Stencil to skin: The talent behind tattoos at Vertigo

by Danielle Puleo

As Meagan Bates prepares her station for an afternoon tattoo appointment, a consultation awaits her in the front room. The tattoo artist has spent close to 10 years in the field, now working at the same place she completed her apprenticeship: Vertigo Tattoo in Manns Harbor.

Jessica Bonacci is greeted by Bates at the front of the shop; she has brought with her some ideas for a left side hip tattoo. As the artist saves photo ideas to her iPad, she offers some general questions about the design and concept. Bonacci and Bates agree on a black and gray tattoo to be done in one sitting, with suggestions from Bates on particular placement and added additions to the design from Bonacci. Once Bates collects contact information, final ideas and a deposit, she schedules the tattoo for a few weeks from the day, once she has designed the final piece and it’s time to take the drawing to the skin.

“I really like working with the customer and making them really happy about their tattoo,” the mom of two said as she goes back to prep for a client receiving their very first tattoo. Bates grew up in an artistic household, and learned a lot from her parents about what it meant to express herself creatively through the art she produced. After earning her degree and opening an art gallery, Bates decided that sector of the art world wasn’t for her. She arrived at Vertigo on a whim one year during Bike Week, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Rebecca Reichardt was due to arrive soon. She had reached out to Bates on Instagram a few weeks prior, and the two had conversed about the design Reichardt had in mind: “imago Dei” scripted in black ink on the left wrist. “For her tattoo, she had a pretty specific style of font that she wanted,” Meagan explained. With the example images in hand, she took the images Rebecca had sent and created a tattoo design from it.

Over the years, Bates shared that she has refined her design process and quintessentially merged effectiveness with creativity. “I think at the beginning, I was really hyper-focused on creating my own original designs … I would almost, to a fault, not use references.” She noted that a good majority of the time, the client really does want something simpler as opposed to an overworked piece. With time, practice and patience, Bates has crafted her own style and applied it to a wide variety of tattoos, all while ensuring the final