Meet Chaehee Lee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chaehee Lee.

Hi Chaehee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I was a college student in Seoul, South Korea, majoring in crafts. I had been drawing since I was a kid and went to college for art, and I’ve been drawing ever since. 

I had an Instagram account where I uploaded my illustrations at the time. 

One of my friends was a tattoo artist at the time, and she made me an interesting offer: she said that my drawings were very original, and she would feature my illustrations on her account and tattoo them herself on her clients. 

I was quite intrigued by the offer and decided to work with her. 

Then one day, one of her clients wanted to get one of my drawings. 

So, my friend, who is a tattoo artist, worked on my drawing for him, and I felt very excited to see it. 

I couldn’t believe that my sketch was going to be permanently inked on someone else’s body. 

Moreover, I found it really interesting and rewarding that my sketch told a story that was unique to that person. 

I became interested in tattooing from then on. At that time, Sol Tattoo, a very famous tattoo artist in Korea, posted that he was accepting students, and I immediately sent him my portfolio (my drawings at the time) as soon as I saw the post. 

Two days later, he contacted me and said that he was very interested in my drawings and my marketing (I had an Instagram and YouTube channel at the time) and saw great potential in me. 

So, he invited me to start tattooing with him, and of course, I told him that I wanted to learn tattooing right away. 

I was unbelievably excited at the time. So, I started learning tattooing in the summer of 2018, and I’ve been doing it ever since. 

Even after I started tattooing, every day, I was immersed in the evolution of my designs. I studied the technical aspects of how I could improve my drawings and what I needed to improve so that my tattoos would last longer after healing. 

Since most of my clients come from my Instagram, I categorized the age groups and interests of my Instagram audience and designed accordingly. I worked at a big tattoo crew studio called Studio by Sol until the winter of 2020, and then I opened my own studio. I ran my own studio for two years and met many clients. In 2022, my teacher, Sol, created a new tattoo studio in the United States via studio, and I wanted to have a new experience. I had met many foreign customers in Korea, and I wanted to meet new customers in a new place and hear their stories. So, I moved to Los Angeles, USA in February 23 for a new challenge, and I have been meeting new customers and painting their stories ever since. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I started tattooing, the new genre of colored tattooing had just emerged in Korea, so people were very unfamiliar with colored tattoos and were very curious about the fact that I could even create colored pencil textures like my designs. There were also a lot of customers who hadn’t seen my style of tattooing and were distrustful of the post-healing condition. But I completely understand their feelings. Even I wouldn’t have believed in this genre of tattooing when it first appeared. I never stopped researching designs and techniques every day. 

I tried to convince them by doing tattoos on my own body and posting healing photos of the tattoos. As a result, a few customers believed in me and came to me, and I kept in touch with them and shared their healing status. Then, the number of customers increased, and I think their faith in me grew. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a tattoo artist. I listen to people’s stories and turn them into sketches, and on top of that, I draw them on their bodies so that they can be permanent. I think I pioneered a new genre when color and texture tattoos were unknown in Korea. They were distrustful when my style first appeared, but after my persistent efforts, they became my customers. I’m very proud of that. In Korea, tattoos are considered to be very conservative, male, and gangsterish, so I tried to instill a warmer image by uploading my designs along with a photo of a friendly atmosphere. At the same time, I also tried to make tattoos more accessible to women by making them more approachable. 

Also, I didn’t just upload pictures as tattoo designs, but I branded myself by organizing the screen to match my drawings. Also, I draw mainly with colored pencils, and the texture of the colored pencil on the paper is the same on the skin. I do a lot of textured tattoos. I think this is what sets me apart from others. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ovenlee.tattoo