Butterfly tattoos in Knoxville

Butterflies are one of the most requested tattoos anywhere, which is exactly why it’s worth planning one that doesn’t look like everybody else’s. Julie’s butterflies run from heavy ornamental wings and cyber-sigilism with red accents to a butterfly with one wing made of flowers, a shaded swallowtail, and tiny pink line work.

Tennessee has its own butterfly

If you want a butterfly that means something here, start with the state butterfly. Tennessee named the zebra swallowtail its official butterfly in 1995. It has black and white stripes, red and blue spots near the lower back, and long, sword-like tails on the hindwings.

That makes it a natural fit for tattooing. The stripes work in solid black and grey, and the red and blue spots can be tiny color accents. The caterpillars feed on pawpaw leaves, and the adults are rarely found far from those trees, so a pawpaw branch makes a good East Tennessee pairing.

Decide how the butterfly faces you

This is the choice most people don’t know they’re making.

• Straight on, wings open: perfectly symmetrical. It suits flat, centered spots like the sternum, the back of the neck or between the shoulder blades. Nothing hides a crooked stencil, so placement is checked carefully.
• Three-quarter or side view: one wing tilts away. It looks like it’s moving, and it’s more forgiving on curved spots like the forearm, calf or ribs.
• Wings closed: a resting butterfly shows the underside of the wings. That’s often a completely different pattern, and almost nobody gets it.
• A trail of small ones: two or three butterflies at different angles, climbing a forearm or the side of the neck.

Shading that looks like real wings

The color on a butterfly’s wing comes from tiny scales that add up like pixels in an image. That’s why stippled, dotwork shading reads so well on butterflies: it imitates the texture of the wing instead of filling it flat. Bold black outlines read clearly from across a room. Fine line and pink or red line work stay softer and more delicate.

Butterflies with flowers

Pairing a butterfly with flowers is one of the most common requests. Julie does it as a half-butterfly, half-bouquet design, or as a butterfly set into a floral piece. Her birth month flash pairs a butterfly and a bouquet for every month of the year. More flower work is on the floral tattoos page.

Where butterflies go

• Forearm and upper arm: the most common spot, and the easiest to show off or cover.
• Back of the neck and behind the ear: small, symmetrical butterflies fit well.
• Hand and fingers: they look great, but skin there turns over fast, so expect touch-ups.
• Sternum, chest and back: room for big ornamental wings.
• Ankle, calf and thigh: good for a butterfly with flowers or a long ornamental drop.

If you’re not sure, the pain chart compares spots.

Butterfly or moth?

Many people asking for a butterfly actually want a moth, or the other way around. Butterflies have club-shaped antennae and fold their wings up over their backs. Moths have feathery antennae and rest with their wings flat. See the moth tattoos page for those.