The world of ink is full of talented women who don’t get enough credit for their influence, creativity, and skill in the male-dominated industry of tattoo artistry.

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Similar to many industries, many tattoo parlours have been described as “boys clubs,” by women trying to enter the field.

It takes a lot more influence, creativity, and skill to gain respect as a woman than it would for their male counterpart.

Vancouver is home to plenty of female-owned and run tattoo parlours, that can help women get a better footing and establish themselves in the competitive industry.

In honour of International Women’s Day, I want to highlight some of my favourite female-identifying Vancouver tattoo artists.

Rachel Clark

Rachel’s style consists of bold, thick lines that somehow come together to create a beautifully elegant work of art.

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Her portfolio consists of lots of animals like eagles, snakes, scorpions and various big cats. Rachel’s tattoos are consistently perfectly clean and unique, I think she’s a great person to go to if you’re looking for a larger tattoo.

Ellie Cryer

A complete contrast from Rachel Clark’s work, but equally as beautiful, Ellie Cryer does handpoking at soft hands studio. Her tattoos are the most delicate and gorgeous things I’ve ever seen.

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Ellie has a selection of flash tats available, these carefully hand-poked flash tattoos are so special. Who knew a tattoo could be cute?

Amelia @aaaearhart

Amelia dabbles in a variety of creative mediums including illustration, animation and of course tattoo artistry. She hand pokes her tattoos, creating a delicate, soft look.

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Her stick and pokes are often of pretty landscapes, fruits, and cute little animals like kitty cats, bunnies and frogs. I love how she uses pops of colour in otherwise simple designs. She