 1900s, and its stock designs ran to hearts and daggers alongside anchors, eagles and ships, so HT-06 Heart and dagger joins two old favorites. The heart with a banner is the sailor classic. It took off during World War II, usually with “Mom” on the ribbon. HT-01 leaves the banner blank, and your artist can letter any name into it.
The sacred heart is a Catholic image: a wounded heart ringed with thorns and radiating light. The devotion spread widely after the visions of the French nun Margaret Mary Alacoque in the late 17th century. HT-02 Sacred heart with thorns and CR-10 Sacred heart with cross follow that pattern. HT-05 Anatomical heart and HT-12 drop the symbol for the organ itself, arteries and all.
§3Heart sizes by placement
| Placement | Usual size | Good designs |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist | 1–3 in | HT-03 Tiny heart, HT-04 One-line heart, HT-11, HT-10 |
| Ankle | 1–3 in | HT-03, HT-04, HT-11, HT-10 |
| Neck | 2–4 in | HT-03 |
| Forearm | 3–6 in | HT-01, HT-07 Geometric heart, HT-10 Heart lock and key, AN-08, HT-06 |
| Calf | 2–6 in | HT-01 Heart with banner, HT-06, AN-08 |
| Chest | 3–10 in | HT-02, HT-09 Chicano crowned heart, HT-05, HT-08, CR-10 |
| Back | 4–10 in | HT-02, HT-08 Heart with wings, HT-12, CR-10 |
| Thigh | 4–10 in | HT-05 Anatomical heart |
Typical sizes per Saved Tattoo and Inkjin; your artist will adjust to the spot. A plain outline heart holds up small. The sacred hearts carry thorns and flames, the anatomical ones carry vessels, and both run together if you shrink them much below their 4.5 in default. HT-12 Anatomical heart with vines is a tall piece, 7 in by default, for a sleeve or the back.
§4Questions
Q1What is a heart outline tattoo?
A heart drawn in line only, with no fill or shading. HT-11 Simple heart outline, HT-03 Tiny heart and HT-04 One-line heart are the plain versions, and every other heart here also prints in an Outline format.
Q2Which heart outline is small and cute?
HT-03 Tiny heart at 1 in, or HT-11 Simple heart outline at 1.5 in. HT-10 Heart lock and key is slightly bigger, 2.5 in by default, and still fits a wrist or ankle.
Q3Can I add a name to the heart banner?
Yes. The ribbon on HT-01 is blank on purpose. Print the stencil as it is and your artist letters the name in by hand.
Q4What is heart tattoo flash?
The finished, colored version of a design, the way it would hang on a shop wall. Switch the format to Flash to print it as a color reference; for the transfer, use the stencil.