Butterfly tattoo stencils
Twelve butterfly designs, from a one-inch fine-line butterfly to three butterflies rising along a sleeve. Pick one, set the size you will tattoo, and print it as a stencil, an outline or color flash.
3.50 in3.50 inTraditional butterfly
3.5″Traditional butterfly
5″Death's-head moth
1.25″Tiny butterfly, fine line
2.5″Butterfly with trail, fine line
5.5″Japanese butterfly
4.5″Geometric butterfly
4.5″Neo-traditional jewel butterfly
3″Bold blackwork butterfly
4.5″Chicano butterfly with rosary
1.75″Simple butterfly outline
3.75″Butterfly on a flower
6.5″Three butterflies rising
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§1What a butterfly tattoo means
In ancient Greek one word, psyche, meant both the soul and a butterfly, and artists often gave Psyche, the soul in Greek myth, butterfly wings. Christian teaching later used the path from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly as a picture of resurrection.
The moth is the darker cousin. BF-02 Death’s-head moth is based on the death’s-head hawkmoth, a real moth with a pale, skull-shaped mark on its thorax. It belongs to this page and to the skull page alike.
§2Small, flying or in threes
For a first tattoo or a tiny spot, BF-03 Tiny butterfly is a few thin lines at 1.25 in, and BF-10 Simple butterfly outline is four rounded wings and a body, easy to line. BF-01 Traditional butterfly and BF-08 Bold blackwork butterfly use heavier lines and simpler wing shapes.
If you came for a flying butterfly, BF-04 Butterfly with trail is caught mid-flight with a dotted line curving behind it. For three butterflies, BF-12 Three butterflies rising runs them up one long curve, tall enough for the inside of a forearm or a sleeve. BF-11 Butterfly on a flower rests on an open bloom.
Bigger pieces go in different directions. BF-05 Japanese butterfly sits among peony leaves with wind bars, BF-06 Geometric butterfly is built from triangles and small circles, and BF-07 Neo-traditional jewel butterfly has lace patterns and a gem on its body. BF-09 adds a rosary in the Chicano style.
§3Butterfly sizes by placement
| Placement | Usual size | Good designs |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist | 1–3 in | BF-03 Tiny butterfly, BF-10, BF-04 |
| Ankle | 1–3 in | BF-03, BF-10, BF-08 |
| Neck | 2–4 in | BF-03, BF-10 |
| Forearm | 3–6 in | BF-01, BF-04, BF-09, BF-11, BF-12 |
| Calf | 2–6 in | BF-01, BF-08, BF-11 |
| Chest | 3–10 in | BF-02, BF-07, BF-06, BF-05 |
| Back | 4–10 in | BF-05, BF-06, BF-12, BF-09 |
| Thigh | 4–10 in | BF-05, BF-07, BF-11 |
The ranges are those in the placement charts at Saved Tattoo and Inkjin. An open-winged butterfly is symmetric, so center its body on the limb when you place the stencil. A lean that would pass on a flower is obvious on a pair of wings.
§4Questions
Q1What is the skull on the moth design?
BF-02 is a death’s-head hawkmoth. The skull comes from a real marking, a pale skull-shaped patch on the moth’s thorax that gave the species its name.
Q2Is there a three butterfly stencil?
Yes, BF-12 Three butterflies rising. It is fine line and 6.5 in tall by default. It is rated for beginners: the lines are simple, there are just a lot of them.
Q3What is the difference between a butterfly stencil and a butterfly outline?
They are the same drawing. The stencil prints mirrored for transfer paper; the outline prints as drawn, for tracing, coloring in or practice.
Q4Is there butterfly flash?
Yes. Switch any design to the Flash format and it prints with the wings filled in color, at the size you set, as a PDF or PNG. Use the stencil for the transfer and the flash sheet for the color conversation with your artist.