The reference photo and this stencil are AI-generated examples made for this library — not a client photo, and not InkLine output.
Free printable stencil · Birds
Raven tattoo stencil
This raven tattoo stencil is a raven perched on a bare, weathered branch, its body angled toward you and its head turned right in profile, with a heavy arched beak, shaggy throat feathers, folded wings and a long tail running down to the lower right. The feathers are drawn in layered outlines, and the design suits a forearm, upper arm or back piece.
Print it at true size
Type the width you want on skin and print. In the print dialog choose 100 % or “Actual size” — “Fit to page” rescales it.
Bigger than one sheet? Split it across pages with the free stencil tiler
Free to print and tattoo, for yourself or your clients. Can I use these stencils?
What to trace, what to simplify
The head carries the design: the eye with its highlight, the long heavy beak with the bristles over its base, and the line of the gape. Transfer those exactly, then the silhouette of the back, the folded wing and the tail. The shaggy throat hackles are what separate a raven from a crow, so keep their pointed tips. The layered feather edges on the wing and breast are guides for where the shading breaks. The scaled toes and the bark on the branch are the first detail to simplify, below about 10 cm (4 in) tall.
Size and placement
Bird and branch make a roughly square, diagonal composition. At 14–20 cm (5.5–8 in) tall it fits the outer forearm, the upper arm or a shoulder blade, and the branch can be extended freehand to run along the limb. Under 10 cm (4 in), crop the branch close to the feet and keep the eye, beak, throat hackles and the outline of the wing and tail.
From print to skin
Print
Thermal stencil paper through a stencil printer, or plain paper you trace onto hectograph paper by hand.
Prep the skin
Clean, shave and dry the area, then apply a thin, even coat of stencil transfer solution.
Transfer
Press the stencil flat, hold it for a few seconds, and peel it off in one move. Let it dry before you start.
Frequently asked questions
The raven is black in the photo — should it be filled solid?
Not as a flat fill. Pack the deepest black in the tail, the lower wing and under the throat, and keep thin lines of grey or bare skin along the feather edges drawn on the stencil — those edges stop a black bird from turning into a silhouette. Leave the eye highlight clear.
How is a raven drawn differently from a crow?
Mostly by the beak and the throat. This raven has a heavy, arched beak with bristles over its base and a shaggy throat of pointed feathers, and both are on the stencil. A crow’s beak is slimmer and its throat smoother, so rounding off the hackles or thinning the beak turns it into a crow.
