Discover the fascinating journey of tattoo artist Star Kelly, who was inspired by a multi-generational family legacy in the art, and how her passion for horror films shapes her unique tattoo style. From iconic characters like Art the Clown to the growing popularity of horror tattoos, Star shares her creative evolution and the equal appeal of horror-themed tattoos for both men and women. SlashHer went to her studio to have a chat about her creative inspiration.
SlashHer: How did you get into tattooing?
Star: Tattooing has been in my family for a few generations. My great great-great-grandfather was a tattoo artist named Billy Holland. He was originally from London but moved up to Preston. My grandad Brian Nickson tattooed for a short period of time. My mum Louise Nickson, is the one who got me into tattooing and trained me up. I feel very lucky to have a family who has been in the industry for a long time.
SlashHer: What got you into specifically tattooing horror?
Star: I have loved horror from a very young age. I was obsessed with everything strange and unusual, and as I got older I started to realise that I was actually in love with the art of horror films. It has had a massive impact on my work.
SlashHer: Do you see a lot of people with horror tattoos? If yes, what is your favourite image of horror to tattoo?
Star: Yes, I see lots of people with horror-based tattoos. I have to say Art the Clown is by far my favourite character to tattoo.
SlashHer: Did you always use to tattoo horror?
Star: For the first year of my tattoo career, I didn’t do as well as I hoped because I was still an apprentice. So I stuck to more line work and easier drawings. As my confidence grew my drawings did as well as my tattoos started to develop a continuous style and I like to keep expressing that within each piece of work.
SlashHer: Do you think men get horror themed tattoos more than women?
Star: I think horror tattoos are split 50/50, personally I have tattooed more women for horror based work than men. But as a style in the tattooed community it’s a very equal style to get.
Some of Star’s work. You can find more of her work on her Instagram