99 Butterfly Tattoos Helping You Undergo Changes In Your Life

Daniela Duca-Damian Tattoos 39,085 Views

Yes, butterfly tattoos are incredibly cute and may be very colorful, but they hold deeper meanings that might surprise even the most insightful of you. Associated with one’s soul, the butterfly is also a symbol of resurrection. The fact is, this incredible creature only lives for 1 month, through which it changes its body 4 times. Could this natural phenomenon be something we can learn from? I think it is! And exactly because of that, it can be extremely empowering as a tattoo!

You’ll see butterfly tattoos scattered on both women and men; each representing something different, something personal that defines them. Transcendence should be embraced, and why not marked by elegant butterfly tattoos. In rare cases, butterflies symbolize the passing of a loved one. No one needs to get sad now though, let’s take a look at 93 incredible butterfly tattoos!

1. Butterfly above the knee

A black and white tattoo, this one is situated above the knee. As you’ll further see, this body part is very popular for butterfly tattoos.

2. Watercolor on forearm

Diluted colors remind us that essence won’t poke us in the eyes unless we look for it and embrace it wholeheartedly.

3. The butterfly ring

Rings may accentuate a woman’s femininity, so butterfly rings are able to do the same thing. The color choice is nice!

4. Divine femininity on skin

An old school interpretation of butterfly tattoos, this one looks like it is among this girl’s first tattoos. Great way to start a bigger composition!

5. The green butterfly

Such an art-oriented person couldn’t have chosen a lesser butterfly design for inking her body. She must be a lover of nature, hence the green.

6. Under bust butterfly tattoos

Because the butterfly has a symmetrical shape, it can flatter a woman’s under bust or a man’s chest. This is one successful tattoo!

7. Divided by perception

A wonderful vision over the graphic and the pictorial image of a butterfly, this tattoo could begin a series of others.

8. Dark butterfly for the soul

Symbols don’t have to be visually impressive. They can, however be complex if they are inked in skin. This one is in between.

9. Pretty butterfly tattoos

Speaking of image, these 3 butterflies are colorful, elegant and playful! They have lots to say about this woman’s personality.

10. Baffling butterfly colors

Each individual sees beauty differently, so this person definitely has her reasons for choosing these 3 colors. Butterfly tattoos don’t have to look all the same.

11. Butterfly neck tattoo

The neck is a sensual body part. When you add a butterfly tattoo on it, you can only make it more sensual. Here’s the proof!

12. Another butterfly neck tattoo

Another version of butterfly tattoos on a girl’s neck. This time, on a blonde girl! Which one is more you?

13. Rainbow-ish knee butterfly

Grace and tenderness may simply describe this rainbow-ish tattoo. Placed above this girl’s knee, it looks very beautiful!

14. Part of nature cycles

The process of metamorphosis is among the most special traits of the butterfly. It is part of nature’s cycle, exactly how this tattoo depicts it.

15. A realistic butterfly

Realism has revolutionized the world of tattoos. This butterfly is a perfect example in that regard. Too cool to be true!

16. Butterfly tattoos as back piece

Needless to say, butterflies fit perfectly on every body part. Small or big, they look mesmerizing even without color!

17. Butterflies courting a flower

Both butterflies and flowers are of amazing beauty. When they are put together, they form an excellent tattoo idea!

18. Glowing arm composition

Nature is a source of life. When you take the exact image of its components and make a tattoo of it, you get this glowing masterpiece!

19. Brightly colored beauty

You’ll often see butterfly tattoos combined with flower tattoos simply because they make a killer combination. This is brightly colored too!

20. Butterfly on foot

Placed near a rose this time, the butterfly compliments this lady’s foot. It definitely speaks of rebirth.

21. Real and unreal butterflies

The butterfly tattoo is traditional and the real butterflies are freakishly big! It took me a moment to realize they are real!

22. From reality to tattoo

The real butterflies you’ve seen in the previous image look like this one when they are drawn. Still amazing I’d say!

23. Expression in black and white

The butterfly also symbolizes expression. In addition, it means transition, celebration, vulnerability and resurrection.

24. Celebrating birth and growth

The birth of a child is a moment of joy that can be easily marked by a tattoo full of symbols. The clock shows the birthdate and the butterfly tattoos are there to inspire.

25. Traditional butterfly tattoo

Remember the guy with real butterflies on him? This is he! His butterfly tattoo can be seen better in this picture. You can admire the traditional style and colors.

26. Delicate butterfly outline

Women are delicate and vulnerable creatures, so their attributes match the butterflies. Although it’s just an outline, it is still pretty cool.

27. Surviving all seasons

Except the regular types of butterflies that only live for about a month, the Monarchs, the Mourning Cloaks and the tropical heliconians may survive for up to 9 months; so basically throughput almost all seasons.

28. The Canadian butterfly

Out of approximately 20 thousand types of butterflies, I’m sure none of it has flowers on their wings. However, on a tattoo, the flowers look kick ass!

29. A wild butterfly

Judging by the wild flowers tattooed next to the butterfly, it is also from wild areas. It looks kissed by the sun and holds more vitality than most of us!

30. The butterfly’s relative

I am almost positive that this is a moth, not a butterfly. Moths and butterflies are relatives, but they also have a few distinct features like colors and activity type. Even so, they are confused quite often.

31. Blinded by transformation

I can’t figure out if this is a tattoo with a positive message or not. The struggle of getting through certain moments of life is real, so it might be about that.

32. Human-faced butterfly tattoos

This interpretation of butterfly tattoos isn’t met often, but I must admit it is interesting. The level of details on these tattoos is amazing.

33. A combination of animals

By the looks of it, this tattoo encompasses an elephant, a butterfly and an octopus. It is not one of Edgar Allan Poe’s creatures if that’s what you were wondering about. It is just an original idea.

34. Dissimilar neo-traditional butterflies

Neo-traditional is a tattooing style that is based on simple shapes, slightly darker colors and plain designs. It is fitted for any type of symbol and it definitely flatters women’s legs!

35. Butterfly halves in hands

A cool idea for hand tattoos, this one divides a butterfly in half. No colors were used because this type of tattoo will fade away fast.

36. A magical world

Cartoon-ish and very colorful, this tattoo presents the butterfly under multiple forms. There’s a caterpillar looking at itself in the mirror and seeing a butterfly. Quite metaphorical, isn’t it?

37. A pair of butterflies

As I mentioned earlier, above the knee is a common place for butterfly tattoos. Especially when there are two butterflies, they look very cute next to each other like that.

38. Filigreed butterfly design

Although exposing your tattoos to the sun is never a good idea, I must admit this filigreed butterfly tattoo looks mesmerizing in the sunlight.

39. Simply shaped butterfly

A creature so beautiful and tender as the butterfly doesn’t need complicated details unless it is tattooed 3D. It looks just as great in pastel colors.

40. Tiny butterfly on ribs

Multicolored butterflies are hard to color when they are tiny, but this one only has two shades, so it turned out perfectly!

41. The skull butterfly

Optical illusions in tattoos are among my favorites! This person basically has a tattoo of a skull and a tattoo of a butterfly in one! That is genius!

42. The outlines of two butterflies

Another pair of butterflies, these two aren’t colored. In fact, this girl got their outlines tattooed, leaving color out. How do you like them best? Black or colored?

43. Symmetry is all

Nature has proved multiple times that perfection exists. So, this is an example of a perfect butterfly that is symmetrical and features the type of colors that are too vibrant to fail.

44. Watercolor meets butterfly

The butterfly is a very fragile insect. Its wings are incredibly thin and they can be easily destroyed. I’m saying this because I see the exact same type of grace in watercolors. Perfect match!

45. Flowers, branches and butterflies

It is autumn on this woman’s back and it is wonderful! All the shades used by the tattoo artist are meant to depict autumn, a season when nature dies a little bit only to be reborn a few months later.

46. The disco butterfly

Is it just me or this butterfly is constructed out of CDs? It looks so disco thanks to the rainbow-ish shades and highlights! I don’t care much for placement though. If you don’t have thin legs, then don’t get inked on this body part unless it is a vertical design.

47. Smile, you’re beautiful

Butterfly tattoos are sometimes accompanied by written messages. This one says, “Smile, you’re beautiful!”. What are you waiting for?

48. The blue butterfly

Since there are over 20 thousand types of butterflies, there must be a blue one as well. Even if it isn’t and this is just a user’s preference, it is still pretty cute! Kudos for the shading work! That isn’t easy to achieve.

49. A sea of butterflies

Nature is filled with symbols that make drawing a composition very easy. Butterflies, a cool background and a few flowers are a nice idea for a sleeve! Tiny or extra large, butterfly tattoos can’t ever fail you!

50. A family of red butterflies

Spine tattoos are girly and may also be considered sensual. The effect is maximized in this case because the inked motifs are gentle and elegant too. Red and brown look very natural.

51. A traditional butterfly tat

Do you notice the two flowers that kind of frame the butterfly? They are clear signs of a traditional tattoo. Besides that, what makes this tattoo old school are the colors and the simple shapes.

52. Turquoise butterfly on feet

Turquoise isn’t a color often met in nature. However, it gives a certain glow to this tattoo, don’t you think? Half on one foot and half on the other, this butterfly has some serious detail in it.

53. Flowery hand butterfly

The contrast between red and black makes any tattoo look amazing. She incorporated flowers on the butterfly’s wings and chose her hand as placement. Wonderful choices!

54. Black and white winged creatures

Regardless of how good a colored tattoo looks like, some people prefer black and white tattoos. Butterflies are the type of motifs that flatter even when they are not colored. What would you choose?

55. A butterfly like the sky

Blue is a serene color, especially when it is so light. Looking at this butterfly or at the sky when it is clear, is pretty much the same thing. The curved lines are masterfully inked.

56. It flies behind the ear

Hidden tattoos are a delight to discover. This one in particular is discreet and cute too!

57. Purple wrist butterfly

Hope, happiness and positivity are all expressed by this purple butterfly placed on a woman’s wrist. Although pretty small, it holds impressive details and white highlights as well.

58. Side face inspiration

Face tattoos are controversial, but who could have anything against this gentle butterfly? In can’t say the same about his other face tattoo though.

59. Neo-traditional masterpiece

Giving dimension to a simple drawing is something that only an experienced tattoo artist is able to do. This woman has a neo-traditional design tattooed on her shoulder that looks like it is about to fly far away. Everything about it was carefully planned.

60. Spiral effect on a butterfly

Spiral? Where, you might ask. If you look carefully, you’ll see that the combination between orange, black and yellow kind of draw you into a virtual spiral. It’s all about good shading work here!

61. The butterfly and the elephant

While there’s no obvious connection between the insect world and the mammal world, they do seem to get along just fine. Both creatures are friendly for sure!

62. Realism meets ink

Realism isn’t a tattooing technique used for long. It is relatively new and everybody loves it. I mean, how could you not when it looks like a butterfly is sitting on your shoulder when it is in fact, not?

63. The punk rock butterfly

Skulls and pink are used by punk rockers all the time. This is how a butterfly got a makeover to match this particular style.

64. A world ruled by butterflies

If this woman’s body were a separate world, it would be ruled by butterflies. She has many butterflies tattooed on different parts of her body. They are very colored, lively or dark and all black.

65. Tradition meets butterfly

Butterfly tattoos aren’t very popular among traditional tattoos, but this inking style suits them too.

66. The profile of a butterfly

Perspective is important when you draw or ink something. In this case, you can see a butterfly’s side, not its image from above.

67. Cold toned butterfly

Certain skin tones look best with particular colors on them. For example, a woman with a warm skin tone will never look good with an ashy hair color. The same rule applies to tattoos.