Dark Arts: Kelly Violet

EXPLORING THE UNIQUE ART OF THE TATTOO

THE DARK ARTS

02 / FEATURING THE WORK OF KELLY VIOLET

In terms of subject matter for my tattoos I am really drawn to flowers and anything darker themed - skulls, death related motifs, you know, the cheery stuff. Sometimes floral tattoos can look twee and a little too feminine (for me), so if you want that rose to not look like your grannies wallpaper you need to choose your artist pretty carefully.

An artist who blows my mind and does florals like I've never seen them done before, is London based artist Kelly Violet. Her work is unbelievably refined and detailed. Each piece features delicate linework that must take hours and hours to do.

She currently works from Parliament Tattoo in London and is one of the most in demand black workers in the industry. And no wonder. She is a boundary pushing force in an industry that is filled with sameness and has carved her very unique niche within the tattoo world. Her utter dedication to her craft is awe-inspiring and the reason so many customers from all over the world seek her out to ink their bodies. When it comes to my own tattoos I favour the traditional style, however I can certainly appreciate the beauty in Kelly's work.

Her illustrations would be impressive on paper but on skin they are postively transcendent.