Megan Jean Morris

When it comes to badass surrealism tattoo artists, Megan Jean Morris is at the top of the pack. Morris has grown to become one of the biggest powerhouses in the industry today and one of the most successful alumni of the reality television competition, Ink Master—proving that her seemingly limitless imagination and firm grasp on technical application can outlive 15 minutes of fame. And while you may think that you know this Jane-of-all-trades from her days spent on the silver screen, you’ve only just scratched the surface. From a sacred mentorship with Nikko Hurtado to dreams of moving out west to settle down as mother, this free-spirited tattoo artist continues to uphold her brand of unwavering authenticity.

- Devon Preston

How did you get your start in the art world and the tattoo industry?

I’ve been doing art since childhood and I can remember drawing and painting on all of my friends at a young age. I would get kicked out of daycare and nursery school for drawing, painting and stamping all over my friends. Then I went to Syracuse University, but I didn’t relate much to the people I went to college with, so I mostly hung out with street kids. I started dating a guy who used to do tattoos and I asked him if he could teach me. That was the first time I had access to the industry and saw tattooing as a lifestyle. But he said no because he knew that he wasn’t that good. When I graduated, I knew that I didn’t want to work in a cubicle, so I moved back home to get an apprenticeship.

What is your tattoo process?

I have about three different formulas that make the different products. I’ve got straight-up color realism where the clients provide a picture or we find a picture that they love, and that is all technical application and interpretation of color. I’m just tracing it and applying it to your skin. The second one is surrealism, and that’s where I have someone tell me what it is that I’m trying to capture. Whether it is something that they went through or an idea that they really like. Then I ask them for some imagery that they like and that I think would look good on their body, fit them, and fit me as an artist. For surrealism, I usually lay out a collage that I’ve built in Photoshop, which I trace and then apply. The third thing I do is black-and-gray freehand. I may just have a couple of references and then I draw the design directly onto their skin with Sharpie markers and that’s called freehand. There’s no stencil, the artwork continues to evolve and change through the tattoo. Neither one of us knows what the piece is going to look like until the very end.