Throughout February, WTOP is celebrating Black History Month. Join us on air and online as we bring you the stories, people and places that make up our diverse community.
This video is no longer available.
A 26-year-old tattoo artist from Takoma Park, Maryland, first picked up the needle during the COVID-19 pandemic. But a few short years later, Bibi Etienne has already grown her business to the point where she鈥檚 becoming more selective about the projects she takes on.
鈥淚 just need a challenge,” Etienne said. “I need something to make me work for it.鈥�
Similar to countless others, she wasn鈥檛 working during the pandemic and said she found herself with extra time on her hands. While hanging out with a friend who had a tattoo machine, she tried it out for the first time.
Etienne was immediately hooked.
鈥淚 ended up like buying all my tattoo equipment, probably like a week after I did that first tattoo,鈥� she said.
She started out doing tattoos mostly on her friends and eventually
鈥淚’ve never tattooed on like fake skin or like pig skin or anything like that,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause I had people.鈥�
Before getting into tattooing, Etienne left a property management job to pursue art full time. She worked as a makeup artist and said she grew a following on Instagram.
Many of those supporters who followed her makeup business stuck around when the artist decided to change mediums from makeup to tattoo ink. Her Instagram account has 14,400 followers to date.
Etienne’s existing following wasn鈥檛 the only leg up that her experience with makeup offered her in her new career. Like tattoos, 鈥渨ith doing makeup, there’s a lot of highlights and shadows to think of.鈥�
That understanding of light comes in handy with her style of tattooing, which she said tends to fall into the categories of realism or fine line.
Her technique requires using a single needle. Since there isn鈥檛 a long history of single-needle tattoos, she said there鈥檚 a lot of 鈥渢rial and error鈥� for artists who use the method.
鈥淭he needle is just so tiny, and so thin, it breaks the skin so easily,鈥� Etienne said.
With a regular needle configuration, she said artists may have an easier time pulling a line because the ink will be more potent. With a single needle, artists have to build up and be 鈥渓ight-handed鈥� to avoid going too deep beneath the skin.
Not everyone is a fan.
鈥淭here’s a stigma behind single-needle tattoos,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 personally think it’s because not a lot of tattoo artists can do it.鈥�
Critics of single-needle tattoos say the artwork will fade quickly on skin because the ink is less densely packed.
鈥淲hen you get old, not a single tattoo you got 鈥� is going to look as great as it did when your skin was nice and tight at 30,鈥� she said.
Inked Black history聽
Oftentimes, tattoos are expressions of identity. Etienne said as a Black business owner, she is honored to design tattoos that resonate with Black history. Some of those include a tender piece titled involving a kiss on the cheek between two cherubs.
View this post on Instagram
Another one of her which are symbols from Ghana that carry a variety of meanings, including strength and intelligence.
One client asked Etienne to tattoo artwork that represents his pride in being African 鈥� .
鈥淚 pride myself in being a tattoo artist, but more importantly, a Black artist,” she said. “I always want to support my fellow Black artists.鈥�
She encourages people to commit to supporting Black artists year-round, not just during Black History Month in February.
‘Tattoos can look like a work of art’
Some of Etienne鈥檚 portfolio include recreations of famous works of art, including a recreation of the by Edward Hopper. The realist painter depicted a lone woman looking down at a cup of coffee.
View this post on Instagram
She has also recreated a .
Another one of her recreations is .
鈥淭attoos can look like a work of art,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey don’t necessarily have to be like, super heavy looking more traditional. So, I’m hoping to kind of open that door to a lot of people.鈥�
Tapping into that niche helped land her a gig at the , where she hosted a flash tattoo event in honor of the museum鈥檚 reopening in October.
Though Etienne said she loves recreating art, she鈥檚 not married to any tattoo specialty.
鈥淚 want to lean more into dog portraits. I would love to do architectural designs, like buildings,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut for now, I’m kind of just doing a little bit of everything. I don’t really want to stick to one bracket.鈥�
Ultimately, she said what she鈥檚 after is a challenge. That drive is something she said blossomed after experiencing adversity.
Grit
As a teenager, Etienne was diagnosed with 鈥� cancer of the bone or soft tissues 鈥� in 2015. She went through nearly two years of chemotherapy.
After finishing her treatment, she started a job working in property management but quit after a short time.
鈥淚f I’m not happy with what I’m doing in life, then I’m just quitting and finding something else,” she said.
That sentiment and grit motivated her to start her tattoo business 鈥� working out of a spare room in her parents鈥� basement before opening her studio in Takoma Park. She handles the business side of things, such as emails and marketing on Instagram, as well as designing the artwork for the tattoos.
鈥淚 really love the idea of having a blank canvas and just creating so much out of that blank canvas,鈥� she said. 鈥淩ight now, my canvas is skin, before it was face with makeup. Before that it was a blank paper with some pen.鈥�
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
