I am Mara Vance, a tattoo artist working out of my studio in the Pacific Northwest. For over ten years, I have focused almost entirely on animal and nature subjects in blackwork, and that narrow focus has become my strength. I study specimens at natural history museums, sketch from wildlife photography I take on hikes, and read too much about animal behavior to be reasonable at dinner parties.
My clients come to me because they want something specific: a wolf that looks like it is breathing, a raven with actual feather structure, a snake that coils with believable tension. I do not copy Pinterest boards. I draw every piece to fit the body it will live on, accounting for how black ink settles and softens over years.
The best animal tattoos, I believe, honor the creature itself rather than using it as decoration. That philosophy guides every needle pass.