Life & Work with MB Fischer of West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to MB Fischer.

Hi MB, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have had a pencil in my hand since before I can remember. My favorite subjects to create are people and characters. As a 90s kid, my love of animation was shaped by the movies of the Disney Renaissance era: Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Hercules. I went to Animation school in the early 2010’s, where movies like How to Train your Dragon and Tangled inspired my love for the craft.

However, it was not to be. I graduated school and the vast opportunities I was promised were…not as attainable as I had thought. For years, I worked non-artistic jobs, letting art be just a hobby, a side hustle here and there. I spent 10 years working sales jobs that I didn’t realize were killing my soul.

By 2023, I had gotten through Covid, moved twice, improved my chronic pain condition, and finally settled into a routine. But it wasn’t enough.

I had secretly always wanted to be a tattoo artist, but when I first considered it in my early twenties, I’ll be honest I was too scared. Scared I wouldn’t make it, scared I wouldn’t be good enough. But at age 32 I had a different perspective. I said to myself, if I’m on my death bed, and didn’t even try to do this, I’d be so mad at myself. So that’s what I did.

I met my mentor at a tattoo convention. I was shopping around my portfolio for feedback, not getting much, when I came to the table for Petunia Twins Ink, an all female shop. One of the artists, Inga, was especially excited about my portfolio. She had never had an apprentice before but had almost a decade of tattooing experience. She decided to take me on.

Because I already knew art fundamentals and how to draw, my apprenticeship was completed relatively quickly. It was not without hurdles though. Learning the ins and outs of a shop dynamic, what is expected of you, and even the fun part of learning how to use a tattoo machine, it was all so overwhelming. But I made it through and graduated.

Once I graduated my apprenticeship, I hit the ground running, tattooing as much and as many people as I could. I worked on developing my unique style and my unique experience. As a friend told me, it’s not all about the tattoo itself, your clients are paying for an experience with YOU. And I take that very seriously.

2 years in, I still sometimes can’t believe I get to do this for a living. I never thought I would have a job I loved. But I get to make art every day, with coworkers I love, for clients who trust me. And I get to improve with every tattoo I do.

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 have suffered from chronic pain in my neck and shoulders for 12 years. I have been to countless doctors, specialists, holistic practitioners, and Internet forums. Nothing worked long term.

Some days I couldn’t get up from my bed, and I almost never slept well. Most days I just had to push through the pain in order to work and live. But it was so hard. I was in pain so often.

Until 2023, when I was prescribed a type of medication that actually worked! I had suffered for so long that this felt like magic. My daily pain went from a 8/10 to a 2/10!

That’s when I felt free. I could pursue tattooing! But then here comes the next struggle: self doubt.

Am I good enough? Can I handle it? Am I cool enough? Can I even make a living?

Those questions, those dark clouds looming overhead, can feel so big. So important, so true. Some days I still question myself. But I’ve learned that the answer doesn’t matter. Whether or not I am “good enough” at tattooing, I’m doing it and I’m going to make it happen.

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?
While I do know how to tattoo in several styles, my favorite style is Color Illustrative. This is a broad term, but basically my favorite designs to tattoo are pretty girls and cute animals, with bright bold colors. Since I was educated in animation, I focus on character pose and expressions, which bring life into the piece I’m creating. It’s also a fun challenge to take a design and translate it into a tattooable piece.

Give me Disney characters, pinup girls, and pet portraits all day please!

When I was in animation school, I was told by a male teacher that as a woman, I need to learn how to draw robots, superheroes, cars, boy stuff. Because animated tv show runners are not interested in “cute girly” drawings.

So I tried to learn how to draw “boy things” and my work suffered for it. If you don’t like what you’re creating, it’s not going to be as good as when you love it.

But now, I get to make a living designing and drawing and tattooing cute pretty feminine characters, in spite of what I was told all those years ago.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have had so much support it’s crazy. I don’t know what I did do deserve the people in my life rooting for me.

First, my husband Chris. We met in Animation school, so he’s been there for my whole art career journey. When I said to him, “what if I tried to be a tattoo artist?”, without skipping a beat he said, “Hell yeah go for it” and has supported me since.

My family has rooted for me my whole life. Especially my sister Lucy. When I told her I was going to pursue tattooing, she said “Finally!”

My mentor Inga. She saw my work and believed in me enough to give me a chance. She taught me how to tattoo, and we’ve become such good friends.

And everyone at Petunia Twins Ink. The artists are so supportive and we all just want everyone to succeed. There’s no overly competitive nature in our shop, because we want everyone to improve and succeed in this difficult industry.

And I can’t believe how many of my friends trusted me to tattoo them when I was just practicing and so new to this.

It’s very humbling to realize how many people are on your side, when you thought you might be doing this alone. It’s amazing

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/marbri.ink
• Other: @marbri.ink