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Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images
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I told myself I’d never get another tattoo.
Then I found@JonBoyTattooon Instagram.
Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images
They say tattoos are addictiveonce you have one, you’ve already caught the bug.
This felt true for me in the beginning, certainly.
But by September of 2015, I had pretty much resigned to being a three-tattoo kind of girl.
Amanda Montell
Enough to have a nice little collection while still remaining low-committal about it.
However it happened, I remember, it was love at first scroll.
But JonBoy isn’t just acelebritytattooist.
Amanda Montell
So after longingly following JonBoy for six months, I finally decided, “screw it.”
I’d never felt more drawn to a tattoo artist’s aesthetic.
I didn’t even know what sort of design I wanted, but it almost didn’t matter.
How to Prepare for a JonBoy Tattoo
Nailing an appointment with JonBoy wasn’t easy.
Not to mention the down payment.
I had a few months to justify the purchase to myself.
(After all, for me, it was either a JonBoy tattoo or no tattoo at all.)
This also gave me a lot of time to brainstorm my ideal design.
I have a musical symbol behind one ear, at which hairstylists and co-workers always cock their heads.
With this new tattoo, I wanted something that needed no explanation.
I decided to place the tattoo right above my elbow, on the inner side of my arm.
I was already planning to visit New York that weekend, so I didn’t fly injustfor the tattoo.
Immediately, JonBoy’s playful, personable demeanor put us both at ease.
We let him pick.
He put on a tongue-in-cheek playlist of ’80s pop tunes and Top 40.
As it turns out, JonBoy’sminimalistic aestheticis mostly inspired by L.A. celebrity tattooistDr.
Woo, who also specializes in hyper-fine lines.
But with inspiration from artists like Dr.
Woo, JonBoy started experimenting with fine-line needles and soon changed his tune.
His new work caught on fast.JonBoy credits Instagram for much of this speedy success.
It’s clear that JonBoy is giddy with his fame.
We begged him to reveal who it was, but JonBoy remained tight-lipped.
We left the shop on a dizzy high, thrilled with our fresh works of art.
Aftercare
For JonBoy’s hefty price tag, you go home with a particularly stylish aftercare kit.
With tattoos as fine-lined as JonBoy’s, the aftercare is a little more intensive.
“Don’t let it dry out,” he told us.
“Even if that means moisturizing 50 times a day.”
I look forward to spending the rest of my life with this pretty little plant.
Maybe a year from now I’ll go back for a sprig of thyme.
A tiny tattoo can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours, depending on how detailed the tattoo is.
Some might even take less time, if they are really simple.
