Butterfly Tattoo Ideas

1. Crystal Butterfly Tattoo

This Crystal Butterfly Tattoo is absolutely breathtaking. It symbolizes hope, beauty, and new beginnings, and making your butterfly out of crystal truly emphasizes its beauty and fragility. Crystal's dynamic color range allows you to have a variety of colors as the light passes through it, which can really give your tattoo a realistic feel.

2. Watercolor Butterfly Tattoo

Watercolor tattoos use multiple colors and minimal lines. They tend to fade faster than the traditional style, but fluid colors can turn simple shapes into truly impactful tattoos.

This Butterfly Tattoo is absolutely gorgeous. The colors are subtle yet striking, and the seamless blending of each color is masterfully done. The addition of the watercolor blotches is a nice touch, too.

But a Watercolor Butterfly Tattoo doesn't need to have a variety of colors. You can go for single colors such as a Yellow Butterfly Tattoo, Pink Butterfly Tattoo, Purple Butterfly Tattoo, or any Colorful Butterfly Tattoo you like.

3. Traditional Butterfly Tattoo

A Traditional Butterfly Tattoo uses the old-school style of hard lines and bright ink colors to create a unique butterfly tattoo that captures a vintage feel without seeming dated. This tattoo is no different. Its beautiful colors really make it pop and it has a lot of great detail on the wing patterns. 

4. Realistic Butterfly Tattoo

A realistic Butterfly Tattoo makes it seem as though an absolutely stunning Butterfly landed on your body to rest its wings.

This classic design style is harder to achieve than you think, as it takes a delicate hand to master the style. The detail on this tattoo is mesmerizing.

The addition of the shadow underneath the bottom of the Butterfly makes it look like it’s really about to land on the woman’s shoulder. 

5. Floral Butterfly Tattoo

If you’re looking to embody two pieces of symbolism at once, then a Butterfly Flower tattoo is the way to go.

We’ve already mentioned the types of things Butterflies symbolize, and adding in a flower, which Butterflies are obviously attracted to, deepens your ink’s meaning and significance.

Take, for example, this Sunflower and Butterfly Tattoo, Sunflowers are associated with adoration, loyalty, and longevity with their meaning coming from their namesake, The Sun itself.

But if the Sunflower isn’t your style, you can choose any flower you desire, including a Lily and Butterfly tattoo, which represents purity, rebirth, and new beginnings, which couldn’t be more similar to the Butterfly. 

6. Tiny Simple Butterfly Tattoo

A Tiny Butterfly Tattoo is a charming way to embrace the profound symbolism of transformation, freedom, and beauty in a subtle, elegant manner.

It allows for personal expression and significance to be carried gracefully and discreetly, making it a perfect choice for those seeking meaningful yet minimalist body art.

While this Butterfly Tattoo is incredibly tiny, it still shows just how much detail Tattoo artists can fit into such a small area on your body.

7. Monarch Butterfly Tattoo Ideas

The Monarch butterfly is renowned for its annual migration, which involves traveling thousands of miles from North America to central Mexico and back.

This incredible journey symbolizes resilience, endurance, and the ability to navigate and survive against all odds.

This realistic Monarch Butterly Tattoo is really great. It has such an amazing amount of detail it looks like the real thing landed on this woman’s shoulder.

8. Tribal Butterfly Tattoo

Tribal Tattoos are beloved for their bold, black lines and patterns that are usually symmetrical and geometric in design. And this Tribal Butterfly Tattoo is no different.

It’s drawn in the bold, sweeping lines characteristic of tribal art with wings that are symmetrically designed and have intricate patterns that mimic the natural segmentation and textures found in real butterfly wings.

The tattoo embodies a sense of freedom and transformation, attributes commonly associated with butterflies, while also drawing on the power and mystique of tribal art traditions.

9. Matching Butterfly Tattoo

If you have a pattern and want to express your love for one another, consider getting a matching Butterfly Tattoo.

A matching Butterfly Tattoo will require you and your partner to get half of the butter tattooed on a certain part of your body that you can press together to make the design whole again.

The most common place to get a matching Butterfly Tattoo is on the hand for when you’re holding hands. 

10. Face Butterfly Tattoo

If you want to make your Butterfly Tattoo have more depth within its design, try putting a face on the pattern of the wings.

The face you choose can be anything or anyone, from a person you love, yourself, your favorite character, or even another animal of your choice. 

11. Oni Butterfly Tattoo Design

Carrying on from the face within the wings, try out a Japanese Mask Tattoo within the pattern of the butterfly wings.

This face belongs to that of an Oni, a Japanese Yokai (demon) that are otherworldly monsters, goblins, gods, ghosts, and spirits.

This, along with the next few Butterfly Tattoos, comes from the talented hoonah.kim an incredibly talented Korean artist from Seoul. 

12. Crane In Butterfly Tattoo

Another great design from hoonah.kim is having a Crane within the Butterfly wings.

The Crane is a symbol of loyalty, honor, good fortune, and longevity and is often depicted in art, literature, and mythology. Cranes are also often used as symbolism during Japanese weddings. 

13. Butterfly Waves Tattoo

If you’re someone who loves the water or ocean, imbue your Butterfly Tattoo with waves like this design. This design is so gorgeous with an extremely intelligent design.

The bottom of the Butterfly wings has the waves swirling around them, and in the upper wings the waves crash outward, giving this butterfly Tattoo and incredible dynamic design. 

14. Moth Yin Yang Dragon Tattoo

Last on our hoonah.kim Butterfly Tattoo Designs (thank you to her) is this incredible Butterfly Design that has both a Yin Yang design and A Dragon Tattoo. 

While not all Moths are Butterflies, all Butterflies are Moths, so I think it is acceptable to put them on the list.

Yin Yang is a Chinese philosophical concept of two opposing forces working together to form a dynamic system. I’m looking forward to seeing and sharing more from hoonah.kim in the future. 

15. Butterfly In Motion Tattoo

To make your Butterly Tattoo more dynamic, try out a Butterfly in Motion Tattoo Design like this one.

To make the Butterfly Tattoo look like it is in motion, this tattoo artist has three layers to the Butterfly Wings, with each layer becoming more and more faded as it goes down. It is a really great concept and pulled off expertly here. 

16. Fine Line Butterfly Tattoo

If you’re looking for a more Minimalist Butterfly Tattoo Design, try out a fine line Butterfly Tattoo.

Fine Line Tattoos feature very thin, crisp lines, which allow for intricate designs and subtle details. This is a nice little design with a part of the Butterfly wing as flowers, with a sparkle between the Butterfly and the Moon. 

17. Butterfly Rose Tattoo

If you want to add a bit of romance to your Butterfly Tattoo, imbue your butterfly wings with a beautiful Rose Tattoo. 

Rose Tattoos symbolize love, beauty, royalty, sensuality, mysticism, secrecy, and achievement. This design is gorgeous, with a deep red color on the Roses. 

18. Butterfly And Branch Tattoo

A common Butterfly Tattoo trope is to change one side of the wings or all of the wings into flowers. Flowers come with a slew of symbolism depending on what flower you choose, so there is no shortage of symbolism to imbue your Butterfly Tattoo Design with.

This design comes with a branch rather than flowers themselves, which can symbolize growth as the flowers look like they are blooming rather than decaying. 

19. Double Butterfly Tattoo

You don’t have to settle with just one Butterfly Tattoo. You can opt to have two or more Butterfly Tattoos to add more vibrancy to your Butterfly Tattoo design.

This Butterfly Tattoo is really nice with two lovely light red Butterflies with nice swirling patterns and dots along with them. 

20. Puzzle Piece Butterfly Tattoo

Just like you can add flowers to your Butterfly wings to deepen its meaning, so too can you add other elements to the wings.

Like a Butterfly Tattoo, a Puzzle Tattoo can also symbolize personal growth, with each piece of the puzzle coming together to form a complete picture.

The Puzzle Piece Design has also become the universal symbol for autism, with many ink lovers getting this design to show support for a friend or loved one.

21. Family Birth Stone Butterfly Tattoo

A family birthstone represents a family member, such as a child, grandchild, or other family member.

Birthstones are often included in jewelry, such as rings and necklaces, and can represent living, deceased, or upcoming family members. This design is absolutely incredible, with sensational realistic detailing on each of the gems. 

22. Cherry Blossom Butterfly Tattoo

Cherry blossoms or sakura, while not exclusive to, are synonymous with Japan. Cherry blossoms symbolize life, death, beauty, and violence.

Much like Butterflies, cherry blossoms have a short lifespan, so both cherry blossoms and Butterflies both symbolise life's fleeting beauty. 

23. Butterfly Charm Tattoo

Here is a great little Butterfly Tattoo design. Your Butterfly Tattoo doesn’t always have to be a realistic-looking butterfly.

Sometimes, your Butterfly Tattoo can be of an inanimate object in the shape of a Butterfly. This cute little design is of a Butterfly charm with cute little pearls and ropes attached. 

24. Shiny Butterfly Tattoo

This great little Butterfly Tattoo Design is of a Butterfly with its body made out of jewelry. The design looks incredible with a nice glossy look to it, giving the wings a realistic-feel to them as they shimmer with the light reflection. 

25. UV Butterfly Tattoo

If you want a truly unique Butterfly Tattoo, think about adding UV ink to your design. This design is absolutely mesmerizing with its glittering effects as the UV light shines over it. But even without the UV lighting, this is a super cute Butterfly Tattoo with nice detailing and adorable sparkling effects. 

26. Butterfly Sword Tattoo

If you want to give your Butterfly Tattoo a little bit more of an edge, couple it with a Sword Tattoo. Swords symbolize things from strength, power, protection, and courage to name a few. But a Butterfly Sword Tattoo can also symbolize how the warrior has a fighting grace like that of a butterfly in flight. 

27. Handpoked Moth Tattoo

Zzizziboy specializes in hand poked Tattoo Designs. Hand poked Tattoos involve using a needle attached to a rod-like apparatus, which is then manually poked into the skin to deposit ink. Hand poked tattoos often have a more distinct, artisanal appearance like this incredible Moth Tattoo design. 

28. Gothic Butterfly Tattoo

If you’re someone who prefers their Butterfly Tattoo to have a more middle-aged aesthetic, check out this Gothic Butterfly Tattoo Design. Gothic Tattoos often feature detailed and elaborate designs that can include intricate lace patterns, filigree, and ornamental elements.

29. Butterfly Wings Tattoo

You don’t have to settle with a full Butterfly Tattoo, you can also opt to just ink yourself in Butterfly wings. The outline of Butterfly Wing Tattoos is both delicate and feminine with the intricate patterns being incredibly eye-catching. They can also boast vibrant colors rather than this blacked-out design. 

30. Blue Floral Butterfly Tattoo

Unfortunately for me, I’m not a botanist, so I don't actually know what type of flower this is, but with that said, I just couldn’t help myself but share this gorgeous design of a Blue Floral Butterfly Tattoo. This design is super gorgeous with its deep blues and translucent Butterfly wings. 

31. Neo Traditional Butterfly Tattoo

Neo-traditional tattoos are a popular and vibrant style of Tattoo Design that evolves from classic American traditional tattooing, blending old styles with modern aesthetics. They feature bold and well-defined outlines and rich vibrant colors like this gorgeous Butterfly Tattoo Design. 

32. Butterfly And Moon Tattoo

Like a Butterfly Tattoo, a Moon Tattoo can also symbolize growth and change with its symbolism of the passage of time. This is a great design, with the Moon Tattoo looking as if it is melting away and the Butterfly with strings coming from its body. 

33. Skull Butterfly Tattoo

To add a little darkness to your Butterfly Tattoo, consider getting a Skull Face pattern within the Butterfly’s wings.

Skull Tattoos can symbolize death, the afterlife, and rebellion while for others it can symbolize a celebration of life. This design is really cool, with a demonic-looking Skull pattern that makes up most of the Butterfly’s body. 

34. Flying Stages Butterfly Tattoo

If you want to symbolize your Butterfly’s journey, get yourself a Tattoo with a design similar to this one of the Butterfly in its stages of flight. Each stage of the Butterfly’s journey is connected with a line as it works its way toward the moon. 

35. Tattered Butterfly Tattoo

A Tattered Butterfly Tattoo can symbolize a difficult journey. Butterfly Tattoos can be damaged by damaged by wind, hail, snow, or rain which are symbolic of difficult periods in ones life.

However, studies have shown that butterflies with damaged wings can still fly relatively normally by beating their wings more quickly. 

36. Tiger Butterfly Tattoo

A Tiger Tattoo can come with a breath of symbolism ranging from strength, courage, protection, balance, freedom, passion, ferocity, independence, beauty, and unpredictability.

Combine your Butterfly Tattoo with a Tiger to embody these symbolic meanings, like in this amazing design of a white and orange Tiger within the Butterfly wings.

37. Black Work Line Butterfly Tattoo

Blackwork line tattoos are a distinctive style that focuses on the use of black ink and strong lines to create various designs, from abstract patterns to representational imagery. This Butterfly Tattoo Design is phenomenal with so much detailing and a dark look to it. 

38. Tear Drop Butterfly Tattoo

A Teardrop Tattoo has often been associated with Prison Tattoos and has a dark connotation connected with it. However, Teardrop Tattoos are often misunderstood thanks to a cloak of mystery. Teardrop Tattoos can symbolise many meaningful themes, such as loss and grief. 

39. Ribbon Butterfly Tattoo

Another design that is an inanimate object as opposed to an actual Butterfly is this adorable little Ribbon Butterfly Tattoo.

This design is super cute with some beautiful cherry blossom flowers on one side and a smoke effect starting on the upper left wing moving down toward the lower right. 

40. Shattered Butterfly Tattoo

A Shattered Butterfly Tattoo just like the Tattered Butterfly Tattoo can also symbolise a difficult journey and express the feeling of overcoming adversity. Like its tattered counterpart, it represents resilience and the ability to emerge stronger from life's challenges.

41. Green Butterfly Tattoo

Most Butterfly Tattoos come in nice, vibrant colors such as pink, purple and yellow. But you choose any color that suits you best.

Green is symbolic of nature and can represent themes of freshness, rebirth, and renewal. This is an excellent Green Butterfly Tattoo with fantastic detailing and contrasting green colors. 

42. Multiple Butterflies Tattoo

Why settle for just one Butterfly when you can have a whole flutter of them? This gorgeous little design features a nice collection of different species of butterflies swarming near a flower in lots of vibrant colors and sizes. 

43. Mobius Strip Butterfly Tattoo

A Mobius strip is a one-sided surface with no boundaries that looks like an infinite loop.

A Mobius strip tattoo can symbolize infinity, the endlessness of life and the universe, and the interconnectedness of all things. This is a beautiful Butterfly Tattoo Design with an ethereal-looking Butterly and Mobius Strip. 

44. Kitsune Butterfly Tattoo

Kitsune are legendary fox spirits within Japanese culture. Kitsune are revered for their intelligence and magical abilities and are often associated with Inari, the Shinto deity of rice, fertility, and prosperity. This Butterfly Tattoo has a gorgeous Kitsune Tattoo as one of its wings. 

45. Bubble Butterfly Tattoo

Here is another super cute Tattoo Design of a Butterfly within a bubble. Like Butterfly Tattoos, Bubble Tattoos also symbolise fleeting beauty as they don’t last very long while they glide gracefully through the air. This is a great design with great reflection work done on the bubble. 

46. Bread Butterfly Alice In Wonderland Tattoo

If you are a lover of the Alice and Wonderland series then you will love this Bread Butterfly Tattoo. The Bread Butterfly appeared in Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, with this design from the 1951 Alice in Wonderland Disney film. 

47. Butterfly Flower Patter Tattoo

Rather than the wings of the Butterfly taking the shape of flowers, why not make the wings have a flower pattern within it? This Butterfly Tattoo is really gorgeous with a beautiful purple flower making up the colors of the Butterfly. 

48. Shinobu Demon Slayer Butterfly Tattoo

Fans of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will love this Anime Tattoo inspired design. Shinobu is the Insect Hashira, specializing in the insect breathing style and using powerful wisteria-based poisons that are lethal to demons. Shinobus's tranquil disposition is worn as a mask, as she holds an intense hatred for demons due to the loss of her sister.

49. Moonlight Butterfly Dark Souls Tattoo

Fans of the Dark Souls franchise will be pretty familiar with this design. The Moonlight Butterfly is a mystical creature whose soul was created by Seath the Scaleless. The Moonlight Butterfly has no visible head or legs and has a wheel between its upper wings. The Moonlight Butterfly can fire various magic attacks, but they don't have any melee capabilities. 

50. Heimlich And Butterfly A Bug’s Life Tattoo

“Someday, I will be a beautiful butterfly, and then everything will be better,” or so Heimlich thought. However, by the end of A Bug’s Life, Heimlich comes out from his cocoon, only sporting a pair of tiny wings and still lacks the ability to fly due to his obesity and because he didn’t stay in his cocoon for long enough.  

51. Silence Of The Lambs Moth Tatoo

If you loved The Silence of the Lambs film, then check out this Moth Tattoo design. The death's-head hawkmoth was the Moth chosen for the iconic film poster as well as staring in the film itself. The death’s-head hawkmoth are the largest moth in the British Isles, with a wingspan of 13 cm.

52. Mothra Tattoo

Mothra is one of the Kaiju from the Godzilla franchise of films. Mothra is given her name due to the fact she resembles a gigantic moth. She is the most benevolent Titan yet seen and is highly gentle towards humans when not provoked.

53. Butterfree Tattoo

Pokemon, of course, has a variety of Butterflies and Moths to choose from but none can beat the Gen 1 starlet and Ash’s sixth-ever Pokemon (back when he was still Caterpie).

And what better Pokemon Tattoo is there to get to symbolize love and romance then Butterfree with his mate, the Pink Butterfree.

This Butterfree Tattoo is super cute, with its love hearts and sparkles and the ribbon on Ash’s Butterfree lets you know exactly who he once belonged to. I still have tears in my eyes thinking about Ash and Butterfree’s goodbye.

54. Simpsons Butterfly Tattoo

I doubt you were expecting this to make an appearance, but after all, nobody ever suspects the Butterfly.

The Simpsons is a show that is three and a half decades old with over 750 episodes to its name. So you’ll be forgiven if you can't remember what episode Bart’s Butterfly was in.

Season 6 Episode 22, named ‘Round Springfield,’ is an episode where Bart is hospitalized because he ate a piece of jagged metal in his Krusty-O's, and Lisa's old jazz musician mentor, Bleeding Gums Murphy, dies suddenly.

While trying to console Lisa on the death of her mentor, Bart tells her that he believes that after you die, you will be reborn as whatever you want. When Lisa asks what he’d want to come back as, he menacingly states, “A Butterfly.” why? “Because nobody ever suspects the Butterfly.”

1. Butterfly Tattoo On The Wrist

Starting off simple, getting a butterfly wrist tattoo is a fantastic way to celebrate transformation and mark your own personal growth.

It symbolizes the beauty of evolving through life's stages. Its delicate design can serve as a daily reminder of resilience and change, perfectly placed on the wrist where it can be easily seen and admired.

2. Upper Arm Butterfly Tattoo Ideas

A butterfly tattoo on the upper arm embodies freedom and the spirit of adventure, making it an ideal symbol for those who cherish independence and the journey of life. Its bold placement allows for more intricate designs, turning the body into a canvas of personal expression and artistry. 

3. Butterfly Tattoo Idea On The Ear

Another popular trend among modern women is behind-the-ear tattoos. A butterfly tattoo tucked discreetly behind the ear serves as an intimate symbol of transformation, whispering tales of personal metamorphosis and quiet strength. This subtle yet profound placement allows the wearer to share their story on their own terms, blending elegance with a touch of mystery.

4. Butterfly Tattoo Design On Hand

Butterfly hand tattoos stand as a bold declaration of change and personal freedom right at one's fingertips. This visible placement symbolizes the wearer's interaction with the world around them, embodying the beauty and impermanence of life's moments as they flutter by.

5. Butterfly Tattoo On The Back

A butterfly tattoo sprawling across the back is a grand canvas for showcasing transformation, resilience, and freedom on a grand scale. This expansive placement allows for detailed and intricate designs, creating a breathtaking and deeply personal masterpiece that is both private and revealing. 

6. Butterfly Tattoo Ideas On The Thigh

Butterfly thigh tattoos blend sensuality with personal symbolism, embodying the grace and strength of one's journey. This placement offers a private yet expansive area for artful expressions, allowing for larger, more intricate designs that celebrate beauty, transformation, and the intimate stories woven into our lives.

7. Butterfly Tattoo On Foot

Butterfly tattoos on the feet symbolize the delicate yet purposeful steps one takes through life, each flutter a step towards change and new beginnings. This placement connects the wearer to the earth with each step, grounding their journey in the beauty of transformation and the natural world.

8. Butterfly Tattoo Design On The Neck

A Butterfly Tattoo placed on the neck, which is a visible and vulnerable area, can represent a personal declaration of embracing change with grace. This tattoo may also signify freedom and the beauty of evolving through different life stages. Additionally, it serves as a reminder of resilience, much like a butterfly's journey from a cocoon to majestic flight.