Time has been an intriguing character to humanity for centuries. It waits for none. It has its own unique motion. And this can be portrayed in forms of body art too. That’s where the hourglass tattoo design kicks in. These designs boast a metaphorical viewpoint of cultures worldwide. So, if you want to wear your personal philosophy about time’s eternal passage in an artistic way then there’s nothing better than an hourglass tattoo.
Moreover, these hourglass tattoo designs are not just a form of artistic expression. Along with its artistic nature, these designs have so many alluring features that will make others spellbound. Plus, the transient nature of life itself can also be portrayed by these designs. With these designs on your body, you will be able to fluidly express the symbolism behind time, eternity, and the seamless passage of time itself. So, no matter where you go, these designs will appear stunning.
So, as you can imagine by now, in the world of tattoo art, hourglass tattoos hold a special place. With these design ideas, you can explore the passage of time as an individual. So, tag along with us as we dive deeper into this design catalog, This is where art meets the mystique of time itself.
95 Hourglass Tattoo Designs and Meanings
The Symbolism of Hourglass Tattoos:
In terms of symbolism, hourglass tattoo designs will give you an unparallel variety. These designs are all about cherishing every little moment in our life as the future is so uncertain. The design of these tattoos such as the sand’s constant flow from one chamber to another gives us a lesson of mortality. So that we can be more careful about grabbing the opportunities life throws at us.
Furthermore, the hourglass tattoo designs symbolize the beginning and end of mortal human lives in an artistic manner. It subtly portrays the continuous nature of time. So that we can value our mortal lives to the fullest.
Design Elements and Styles:
The hourglass tattoo designs have a bulk of elements in their styling features. So, the artists don’t have to hold back to show their creativity here. As a result, these designs are able to really bring out the true emotions behind them.
Here are some elements and styling options-
Realism: Realistic tattoo designs are all about intricate detailing to its last grain. In this art style, the artists try to put life to the object by crafting every detail nearly to their original form.
Neo-Traditional: What this particular style does is, put a futuristic look to the traditional design by using an intense color scheme. Plus, creative artistry can make those designs more modern. Thus the name neo-traditional.
Minimalist: Keeping it simple and minimalism are the two same concepts with different names. And this particular design seeks to achieve just that. With simple linework, this style can turn your personal philosophy into body art.
Watercolor: The watercolor technique brings vibrancy and fluidity to hourglass tattoos, blending hues that mimic the flow of sand, resulting in an ethereal and dreamy effect.
Broken Hourglass Tattoo
The broke hourglass tattoo design urges us to nurture every little moment in our life. This particular design reminds us that time will continue to exist but our mortal body won’t, simple as that. So, we should embrace the time entitled to us to make the most out of it.
Here are some exceptional design ideas to seize your day-
1. Infinite Pool
This is an exceptional design from head to heel. The sand here is portrayed in a cosmic manner symbolizing the endlessness of time and our tiny presence in its total span of existence.
2. Blue Bird
The color blue represents tragedy here. It is a reminder of the fact that once lost time cannot be gotten back. Along with that mind-blowing philosophy, the placement on this woman’s back looks amazing.
3. Crimson Past
It portrays the scar that the past caused through its crimson sand. And the broken glass tells us that there is no going back. All we can do is look forward and cherish our every passing moment.
Traditional Hourglass Tattoo
The classic hourglass design features two connected glass bulbs with sand passing from one to the other, symbolizing the continuous flow of time. The very design of the hourglass reminds us that life on Earth is temporary and time is running out. So, we should embrace these moments and enjoy the journey to our death.
Here are some design ideas to make you remember that-
4. Dawn
This one is a gorgeous design on this man’s forearm. The color pallets are very rich and have an exoticness. Plus, the artistry is quite intricate but executed flawlessly.
5. Dusk
The wood color palette in this design gave this piece an ethnic look. Moreover, the floral ornament and the rising sun over the sand gave a magical touch to this design. And for its shape and size, it looks perfect on the forearm.
6. Webs of Time
It’s a quite bizarre and gothic piece. The monochrome attire with a glaring eye and a skull made it a piece to crave for. The decaying skull shows the relentless pursuit of time to destruct even the strongest.
Hourglass Skull Tattoo
The Hourglass Skull Tattoo design portrays the inevitability of death. Combining the skull with an hourglass means that as mortal human beings, we should live our life to the fullest. We should embrace the ups and downs of our lives and flow with time to an inevitable end. And making memories while living is what matter the most.
Here are some inspirational ideas-
7. Time Crusher
This one is a state-of-the-art design. The intricate design and expert artistry made it a realistic masterpiece. Anyone interested in realistic tattoo design can also opt for this one.
8. Memento Mori
This full forearm tattoo combined with a skull, hourglass, and a rose is a treat to the eyes. The skull reminds us of the inevitability of death while the rose represents the sweet present and the hourglass tells us to live the lie to the fullest.
9. Glassy Skull
The Hourglass-shaped skulls are designed and inked pretty uniquely. The skulls play a reminder of the inescapable death and the infinity-shaped hourglass resembles the unbothered flow of time.
Death Hourglass Tattoo
There are many people who worry about the future too much. They search for freedom throughout their whole life. But the death hourglass tattoo design wants us to accept life as it is. Accepting the fact that we’re mortals and we’re surely gonna decay to some point, leaves us the true freedom. The freedom of embracing life as it is.
Below are some unique ideas to portray that philosophy of life-
10. Nature & Death
The upper part of this hourglass design portrays life itself as it has consisted of natural elements. The lower part, however, portrays death with a skull. And the falling sand imitates the flow of life.
11. Omega
This Hourglass represents the shortness of life with the Omega symbol in the middle. Apart from that, the artistry in this piece is just exceptional. Plus the upper wrist placement multiplied its beauty.
12. Reaper
The piece is gothic. In the sense of its artistry and also in the sense of its symbolism. The reaper here is the imitation of the time itself as at a certain time a man must die. Plus, the deep fog instead of the sand made it more alluring.
Hourglass Memento Mori Tattoo
The Latin term “Memento Mori” stands for “remembering death.” But these memento mori tattoo designs don’t want us to just remember death. Rather, they tell us to live fully as we’re gonna die one fine day. So, in a word, embracing this ink masterpiece urges us to seize the present, live authentically, and cherish every fleeting moment.
Let’s look at some design ideas now-
13. Time
The words Memento Mori is engraved here as a reminder of the inevitable death. And the hourglass represents the continuous flow of life toward death. Apart from that, the artistry is quite eye catchy too.
14. Skulls of Time
This hourglass holds a certain gothic structure with the symbolism of the flowing of time and life. Those two skulls are inked perfectly and blend in with the hourglass’s aesthetic.
15. Crushed Time
This particular piece is quite big and covers the whole forearm. It portrays a classic hourglass memento mori design but with a rugged form of artistry. It is inked in a very bold manner that catches the eye at first glance.
Hourglass Clock Tattoo
The Present is all that we humans have. The more you think about the future the more complicated the situation gets and the more tragic you feel in life. But on the other hand, these Hourglass tattoo designs show us that life is not mathematical. We can’t figure out a definite outcome. So, why worry when we can embrace the present moments? Thus, these designs are the artistic portrayal of the idea that once time has gone, it cannot be retrieved.
Here are some timeless examples-
16. Shattered Time
Another classic hourglass design features a broken clock in the background. The decayed clock shows that once a time has gone it cannot be repaired or recreated. So, it gives us the message to treasure every tiny thing in life.
17. Clock of Eternity
This piece covers the whole upper arm in a dominating manner. The design is quite intricate and inked with expert artistry. It features a clock and an hourglass just like the classic ones.
18. Relativity
It boasts of a surreal side with the melting clock inside the hourglass instead of the sand. It gives a straightforward message in a very minimalistic way that “life goes on.” overall, it is simple and elegant.
Forearm Hourglass Tattoo
Inked with the sands of time, the Hourglass Tattoo design immortalizes the beauty of fleeting moments. A fusion of art and symbolism, it urges us to seize the present, for each grain of sand carries a tale of its own. Embrace the profound reminder that life’s essence lies in the eternal rhythm of the hourglass.
Here are some glaring designs for you to choose from-
19. Time & Tide
Time and tide wait for none. This forearm hourglass tattoo is the fluid portrayal of that century-old proverb. this piece conveys the message that we should enjoy every little moment in life
20. Letting Go
This one is a colorful one. With vivid color palettes, this one stands out from the rest. It shows the text “This only works if you let go too.” You can add your own customized text here too. Plus, the portrayal of night and day as death and life is very unique.
21. The ANKH
The Ankh symbol here is derived from the ancient Hieroglyphics which means eternal life. The hourglass combined with the ankh shows us that our life is not eternal and we should make the most out of it.
Grim Reaper Hourglass Tattoo
Mortality is inevitable. But that doesn’t mean we should live in fear of dying all the time. The Grim Reaper hourglass tattoo depicts the meaning that worrying about death and living in fear of it won’t do us any good. We won’t be able to give our best shot at life that way. So, we need to embrace our mortality as a precious thing and deal with all the outrageous disadvantages of life with a smiling face.
Here are some dashing design ideas-
22. Grim Adventure
The piece follows the Mexican Muralism art style to some extent. The grim reaper represents the personification of death and the floral design portrays life. It is colorful, exotic, and meaningful.
23. Life & Death
This one is the perfect example of grim art. Wholly colored in black, it points out that death isn’t the opposite of life but one part of it. Plus, the scary look of the grim reaper added an extra punch to it.
24. Grim & Gore
If you’re a fan of gothic and gore artistry then this is the perfect piece for you. Instead of sand like in the classic hourglass design, this one included a smoky substance that brings out the exoticness in it. It is very well designed and inked masterfully.
Minimalist Hourglass Tattoo
Minimalist Tattoo designs embrace simplicity with a powerful message. As simplicity is elegant and can portray the toughest of philosophies with a single simple line of strokes, the minimalist hourglass tattoo design aces all the odds. In accordance with that, the minimalist hourglass tattoo aspires to show us that true happiness in life lies in simplicity.
These designs below can be your next choice-
25. Glass Sand
The design is pretty realistic. The artist made the glass shine even in the monochrome color palettes. It’s a simple design but very eye-catchy. with this design you won’t go unnoticed.
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Hourglass Chest Tattoo
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Owl Hourglass Tattoo
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Geometric Hourglass Tattoo
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Hourglass Time Is Money Tattoo
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Winged Hourglass Tattoo
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Hourglass Neck Tattoo
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Hourglass Rose Tattoo
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Owl Holding Hourglass Tattoo
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Tree Hourglass Tattoo
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Heart Hourglass Tattoo
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Hourglass Infinity Tattoo
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Hourglass Memorial Tattoo
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Japanese Hourglass Tattoo
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Antique Hourglass Tattoo
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Carpe Diem Hourglass Tattoo
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Evil Hourglass Tattoo
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Father Son Hourglass Tattoo
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Flying Hourglass Tattoo
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Galaxy Hourglass Tattoo
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Hourglass Back Tattoo
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Hourglass Compass Tattoo
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Hourglass Face Tattoo
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Dragon Hourglass Tattoo
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Conclusion
Whether represented in a traditional, realistic, or abstract style, the hourglass symbolizes the constant flow of time and the transient nature of life. So, there is more to the hourglass tattoo design than just. These designs are perfect for portraying the philosophy of life and mortality. The ever-flowing sand of an hourglass screams the message that there is so tiny amount of time we have as humans. And we need to embrace this short span of time with purity in our hearts.
There are many things a person cannot achieve in this short time limit. But that is not so bad. Throughout the process of trying to achieve things, we often forget what these moments really are to us. They are valuable as when the mortal body dies, there will be nothing but memories to cherish. So, we should try our utmost to live our life without being concerned about the future so much.
And there are no better ways to get a reminder of that philosophy every now and then without Hourglass Tattoos. There are a plethora of designs we put into our catalog and you can go with anything you want. Just get it done by a professional for your own safety.
Happy Tattooing!
FAQs
1. What is the significance of an Hourglass Tattoo?
Hourglass tattoo designs demonstrate that life is not a mathematical equation. We are unable to predict a certain outcome. Thus, these designs signify an aesthetic representation of the belief that once time has passed, it cannot be recovered.
2. Do Hourglass Tattoos have a specific placement preference?
Hourglass Tattoos can be inked on various body parts, depending on personal preference and the size of the design. Common placements include the forearm, upper arm, back, and calf.
3. What are some popular Hourglass Tattoo designs?
Popular Hourglass Tattoo designs include the classic hourglass with sand flowing from one bulb to the other, elaborate ornamentation, realistic representations, and creative abstract interpretations.
4. Can an Hourglass Tattoo be combined with other symbols?
Yes, combining different elements together can enrich the meaning of each tattoo design while adding a personal touch to it. Designing elements like roses and wings can be used to portray the continuous flow of time and the beauty of life itself.
