If there’s one thing I lose my shit over more than cat videos, it is cat tattoos. It’s no wonder that Iris Lys has long been a favourite tattooer of mine.
This post has been reworked from a Tattoo Artist Profile I published on my previous website – all the tattoo images are a few years old, so I truly do implore you to view Iris’ more recent work on her Instagram page.
Working out of Easy Tiger Tattoo in Leeds, England, and with 18 years of tattooing experience, Iris Lys has amassed a following of over 60,000 people on Instagram. Iris is a self-proclaimed ‘cattooer’ which is no joke. Her claim rings true with at least 90% of the tattoos she produces having some sort of cat theme. People who love both cats and tatts are travelling from around the world to get their very own cattoo from Iris.
Generally when an artist focuses on a certain theme, over time their designs may become repetitive, but that’s not the case with Iris’ work. All the tattoos are in the traditional style and so unbelievably creative. The heart shapes, the playfulness, the capturing of a cat’s characteristics, and the representation of interactions between humans and felines is really a celebration of our love of cats.
If you look deeper into some of Iris’ tattoos you’ll find that cats are used as a euphemism for a woman’s anatomy; displaying inspiring and empowering messages.
I’ve gone through Iris’ portfolio and selected my top 15 favourites, but boy was that a difficult task. You really should give her a follow on Instagram to get your daily cattoo fix.
Enough reading, you need to check out Iris Lys’ work right meow!
Remember, if you love Iris Lys work, nothing compares to the real thing. Don’t be like these people and don’t be like these tattooers who think it’s acceptable to copy her work.
The Tattooed Archivist 