Meet the student tattoo artists driving UNC subculture

Story by Valerie Jackson

Visuals by Adrian Tillman

A frog donning a cowboy hat standing proud on the back of an arm. A deconstructed butterfly resting on a sternum. An abstract web of vines dripping down a hand.

Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are walking through campus with bold, creative work that could be featured in any professional tattoo shop in the country. But they aren’t traveling far to get it – most barely have to stray from campus. 

So where, or who, are these pieces coming from?

UNC-Chapel Hill is home to a group of passionate tattoo artists, along with an eager crowd of clients who keep them busy. These artists exist in a little pocket of UNC-Chapel Hill’s culture, having been discovered through word-of-mouth and shared Instagram stories. There aren’t many of them around; only three names routinely pop up in the school’s tattoo scene.

Julianna got her start eight years ago, in Andrews, North Carolina. Now a college senior, she began tattooing as a freshman in high school. Armed with a needle and a bottle of India ink from Amazon, she’d give her peers tattoos in her school’s library. Kids would gather around, blocking her work from the view of administrators. They would watch as Julianna hand-poked crosses, Playboy Bunnies, and whatever else her teenaged clientele would request – all at $10 a tattoo.

As a small-town artist, Julianna relied on word of mouth to find clients around western North Carolina.

“I would go and meet people from other towns,” Julianna said. “I would drive 20, 30 minutes in either direction, or people would come to me and I’d do it in people’s cars, at rest areas, people’s houses.” 

She got a similar start at UNC-Chapel Hill, working on friends – and friends of friends – until she launched her Instagram account. 

“I thought, ‘While I’m out here, I might as well get the word out about myself,’” Julianna said.

Instagram is an important tool for Julianna. It functions as a portfolio, scheduling service and network to interact with clients and fellow artists.

Julianna has amassed over 200 followers on her account. With more clients comes more money, allowing Julianna to upgrade her setup beyond her high school arsenal.

“My stuff has slowly gotten more professional since then,” Julianna said. She glanced over at her vanity topped with individually wrapped needles, ink and gloves, all resting on top of a disposable sheet. 

Julianna’s bedroom doubles as her studio. Tucked into a corner of her college house, she’s replicated the feel of a tattoo shop. A small, Western-themed tattoo shop. Cowboy boots are lined up by the door, while cowboy and trucker hats are organized on the wall in between artwork of plants and, of course, cowboys. 

As she’s expanded, she continues to do hand-poked tattoos.

“I really enjoy this style,” Julianna said. “I think there’s just something really methodical and kind of meditative about it.”

That tranquility she feels is something Julianna tries to extend to her clients.

“[Hand-poking is] slower; it allows her more time to, like, connect with her clients, and that has been really helpful,” said Bao Anh, a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill. 

Bao Anh found Julianna through Instagram and has since commissioned her for both of her tattoos. Originally choosing Julianna for accessibility, Bao Anh returned to her after bonding during their first session.

“We get along really well,” Bao Anh said. “It’s easy to connect with her and ask for advice in that sense because it feels like we’re so close in age but she’s just right ahead of me.”

The ties she creates, both with her clients and other tattooers, are what drive Julianna as an artist.

“My favorite part about tattooing is how connected it makes me feel with other artists,” Julianna said. 

The feeling is mutual; all three artists talk about each other in high favor.

“It’s interesting how we, like, all come together,” said Zoe, another UNC-Chapel Hill artist and friend of Julianna. “I talk to Jules and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, you’re doing great!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, you’re doing great!”

Zoe started tattooing last February. In that time she’s developed a style heavy with sharp, black lines with subject matter ranging from a pair of scissors with teeth to a well-placed “Tar” on the heel of a foot.

Zoe grew up surrounded by the art of tattooing. She’s from Maui, Hawaii, where tattoo culture is anything but underground.

“All of my teachers would be tattooed; a bunch of other people like my dad’s friends were all tatted. I’ve always admired it and I’ve always loved it.” Zoe said. “It was never a frowned upon or taboo subject like it is, I guess here or some of the other regions close to us.” 

For Zoe, coming to UNC-Chapel Hill from the heavily tattooed community she was used to back home was a bit of a culture shock. She found that her chopped dark hair and collection of tattoos set her apart from many of her classmates.

“When you’re outside of, I guess, that norm group of sorority girls, you get a lot of looks,” Zoe said.

But she found her community fairly quickly at UNC-Chapel Hill, meeting other people with similar styles and interests. 

Fellow tattooer Orfe is one of those unique people Zoe met at UNC-Chapel Hill. He started tattooing his sophomore year, about six months before Zoe, who cited him as part of the reason she decided to start tattooing.

“When you see a ‘Fe piece out in public, you know it’s from him which is so unique in an artist,” Zoe said. “That is crazy to be self-taught and have your own style and everything, so I’ve always admired him in that respect.”

“Unique” doesn’t even begin to cover Orfe’s tattoos. His work is a conversation starter. A quick scroll through his Instagram account will present pieces made up of delicate, impossibly fine lines that distinguish his trademark so well.

His personal style is as distinctive as his work. When we met for our interview, he wore all black, right down to his platform boots detailed with metal. His tattooed ears were lined up and down with jewelry made of silver and coyote teeth.

Orfe is no stranger to standing out. He’s originally from Roanoke Rapids, a small town south of the Virginia border. There, there isn’t much of an alternative scene.

“There was one [tattoo] shop and now there’s two shops…because the one shop was like a husband and wife pair and they split up and now they have competing shops,” Orfe said. 

For Orfe, coming to Chapel Hill gave him the opportunity to explore a world that previously felt inaccessible. In his time here, he has found his way through tattooing.  

“When I started college I felt really confused and lost because I was not passionate about what I was studying,” Orfe said. “When I started tattooing I was like, ‘Oh, this is what I want to do, like, this is what I’m connected to.’” 

Meeting other tattoo artists in the area reinforced his passion for the art. Being able to trade tattoos and advice with them has helped build his confidence and skills as an artist.

“The connections that I’ve been able to make with other artists are really special and I think that getting tattooed by anyone else, it always teaches you something new,” he said.

The network of tattoo enthusiasts on campus has also fostered an environment that makes him feel at home.

“I do definitely feel more connected to my community as a student,” Orfe said. “A lot of my clients are UNC students, if not most of them, which is really special.”

Now that he has found his footing, Orfe transfuses confidence through his work. For him, that means prioritizing comfort with his clients, something that is not always a given in traditional shops. 

“Getting a tattoo is kind of scary. It’s painful and it’s permanent,” said Orfe. “I try to orchestrate a really warm and comfy and welcoming environment.” 

Julianna, Zoe and Orfe all graduate in the spring. All three plan to continue tattooing to some degree, but with this small band of artists leaving UNC-Chapel Hill, it’s unclear who will fill their shoes – or, for that matter, if anyone will – after May. 

“Jules and Phe are the only people I guess I’ve run into,” Zoe said. “It’s really just the three of us going back and forth. I really haven’t seen anyone else.”

They hope that others will carry on the culture. 

“I hope people continue with it after we leave,” Orfe said. “I’ve really enjoyed the friendships I’ve made here. I want people to be able to experience that.”