Owl tattoo ideas

A tattoo is more than just a decoration for the body, more than just fashion. It’s a visual expression of an attitude towards life. A tattoo is a work of art created in pain on a canvas of skin.

Getting a tattoo is possibly one of the most personal and permanent decisions you are likely to make and even if it is the most beautiful, well done tattoo you’ve ever gotten, you may not like it in years to come. That’s why it is important to be sure the image you put on your body is something you are okay with seeing there for the rest of your life.

As you already know if you’ve been reading us, our website takes you on a journey through all tattoo styles and the portfolios of the most skilled artists in the world while presenting you the symbolism behind the imagery used in tattoo designs.

If you want to highlight specific aspects of your personality, animal tattoos make a great choice. Animal tattoos are overwhelmingly meaningful. Why? You only have to look at the folklore and mythologies of different groups to see the crucial role that animals play in shaping cultural and spiritual beliefs. It is no surprise, therefore, that animal depictions remain one of the most popular tattoo designs.

One of the most popular choices when it comes to animal tattoos is the owl. People get them in all shapes, sizes and styles.

So what do owl tattoos mean and why are they so loved? Besides the intriguing visual appearance, many people choose to get an owl tattoo because of its rich symbolism.

Throughout history and across many cultures, people have regarded owls with fascination and awe. Few other creatures have so many different and contradictory beliefs about them. Owls have been both feared and venerated, despised and admired, considered wise and foolish, and associated with witchcraft and medicine, the weather, birth and death.

The owl has a dual symbolism of wisdom and darkness, the latter meaning evil and death.

The owl is a unique bird that’s mostly associated with wisdom and knowledge. Rather than intellectual wisdom, though, owls are connected with the wisdom of the soul. With the ability to see in the darkness, it represents the idea of seeing beyond illusion, masks and deception. The owl can see what others cannot, which is the essence of true wisdom.

However, there are other qualities that owl has. Owls are often seen as mysterious, mostly because many owls are strictly nocturnal and humans have always found night to be full of mystery and the unknown. Owls live within the darkness, which includes magic, mystery, and ancient knowledge. Related to the night is the moon, which owls are also connected to. It becomes a symbol of the feminine and fertility, with the moon’s cycles of renewal.

The owl’s close association to the moon and the night is the reason why it is regarded as a creature of great intuition. It is regarded as the guardian of the sacred and stands for the purity of the soul.

Owls are symbolic of death in many traditions. In most cases however, it should not be taken literally: if the owl is associated with death, it can be viewed a symbolic death, meaning a transition in life, important changes that are taking place or about to happen. They are also symbolically associated with clairvoyance, astral projection and magic.

Owl comes across as a symbol of hope that one has the ability to find way in great darkness, just as the owl traverses great distances through murky and mysterious nights. It stands as the testimony that there is always light in the darkest of darkness, one just needs to enhance one’s vision and expand one’s horizons to get to it. In this way, owls stand as the ultimate symbols of vision and hope.

As a conclusion, owl tattoo meaning is heavy. Keep this in mind before you embark on setting your owl tattoo as a permanent marker.

Owl tattoos are a classic example of adding meaningfulness to eye catching and attractive designs, and tattoo lovers can ask for nothing more. Perhaps, this is the reason that this tattoo design is getting global in terms of popularity and it is equally loved by all the age groups and both the sexes.

In the image gallery below you’ll find 50 of the most beautiful owl tattoo designs we’ve seen. Check them out and maybe you’ll find some inspiration for your next ink piece.

For more ink inspiration, also see:

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• Beautiful Surrealist Double-Exposure Tattoos Mash Up People, Architecture & Nature
• 50 Of The Most Beautiful Wolf Tattoo Designs The Internet Has Ever Seen
• 35 of the Best Architecture Tattoos or How To Have Your World on a Sleeve
• 50 of the Most Beautiful Mandala Tattoo Designs for Your Body & Soul

Traditionally the owl represents wisdom and knowledge, dating back to Greek Antiquity and Biblical times.   

Their prodigious, unblinking eyesight, sharp beak, and nocturnal nature helps the owl’s popularity for being brought to life by small tattoo.  

While sometimes seen as an omen of death, small owl body art runs the gamut from grim darkness, to photo realism, and even cartoon cuteness in design.  

The following top 51 small owl tattoo ideas will give you a glimpse of the bird’s versatility and provide you with inspiration for planning your next tattoo choice. 

1. Small Owl Back Tattoo Designs

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2. Ankle and Lower Leg Small Owl Tattoo Ideas 

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3. Black and Gray Small Owl Tattoo Art

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4. Colorful Small Owl Tattoos

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5. Small Owl Tattoos on the Forearm

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6. Realistic Small Owl Tattoo Ideas

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7. Small Owl Shoulder Body Art

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8. Upper Arm Small Owl Tattoos

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Many believe owls are symbols of both wisdom and truth, which makes the glorious creature a popular design choice with strong symbolic meaning.

Others consider the owl design to be related to change, such as when the owl makes his hoot heard to announce his presence.

In Native American culture owls are linked with death and can be considered a bad omen of oncoming loss of life, while in the East they are considered good, protective Feng Shui. When an owl design or owl feather is incorporated with a skulltattoo then it becomes representative of death.

Read on to experience 91 truly amazing owl tattoos . From cute owl and watercolor tattoos, feather ideas and dream catcher designs, body and beak ink, to color tattoos and eerie big eyes ideas that seem to pierce the soul , you’ll find something you can take to the tattoo parlor.

1. Owl Sleeve Tattoo Art

2. Neo Traditional Owl Tattoo Ideas

3. American Traditional Owl Tattoo

4. Geometric Owl Tattoo Symbolism

5. Barn Owl Tattoo Design

6. Black and Gray Owl Tattoo Design

7. Owl Chest Tattoo

8. Realistic Owl Tattoo

9. Owl Neck Tattoo

10. Owl Tattoo Design with Skulls

11.Celtic Owl Tattoos

12. Truly Amazing Owl Tattoos for the Back

13. Owl Forearm Tattoo Symbolism

14. Tribal Owl Tattoos

15. Small and Cute Owl Tattoo

Source: @eviljoe65 via Instagram

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Source: @ghostyle_alex via Instagram

Source: @natantattoo.pl via Instagram

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The owl is a unique bird that’s mostly associated with wisdom and knowledge. It’s often thought of to be a magical and mysterious bird given its features and attributes. The creature is normally asleep in the day and awake at night which is quite contrary to how other birds behave. This type of tattoo is one which is commonly asked for at tattoo parlours.

The owl is also considered to be a symbol of protection and sacred knowledge. This bird is also commonly associated with Native Americans where it is believed to be a symbol of intelligence and protection.

This kind of tattoo is mostly worn by men and women as a symbol for wisdom and education. The creativity of the design makes it look quite attractive. Some cultures, like the ancient Egypt and Hindu, revered the owl as guardian of the underworld, associating it with some mystery. This particular design is particularly beautiful due to the bright colours it carries.

This creature is often associated with magic, so one can add a few features that enhance its look and beauty and also make it more mysterios looking.

Most females will probably fall in love with this tattoo.  Its colours, in particular, are an image of feminity and the glasses are definitely a fashion item added to give even more feminity to this tattoo.

The owl is also known to bear close association with the moon and the night. This might be very relevant to people who feel their best at night or who work in a clockwork fashion.  The tattoo below gives the impression of hypnotisation due to the circles on the outside.

Some people like to use different parts of an own as a design for animate objects like the key below.  There is no bird on display in the artistic design below, but one can immediately observe the features that are taken from this creature. This design can be used to unearth some mystery or some unclear issue in the life of the owner.

This neck tattoo is quite elegantly designed making it ideal for men. Some people believe that these tattoos are a sign of inner strength and hope. Having this type of tattoo might give the person some element of hope and inner strength in the face of challenges.

Some cultures like the Greek, considered having owl tattoos as a sign of holiness, therefore having it cover the best part of your body might mean that the person carrying is quite connected to what is holy and wants to keep a very close contact by carrying the own on his/her body.

This bird is known to hunt quietly without making any noise or creating any commotion. The place where the tattoo is put also has a special significance to the person.  This simple outline of the bird says a lot about the person; both in its simple design and also due to the ‘hidden’ place chosen for the tattoo.

Most owl tattoos are done with a lot of creativity. The design can be done in various colours, but it also looks quite beautiful when done in monotone like the tattoo below.  What is most noticeable here is the way the wings fit perfectly the contours of the body.

It is important to check out on various designs and colours before you settle on which one to go for. Making a hasty decision without doing research on which design best suits you might leave you unsatisfied with your choice. A good artist can help you in your decisions.  The tattoo below is quite particular.  It is a very small design which the artist places in his/her finger.

Most people choose specific owl designs due to their symbolic value. This design looks quite and the date inscribed surely means something special to the person.

The use of colours in a tattoo enhances the appearance of a design as in the example below. The owner seems to perceive the owl as visionary, and by having the bird in glasses the  element regarding clarity of vision is manifested.

The owl is also believed to be a symbol of magic which mainly involves communication with cosmic forces. Abstract designs like the example below entwine the magic of the bird with the effects of asymmetrical shapes.

Each tattoo usually gives out a very personal meaning which sometimes is difficult to decipher unless you converse with the owner.  Can this tattoo mean freedom?

Again the colours in this tattoo are various, however, they are not as bright as some of the other tattoos we have seen on this page.  The tattoo below seem to have many different meanings and of particular notice one can observe the big staring eyes, the design from which the whole bird is made of, and the rainbow beam underneath its feet.

An unusual form which must have been thought very thoroughly by the owner.  This is a tattoo for people who love to give out various messages.  The bird is not a done in a traditional form and furthermore the tattoo seem to have two different calls.  One must also keep in mind that some tattoo owners choose to add to their tattoos later on in life, as if they are continuing the story.

A good number of people who do tattoos are themselves very creative.  For this reason, original artistic designs like the one below are included to otherwise boring and common tattoos, making them personal and special.

Below we see another tattoo which is spaced on different part of the bodies.  What makes it interesting in this one below is that the owner can combine the tattoos by putting his or her arms together and obtain a holistic design.

Beautiful women as tattoos have always been very popular.  What makes them different and personal is how these women are portrayed.  In the case below the owner has given a quite unusual headdress to the female which is placed on the arm.

An iron bird!  Does this remind the owner of some kind of battle, or maybe a search for protection?

Similar to a tattoo we have seen above, the one below portrays a designer owl.  The colours and geometric effects give this bird a designer look.

As discussed many a times on this site, the beauty of a tattoo does not necessarily stem out through colours.  And the tattoo below is one very good example.  Adorn only in black ink, the below is magnificent.  The carefully thought, pen-like effect, makes the tattoo below a piece of art that must be the envy of many.

This is not a tattoo of a bird, it is a story.  The creature is only the character in a context!  Most importantly the creature is humanised through the pair of seemingly human feet.  Is this a man under an own mask, or is it an out of this world creature?

The emphasis here is the colourful tree in a perfectly round shape.  If you want something to stand out you can use this effect, where you only colour the important part.

The snatching of the key!  Has the owner finally reached its destination?

A demonised owl!  Quite an original tattoo which the owner chose to emphasise the tears by making them red.  Unless you speak to its owner it is also difficult to guess the meaning of this dark tattoo.

A small bird, highly designed and a limited amount of colour, with the red heart, clearly emphasised.  What is interesting here is the hazy feeling this tattoo gives the viewer.

This tattoo gives you an immediate connection to the Indian culture.

Cute small birds full of colour.  One cannot but adore these colourful designs.  Great for petite females.

We do not see to many tattoos in the brown colours below.  They suit the bird perfectly.  How important are colours in a tattoo?  A discussion with your tattoo artist can reveal the many aspects that a colour can have both on the tattoo, the owner, and also the viewer.

A well thought tattoo below.  Distinctive features, manly and dark.  Seems to portray a stereotypical criminal of the past.  The hat, the lens and the pipe are all features which give out this impression.

Both tattoos below are simple black designs that are quite conservative.  Nonetheless, they both have their own personalities.

A beautiful small tattoo enclosed in a decorative Victorian Frame.

We would like to point out here the script on the side!  It has become quite a fashion for tattoo enthusiast to write a meaning which explains their tattoo.  It seems as if the owner does not want us to wonder what he is trying to say but rather gave us the message directly in a nicely scripted addition to this tattoo.

Key, lock and colours.  The owner is probably a female from the soft pastel colours and heart in the middle of the birds forehead.  Of particular note is the string of beads, which again is highly connected to feminity.

Two different animals with different traits.  The tattoo is also similar to drawings one finds in old books, dark and busy.

A very large tattoo indeed which covers the whole torso, shoulder, neck and arms.  This kind of tattoo definitely needs a lot of time to achieve, a lot of pain, and most of all a lot of thought on whether this is the kind of body you want to live with for the rest of your life.

Tattooing has become a popular practice with many people turning to it as a stamp of identity where different persons can effectively express their values, beliefs and even something special that they would love to express artistically. There are many themes used in the tattooing fields that are common, but most of them carry some intrinsic meanings that most people would love to express in a loud and clear way.

The above tattoos are some of the designs that one can look at so as to take ideas on how to express any of the various symbols and meanings that this bird can convey and to which the owner feels some kind of closeness. The styles can be blended with different colours and expressions that enhance the look as desired by an individual. It’s good to note that a tattoo that looks great on a friend might not look great on you given complexion differences. It’s also appropriate to decide on a design early enough so that you get to craft something you’re comfortable with given the amount of pain one has to endure when placing the tattoo.  Most of all it is important to choose a design which speaks about you and which will ultimately become a part of you.