The Tribal Butterfly Tattoo
Butterfly tattoos combine well with tribal elements, especially on the lower back because of the symmetrical nature of a butterfly. Tribal butterfly tattoos are often black, or a combination of a colored butterfly with black tribal swirls.
Another option is to stylize the butterfly itself, like these tattoo designs:
Lower Back Butterfly Tattoos
Lower back butterfly tattoos are usually larger, more stylized butterfly images that stretch across the lower back, one of the most popular places to get a tattoo nowadays (but also known as a tramp stamp).
Actually, butterfly tattoos lend themselves very well to this location. The butterfly image is very symmetrical, so the middle can easily be lined up with the spine, the wings extending on either side. This makes the butterfly wings longer and more stretched out than they would be in nature, but the image can be very attractive.
Celtic Butterfly Tattoos
Celtic butterfly tattoos depict the butterfly using much bolder lines for maximum impact. Butterfly tattoos done in this style incorporate the Celtic design in one of several ways – a Celtic border might surround the butterfly image, or the butterfly’s wings might be filled in with Celtic artwork.
The spirals and knotwork that make up traditional Celtic art come across very well in tattoos and works very well in combination with a butterfly design.
Popular Spots and Design Combinations
The most popular spots for a butterfly tattoo are:
- Lower back
- Upper arm
- Shoulder
- Abdomen
Butterfly tattoos are often combined with other imaginary like:
- Tribal ornaments
- Fairy designs
- Flower tattoos
- Tiger butterfly tattoo: the face of a tiger in the shape of a butterfly
Butterfly Celebrity Tattoos
Here's a list of celebrities that have a butterfly tattoo:
- Drew Barrymore: has one on her abdomen, right under her belly button.
- Maria Carey: has a lower back butterfly tattoo (fake or not?).
- Paris Hilton: has a small butterfly tattoo on her back (could be temporary).
- Kelis: has a butterfly on her stomach.
- Dolly Parton: country star with a flutterby on her chest.
- Julia Roberts: has a lower back butterfly.
- Britney Spears: has a butterfly tattoo on her left foot.
- Holly Marie Combs: has a butterfly on the inside of her right wrist.
To sum it up: butterfly tattoos are among the most versatile tattoo images, which helps explain their popularity with women. They are inherently feminine, but not necessarily ‘girly’ and you can make either a bold or subtle statement with butterfly tattoo art. All of this means that we are likely to see even more butterfly tattoos in the years to come.
