30 Awesome Butterfly Hand Tattoo Ideas for Men & Women in 2023

I love this butterfly from its inking, to the design, to its location. It all works. It’s cool how the head looks like leaves or petals from a flower. Positioning the butterfly at an angle creates a sense of motion. The arc created by the wings and abdomen gracefully accent the hand.  Artist: @elliott.tattoo 

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This is such a beautiful white and blue butterfly tattoo by Moni Scharnagl of Bavaria, Germany. The black lines and grey shading lend a sense of realism. But it’s the varying shades of blue that make this butterfly pop. It’s interesting how the blue is used on both the body of the butterfly as well as for the background. The red ink is then the cherry on top.

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This butterfly tattoo isn’t a butterfly at all, it’s actually a moth. But it has it all from great inking to great design. It’s an obvious standout with its bold black lines and highly saturated colors which btw would look great against darker skin tones too. The design is off-the-charts with the lower body of the butterfly artistically extending onto the fingers. There are even dots highlighting the ring finger. Props to the tattoo artist @neotraditionalspain

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Pretty red ink and fine lines set the mood here: delicate and feminine. A sense of movement is created by the angled positioning of the butterflies as well as the fluttering wings. Looks like these butterflies have found a home. Props to @princesslena.ink out of NYC.

Check out our red butterfly tattoo ideas for more inspiration!

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This butterfly has a super masculine feel to it. You’ll notice that when it comes to butterfly tattoos, most men go for the black and grey look. Of course the masculinity of this tattoo is enhanced by the rugged look of this guy’s hand and the other two tattoos. It’s nice how the butterfly tattoo is oriented with the wider part towards the wrist and the legs accenting the fingers. The touches of white ink are precisely applied and add to the overall design.

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If you’re a man who loves butterflies but who is worried about coming off as too feminine, then just follow this guy’s lead. Add some flames to your butterfly tattoo and some bold fingers tattoos to go along with it and you’ll be looking as manly as they come.

Check out our butterfly tattoo men gallery!

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Fineline style typically imparts a delicate feel to a tattoo; and this butterfly’s no exception. It should be noted that it’s orientation, almost like a sticker, is in the customer’s sightline. The legs neatly frame the wrist while the antennae create movement towards the fingers. Props to @hitta_7 out of Siegen, Germany

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If you want to make a statement but not necessarily shout it, this could be your tattoo. These pretty butterflies seem to dance right along the hand. Their varying angled positions create a sense of movement from the wrist right down to the finger. With muted shading offsetting the black edges, the cool mani is the exclamation point. Nicely done by @karelbecktattoos out of Huntington Beach, CA.

Check out our blue butterfly tattoos gallery!

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This tattoo undoubtedly perfectly depicts the beauty of real-life siamese fighting fish, from their vibrant colors to their graceful fan-like tails. I also adore the very interesting detail of the little puddle forming below the fish. Are the fish underwater or not? That’s something interesting the design leaves open for interpretation.

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There’s some influence of New School style in this Illustrative zany depiction of a fish that’s been sliced open. The color choices are on point, immediately capturing my attention with its vivid color palette. The bold black outlines similarly make this design a standout.

IG: catwongtattoos

Set at varying angles, these three butterflies beautifully accent the hand and arm. Having the largest of the three butterflies in the middle adds interest and prevents a static look. The even and uniform black inking is skillfully done and elevates this design. Artist: @bearcattattoo out of San Diego, California USA

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“Less Is More” with this sweet little butterfly tattoo. With nothing more than a few very thin black lines the butterfly comes to life. Its angled positioning even makes it appears to be flying right above the hand. This design is perfect for the tattoo-newbie who likes pretty, dainty designs just like the floral mani, Thailand

 IG: panumart_tattoo

This tattoo is so impressive from its inking to its design. The absolutely regular, steady, symmetrical lines are amazingly beautiful. Positioning the butterfly at an angle adds a graceful accent to the hand. while whip shading creates a stippled or salt and pepper effect. Offsetting all of this is the very smart use of negative or blank space to provide detailing and drama. Beautiful

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When it comes to the black and grey style, I’m a diehard fan of going with the light-look, especially on fair skin. Just like black ink tattoos seemingly “fade” into dark skin people, lightly-done black and gray tattoos blend into the skin a lot better, giving a much less bold look. A look that I adore.

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There’s certainly a lot going on here but it works due to the delicate nature of the inking. With no shading or contrast there’s an intended absence of 3D. The pretty butterflies are offset by stars which bring cohesion to the design. Checkout other Blackwork tattoos from artist: @emy.noemie.tattoo out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

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A simple butterfly tattoo design like this one is all the rage. Because butterflies are so beautiful and so beloved, it’s not necessary to add tons of detail. Instead just stick one, two or butterflies on your skin like they were stickers and you’ll end up looking beautiful!

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There’s lots going on here but it works to serve up one very interesting tattoo. With seriously awesome shading, the moth is surrounding with a floral wreath and patterned inking. The design allows for the black pattern to join with the head of the moth; Connection made. Meanwhile the lighter tones of the florals contrast beautifully with the darker tones of the moth. Masterful

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This is one awesome tattoo with beautiful black lines and grey shading. It’s really cool how the butterfly’s legs accent the fingers and outline the knuckles. But it’s the use of white ink that really sets this tattoo apart. The very thin white lines are seen on the butterfly and the skull; here defining bones and even the tips of the teeth. The amount of detailing in this very small space requires considerable skill. Topping it all off are the stars which sparkle in the background. Big props to artist: @jay.ke.tattoos

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This butterfly tattoo is interesting for both its location and design. Regarding location, we don’t see that many butterfly tattoos on the hand. Of course the eye in the design is not commonly seen either. Although the design is oriented for viewing by others, the eye seems to be looking at you from either orientation. Very interesting

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This tattoo is masterfully done with its design making full use of the “canvas” provided. It also definitely makes a statement. The large planes of opaque black ink are beautiful. With gaps of adjacent negative space, this tattoo looks particularly good against the customer’s skin tone . If you’re in Los Angeles, CA checkout artist: @raitattoos

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