Blackwork Critters by Rebecca Vincent

There's something incredibly enticing about illustrative blackwork tattoos. Work done in this style is both pronounced and delicate, and for fear of becoming too dark and losing their charm, they require a considerable amount of restraint on the behalf of those that execute them. Rebecca Vincent is a tattooist who excels at this genre, and though all of her body art is beautiful, her depictions of critters are perhaps the ones that best demonstrate how majestic (and adorable) blackwork really can be.

The most adorable seal tattoo ever by Rebecca Vincent


A curious looking kitty by Rebecca Vincent


A tiger about to pounce from Rebecca Vincent's portfolio


A sturdy little mountain goat via Rebecca Vincent


A coiled up snake from Rebecca Vincent's body of work


A ten-point buck by Rebecca Vincent

Vincent demonstrates incredible control with her blackwork. In these various illustrations of animals, she professes several techniques of this style with a deft hand. You can see how she pulls her tattoo needle in resolute ways to create the texture of her mammals' fur. The darker hair surrounding the buck's white chest above is a great example. Or notice how the butterfly's wings below have numerous patterned effects, such as striations and stippling. Speaking of dots, it's amazing how she uses them to create the appearance of her fox's individual hairs.

A lovely little mockingbird by Rebecca Vincent


A gorgeous illustration of a moth via Rebecca Vincent


An adorable fox and otter by Rebecca Vincent


A hammerhead shark from Rebecca Vincent's body of work


A sperm whale traversing the deep sea by Rebecca Vincent

It's wonderful how Vincent has illustrated so many members of the animal kingdom. Here there are representatives of birds, bugs, reptiles, fish, land and sea mammals, and these are just a few of her virtual zoo of critter tattoos. Pet (I mean bet) she's even done an amphibian or two. Though all of her creatures are fantastic, some of her best tattoos of beasts are the aquatic ones. There's just something so environmentally appropriate about creatures of the deep rendered in this dark style. Her illustration of a sperm whale, for example, captures this complimentary phenomenon perfectly.

A cute fennec fox head from Rebecca Vincent's portfolio

If you want to see more of her illustrations of animals, stampede on over to her Instagram @rebecca_vincent_tattoo. Also, if you love flowers as much as critters, make sure to check out this article about her blackwork flora, too. Finally, she works at Parliament Tattoo in London,