62+ Crow Tattoo Ideas To Evoke Your Inner Self

By Jason Hamilton / August 17, 2019
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Tattoos are captivating, from a tiny un-noticeable arrow on your forefinger to large elaborate crow tattoo designs; displayed on the body like art, anyone you meet will at least leave you with a few glances. Let us not get into the “intent “of the glance; the point is that they capture attention; no matter what.

The world of body modification draws its inspiration, in many cases, from the spirit world or spiritual beliefs. Numerous tattoo designs are symbolic and define the meaning of that specific tattoo for the particular individual sporting it. One such inspiration is the crow tattoo.

In this article, we will be sharing with you our amazingly curated gallery of crow tattoo designs. We will also be sharing with you a brief background on the said tattoo design as well as the various styles you can do with it.

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The Meaning Of The Crow Tattoo

Before you decide on your next tattoo design, why not consider the symbolic meaning of the crow? (And no, we do not mean Jon Snow and company.) The crow’s connotations have evolved over the years, and differ from culture to culture as well as person to person.

Ultimately, of course, why we choose to inscribe images or words onto our bodies should depend on the design’s personal meaning to our lives. For us, the image of a crow summons the memory of reading “The Raven” when we were in grade school. Crows and ravens (black birds that are comparable in their size and sound) are very comforting and nostalgic for us, as they remind us (or rather everyone) with the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Here are some of the meanings behind the said tattoo

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A small but highly detailed leg tattoo of a crow as ink blots.

A large and intricately designed crow tattoo on the chest with the words “the only constant is change”

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A highly detailed shoulder to chest tattoo of a crow in tribal detail.

An intricately designed and highly detailed large sleeve tattoo of a crow.

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A simple black tattoo of a crow on the head.

Omen of Death and Doom

Many Western cultures consider crows to be a bad omen. The creatures are thought to be the keepers of laws and symbols of the dark and “the unknown.” According to Nature Wise, the Irish and English saw them as an omen of death, and seeing a solitary crow was a warning of bad fortune.

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A fairly sized image of  crow on the chest.

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A large rib cage tattoo of an intricately designed crow.

A huge chest and an abdominal tattoo of a highly detailed crow with a tribal sun detailing.

An intricately made and highly detailed full chest tattoo of a crow.

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An intricately designed and meticulously inked shoulder and chest tattoo of a crow.

The Irish specifically believed that a group of crows (i.e. a murder of crows) seen perching on a tree signified the presence of souls from Purgatory. According to Perspectives Magazine, medieval British society feared crows, due to the “pagan legends (resulting) in the demonization of crows and ravens, which were consequently depicted as familiars of witches.” It’s considered good luck if you spot a dead one, which is understandable based on the general consensus the British came to regarding the dark bird.

A medium sized black ink crow tattoo on the upper back.

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A fairly simple wrist tattoo of a crow perched on a branch.

An intricately designed and highly detailed upper sleeve crow tattoo.

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a large chest tattoo of a crow in flight.

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A  complex nape tattoo of a crow with additional detailing on the wings.

An appealing and colorful image of a crow inked on the forearm.

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A fascinating full sleeve neo-traditional tattoo with flower design elements.

 

A magnificent forearm neo-traditional design with geometric tattoo element.

A glorious half chest crow tattoo with a flower design element.

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A fascinating full back neo-traditional design.

A vibrantly colored and intricately detailed full back crow image holding cogs of a machine

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The Bearer of Bad News

All the bad juju surrounding crows arguably began for a number of reasons, and Biblical stories and Greek myths about crows haven’t helped improve this poor bird’s reputation, either.

A highly detailed upper back tattoo of two crow heads with a ribbon banner beneath.

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A highly detailed crow image on the shoulder with additional clock tattoo detailing.

A black and red upper sleeve tattoo of a highly detailed crow.

A paint blob crow in black ink.

A large sleeve and chest tattoo of an intricately made crow tattoo.

According to Perspectives Magazine, beginning in Biblical times (and over the centuries) Christians believed crows to be companions of Satan and carriers of damned souls. The bird was thought to have “a special taste for criminals and (enjoyed) plucking the eyes out of sinners.” According to Greek mythology and the Mythology Dictionary, on the other hand, the god Apollo punished the crow who delivered bad news to him about a woman he loved fancying someone else by turning the formerly white bird black. This story is one of the many origins of crows being considered the bearers of bad news.

A hand tattoo of a crow’s head.

A large chest tattoo of a detailed crow.

A large upper sleeve tattoo of a crow in a painting like style.

A leg tattoo of a black crow.

An upper back tattoo of a crow perched on a tree branch.

Role Models Of Transformation

It turns out that not everyone thinks the crow is so bad. The Chinese and Japanese myths portray crows as a loving symbol, and according to a Chinese legend about the three-legged crow (as told by Lloyd D. Graham for Academia.edu), they also represent the sun, as the crow in the story transforms into this celestial body. With this in mind, the crow can also mean destiny and transformation, as many tattoos show murder of crows transforming from an object (like a tree) into their true form.

A fairly sized leg tattoo of a crow in flight.

A large and intricate breast tattoo of a crow in flight.

A large and highly detailed forearm tattoo of a crow’s head.

A fairly sized crow image on the nape that is highly detailed.

A large and intricately detailed forearm crow tattoo.

Will It Fit My Personality?

People depict their inner self and practically “post” reminders of staying grounded and rooted in stricter times, over their bodies. Tattooing is done for reasons other than the aesthetic appeal and carries significance for the individual wearing them.

If you are planning to get a symbolic representation of the crow over your body, then enter the tattoo studio with enough knowledge about what you want. This is a lifetime decision, and you want to be sure that the tattoo you are getting in the form of a raven or a crow personifies your aura.

A sketch like chest tattoo of a flying crow or raven.

A fairly large upper back tattoo of a crow in flight made out of swords and knives.

A highly detailed forearm tattoo of a crow’s head.

Another highly detailed forearm tattoo of a crow.

A highly detailed upper sleeve tattoo of a crow’s head and a forest.

In the west, crows have always been seen as malicious and negative. This perception springs from the observations made on the nature of the crow. From the Holy Bible to other beliefs, crows have not been portrayed in the best light.

The stigma attached to the image of the crow makes the idea of getting it needled on your body all the more intriguing. Where this bird signifies death, it also stands for new beginnings in life. You will often find people with crow tattoos ending a sorrowful phase of their lives and starting anew. For many, they are a change, a symbol of the future of hope.

Tattoo Styles You Can Do With The Crow

Since this is a bird tattoo, the styles you can do with the crow tattoo is just numerous! What can be done from the owl tattoo and other bird tattoos can be made here also! Despite its somewhat dark connotation, it is one of the most versatile tattoo designs you can see out there! Don’t believe us? Here are some of what we can think of in the get-go!

A highly detailed neotraditional crow tattoo.

A forearm tattoo of a crow in realistic detail.

A shoulder blade tattoo of a crow flying with a tree.

A red and black forearm tattoo of a crow’s head.

A black tattoo of a crow with geometric detailing.

The Geometric Crow Tattoo

As the days go by and tattoo designs come and go, a lot of the designs that come out in recent years continues to challenge tattoo artists and tattoo enthusiasts alike. One of the most challenging to be released in the past few years was geometric tattoo designs. Everyone in the body art industry and the tattoo community are raving about geometric tattoo designs for quite some time now and for sure you would like to ask us if it’s worth the rave reviews and comments it is having now. Well, it is for you to decide but worry not as we will help you figure out if it is really worth it.

A back tattoo of a flying crow with geometric detail.

A large sleeve tattoo of a crow’s head with a geometric shape background.

A large upper back tattoo of a crow with a geometric circle or dot pattern.

A large forearm tattoo of a crow with geometric art deco detailing.

A low poly geometric crow tattoo on the forearm.

A charming and simple geometric row tattoo design on a forearm.

An alluring and creative crow design with a geometric design element.

A radiant crow design inked on the forearm with geometric design element.

Geometry is a branch of mathematics that is concerned with questions of shape, size, the relative position of figures, and the properties of space. This branch of mathematics, and in extension, science, is mostly considered as a graphic, logical, and numerical form of thinking. It is filled with figures, lines, and measurements which makes it a very interesting field of mathematics.

We are pretty sure, however, that the reason why geometric tattoo designs were inspired by geometry was not that of the measurements but rather the figures in this intellectual field. Geometric tattoos explore the idea of using numerous lines to form a unique shape and figure which can accentuate a simple tattoo.

Since its introduction in the body art industry a few years ago, a lot of designs were made that can be classified under the geometric tattoo design category. Most of these designs are modern and artsy and here are some of the designs which feature geometric themes:

A fairly small flying crow in geometric detailing.

An intricately detailed upper sleeve tattoo of two crows with additional geometric detailing.

A tattoo of two crow heads in a simple geometric shape.

A low poly crow head tattoo on the forearm.

Another low poly geometric crow with a simple geometric background.

An elegant neo-traditional crow designed inked on the forearm with geometric design elements.

A flawless and intricately forearm crow image with futuristic elements.

A charming crow design inked on the forearm.

 

A simple but beautiful low poly geometric tattoo of two crow birds on either wrist.

An engaging forearm blackout crow image holding a book inside a triangle pattern.

The Neo-Traditional Crow Tattoo

Something that is old and irrelevant cannot be modernized right? Wrong! Old designs can still come to life because of artists and enthusiasts that gives out passionate efforts to modernize things that are considered old. Look at vintage cars and objects for example, yes they are old but they can be considered “rad” or cool when given proper care. This is also the same case with tattoo designs that are considered classics. Most millennials would think that having classic tattoo designs makes them feel old. This is the reason why neo-traditional tattoo designs were born. Artists and enthusiasts alike would like to revitalize the classic designs so that they will still have a foothold in an industry that is completely changing with the times.

A vibrantly colored neotraditional crow tattoo.

A highly detailed neotraditional tattoo of a crow with flowers and a yellow sun.

A chirping image of a crow in neotraditional style with a pink flower.

A wonderfully made cover up neotraditional tattoo of a crow on the upper sleeve.

`A highly detailed crow image in neotraditional style inked on the forearm.

What truly makes a tattoo design be classified as a neo-traditional tattoo is its bold choice of colors. Most often, neo-traditional tattoos will have eye-popping colors be mixed with other eye-popping colors to make the tattoo stand out from the crowd. Another element that we commonly see in neo-traditional tattoos are the bold outlines of the objects of the tattoo. These bold outlines also help to make the tattoo design pop out and make it easier to mix different colors since there is this somewhat sufficient boundary to each color.

Do not know what we are talking about? Here are some neo-traditional tattoo ideas we have seen on the web to help you.

A highly detailed and intricately designed neotraditional tattoo of a pair of white and black crow with flowers and a pocket watch.

A highly detailed upper sleeve and chest tattoo of a crow.

A highly detailed neotraditional tattoo of a crow on the sleeve with a red apple.

A yellow and black intricately made neotraditional crow tattoo on the thigh.

A very detailed crow design on the upper sleeve.

A wonderful leg tattoo of a crow and a skull.

An upper sleeve tattoo of a woman a crow on her head.

 

A magnificent full back tattoo of a crow above a skull design element.

An alluring full back neo traditional crow design.

A sublime neo-traditional crow image inked on the chest.

A radiant and alluring blue crow design inked on the forearm.

 

A vibrantly colored and intricately detailed thigh crow design.

A flawless and radiant crow design inked on the forearm.

A radiant full sleeve crow design.

An appealing crow design inked on the forearm.

A glamorous upper sleeve tattoo with a geometric design element.

A glorious upper sleeve crow tattoo.


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About the author

Jason Hamilton

Jason has been an avid fan of tattoos for over 13 years now. He is currently 35 years old, and he got his first tattoo at the age of 22. Since then, he has added over 20 tattoos to his collection. He is also into writing, which is why he decided to celebrate both of his passion and hobby through tats ‘n’ rings. Jason dreams of having his very own tattoo parlor soon. Jason would be very happy to answer any questions about tattoos that you may have! Leave a comment below and he’ll answer it for you right away!

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