Daria Rei is a Berlin-based artist who creates black ink tattoos in a style that is unique to her. The style of her tattoo designs is a mixture of contemporary illustrations and Ukiyo-e, an artistic style that has existed in Japan for centuries. Ukiyo-e means “pictures of the floating world” which means that the scene depicted in the painting or woodblock print has been conjured from the artist’s imagination; a world that is not substantial and exists in no physical realm. In this same way, Daria Rei’s tattoo designs are based on the world that exists only in the shadows and corners of her imagination. She paints scenes, animals and people onto the skin of her clients; giving them an eternal portal into her magical, imaginary realm. This imaginary world has a slightly esoteric element to it. Many of her characters are gothic and mystical.
My absolute favorite imaginary friends of Daria Rei’s are her tattoo cats. Like the cats of our world, Rei’s kitty cats are adorable and completely psychotic. They take themselves very seriously and yet somehow always come across as slightly naïve and humorously petty. Because Rei chooses to work in black ink for her cat tattoos, her cats are black cats who carry a lot of symbolism. Black cats have long been considered unlucky in Western culture, and they are often portrayed as being magical familiars to witches and wizards because black cats are supposedly able to cross between the world of the living and the spirit world, where they can converse with the ghosts of deceased people. Many people feel that they can relate to black cats because they feel that they themselves are marginalised in society for something that they can’t change about themselves, such as their race or sexual preference. The stigma that being a black cat carries can be empathised with by many who feel that they are excluded from “normal” society, like those who practice unusual religions, spiritualism or magic systems.
Rei uses a fine tattoo needle to create intricate details in her cat tattoos, which are often fairly small; small enough to fit on the ankle or wrist without wrapping around the joint. She adds in white tattoo ink to add an extra gleam to the cat’s eyes and a shine to their whiskers. While Daria Rei’s colorwork tattoos are also exceptional; there is an elegance to the simplicity of her black and white tattoos that combines well with the dark humor of her cat designs.
Visit Kodiak, the tattoo shop where Rei works from, her Instagram and her Facebook to see more gothic and darkly humorous tattoos that spring from this incredible artist’s mind.
This psychotic cat tattoo by Daria Rei walks across this girl’s ribs in a way that is both creepy and cute. The tattoo artist has used diluted black ink for the cats legs that are furthest away from the viewer to create a sense of distance and depth in the illustrative tattoo.
Which cat owner can say that their cat has never stared at them with the same crazy eyes as the ones in this cat tattoo by Daria Rei? Daria’s use of fine lines and legible silhouettes means that her cat tattoos are suited to smaller areas of the body such as the ankle.
An evil black cat shows its domination over all dog-kind by placing its paw regally on a dog’s skull in this creepy cute tattoo by Daria Rei. The tattoo artist has used white ink to highlight the glowing cats eyes and the shape of the dog’s skull.
Tattooer Daria Rei’s sense of humor can be seen in this funny tattoo of a black cat that’s freaking out over the mouse it’s just killed.
This posh cat holds a glass of wine while plotting the demise of its enemies in this cat tattoo by Berlin-based tattoo artist Daria Rei. This tattoo design is long and thin, so it sits well on the inside of the wrist, which is a naturally long and thin part of the human body.
This tattoo by Daria Rei is of a nightmare kitty waking up from a dream in which it probably killed and ate all the mice ever, everywhere. Miaohahahaha!
A black cat sits on top of a human skull in this elbow tattoo by Daria Rei. Both the cats eyes and the skulls eye have a spooky, spiritual gleam in them, as thought they know things about your future that even you don’t know…
Only tattooer Daria Rei could design a tattoo of two kittens and a skull that is this cute. Rei’s tattoo design style looks like she has drawn her illustrations on to the skin in black pen, but her tattoos won’t wash off. Ever.
Miaohaha! This kitty cat tattoo is a portrait of one of Daria Rei’s imaginary black cat friends. May you have sweet dreams while this little guy watches over your soul…
Interested in getting a cat tattoo designed for you? Check out these other articles about cat tattoos on rattatattoo.com for more inspiration and ideas for your own cat tattoo. Just remember – don’t copy other people’s tattoos! If you want a Daria Rei tattoo, use one of the contact channels listed at the top of this article to contact her for a tattoo consultation.
