It’ll Be Fine

It can be difficult to find a fine line tattoo artist but we have one right in our area inside Wild & Co. salon at The Shops at Tyler’s Ridge. Meet Nora Andrews, a co-owner of Wild & Co. who has been tattooing for three years. She describes herself as more of a doodler than an artist but her work is on-point nonetheless.

Nora actually began her tattooing journey with permanent makeup for eyebrows. “I had a client that got a tiny tattoo somewhere else and she was like Nora you could totally do this,” says Nora.

Turns out, the machinery, needles and much of the technique for permanent makeup and fine line tattoos are the same. She was ink-spired from there. Her tattoo mentor is Champa Thao, based in Charlotte, who also does both permanent makeup and fine line tattoos.

Traditional tattoos and thin line tattoos are very different. Thin line is typically minimalist in style, without shading. “Fine line is just light and airy,” says Nora. “Both have their place but not everyone wants traditional big tattoos.”

Nora herself has many tattoos, both fine line and traditional. “Sometimes traditional tattoo shops can be scary,” she says. “I wanted to create an environment where no one feels intimidated.” Nora is also big on sanitation which is why she wanted her tattoo/piercing room to be very white and bright.

Her top request are birth flower bouquets. “I’m 100% a Pinterest tattoo artist and I’m okay with that,” she laughs, “I love doing florals.”

“Some tattoos are meaningful, some are flash tattoos that don’t mean anything. But I put a lot of emotion into all of my work. I want people to know this is a safe space,” says Nora.

And despite her usual clientele, Nora does not only tattoo females. She typically tattoos anywhere from 10-15 clients a week ranging from one inch to 10 inch tattoos. You can book Tuesday through Saturday on the website or by texting 910.585.9552. You can also see more of her work on Instagram.