11 Things You Need To Know About Tattooing, According To A Celebrity Tattoo Artist

"You have to put your heart into your work or else it's just a tattoo."

If you're on Instagram, chances are you've seen these circular, hyperrealistic tattoos on your feed.

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99% of the time, they're the work of Eva Karabudak, a tattoo artist at BANG BANG studios in New York City.

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She's tattooed Cara Delevingne, Joe Jonas, and countless others with masterpieces that are pretty unbelievable.

As a huge fan and fellow New Yorker, I decided to reach out to Eva and ask her about her experiences tattooing and what advice she'd offer to others who want to try it out themselves! Here's what I learned:

1. It's not just about technique, but also watching others and listening to their advice.

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"I love where I work because there's such a community — everyone is so eager to help each other improve," Karabudak says. "Like, I struggled with fine lines a bit, so my coworker Dragon taught me how to work better with my machine. It made all the difference."

2. It requires A LOT (like, a LOT) of work.

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Eva tells me she used to spend an average of 18 hours a day at her first tattoo shop teaching herself new tattooing techniques — she spent so much time practicing that she was able to beat out another tattoo artist for a job position, despite having only one month's experience tattooing. He had five years.

3. You need to find the right colors for your client's skin tone.

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"Mixing colors and creating the perfect shade for your clients' skin is so important," Karabudak says, adding: "It's always a challenge, but creating the perfect hue is so satisfying."

4. While promoting your art on social media is important, remember that your art itself is INFINITELY more important.

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"You have to do what you feel. It's not about social media," she says. "I just kept working and gradually my account went from having 10,000 followers to over 100,000. Just focus on your craft."

5. Studying fine art and technique definitely helps.

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"Before I started tattooing, I worked as a painting teacher at a specialized art school in Turkey," Karabudak says, adding that her artistic passion and knowledge helped her perfect her tattooing techniques and flawlessly recreate famous works of art onto skin.

6. Don't do any tattoos you don't want to do.

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Karabudak's advice is that you should never let yourself be pressured into tattooing anyone or anything you don't want to tattoo: "Back when I worked in Turkey, a drunk man came into our shop late at night and asked me to tattoo him. It was a sticky situation, but I stood my ground. I had to."

7. Learn to work with your machine.

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"I've never been great with a machine, so I had to work at this a lot," she says. "Dragon worked with me and taught me exactly how to readjust the intensity of my machine to get the right outline, because that can make or break the tattoo."

8. Always keep practicing.

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"I always get nervous and excited to tattoo a new person. I love it!" she says. "I always want to do more, more, more...I don't want to show people the same thing over and over again."

9. Find new ways to modify your art and challenge yourself.

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"I do get a lot of requests for fine art replication tattoos, but I try not to do them too often," she says. "But when I do my own designs, I always try to make them different from what I've done on previous clients. It keeps things exciting!"

10. Find a way to combine your artistic integrity with your client's wishes.

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For Karabudak, it's not just about showcasing her talents: "I have to put your feelings and my feelings together — it's not just about my style."

11. It's about heart and trust.

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"You have to put your heart into your work or else it's just a tattoo," she says. "I'm just happy my clients trust me enough to let me tattoo them, and I hope I make them happy!"

To see more of Eva's work, be sure to follow her on Instagram!