About
My name is Sarah Hopper and I am an artist. Since I was young, I have enjoyed drawing and painting, and I was fortunate enough to have several great art teachers during my time in high school who helped me develop my skills with several mediums.
Tattooing is quite literally my dream job! I always wanted to do tattoos since I saw LA Ink on TV, but I never thought I would get any real opportunity to pursue it. After high school, I decided to go to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in hopes that I would find a creative career path for myself there. After an uninspiring first year at art school, my parents suggested that I drop out, come home, and try to begin an apprenticeship with someone closer to home. At first I was scared to leave the comforting structure of school, but the decision to leave was the best thing I could have chosen for myself.
Once I was back in Cincinnati, every shop I walked into turned me away, and almost everyone I called and emailed gave me a similar negative response. Some people even told me to go back to school. The only person who was willing to help me was Kore Flatmo. Kore is a world famous tattoo artist and I was shocked when I learned he was living so close to me in Cincinnati. He was kind enough to respond to my inquiry, and agreed to meet with me and offered his wisdom and advice to me. He had an apprentice at the time, so I continued working a dead end job while practicing my art in my spare time. I kept in touch with Kore and took his advice of practicing more tattoo based artwork. Eventually, Kore offered me the chance of a lifetime- to be his assistant and learn the ropes of tattooing along the way. This opportunity to work for and learn from a world famous master tattooer was truly a once in a lifetime chance. I am beyond grateful to him and his wife for allowing me into their lives, and to have the opportunity to learn from them and get my foot in the door to the tattoo industry. Starting my journey with an award winning world class artist was incredibly nerve wracking and anxiety inducing at first, but Kore and his wife were both very welcoming and kind to me. Thanks to them, I have been able to handle the design and application of large scale projects, and learned how to translate my artwork into tattoos, and make a living for myself doing something I enjoy. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the Flatmo’s help and encouragement.
When I am not tattooing I enjoy reading, painting, watching youtube and TV, playing tennis, and spending time with my boyfriend and our 2 cats.