Black and grey sketch-style owl tattoo with hatched feathers and an ornate head pattern, perched on a branch, on skin of the torso.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Sketched owl perched on a branch

Other · Black and grey · Photo

A large owl with wide, round eyes faces the viewer, perched on a curved branch at the base of the design. The feathers and face are built up with fine hatching and cross-hatching, with an ornamental pattern across the crown and shading that gives the body depth. The image is in black and grey on pale skin, with the design centred and filling most of the frame.

Find an artist for this

Take it to an artist as a reference. A good artist will make it yours rather than copy someone else's tattoo.

A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Tomas,

Keep reading

The owl came back to the north tower the night after the roof fell in, and I have decided she is the castle's last steward, since she takes the job more seriously than anyone the Ashdown estate has ever sent us. She sits on the broken curve of the old stair rail every dusk, feathers pressed flat against the wind, staring down at the courtyard with those great round eyes as if she is counting the stones. Mr Pell says she is only after the mice in the granary. He has never once looked her in the face.

I have been copying the abbot's ledgers by candle since the damp got into the east wing, and I find myself working to her rhythm. She lifts her head when the church bell strikes the hour, turns it slowly round to check the moat, then settles again. Last Thursday I left a dish of bread crusts on the sill, feeling foolish, and by morning it was empty and a single grey feather lay on the page I had been copying. I have pressed it between the vellum and the cover of the ledger, where it looks rather grand.

The letter about the sale of the lands is in the tin box under the stairs. I have not sent it yet, because I am not certain I want the castle sold while she is still keeping watch over it. Write back soon, and tell me whether the sea air has improved your chest.

Your loving sister, Hester

More like this

Black and blue ornamental owl tattoo with filigree patterning, perched on a thin branch across the upper back.
Ornamental owl perched on a branch
Black and grey tattoo of a front-facing owl with detailed ornamental feathers and talons, on the back.
Ornate owl tattoo in black and grey
Black and grey owl tattoo with ornate patterned detail and a key below it, placed on the upper thigh of a person wearing black shorts.
Owl and key on the thigh
Colour tattoo of a cartoon owl with purple feathers, pink eyes and teal wings perched on a wooden log, on the forearm.
Cartoon owl perched on a log
Black and grey realism tattoo of a horned owl gripping a pocket watch on the upper arm.
Owl gripping a pocket watch on an arm
Black and grey blackwork and dotwork tattoo of a horned owl with a third eye and clawed feet, across the upper arm and shoulder.
Horned owl with third eye on upper arm
Black and grey ornate owl tattoo with stippled feather detail and a patterned head, shown on a forearm.
Ornate owl on a forearm
Black and grey realism tattoo of an owl's face and wings on the upper arm and shoulder, held beside a printed reference photo of the same owl.
Owl portrait on upper arm
Black and grey realism tattoo of an owl perched on a branch, running down the side of the ribs.
Owl perched on a branch on the ribs
Black and grey owl tattoo perched on a branch on the inner forearm, with patterned feathers in a blackwork and dotwork style.
Owl on a branch on the forearm
Neo-traditional owl tattoo with bold outlines, green and yellow eyes and grey shaded feathers, perched on a green diamond on the side of the body.
Owl perched on a green diamond
Realistic owl tattoo with yellow eyes and grey shading on the upper arm, viewed from the front.
Realistic owl on upper arm

From the plentytattoo archive, uploaded by a user. Is this your work? Ask for credit or removal.