Butterfly Tattoos / Butterfly Hand Tattoos
30 Awesome Butterfly Hand Tattoo Ideas for Men & Women in 2022
Getting a butterfly tattooed on your hand is a bold statement reserved for those who want to display the butterfly’s beauty and its symbolic meanings of transformation, freedom and gentleness. While hand tattoos can come off as edgey, the image of our small winged friend can let others know that there’s nothing to fear. Plus this piece of body art is going to have you looking great.
But before you go and get your own butterfly hand tattoo, let us help guide you in choosing the perfect piece of ink. Below we’ll show you the most unique, most stylish, and best-looking butterfly hand tattoos of 2022. You’ll surely be inspired with the perfect idea for your next piece of ink.
With that said, let’s begin.
One of Our Favorite Butterfly Hand Tattoos for Women
Beautiful tattoos don’t have to be elaborate, as evidenced here. Butterflies are so naturally beautiful that you could stick one just about anywhere on your body.
We hope you enjoy these butterfly hand tattoo ideas! First off: A Realistic Butterfly Tattoo With Color
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.
Butterfly Tattoo on Hand
The design really works well in this butterfly tattoo. The artist or the customer wanted to achieve a light look, without any one image really jumping out. This is achieved with the butterfly and flowers forming as one. And this hand tattoo even fades in pretty well into the customer’s geometric tattooo.
Neo Traditional Butterfly Hand Tattoo
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
Pretty Red Butterflies Hand and Finger Tattoos
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!
Blackwork Butterfly Tattoo on Woman’s Hand
Set at an angle, this butterfly instantly gains importance. It’s a very small but important creative decision. With beautiful lines, both heavy and light, the design gracefully drapes onto the fingers. The heavier opaque inking here imparts a velvet-like feel to the butterfly. If this weren’t all enough the specialized technique of whip shading creates a moody background for this design. Gorgeous
Fineline With Watercolor Butterfly Tattoo
With thin black lines and dabs of Watercolors this butterfly has a delicate feel to it. That’s nicely balanced and offset by the strong opaque black inking on the lower body. Positioned so it’s oriented to the customer’s view, the legs accent the wrist while the upper wings frame the fingers.
Realistic Black and Grey Ink Butterfly Tattoo
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.
Butterfly Tattoos on the Hand are Most Definitely For Men Too!
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!
Realistic Black and Grey Butterfly Tattoo
This butterfly has a super masculine feel to it. Of course that’s enhanced by the rugged look of this guy’s hand and the other two tattoos. It’s nice how the 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.
Fineline Butterfly Tattoo on Woman’s Hand
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
A String of Pretty Blue Butterfly Tattoo on Woman’s Hand
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!
Whimsical Butterfly Wings Tattoo on Hand
What makes this butterfly tattoo look great is its position on the hand. The shape of the butterfly really flows well tucked in above the thumb and the pointer finger. Always remember that placement is super important when getting tattooed!
Realistic Black and Grey Butterfly Tattoo
Here’s another butterfly tattoo that looks great on a guy’s hand. The heavy black shading adds a particularly masculine feel. Overall the black lines are steady, symmetrical and beautifully inked. Tattoo artist: @ilforestierotattoo out of Corso, Italy
A Simple Black Butterfly Tattoo
Butterfly outline tattoos are really popular. You’ll see an even split between women choosing to go with thin, fine lines or with bold black lines such as in this tattoo.
Minimal Butterfly Hand Tattoo
“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.
More Butterfly Hand Tattoo Designs!
I imagine that this butterfly tattoo on the hand is just the first step in what is soon to become a full-sleeve. I say that because the butterfly isn’t positioned “perfectly” on the hand. Instead it’s tilted, allowing it to be larger and for one of its wings to overflow onto the wrist. Thus giving it the potential to flow really well with a larger overall piece.
Big Beautiful Blackwork Butterfly 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
One of the Prettiest Butterfly Tattoos You'll See on a Hand
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.
Minimal Butterfly Tattoo on Hand
The overall aesthetic of a tattoo is influenced by its design and inking. But positioning is also definitely part of the equation. This butterfly leads the eye to the anatomical junction of the thumb and index finger. It’s almost like an architectural feature which is highlighted by the butterfly just as the anatomy highlights the butterfly. Checkout Nick @wickynicky when you’re in NYC
Keeping a Consistent Look With This Butterfly on Hand Tattoo
You can see that this woman has a look that she loves and she sticks with it. All of her tattoos that are visible in this picture share the same style, thus giving her body a unified look. I really appreciate that.
Linework Butterfly Tattoos on Woman’s Hand
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
Why Get 1 When You Could Get 2 Butterfly Tattoos?
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!
Dramatic Black and Grey Butterfly Hand Tattoo
Like floral butterfly tattoos? Then you’ll love this dramatic, sexy, white butterfly tattoo. The bold black shading is highlighted by adjacent gaps of negative space and white ink accents. The white ink also highlights the thin delicate black outlines of the flowers. Mix in the dark shading of the leaves along with a salt and pepper effect in the background and you get – Drama, Drama, Drama
Complex Moth and Floral Design Tattoo
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
Black and Grey Butterfly and Skull Hand Tattoo
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
A Unique & Cute Butterfly Hand Tattoo
This person’s hand looks amazing. The positioning of the two butterflies is great, with the small butterfly trailing behind the larger one. And with the larger butterfly extending beyond the hand and onto the wrist, looks great. Then you have all the minimal space elements filling up the empty space on her hand. What a lovely concept!
Black and Grey Butterfly Hand Tattoo
I love this butterfly tattoo. The grey shading has an almost metallic quality to it like some cool metal jewelry. Set off to the side it’s got a swagger to it too. Offset by the smaller finger tattoos, this butterfly is totally cool. Note that the butterfly and text are both positioned for the customer’s viewing.
Black and Grey Butterfly Hand Tattoo With Eye
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
Blackwork Butterfly Tattoo on Hand
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
Butterfly Hand Tattoo
Don’t be alarmed, you’re not in church – the butterfly’s wings in this hand tattoo just happen to look like they were cut out of some stained glass. The muted colors work really well together in this piece.
We hope you enjoyed and found inspiriation from our butterfly hand tattoo ideas!