Life & Work with Melise Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melise Hill.

Hi Melise, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Melise Hill. I’m a Canadian tattoo artist currently living in Detroit. I’ve been at it for 8 years, so I’ll tell you about how I got started. I had just finished art school with no direction for what would be next. I ended up doing a post-grad in Special Effects Makeup in Toronto and actually hated the program, but while I was there, I started getting interested in tattooing. A friend of mine was dating a tattooer, and through getting to know him, it was the first time I saw that you could really have your own artistic style and be busy and successful doing just that. I decided tattooing was what I wanted to do, so I moved back home with the goal of finding an apprenticeship. I was able to get set up with one fairly quickly, so things ended up just working out really well for me! I worked there under Kris Kani for two years, then I moved to the US and started working at Ironclad Tattoo Co. just outside of Detroit, which is where I’ve been for the past six years.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been really lucky with never having to face any major obstacles along the way. My experience at both shops I worked at has been very positive and I’ve always been around a group of supportive people. That being said though, tattooing as an art form is extremely challenging and I’m constantly learning. I still have days where I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. Working on skin adds so many more variables and it can be super frustrating at times. Luckily the reward does outweigh the challenge though!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have a background in fine art, so I would consider myself an artist first. I focus on large-scale, figurative oil paintings, and when the time allows, I do still work in that medium. However, tattooing is my career, so that consumes the majority of my time. In that, I specialize in full colour, illustrative work. I try to incorporate a painterly application, experimenting with colour mixing to achieve a more free, less deliberate result. My subject matter usually involves faces and/or nature-related imagery. I’m very fortunate to have such trusting clients who allow me the artistic freedom when designing pieces for them. Although it did take a lot of years to get to that point!

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
With anything, having the determination is most important. Like I said, tattooing is not an easy medium to learn, so you have to really love the craft and be willing to learn and face challenges every day.

Contact Info:

• Email: melise.hill@gmail.com
• Website: melisehill.com
• Instagram: @melisehilltattoo
• Other: Tiktok: @melisehilltattoo