Vancouver-based tattoo artist Katie Shocrylas also goes by the name Kshocs, which, obviously, is an abbreviation of her full name. Shocrylas has been featured in many tattoo blogs before, but her work is so extraordinary that I felt she is definitely worth a mention here on Ratta Tattoo.
Katie Shocrylas works in a sketch and watercolor style that has become very popular over the last few years. Bright colors that blend softly into one another combined with strong, black ink outlines make for a highly legible tattoo that will please the wearer for years to come. This artist has an interesting design style, because while each of her tattoos are distinctly hers, there isn’t a single design element that can be found in every one of her tattoos. And this is brilliant because it means that Shocrylas’ drawing style is varied enough that it won’t become repetitive or boring after a few dozen designs.
Curiously, UV colors have found their way into Shocrylas’ tattoos. This is unusual because generally, artists prefer to use only plain colors or only UV colors. This is because mixing the two spectrums often results in a product that is garish and kitsch. Shocrylas has managed to use both normal tattoo ink and ultraviolet tattoo ink without producing designs that are tacky or unpleasant to look at. In many ways, this is an aspect of Shocrylas’ tattoo style that makes her art so appealing.
Animals are a common subject in Shocrylas’ tattoos, along with flowers and steampunk objects such as pocket watches, windmills and hot air balloons. Of late there have been a few sketches of people finding their way into her portfolio. Perhaps in the future we could be looking at one of the world’s most celebrated portrait tattooists.
You can find Katie Shocrylas on her Facebook page or through her website; Kschocs, but for now, you can enjoy some of her completed tattoos in the pictures below.
-
- Katie Shocrylas’ psychedelic tattoo of a deer features the animal posing with poppy flowers and magic mushrooms on a background of butterfly wings. The UV inks used in this animal tattoo add to the trippy effect.
-
- A baby giraffe peeks out over a bed of lily flowers in this colorful watercolor tattoo. Katie Shocrylas is one of the few tattoo artist who can leave part of the tattoo un-colored without making the piece appear unfinished.
-
- A beautifully detailed hot air balloon carries an antique suitcase in this bright color watercolor tattoo. Katie Shocrylas manages to create strong silhouettes that are filled with intricate details, which means that her tattoos can be enjoyed from afar or up close.
-
- A pet lover asked tattoo artist Katie Shocrylas to turn a photo of her beloved cat into a beloved tattoo. Shocrylas has added flowers to this tattoo to symbolise the cat owners love for her pet.
-
- Katie Shocrylas shows off her talents with a tattoo machine in this intricate and colorful moth tattoo on the wrist. The details in this design are extraordinary – some details are a single dot of contrasting ink.
-
- Katie Shocrylas uses UV tattoo inks to make this tiger tattoo stand proud. It is difficult to combine normal inks with UV inks without making the finished product appear garish or tacky, but Shocrylas pulls it off brilliantly.
-
- Maneki-neko (Chinese luck cats) feature in this watercolor friendship tattoo by Katie Shocrylas. The two tattoos are similar, but not the same, indicating that though the two friends are close, they are still individual people.
-
- This flower tattoo by Katie Shocrylas is inspired by a traditional Japanese hair clip called a kanzashi. In the past, some kanzashi were designed to be used in self-defense.
