Butterfly tattoos
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Butterflies rank among the best-loved tattoo motifs, and they suit nearly every style: a two-line outline, a fully shaded monarch, a cluster of wings in flight. This collection gathers all of them, printed in jagua ink that develops in the skin and passes for a real tattoo once the color has come through.
Styles to choose from
Fine line and outline. Light contours and one-line drawings, made for the wrist, the ankle or behind the ear.
Realistic and shaded. Monarchs and swallowtails with patterned wings, best given some room on the forearm, shoulder or upper back.
Blackwork and brushstroke. Solid silhouettes and painterly wings with a bolder, graphic edge.
Floral and combined designs. Butterflies with flowers, vines, moons or stars. If petals are what you love most, our flower tattoos continue the theme.
Groups and trails. Two or three butterflies in flight, ready to follow a collarbone or the line of the spine.
Placement and wear
A larger butterfly tattoo reads best where the wings can open: shoulder blade, upper back, forearm. Those areas also keep the design longest, up to two weeks. Small butterflies on hands, fingers or feet fade sooner, since those spots are washed and rubbed all day.
Application takes under two minutes. The design looks pale at first and darkens to blue-black over 24 to 48 hours; after the first 8 hours, it's waterproof. No PPD, no needles.
Other winged and symbolic designs live in insect tattoos and semicolon tattoos. Have your own drawing? Order it as a custom tattoo. And to explore what butterflies symbolize and where to place them, read our butterfly tattoo guide.
