Magnificent Owl Tattoos

Owls are a mysterious and interesting creature, and the fact they are, for the most part, nocturnal (and carnivores), adds to the attraction of this bird of prey.

For those who like owls and desire them for a tattoo theme, there are numerous, compelling examples that are out there.

Basically they're broken into two tattoo categories. One, a realistic looking owl, and two, a cartoon owl. Both look great, depending on what the specific look you're wanting to have inked on you.

The unique features of an owl is a tattoo designers dream, as they can simply copy those features if it's a request for an owl that looks realistic. In the case of cartoon owls, artists have huge leeway to take some of those features and expand and enlarge upon them, creating some very cool looks.

Or you can ask for some of these features to be developed out of proportion, creating some very cool tattoos, as you'll see below.

Right from the beginning I though we could look at a tattoo resulting from a decision to ink a realistic owl tattoo on a body.

This is a fantastic design, and the owl perching on the limb in the moonlight, looking for its next victim is really cool.

While I like this owl tattoo on the ankle, when I looked at it it didn't seem right to me. After a while I realized it was that it was sitting there, but without a branch included. It just kind of gives the idea of being suspended in the middle of nowhere, when there should have been something else there.

That doesn't take away from the quality, as it's a nice tattoo and I like the dark lines. It would have been better with at least a small branch included. Part of that has to do with the placement.

Speaking of limbs, here's a rib tattoo where the owl is perched on the limb, adding nicely to the overall design. And as ladies like to do, this one added the flowers to the scene, creating the look she desired.

If you want a tattoo around the head or neck, but one that can be hidden, behind the ear is always a good choice, as you can pull up the hair if you want to show it off. These simple designs, in my opinion, are the best for this location, as you can tell what it is.

Highly detailed tattoos in this area can distort what it is you're attempting to show because of the small area you have to cram the art into.

This is a very creative owl tattoo. This is a good example of over exaggerating a feature of the owl to get a unique look. Not only that, the enlarged owl eyes also are used as an internal canvass to include flowers in.

This owl tattoo on the foot is a lot of fun, and very well done. You have those big owl eyes seeming to stare out at you and color that works nice together. And there is the must-have branch to complete the scene.

Below is a pretty cool robot tattoo which looks like the design was borrowed from a science fiction show of the early 1960s. That's not necessarily bad though, as I like the way the gadgets on the body of the robot owl are arranged. Great fun!

This is a good owl tattoo reminding me why I'm not a mouse, as you can see from those determined eyes. The owl looks ready to pounce upon its unsuspecting victim. The artist captured the feel of it very well.

Also attractive is the way the colors complement one another, helping to create the feel of the hunters' environment.

As you can see, there are a lot of creative things you can do with the owl as a tattoo theme. One thing I discovered when doing some research was that women liked to have owls tattooed on them as much as men.