Meet the Tattoo Artist That CAN’T Draw but Has Tons of Clients (2024)

Inthe vibrant city ofSalvador, Brazil, you’ll find aunique tattoo artist who has carved aniche with her distinct style. Meet Helena Fernandes, the creative force behind arenowned tattoo shop. She specializes inwhat she affectionately calls “tatuagens peba,” or“trash tattoos.”

Helena shares her artistic journey with the world through her Instagram page, where her unconventional creations have garnered over 170,000 followers and counting. Notably, she showcases not only her designs but also the delight ofher satisfied customers.

Helena found her true calling amidst abackground inMechanical Engineering, graduating from the Federal University ofBahia inDecember 2016. She furthered her academic pursuits with post-graduate studies inMaterials Engineering atthe same institution. When she had todecide onher future career, Helena remembers, she didn’t know that areas like marketing and design existed.

“Astable future ishighly valued [and demanded] inmyfamily and even bymyself. SoItook astandard course, Istarted working super early, andI spent myvacations taking courses toimprove mycurriculum orworking more. Ididn’t have apassion for any ofthis, but itwas right, andI couldn’t even imagine the possibility ofanything else”, she says.

However, her passion for the art oftattooing eventually triumphed. Driven byher love for tattoo creation, Helena embarked onacareer shift, establishing her presence inthe tattooing world bylaunching her own Instagram page toshowcase her designs. Beyond her role asatattoo artist, Helena isamultifaceted creative professional. She works asanillustrator and digital influencer. Occasionally, she shares her artistic wisdom byconducting art classes and helping fellow artists discover their unique styles.

True toher philosophy, Fernandes has cultivated adistinctive style that defies conventional tattoo-making techniques. Instead ofcrafting intricate and graphic tattoos, she specializes incrafting endearing, humorous, and surreal figures.

Her artistic journey began with whimsical drawings adorning her friends’ t-shirts, bags, mugs, comic books, and magazines. Aspeople began tonotice her unconventional creations, requests topurchase her artwork followed. Over time, she expanded her repertoire, taking onpainting commissions and creating eye-catching flyers for concerts, parties, and various events.

For Helena, itisn’t easy todefine her art, but the great certainty isthat itrepresents her. “Ijust know that it’s something that really satisfiesme, that it’s very easy for metoget out ofbecause it’s very ‘real.’ Itwasn’t designed tobelike that. Ireally like people’s feedback. Alot ofpeople tell methey find itfun and are happy. Ilike being able torepresent things”, she says.

But Helena’s biggest breakthrough came when her friend Matheus asked her totattoo abat figure onhim. And her first tattoo work instantly became ahit among her circle offriends. Another one ofher friends asked for acat tattoo, and another one wanted adinosaur standing onaplanet.

Helena decided tomake the tattoo for her friends for free because she considered ittobeatraining experience. When she finally learned the ropes oftattoo-making, she considered taking her newly-found passion toahigher level.

In2017, she created her Instagram account with the alias Malfeitona. Malfeitona isaPortuguese term that translates to“badly done” inEnglish. Asthe name implies, Helena made itclear toeveryone what her artwork isall about. Despite her unorthodox approach tothe elaborate art oftattoo-making, Helena’s works receive positive remarks from people around the globe. Itwasn’t just her friends anymore; more and more people began asking her for tattoos.

Asher name became popular among tattoo enthusiasts, other tattoo artists started recognizing her designs. Since Helena was new tothe craft, some tattoo artists gave her tips onhow toprosper inthis career. Due totheir advice, Helena decided toput upher own shop and take this venture toabusiness level.