Carmen Macri
Tattoo Talk
Words by Carmen Macri
What better way to get to know someone than when they are stabbing you repeatedly in the back of the arm? (I personally can’t think of one.) There is always that awkward limbo when getting a tattoo. Do you try to make small talk? Or do you just sit in silence and bear the pain? There was only one way for me to find out, and that was to hook 20-year-old tattoo artist Luna Nastic up to a microphone and get to talking.
Luna: “All right, you ready?”
Carmen: “Al right, I’m ready. Would you like to start by telling me your name?”
Luna: “Luna Nastic. Spelled L-u-n-a N-a-s-t-i-c”
Carmen: “Pretty.”
Luna: “Yeah, It’s Serbian.”
Carmen: “Oh! Nice!”
Luna: “Yeah, first-generation American.”
Carmen: “How long have you been tattooing?”
Luna: “I started apprenticing in November of 2021. I officially started in February of 2022. So, I think it’s been, how many months is that? Nine?”
Carmen: “Did you ever dabble before you started apprenticing?”
Luna: “Um, yes, definitely. I started liking tattoos a lot, probably right when I got my first one. I started following a lot of accounts on Instagram. The more I looked at it I was like, “I think I could do this.” And then I started with fake skin in my room. I tattooed my father once or twice, just for fun.”
Carmen: “Yeah?”
Luna: “Yeah, and then I tattooed myself. I stopped for a while because I didn’t want to do anymore outside of a shop. I wanted to keep it sanitary. I am very against people tattooing themselves at home … So much could go wrong.”
Carmen: “Oh, I know. The first tattoo I ever got was in a house from a tattoo gun we bought off Amazon. Yeah, definitely not the smartest idea … Anyway, what got you into tattooing?”
Luna: “Um, I thought it wasn’t achievable for me. Because of the Jacksonville tattoo scene right now, it’s very hard to get apprenticeships, and I was just looking around and didn’t think I could get one anywhere. Me and Gavin [Clark] started talking when he was tattooing me. He just kind of made me feel like I could do it. Once he saw my art, he offered me a position here. It all kind of fell into place.”
Carmen: “Who is your favorite tattoo artist?”
Luna: “Oh, god… there’s too many that come to mind”
Carmen: “You can give me the top three if you need.”
Luna: “Okay, top three. Squires Strahan. He is in Tampa. Amazing artist. Obviously, Gavin Clark.”
Carmen: “I was waiting for that one.”
Luna: “Yeah, my favorite person ever, honestly. I’m going to go local with Ivy Ton. She’s the girl who did the Kurt Cobain portrait on my leg.”
Carmen: “Where is she?”
Luna: “She is at Electric Legacy on Normandy. She is also an apprentice. She is so talented.”
Carmen: “Oof.”
Luna: “You OK?”
Carmen: “Yeah, I’m good. Who or what inspires you?”
Luna: “Um, it is kind of weird to say, but just, like, emotions, the emotions I feel. A lot of the work that I do is directly correlated with something I’ve been feeling, so if I’ve been feeling happy or sad it reflects into what I’m making.”
Carmen: “I feel like that is very common with, like, artists in general.”
Luna: “ I also studied classical art for a really long time, so a lot of the stuff I do… it’s not correlated with art I’ve seen in the past but more so the emotions that I’ve seen in classical art, like the Renaissance.”
Carmen: “What is your craziest tattoo story?”
Luna: “Oh, god. I don’t know if you can write it.”
Carmen: “Just say it anyway.”
Luna: “So this guy, he came in as a walk-in once, I thought nothing of it. He asked for this Japanese mask, so I was like, ‘all right cool.’ I started tattooing him. Our AC was actually out that day, so we were all f****** sweating. And he… he started moaning while I was tattooing him. I understood that it hurt, but the noises were not that of pain.”
Carmen: “Oh my god.”
Luna: “I know. So, I was like, “OK, whatever.” I’m, like, going through the whole tattoo trying to ignore it. And it’s not loud. They were like quiet enough to the point only I could hear them, but they were like… weird.”
Carmen: “Oh, god. How long did it take?”
Luna: “Like an hour and a half. I actually wound up doing his whole sleeve after that. He tipped me an insane amount of money. Probably because he appreciated the fact I was ignoring his moans.”
Carmen: “I don’t even know how I would handle that situation.”
Luna: “Definitely an odd character.”
Carmen: “What is something you hate tattooing? Like when someone walks in and they ask for this you’re just like ugh?”
Luna: “Script. Script, words, oh, my god. It’s just… as simple as they look, there’s so much that goes into that. Without blowing out your lines, making sure you have the right needle, people can move an inch and ruin the whole thing. It is just very stressful. Like, I can do them well, I just don’t like doing them. Plus, I don’t really like doing anything that doesn’t have a creative notion to it. Because there is not much creativity that you can put into …”
Carmen: “… A script. OK. Noted. Will not come to you when I want to get script.”
Luna: “Oh, I will do them for people I like, but if it is a walk-in or something, I would pass it off.”
Carmen: “What is something you wish your clients would do more of? Like more preparation? Bring in photos?
Luna: “Most of my clients are pretty good when it comes to that stuff. Maybe… Oh! My male clients. Please shave your legs. Oh, my god. They come in with like four inches of Amazon bush on their legs and they’re like, “OK, I’m ready!” And I’m like hold on. This is gonna take 20 minutes for me to get off your body. Oh my god. I go through three razors I shit you not.”
Carmen: “My boyfriend is the most indecisive person when it comes to placement, so whenever he comes into the shop, he will have his entire leg shaved just in case. So, he is walking around with a bald leg.”
Luna: “That’s so good though.”
Carmen: “What is your favorite part of the body to tattoo?”
Luna: “Either arms or back. I would say that the back is probably the easiest to reach, but it is also very painful for people, and I don’t really like to inflict pain.”
Carmen: “You are probably not in the right field then.”
Luna: “I don’t mind it, but I feel bad when I start to see a tear form, and I’m like “I’m so sorry!”
Carmen: “My last question is: What do you recommend for first-timers?”
Luna: “I would say to make sure you do your research on your artist. Make sure you find someone who fits your style. That is the biggest mistake I’ve ever seen. I’ve covered a lot of tattoos for people who got theirs when they were 18. They walk into a random shop and didn’t think much of it. Not everyone is good. Not everyone cares about what your tattoos end up looking like. There are definitely a lot of artists in the field that just care about the money aspect of it. Also, stick to your arms or legs. I get a lot of DMs for rib pieces, and back pieces, and every time I do one of those, they get lightheaded. They are always like, “Oh, I can handle it.” No. Not for your first time. I refuse to do it now. I will actually deny them if it is their first tattoo.”
Carmen: “Oof”
Luna: “You OK?
Carmen: “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.”
Instagram: @moongirl.ink
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