Book Tattoo
Blackwork raven or tui head in profile with white tuft on the inner

Blackwork Raven Tattoo

Raven, or possibly a tui given the white plumage tuft and the Wellington setting it'll be living in. I rendered it in heavy blackwork, with the head in profile, beak forward, and dense black covering the body. Finer scale work picks out the individual feathers.

I left the tuft almost untouched, which gives the eye a single bright point to land against the otherwise saturated black and stops the piece from reading as one undifferentiated mass. The bird is sized to sit cleanly within a contained panel, keeping it visible to the wearer day to day. Bird studies in profile work well at this scale because the silhouette does most of the work for you.

Pokestay Tattoo, Wellington, through @pokestaytattoo on Instagram or pokestaytattoo@gmail.com.

Book Similar PieceSee All Blackwork

By Rhys Thomas at Whitetail Tattoo, Level 3, 41–47 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand

Similar Tattoos

See All
Black horned skull tattoo above a butterfly with patterned wings
Black ink crocodile head with textured scales and bared teeth running
Freshly tattooed solid black meeting an existing finely tattooed at
Solid black wolf head with bared teeth tattooed across the centre of

Common Questions About Blackwork in Wellington

Does blackwork hold up better than colour?
Generally yes. Solid black ink stays denser and more legible over decades than colour, which can soften and shift. If you want something that still reads clearly in twenty years, blackwork is the safest long-term bet.
How long does a blackwork piece take?
Small blackwork pieces run one to two hours. A palm-sized graphic piece is usually a single sitting of two to three hours. Larger panels (forearm, calf, back placements) are typically booked across multiple sessions.
Can blackwork cover an old tattoo?
Often yes. Bold blackwork is one of the strongest cover-up languages going, especially over faded line work. Send me a clear photo of the existing piece in your DM and I can plan around it.