101 Butterfly Tattoos to Put a BIG Smile on Your Face

101 Gorgeous Butterfly Tattoos to Put a Smile on Your Face. These tattoo designs will help you choose a butterfly tattoo that’s right for you. Or, simply sit back and enjoy these pics. Butterfly tattoos are very common nowadays but artists still find beautiful and original ways to make them. Butterflies have been an inspiration to tattoos for a long time, especially among women. They are small and pretty, so they make a common first tattoo – you know, when your mother tells you you’re going to regret it, but you want to do it anyway, but on the inside you think your mother might be right. Here are some amazing butterflies that have been taken with solid determination

1. A butterfly with a chandelier

This is such a gorgeous tattoo! It’s like a butterfly on a chandelier, or a cage. I’m not exactly sure, but it sure looks amazing. This is the perfect tattoo to show off with a bikini. It’s detailed, well made, and in this part of the body it creates beautiful lines on the body, at least if you have abs like hers. Let’s hope she never gains any weight. By David Botterhoek from tattrx.com.

2. A modern butterfly

This tattoo has a lot going on. It is a broken butterfly that’s broken, but yet seems to be flying. The colors are dramatic and its wings are torn. Unlike most butterfly tattoos, this tattoo has a lot of asymmetry going on. The colors contrast, the butterfly seems to be in the middle of a lot of confusion. The design is original and beautifully made – and in this spot it will probably get a lot of attention. Butterfly tattoos come in all shapes and sizes.

3. manly butterfly tattoos

Now this is something you don’t see so often. A butterfly on a man. I guess this one is a moth though, so it’s not a stereotypically feminine design. What is amazing about this tattoo though, is it’s size. You rarely see a butterfly tattoo so big – a majority of them are very small. It fits on his body incredibly well and looks amazing. This tattoo is rock’n’roll. From tattooartclub.com.

4. A white butterfly

White tattoos are pretty uncommon, and here is a well-made one. The delicate white wings of the butterfly accentuate its fragility and bring it out in a completely different way than black ink. This tattoo is super feminine and definitely original. This would probably look even more striking on darker skin! Maintenance would be a thing with this – I bet the white will fade after a few years and you’d need to get regular touch ups. Totally worth it though. Seen in cuded.com.

5. Butterflies in a mandala

I have to say I haven’t seen this before. A butterfly mandala tattoo with one butterfly flying away? Or perhaps it’s flying into the mandala. Either way, it seems very symbolic to me. The design is super detailed and gorgeous, and the irregularity in the mandala differentiates it from other mandala tattoos that can be pretty common in other butterfly tattoos. Altogether, this one’s sure original.

6. Butterfly shadows

This is a fun idea! Matching tattoos for a group of inseparable friends or family. A great way to feel united and show your bond to the world. The style of this tattoos is gorgeous; having the silhouettes of the butterflies instead of a more complicated design makes the tattoo more of a statement and gets people to think about it. Why three? Why is one bigger than the others? I suppose we will never know.

8. Butterflies on a sleeve

Here is a beautiful and feminine idea for a sleeve tattoo. Makes me think of female camouflage. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful idea? Camouflage with roses and butterflies. Anyway. These butterflies are pretty traditional styles and typical in tattoos, but what makes them different is that they are part of a sleeve. Lone butterflies are pretty common, but here they’re combined with amazing flowers for a right-arm sleeve. They are also done in color in painting-like style, which adds a touch of originality and freshness to the tattoo.

9. A colorful butterfly on the neck

Amazing colors! This butterfly from designatattoo.com is not very traditional, at least I don’t think this kind of a butterfly really exists. But what do I know. The colors are incredible anyway. It looks almost tribal with the colors and design. The size and location are also perfect, it definitely adds a gorgeous detail to her neck. The bright colors really stand out from her pale skin and look good with the platinum blonde hair. From tatuajesxd.com. Butterfly tattoos are well represented at that website.

10. Tribal style butterfly

This tattoo is quite simple. A tribal style butterfly, very pretty and feminine. What I love about this though, is the use of jewels! An amazing way to spark up your tattoo for a party or special occasion. It’s like jewelry on your skin. A super creative way to give your skin art the attention and admiration it deserves and add a special touch to your party look.

11. Symmetrical leg tattoos

Symmetrical tattoos always look beautiful. These playful butterfly tattoos break the symmetry by using different butterflies in each leg. They are surrounded by feminine design that accentuates the sexy choice of placement on the body, although I think these tattoos would look good almost anywhere on the body.

12. Music and butterflies

This tattoo combines music and butterflies. The butterflies fly across her back like a melody, creating an impression of a free and carefree melody – and a sexy path on the back. Great that she got it done so big, because it really works as a whole.

13. Painting-like sleeve with butterflies

A modern painting-style sleeve with butterflies and a peacock. Very festive and impressive choices of animals, they really make an original and beautiful sleeve. I like how the peacock peeks with a sort of evil look from under her sleep, like “I will murder you in your sleep”. The butterfly looks more innocent, although I guess it’s hard to know what it’s really thinking. Butterfly tattoos can be hard to read, in terms of their emotions. Duh!

14. Geometric moth

I love this modern style of tattoo that looks like geometry and drawing combined. The geometrical pattern on the background is made in incredible point work. The whole tattoo is pretty clean and geometrical, and definitely looks amazing. If I had this tattoo, I wouldn’t mind people staring at my chest instead of my face.

15. Giant butterflies

These butterflies are well made and the size makes them even more beautiful. If they were smaller, they wouldn’t be nearly as impressive. The realistic style also makes them stand out and look like actual butterflies. They also fit perfectly in the curves of her body. Velociclo.blogspot.com has this and more amazing designs.

16. Butterfly frame

This asymmetric leg tattoo is pretty interesting. I’m not sure which element is playing the main role here, the landscape as a whole, the moon, the tree or the butterfly. The butterfly closes the frame breaking the symmetry a little bit. Altogether, this tattoo is quite mysterious and eerie. Looks pretty anyway.

17. Realistic moth butterfly tattoos

This incredible realistic moth tattoo will definitely get attention. The blue hue, the lace-like wings, the folds on the wings – everything is done with such talent and in so much detail. Almost looks like a giant moth is crawling on her back, awesome. Amazing work by the artist anyway. Seen in ilovethispic.com.

18. Wrist butterflies

These butterflies are small, but have a lot details which makes them unique. They only feature the black parts of the butterfly, which makes them look delicate and ethereal. A gorgeous detail on the wrist. It looks super feminine combined with the painted nails. From pinterest.com.

19. Colorful butterflies

This tattoo from cuded.com stands out incredibly well because it’s her only tattoo. Sometimes less is more. The beautiful asian-style colors and the details in which the butterflies and the branches are done look like a painting in an art gallery. Definitely a great choice of artist and money well spent. Sometimes one painting on the skin is better than ten on the wall.

20. Realistic combination

Here’s realism at its best. The details, the sizes and the colors are amazingly vivid and make the tattoo really stand out. The design is pretty standard – we’ve seen so many tattoos of roses and butterflies that you’d think people are fed up with them by now – but for some reason they never seem to lose their charm. Tattoo by grimmy3D.

21. Butterflies in a swirl

Here’s a beautiful modern version of roses and butterflies. At first, I hardly even realized that it has roses and butterflies. But yes, it seems that it does. It’s a refreshing take on the traditional theme though. The tattoo plays with different depths created by more pronounced butterflies at the front, and more blurry roses on the background, and creates an illusion of movement with swirls on the background. Amazing work, I approve, even though the theme is pretty worn out. By Basistka, an expert artist in the designs of butterfly tattoos.

22. Moths with a personalized text

This is another sexy symmetrical leg tattoo. The colors on this one are not too strong, so the shapes of the moths and the texts play the main role in the design. The shape of the butterfly definitely has a sexy connotation to bows and stockings. The meaning of the text is a mystery though.

23. Butterflies after an oil spill

This is a pretty dramatic tattoo. It features regular and shadowy butterflies in an evil black swirl, and some of the black ones look like they’re leaking. It looks like a theme of light and dark or good and evil, and probably has a more profound meaning to its owner. Made by Underground Tattoo and Piercing.

24. Painted butterflies

To change up a traditional theme it is a good idea to use a different style, like in this tattoo. It looks fresh and carefree with the painting-like butterflies. This is a pretty artistic tattoo. Great unique and colorful design! Seen at http://booky1.deviantart.com/art/Butterfly-Tattoo-94139355.

25. Enormous back butterfly

Now this one shows commitment. I love this well thought-out tattoo. It is a gorgeous design that opens from the top like a V-back dress, creating beautiful lines on the body. Or alternatively, it’s a giant butterfly hugging her tight. The colors and patterns are awesomely daring. Found on cuded.com.

26. Moth with squares

Here’s a modern design that combines geometry and traditional butterfly theme. The contrasting colors look gorgeous, and the butterfly seems to be flying through a cage or a maze or something similar. The location on the body is also beautiful, like the butterfly is going to fly over the sun, and over her shoulder.

27. Chest butterfly

Tattoos in between boobs of this type are pretty rare. I have to say, that it’s a pretty awesome way to celebrate small boobs, because this would not look nearly as good with big boobs. It’s definitely eye catcher and compliments the natural symmetry of the body. This is a highly unique tattoo for women despite of the butterfly theme, and she pulls it off like a boss.

28. Death peeking from the wings

Firstly, can I say how much I like this photo? It shows the skull straight, while in reality it’s diagonally located on the arch of the foot. I also like the idea of putting something else than the traditional butterfly patterns on the wings. It adds a surprising twist on the tattoo. From designatattoo.com.

29. Tribal and realistic style combined

Here’s a tribal butterfly with a different approach. The design is pretty interesting, I can’t decide whether the butterfly is on a flower or if the swirls on its tail are flying traces or just a mere decoration. The outlines look pretty anyway, and the color at least in the photo looks almost blue – beautiful.

30. Simple and feminine

This tattoo looks so cute on her leg! The super symmetrical design and bold lines and colors contrast with her pale skin beautifully. The tattoo model is close to a regular butterfly design, but just different enough to make it original. It kind of reminds me of Russian children’s book imagery. Seen on designatattoo.com

31. Sexy butterfly tattoos

Now here’s a daring tattoo. The place on the body is eye-catching, the colors are bold and the size isn’t modest either. It also draws more attention because it’s the only tattoo that she seems to have on her body. It’s an interesting choice of placement – she definitely doesn’t want to divert attention from her cleavage. This tattoo is super feminine in many ways! Sexy, beautiful, gorgeous butterfly tattoos like this are among our very favorites.

32. Tribal butterfly on the abs

This tribal fits beautifully on her slim stomach. It’s all fairly typical tribal, the butterfly and the patterns around it. What makes it interesting, is that the butterfly is made of smaller, more dense patterns than the surroundings. Few people can pull off a tattoo like this. The design from designatattoo.com is pretty badass, so I bet the owner is a real tough chick too.

33. Modern butterfly with splatter

This design from velociclo.blogspot.com is gorgeous. It combines different colors in a modern and powerful way. The details are absolutely incredible and layout beautiful. I wonder about the symbolism of this one. The red is pretty violent, but for some reason the black-and-white butterfly seems to represent something boring and usual, and the colorful one could be soul, mind or something similar. At least this one makes you think.

34. Simple shoulder design

Design-wise, this tattoo is pretty traditional. The basic butterfly. But what I love about this one is the place. How often do you see a butterfly on the shoulder like that? It looks very unique and different – it’s actually very tastefully placed. It’s almost as though the butterfly just landed on her. This cute tattoo was found from designatattoo.com.

35. Simple butterfly on chest

This butterfly tattoo is very simplistic. It’s 2-dimensional, colors are simple and the design doesn’t have any extras. Reminds me of cartoons or comics for kids. It is pretty modern and in a rather visible part of the body. It looks very elegant on her – tattoos don’t always need a lot of shading and details to look beautiful. From designatattoo.com.

36. One of the pretty little ones

This one from designatattoo.com is another simplistic, but traditional one. The butterfly has some different colors (as much as I can tell from a black and white photo) and a few details, but overall it’s very small. The placement is beautiful though, it follows the symmetry line on her back and catches the eye in a shirt like this.

37. Watercolor style

Wow, this butterfly seems so joyful! The design of the butterfly is pretty traditional, but the traditional lines are broken with different colors and pain splashes. It seems to use all the colors of the rainbow which makes it look so happy. I also love the splattering effect. It makes the tattoo look more vivid and unusual. Seen on tattooimages.biz.

38. Butterfly… made of butterflies

Yes, a butterfly made of butterflies. I’m not sure whether the butterflies are uniting or separating, but this tattoo could have some deep meanings behind it. Perhaps the butterflies are uniting to kill all humanity. I mean, who knows? I love the holes in the wings that create patterns, and the originality of this idea.

39. When you can’t decide which model to take

These butterflies follow her spinal column insisting on the symmetry of the body. She has chosen many different designs, most of which are very tribal-influenced. I also like how the sizes vary according to her body shape. The butterflies and the symmetry kind of remind me of ink-blot tests. This is a well-thought out tattoo. Butterfly tattoos run along the small of her back.

40. Butterflies, butterflies everywhere

Here’s a tattoo that looks cool, but I’m not really sure what’s going on in it. I think it’s some kind of scenery of flowers and butterflies with lots of artistic effects. The use of two contrasting colors looks amazing in this tattoo and really crowns it. The tender blue of the flowers and the daring black of the butterflies… gorgeous! Check out women-tattoo.net for more.

41. Painted butterfly tattoos

Painting-like tattoos can look really cool when they’re done well, like this one. The use of colors is amazing in this one – it’s almost like an impressionist painting. It has incredible detail in spite of the casual impressionist look. The background compliments the butterfly by making it more dynamic, like it’s actually flying around. Www.tattooimages.biz has a bunch of this and other beautiful watercolor tattoo designs.

42. Butterfly on a line

I love how this tattoo looks like it comes out of a signature or writing. It’s mostly just one line! What a genius design. Maybe I could make my signature look like this? Though I guess nobody uses signatures for anything anymore. It also kind of looks like a flower from another angle. This is modernism and simplicity at its best, and definitely breaks the norm of traditional butterflies.

43. 2-part moth

There are a few butterfly hand tattoos around, but this caught my attention for its original idea. I haven’t seen one like this before! This tattoo is also pretty gender neutral. It’s a pretty interesting design, because the moth will pretty much always be upside down. Flying down or falling down? Looks cool though, as far as butterfly tattoos go. This is a keeper!

44. Butterflies on a tree

The colors on this tattoo are amazing. It reminds me of Japanese style a little bit, perhaps because of the flowers – cherry blossoms are another very traditional tattoo theme. Here the flowering tree curves beautifully with the body, and the giant butterflies really catch your eye with the contrasting colors.

45. Manly underboob butterfly

For some reason, this reminded me of the underboob tattoos that women sometimes take. But in reality, it’s nothing like it. This tattoo looks gorgeous and fits perfectly its place. Not many men seem to have butterfly tattoos, because they’re associated with sensitivity and other traditionally feminine features, but this guy – I believe it’s Harry Styles – really pulls it off.

46. Butterflies exploding from someone’s face

This is another tattoo where I’m not sure what’s going on. I believe there is a person, and red butterflies come out of the persons head. This seems very symbolic to me and the design is beautifully done. The red butterflies definitely stand out and make the picture more interesting. The placement is interesting, it seems quite low to me.

47. A pretty little colored one

How cute is this tattoo! I would describe it as a realistic butterfly tattoo, although I’ve never seen a butterfly like that in my life. The coloring is beautifully done and it looks super adorable on the foot – although I think this butterfly is so cute that it would look good anywhere. This way, it’s perfect to show off in ballerinas. Check out this one and more on welovetattoos.com.

48. A giant tattoo with death and butterflies

Here’s another butterfly with skulls, although this has way more size than the other one we saw. The face-to-face skulls give it a pretty dramatic appearance. The only thing I wonder about is the centre. It could have looked interesting if it had a more detailed design. The wings catch the attention anyway, so people might not even notice the pillar of black in the middle. From tattooscreens.com.

49. I gave him the butterfly.

This one’s kind of like a ring! What a pretty tattoo. It looks amazing and cute with colors, I don’t think it would make such an impression in black only. It’s a little one, but you gotta be shameless to have a hand tattoo – it’s cute and rebellious at the same time. This is a butterfly that would suit any gender because it’s small and snappy. From cuded.com.

50. 3D tribal style butterfly tattoos

Here’s a tribal tattoo made with really cool shading to make it look like it’s 3D. The shape almost looks like a star. It has feminine grapevines all over it. This tattoo is done in such detail and style, that it could make tribals fashionable again. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet. Anyway, it’s a least a very unique and beautiful one.

51. Eye wings

Butterfly tattoos in the eyes… or eyes in the butterflies? A new twist to that old Crazy Town song that probably inspired a few to get a butterfly tattoo after seeing the music video in the early 00’s. In any case, this tattoo is pretty modern style and pretty… eye catching (I promise I’ll stop now). It’s beautifully done so it looks pretty 3D and creative.

52. Venetian butterfly

This is a big and gorgeous tattoo. The mask and the colors remind me of Venetian masks and Romance Italian style. The setting, colors and style are beautifully combined in this piece of art. The meaning behind it is hard to understand though. I, for one, don’t have any idea what it could mean. It’s as mysterious as it looks. From tatuajesimagenes.com.

53. Butterfly-on-a-face-on-a-butterfly

This one’s fun. It’s a butterfly, that has a face on it, that has a butterfly on it. At least it’s not on her face, that would be a little too much. It’s on her chest, which is better. I don’t think a tattoo of this much size and detail should be on her face. It’s a pretty cool and unique variation of the good old butterfly theme though. As seen on designatattoo.com.

54. Creative butterfly wings

Wings of a butterfly or a bird are a pretty typical tattoo. These wings are pretty cool, because they’re done in a dreamy style with lots of detail. The size and the shape are definitely not realistic, but nevertheless, they look good on her. They kind of seem more like fairy wings than butterflies, although now that I mention it, I’m not sure if there’s a difference. From i-imgs.com.

55. Attack of the giant butterfly with tentacles

Well, I suppose they’re not tentacles, but some kind of background spirals for decoration. Or maybe it really is depicting a giant butterfly with tentacles attacking a bunch of regular butterflies. I kind of hope it’s the latter, but it’s probably not very likely. This tattoo is done in pretty modern style which looks great. Seen on tattoomagazine.net.

56. Arms infested with butterflies

Here’s a good option for the good old sleeve: forearm tattoos with a common theme. These tattoos look pretty amazing together, and would suit any gender. They’re also very black and bold instead of the common fragile-looking and girly butterflies. This is a great way to add a twist to a traditional theme and own it. From tattoosclan.com.

57. Old school butterfly

I haven’t seen that many old school butterfly tattoos, but I suppose the butterfly trend is a newer phenomenon. Old school has more pin ups, ships and swallows going on. This butterfly is made in old school style though. It’s simplistic and colorful. A great traditional tattoo, loyal to the old school style.

58. Big leg butterflies

These leg tattoos look downright gorgeous. They’re done in old school style and the size is fantastic. They almost look like stockings – and probably look pretty hot with a skirt or shorts. Great choice of tattoo if you want to flatter your legs. The butterflies look slightly different, which makes the tattoo all the more interesting.

59. Neck moth

This butterfly tattoo it’s beautifully made and placed. The style is fairly modern and almost realistic. It fits perfectly in the shape of the neck and looks almost like the moth was just resting on it. This tattoo definitely is an eye catcher. The black looks beautiful, although I bet this would also look great in color. As seen on teenformula.com.

60. Ear butterfly

I can only think of one word to describe this one: unique. Placed vertically on the face, it really is a tattoo for the brave. It looks amazing though, and the placement really compliments the shape of his face. The ear is kind of like a flower that the butterfly is going for. A truly successful manly butterfly. Seen on https://www.pinterest.com/noorakata/men/.

61. Colorful skull butterfly

This tattoo reminds me of Mexico, probably because of the colors and the themes (skulls and flowers). It’s a pretty impressive, large tattoo. The colors and shapes are totally delicious. The placement is surprising to me, because I’d imagine this looking really good – perhaps even better – on the back for example.

62. Moths and diamonds

Here’s another cool tattoo that combines butterflies and geometry. The design is super flattering to the shape of this person’s calves – I wonder if the design was custom made for this placement because it looks so good. The moths or butterflies are very detailed which creates a beautiful contrast between them and the more simplistic geometric background.

63. A moth eating your hair

THERE’S A GIANT MOTH ON YOUR HEAD OH MY G – oh wait, it’s just a tattoo. This guy decided to replace his hair with a butterfly tattoo. Didn’t turn out that bad. The design is big and detailed, and looks amazing. The placement sure is unusual and interesting. The tattoo compliments the shape of his head but it’s also the kind of tattoo you don’t see that often. I bet he’s known as the Butterfly Head.

64. A butterfly collar

This is another tattoo you don’t see that often. A butterfly on a collar of roses and stars. I’m a bit sad it’s not in color, because I think it would look amazing in color. As it is, it displays an interesting contrast between the dark shading of the collar and the butterfly solely made of lines. I suppose that if she changes her mind later, she can add some color to it.

65. Cute skulls in butterfly wings

If there’s a way for skulls and death to be kind of cute, then this is it. This butterfly has super cute skulls on its wings. They definitely add a cool twist to the otherwise girly-looking tattoo. It’s a chest tattoo, which also makes it interesting – it’s like a butterfly of death flapping out of her bra. Hmm. Intimidating but cute? Done by Jussi Kokkarinen.

66. A moth with triangles butterfly tattoos

Geometrical features in tattoos have become a hit recently, and here’s another moth with geometrical background. What I like about this one is the use of colors. The moth is very dark and sinister, and the triangles are in red on the background, which makes the moth stand out more, perhaps making it look more sinister. After all, red and black are colors used by many totalitarians and radicals. Seen on gentside.com.

67. A butterfly with eyes and hears and crosses

This tattoo has a lot going on. I believe it’s a butterfly, although it could be a dragonfly with huge wings too. The wings seems to have gigantic eyes that have a red crosses over them and the antennas form a heart with two additional lines. Okay. I’m not even going to try to understand this one. The red lines on the neck are a pretty radical choice too, because they almost look like cuts.

68. Butterflies and names

Names and butterflies is a pretty common tattoo. This one by Tuula Aikioniemi combines the butterflies with roses (veeery traditional) and names. Super traditional. But the tattoo is beautifully made and the use of colors deviates from the norm a little bit. I love how the names are incorporated into the design as though they were part of the leaves or swirls in the rose bush.

69. Stomach moth with bling bling

These underboob butterflies seem to be quite popular. This one has some kind of decorations hanging from it, so that it looks almost like a permanent piece of jewelry. Until we can make tattoos with gold ink, this is the next best thing. When that day comes, we will have strayed far away from the original tattoo culture of prisoners and sailors.

70. A butterfly trapped in an octahedron

Well, this is an interesting one. Why is the moth inside an octahedron? Perhaps it represents art and reason or nature and technology. We will probably never know. Style-wise, it looks pretty cool, although the size doesn’t quite do justice to the details of the picture. The placement is also pretty interesting, but I think this tattoo is more about the symbols and less about the placement. From marieclaire.fr.

71. Eerie neck butterfly

This butterfly tattoo from tattooscreens.com is translucent and beautiful. Neck tattoos are often quite badass or defined, so it’s refreshing to see a light, fairy-like one for change. This one looks gorgeous as it is, in black and grey, with realistic shapes. The other tattoos definitely compliment it – they make it look like jewelry.

72. Butterflies flying with music

Here’s another version of the butterflies and notes theme. This one’s beautifully put together – the notes, the butterflies and the swirls seems to flow together like music. In this one the shadow design works great, because it makes the movement the focal point instead of details of butterfly wings. If it’s possible for a tattoo to be dynamic, then this definitely is so. More basic facts about butterflies.

73. A giant tattoo with death and butterflies

This tattoo from hearttattoopicturesimagesphotos.blogspot.com again plays with skulls and butterflies, and does it well. The little skulls in the wings are not necessarily evident, but a cool detail, and the colors are appropriate for the theme. The dripping blood crowns the creepy but not quite horror-style tattoo.

74. Crouching rose, hidden butterfly

In this tattoo, fantasy and realism join together. It’s a realistic rose with a butterfly hidden in the petals. A very unique variation of the regular oh-so-pretty butterflies and roses. The hyperrealistic water drops really impressed me. This is a very clever idea, and I doubt the person who carries this tattoo will meet many other people with the same design – if any. From pinterest.com.

75. Butterflies and hearts and stuff

This tattoo by Love Hawk design is amazing. The style is pretty modern, so it’s a new take on the traditional themes. The colors are used cleverly in this piece – the red details really compliment the design and bring out the best in it. It looks great on the arm but I bet it would look even more impressive on the back or on the chest. Amazing and original tattoo in any case.