Ignorant style tattoos, started by French graffiti artist Fuzi Uvtpk, a relatively new tattoo style consisting of counterculture humorous, absurd, sketchbook-like tattoos is now finding a foothold in Reno.
This style hasn’t been explored a lot in Reno until recent years when the tattoo scene started to expand and diversify as the city grows and changes.
Kai Morikawa, Nyelli Chacon (Koottsoo), and JD are three tattoo artists in Reno that are changing up the local scene by putting a focus on this and other alternative tattoo styles, as well as using their intersectional identities to inspire and inform their tattooing.
These tattoo artists better known by their Instagram handles as @doggie.heart, @koottsoo, and @badztatu have built a following in the local tattoo scene by each having non-conforming approaches to being tattoo artists.
All three of them tattoo in styles very different from others in the scene. Kai describes their style as taking inspiration from their nostalgia. “I feel like I’m a niche person when it comes to tattoos,” they said. “I like doing animals and I like doing cute things, that's pretty much it.”
One thing that makes Kai’s style different from many other artists is that they hand-poke all the tattoos they do rather than using a machine.
JD and Koottsoo’s style are very similar, mainly using black and gray ink and drawing inspiration from pop culture or what the local community is into.
However, the styles that they tattoo in aren’t the only ways that they don’t align with mainstream tattoo artists.
JD and Kai take into consideration the idea that tattooing is a practice that was stolen from Indigenous communities around the world and made popular by white American soldiers during the 1940s.
“[American soldiers] militarized tattooing, they gatekept it, and now they tell people like us that this isn’t our thing,” JD said.
JD and Kai also realize that tattooing is popular among lower income people, but has been made inaccessible in recent years due to higher and higher prices.
To combat how expensive getting a tattoo is, the two both work on sliding scales for their pricing and try to work with everyone’s budget.
They both credit being able to be so flexible with their clients because of working in a private studio rather than a traditional tattoo shop.
Koottsoo, Kai, and JD all work in private studios where they’re able to curate the environment to be the most comfortable for their clients.
Koottsoo has experienced how intimidating traditional tattoo shops can be as a young Indigenous woman artist so she uses that to inform how she runs her own studio.
“I created my private studio as a safe space for BIPOC, women, and queer people looking for their next tattoo. I focus on creating an intimate space for my client,” Koottsoo said.
Kai and JD work in a private studio together where they aim to create a space where people can build connections with them and not be overwhelmed by a traditional tattoo studio that often has loud music, lots of people, and lots of noise.
JD and Kai also aim to make their studio a comfortable place for neurodivergent people. “We try to tone it down and work with people to make them comfortable,” JD said.
Koottsoo, Kai, and JD have worked hard in Reno to build a community with the people they tattoo and try to open up tattooing to everyone regardless of your gender, sexuality, race, etc.
All three of these artists work to make tattoos accessible, comfortable and a fun experience for everyone.
