Angel tattoo stencils
16 angel designs, from a tiny halo and wings for the wrist to a praying angel tall enough for a sleeve. Stencil, outline and flash versions print at whatever size you set.
4.00 in4.00 inTraditional angel wings
4″Traditional angel wings
4.5″Cherub with bow
1.25″Tiny halo and wings, fine line
3″Single angel wing, fine line
7″Chicano praying angel
6″Fallen angel
5″Geometric angel wings
3.5″Winged heart, blackwork
5″Angel statue bust
1.75″Simple halo and wings
7.5″Winged sword
4.5″Angel holding a cross
5″Heart with wings
4″Dove with olive branch and banner
1.5″Tiny dove, fine line
4.5″Dove over cross with rays
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§1Angels, cherubs and Saint Michael
Most tattoo angels come out of Christian art, but the designs here are not all the same figure. AN-12 Angel holding a cross and AN-05 Chicano praying angel are plainly devotional. AN-02 Cherub with bow is, strictly speaking, a Cupid. The winged child with a bow is the Roman god of love, and Renaissance painters used the same chubby putto when they painted cherubs, so the two figures merged. Choose it for a piece about love rather than faith.
Saint Michael is the warrior archangel. Christian tradition makes him the leader of the heavenly host and the defender of the church against the Devil, and artists show him armed, often standing over a dragon. Medieval knights took him as their protector, and a Michael tattoo still reads as protection first. There is no full Michael figure on this page. AN-11 Winged sword keeps the spread wings and the downward blade and leaves the figure out.
Wings and halos without a figure (AN-03, AN-04, AN-10) leave the meaning to you. AN-08 Winged heart and HT-08 Heart with wings join the angel to the heart.
The dove sits on this page because it comes from the same religious art. In Genesis, Noah’s dove comes back to the ark with an olive leaf, and in the Gospels the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism like a dove. AN-13 Dove with olive branch and banner follows the first story and leaves the banner blank for a name or a date. AN-15 Dove over cross with rays follows the second, drawn in Chicano line art. AN-14 Tiny dove is the small fine-line version.
§2Angel sizes by placement
| Placement | Usual size | Good designs |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist | 1–3 in | AN-03 Tiny halo and wings, AN-14 Tiny dove, AN-10 Simple halo and wings, AN-04 |
| Ankle | 1–3 in | AN-03, AN-10, AN-04 |
| Neck | 2–4 in | AN-10, AN-03 |
| Forearm | 3–6 in | AN-04 Single angel wing, AN-08, AN-01, AN-13 Dove with olive branch, AN-12, AN-09 |
| Calf | 2–6 in | AN-08 Winged heart, AN-12 |
| Chest | 3–10 in | AN-01, AN-07 Geometric angel wings, HT-08, AN-09 Angel statue bust |
| Back | 4–10 in | AN-07, AN-05, AN-06 Fallen angel, AN-11, AN-15 Dove over cross |
| Thigh | 4–10 in | AN-06, AN-11, AN-02 Cherub with bow |
Saved Tattoo and Inkjin publish the size charts these ranges are based on. The size you set is the longest side, so on spread wings like AN-01 and AN-07 it is the distance from wingtip to wingtip, and a 4 in pair of wings is shorter than it sounds.
§3Choosing an angel design
AN-10 Simple halo and wings is a compact pair with a bold outline and fits a wrist or the back of the neck at 1.75 in. AN-03 is the fine-line take on the same idea at 1.25 in. It is quick to tattoo and hard to tattoo cleanly, because a thin circle shows every wobble. AN-01 Traditional angel wings and AN-08 are the beginner pieces at forearm size: bold outlines, simple feather shapes.
The figures need room. AN-05 Chicano praying angel and AN-11 Winged sword are tall compositions, 7 and 7.5 in by default, drawn for a sleeve or the back. AN-06 Fallen angel, kneeling with head bowed and wings lowered, takes a back or thigh at 6 in. A face loses its features quickly when it shrinks, so talk to your artist before scaling AN-09 or AN-05 down for a smaller spot.
For an angel tattoo outline to color or trace, switch the format to Outline: the same lines, unmirrored and unfilled.
§4Questions
Q1What does a Saint Michael tattoo mean?
Protection, above all. Michael is the archangel who leads the heavenly host against the Devil, and medieval knights treated him as their protector.
Q2Do you have a dove or a full Saint Michael stencil?
There are three doves: AN-13 with an olive branch and a banner, AN-14 in fine line and AN-15 over a cross. A full Michael figure is not in this set. AN-11 Winged sword is the nearest to Michael: spread wings and a sword pointing down, without the figure.
Q3Is there a wings-only or feather stencil?
Wings without a figure, yes: AN-01 Traditional angel wings, AN-04 Single angel wing and AN-07 Geometric angel wings. A single feather is not in this set.
Q4Which angel design works for a small tattoo?
AN-03 Tiny halo and wings at 1.25 in or AN-10 Simple halo and wings at 1.75 in, both made for a wrist, an ankle or the neck. AN-04 Single angel wing is a little larger, 3 in by default, and runs along a forearm.
Q5Is the cherub an angel or Cupid?
AN-02 is drawn as a Cupid: a winged child with a bow. Renaissance art used the same figure for cherubs, so it works for either reading.