About

Grey is a former corporate attorney turned self-taught tattoo artist from Chicago. With no prior art school background, tattoo apprenticeship, or connections in the industry, she left her career in law in 2022 to pursue tattooing.

She specializes in black/grey work with a specific niche in realism, but she is looking to grow her color portfolio as well.

Pre-Tattoo Background

Grey formed an immediate love for the art of tattooing after getting her first tattoo on her 18th birthday (and subsequently two more that same week). She has been drawing ever since she could hold a crayon, teaching herself new techniques through experimentation and observation. As she got older, Grey naturally gravitated towards black/white realism, and her chosen niche soon became large-scale realism pointillism pieces using pen and paper.

Her love for art evolved after being introduced to the world of tattooing. Grey started developing the tattoo artist brain immediately, as she would design her own tattoos and then get them tattooed on her by other artists. This caught the eye of many of Grey’s friends, and she started designing tattoos for them as well.

Grey’s artistic endeavors came to a pause after attending law school, passing the bar exam, and practicing at a big law firm downtown. After going through her legal journey, she soon realized that her true drive in life is creating. With no back-up plan, she decided to leave her law firm and give her art career a chance.

Tattoo History

Grey started tattooing in March of 2022 at a small, private studio in Wicker Park called Ritual Aesthetics. This was a very hands-off opportunity, as Grey was entirely responsible for concurrently learning how to tattoo, how to start and run a business, and receive certification in health & sanitation. Although an ambitious endeavor, she dove right into the deep end and started off as a handpoke artist, as this translated well from her background in pointillism.

After handpoking for around a year, Grey transitioned to machine tattooing in April 2023. Everything Grey knows about machine tattooing was developed on her own through meticulous practice and trial and error. She has done countless tattoos on herself to practice new techniques, styles, and different inks/needles.

After spending around 3 years at Ritual Aesthetics, Grey decided to downsize and tattoo out of a small, private space in Logan Square with one other tattoo artist. Although a temporary step in her journey, she is excited to see what opportunities come in the future!

Miscellaneous Information

Grey believes that learning should never stop, so she spends much of her time outside of the studio studying more classical mediums, including portraits, figure drawing, and oil painting. She also recently started attending various workshop and seminars related to tattooing in order to continue progressing her art.

When she is not tattooing, Grey is spending time with her two pups, Moose and Archer. When time allows, she enjoys figure skating, attending dace and pole dance classes, and gaming online!