About me

Who I am

I am Jana Kovářová, an artist and tattooer from Vsetín in the east of the Czech Republic. I came to skin through canvas: I studied fine art at Tomas Bata University in Zlín, and painting, drawing and design have been with me since childhood. Tattooing is not a trade next to art for me. It is the same art in a different material, with a different responsibility, because a picture on skin cannot be painted over.

The path

• Tomas Bata University in Zlín – bachelor's degree in fine art, fashion design studio (BcA.).
• 2011 – accredited 630-hour tattoo training at the Tattoo Zone studio in Krnov: hygiene and epidemiology, dermatology, first aid, tattoo theory and practice.
• 2011 – my own studio, Umělecké tetování ("Artistic Tattooing"), in Vsetín. Hundreds of pieces from small motifs to full sleeves and backs, focused on realism, portraits and cover-ups.
• 2014 – the Tattoo Čtyřlístek charity event in aid of the children's home in Příbor.
• today – the Jana Kovářová atelier: a private space under the roof where I tattoo, paint and draw.

How I work

• Realism as a craft. Light, shadow and the texture of the skin matter more than the motif itself. I draw so the tattoo stays readable twenty years from now.
• Always a custom design. Your inspiration is the beginning, not a template. I redraw the motif so it fits your body and belongs to you.
• Honesty. I will tell you when the size, placement or motif does not make sense, and suggest what will work.
• Fewer clients, more time. I work alone and take on as much as I can do properly.

Beyond tattooing

I paint and draw: portraits, figurative painting, illustration. The paintings hang in the atelier, so whoever comes for a session sees where the tattoos come from.

Hygiene and safety

• Single-use needles and cartridges, opened in front of you.
• Sterile covers on the machine, cables and work surface, disinfection before every session.
• Inks from manufacturers meeting European Union requirements (REACH).
• Before the session we go through a health questionnaire and sign an informed consent.

Why here

1. One hand takes you from the design to the last line: you know who is tattooing you.
2. Realism, portraits and cover-ups that last, because I draw with the ageing of skin in mind.
3. The calm of a private atelier instead of the bustle of a big studio.

International clients are welcome. Consultations are in English, Vsetín is about an hour from Ostrava airport and two hours from Bratislava or Kraków.