When a famous person gets a tattoo, the media is buzzing. Fans want details—what is its meaning, and who is it dedicated to? Sometimes, celebrities give out those details—sometimes, they don’t. But what is almost always left outside the picture is the tattoo artist’s perspective of the process.
We wanted to know what goes into creating a tattoo, how the communication is happening, and what challenges artists face when tattooing a celebrity. If you are also curious, stay tuned, as we asked those questions to experts who worked with Megan Fox, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, and many others.
Tattooing a Celebrity: Meet the Artists Who Nailed It
This article was made possible by two very talented artists—Jesse Tattoo and Lauren Winzer. They both tattooed quite a few famous people and have agreed to share their experiences with InkMatch, and we are extremely grateful for that.
Jesse Tattoo
Jesse Krydick, a.k.a. Jesse Tattoo, is an Arizona-based tattoo artist specializing in hyperrealism, fine line, and calligraphy tattoos. He also tattoos unique designs that are hard to classify as a certain style (like the mosaic-style tattoo below). Jesse is an incredibly talented artist, so it is not surprising that his studio gets celebrity attention. He has worked on a cover-up tattoo for Megan Fox and did multiple ink pieces for the members of the FaZe Clan cybersports team.
A couple of stunning tattoo designs by Jesse Tattoo.
Lauren Winzer
Lauren Winzer is a famous tattoo artist from Sydney, Australia. She is a very versatile professional who can tattoo pretty much anything from lettering to pixel art. With that said, she loves bright color palettes—you’ll find numerous sparkling neo-traditional designs in her gallery. Lauren has worked with many celebrities. Among her tattoo studio visitors are big names like Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Sophie Turner, and many others.
Colorful ink pieces by Lauren Winzer.
How Do Celebrities Get Their Tattoos?
Just like with any tattoo, the story behind a celebrity tattoo starts with a search for a creative and talented artist with a fitting style.
Finding the Right Artist
It turns out the process of finding and communicating with a tattoo artist for a celebrity doesn’t differ much from what a regular person would experience. When we asked Jesse Tattoo how Megan Fox reached out to him, he said their communication was fairly straightforward.
“She wanted to do a cover-up tattoo and had a design idea, so she just reached out to me and asked if I would do it.”
A cover-up tattoo on Megan Fox by Jesse Tattoo.
Very often, the success of the creative tandem formed by a client and the artist depends on how well people’s personalities click together. Most likely, you won’t be comfortable sharing anything personal with somebody whose vibe seems foreign to you.
“My first time tattooing a celebrity was Miley Cyrus. I was nervous because I was unsure if we would have common ground. But in reality, we got along straight away!”
Lauren Winzer and Miley Cyrus became friends in 2014 when Miley saw Lauren’s tattoos on the Internet.
Working on the Tattoo Design
When you feel a desire to get a tattoo, it is probably because you have found an exciting design idea that fits your personality. Then, you contact a tattoo artist you like and ask if they could make it happen. At this stage, an artist becomes your advisor—they have lots of experience and can polish your initial idea. So, we asked Jesse how he adapted Megan Fox’s design.
Jesse Tattoo working on a tattoo design in his studio.
“Generally, I always come up with several designs for all my clients. In this case, it was important to tweak the tattoo to make it work as a cover-up. I made a few suggestions on how to change the initial idea, and we implemented some of them.”
According to Jesse, this is also a part that makes the biggest difference between a regular tattoo session and a celebrity tattoo.
“Usually, clients are just willing to let me do what I specialize in. On the other hand, celebrities are more focused on their own vision and want me to achieve it with minimal changes.”
Specifics of a tattoo design will also depend on the artist’s style. For example, Lauren is a specialist in neo-traditional style who has created multiple impressive designs inspired by pop-culture characters.
“Often, there will be a reference to a famous cartoon or artwork. Sometimes, they let me do my thing with it because they like my style—and this is such a compliment.”
Lauren has tattooed quite a few members of the Simpsons family!
Tattooing Process
Overall, the tattooing process for a celebrity does not differ much from a regular tattoo session. There can be some subtle details that might complicate the process a little bit, and we will talk about them in the section about challenges. So, we decided to ask what emotions tattoo artists felt when tattooing celebrities.
“I treat every client the same. Foremost, I try to understand the vibe they want for their tattoo.”
“Everything happened very quickly, so there were not too many emotions in play. Also, I always try to stay focused throughout the entire process.”
—Jesse Tattoo, about tattooing Megan Fox
What Challenges Can a Tattoo Artist Face?
We asked Jesse and Lauren about the challenges they faced while tattooing celebrities and the advice they would give to tattoo artists who could be dealing with the same problems.
Jesse Tattoo keeps full composure while tattooing.
?? How to prevent nerves from getting in the way?
“I think you just need to let your art speak for itself and treat everyone equally and respectfully. Also, remember, we are all just human beings!”
“Focus on your execution. Be confident in your designs and remember that there shouldn’t be anything special you’re doing for a celebrity that you’re not doing for a regular client.”
❓ How is celebrities’ privacy ensured?
“Usually, celebrities have their ways of keeping things private. On our end, we did what we were asked to do, but I won’t disclose any specific details.”
“If necessary, we can do a tattoo after hours, but some of the celebrities did not mind getting tattooed during regular time, and everything went super chill!”
? What was the most difficult aspect of the design you tattooed?
“In my case, it was the nature of cover-up tattoos. Any cover-up is going to be difficult, as you don’t want the older tattoo before to be noticeable at all.”
Memorable and Fun Stories About Celebrity Tattoos
During her time tattooing famous people, Lauren had quite a few clients whose visits were memorable in one way or another. We asked her to share a couple of such stories.
Post Malone
This Playboy tattoo is one of Lauren’s favorite pieces.
“One of my favorite tattooing experiences was Post Malone. He was spending time with a sick kid who was a super fan of his. So, he brought him and his family to the shop, and I thought that was really special!”
Miley Cyrus
One of the tattoos Lauren did for Miley Cyrus, who loves avocados.
“Miley Cyrus was having a photoshoot with W magazine, and she flew me over for a tattoo. It was years ago, and she could’ve chosen anyone else, but she believed in me and wanted to help my career.”
Sophie Turner
Game of Thrones fans probably remember this tattoo Lauren did for Sophie Turner.
“This one turned out a bit funny. I did a Game of Thrones tattoo for her, and the fans thought it was a spoiler. It wasn’t supposed to be a spoiler, but, as it turned out, it might have been after all!”
Summary
As you can see, tattooing famous people doesn’t differ much from a regular tattoo session. What really comes into play is the fusion of two personalities. Thanks to Jesse Tattoo and Lauren Winzer, you could see the insides of the whole tattooing process. In most cases, celebrity tattoos are memorable experiences, even if there are some challenges getting in the way.
Thank you for reading this article! We hope you enjoyed the first-hand insights and cool tattoo designs along the way!
FAQ
? How Many Celebrities Have Tattoos?
Tattoos are actually very popular among celebrities. In this article, you can find tattoos Megan Fox, Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, and Sophie Turner have.
? How Do Celebrities Keep Their Tattoos Secret?
Celebrities do not share their secrets of how to avoid public attention. As Lauren Winzer mentioned, they can get tattoos after working hours.
⌛ Do Celebrities Get Fake Tattoos?
Temporary or fake tattoos are quite common nowadays. There are many ways to create a tattoo that will not last forever—a person can use a special ink or go for a henna tattoo.
? Can You Get the Same Tattoo as a Celebrity?
If you want to copy someone else’s design, you need to ensure that you add a touch of originality to it. Otherwise, you might be breaking copyright laws.
