Ruby May Quilter's Fine-Lined Perfection

Fine-lined black and grey tattoos make for some of the most charming tattoos imaginable. Though there are numerous tattooists that specialize in this graceful style, one of the best is Sang Bleu's Ruby May Quilter. Her deft approach to the finer side of the art form allows her to make even the most venomous imagery, like scorpions, other arachnids, and insects, seem both beautiful and benign. To put it poetically, a rose from her would be sweeter than one by any other name.

A long-stemmed rose by Ruby May Quilter


A dragonfly split across a client's hands by Ruby May Quilter


One of Ruby May Quilter's long-stemmed roses

Quilter's strain of black and grey is both intricate and delicate. She combines extremely fine linework and meticulously controlled shading to pack an astonishing amount of detail into each of her pieces. When it comes to her exquisite black and grey body art, the smaller the tattoo, the more impressive its subtleties appear. As far as exquisiteness is concerned, her bangers are beyond compare. Each one is flawlessly rendered and cries out beautifully from its collector's skin.

A lovely long-stemmed rose via Ruby May Quilter


A fearsome eagle by Ruby May Quilter


Some lovely little fine-lined animals by Ruby May Quilter


A pair of exquisite roses via Ruby May Quilter


An Eye of Providence via Ruby May Quilter

Quilter creates a wide range of imagery, including designs that come from the traditional style as well as more realistic figures, but one of her favorite motifs is the traditional long-stemmed rose. She has a virtual bouquet of these beautiful flowers in her portfolio, and tattoo enthusiasts from all over actively seek her out just to get one of these timeless and tiny floral masterpieces. She has a number of sacred hearts throughout her body of work, and the way she stylizes them is aptly evocative of suffering, yet absolutely divine.

Though some of these motifs have become incredibly popular among her clientele, her renditions of other iconography from the traditional style are equally as remarkable. Her tattoo of the classic three broncos design shows as much, and on top of that, she can make some jaw-dropping realistic body art on an unbelievably small scale, as demonstrated by the bumble bee below.

A realistic little bubble bee by Ruby May Quilter


One of Ruby May Quilter's sacred hearts


A sacred heart encased in thorns by Ruby May Quilter


Three wild horses by Ruby May Quilter

If you want to see more of Quilter's graceful black and grey work, check out her Instagram @rubymayqtattoo. She works at Sang Bleu's location in London, England and can be reached at rubymayquilter@gmail.com, should you desire a delicate tattoo from her for your own.