The first time I ever designed a tattoo was a complete surprise. I doodled a sun-and-moon drawing where they shared the same face (sun had the left eye, moon had the right eye - same nose and smile - I wasn’t clever enough to take a photo back then). Several weeks later I was at a friend’s house and as we were getting ready to go swimming he pulled off his shirt and - boom- there on the right side of his chest was my sun-and-moon drawing. I was shocked - pretty sure I didn’t say anything for a few seconds - jaw on the floor. I was humbled that he liked it that much to get it tattooed on his body…forever.
Days later after the shock wore off I thought about that feeling of utter happiness that something I designed (from my imagination) would be selected as a piece of permanent art. It’s one of the best compliments an artist can receive (besides, someone saying “paint my wall whatever you want”).
“Nature always Wins” design for my inner left arm
It was the beginning of a 20-year path that would gradually inspire me to choose a full-time artist’s life. Since then, I have designed for dancer friends, co-workers, strangers, and friends-of-friends. When I moved to Seattle I explored tattoo shops on my own, getting new ink myself and learning about the industry through friends, asking my tattoo artists questions and just observing. I attended Seattle’s Tattoo Expo several years in a row, watching different artists’ approaches to design, customer intake and aftercare. I even interviewed some of them informally, ending with a question about their interest in taking on an apprentice. I didn’t have any luck back then.
“Dance like the world is watching. Make it Count” dancer design for Sue Anne (co-founder of Tint Festival)
That didn’t stop me from pursuing the art form. I procured my own Stick-and-Poke kit during the pandemic and started tatting up lemons and grapefruit, watching hours of YouTube videos and realizing how much information was out there. It made me realize how uniquely special an apprenticeship is because of the one-on-one instruction and supervision to ensure you’re protecting yourself AND the client. It’s also the best way to ensure you don’t pick up any bad habits that can lead to infection or skin blow-outs. I’m very meticulous with my designs and I want to be meticulous in my learning.
Original design for Sarah Dolezal (owner of Muddy Cup in Seattle)
So, 2 months ago, when I ran into a friend who told me about a new artist in town who was actually looking for apprentices I didn’t hesitate to reach out. A month later my dream of starting a path to becoming a tattoo artist became a reality. I’m apprenticing under Emma Grace at Elevation Project in Capitol Hill. I absolutely love her work and have already soaked-up a lot of useful info - with years of training to go. In the meantime, I’ll still be designing tattoos with the goal of one day inking my original designs on my own clients!
Above: Dancer design for Alex, owner of Enso Bodywork, Turtle design for Christylee with the names of her two sons, Earth Compass design featuring earth, wind, water and fire and a Fire/Tree dancer.