- Fanci Mandi, a tattoo artist in Columbus, specializes in cosmetic microblading, offering services like nano eyebrows, eyeliner, freckles and beauty marks.
- Pretty in Ink clients range from those seeking aesthetic enhancements to those with medical conditions that can alter their appearances.
- The business, Pretty in Ink, has grown due to the increasing popularity of microblading, and Mandi Chisholm now has nearly 100 students.
Though face tattoos may still be a social taboo, semi-permanent facial microblading has become a recent cosmetic phenomenon.
Despite this new popularity, one local tattoo artist has dedicated almost two decades of her life to prove anyone can feel pretty with just a little bit of ink — and now she's instructing others.
Located in the heart of Downtown's arts district sits a unique tattoo parlor, where a range of clients look to Mandi Chisholm, better known as Fanci Mandi, to create nano eyebrows, eyeliner, freckles, beauty marks — you name it — using tattoo micropunctures.
Many who walk into a tattoo shop hope to make something stand out on their bodies, but most of Chisholm's clients are seeking tattoos that can enhance their natural look or even blend in with paramedical tattoos.
"I have clients that have the want and the necessity to make things easier for themselves; they want to build their confidence," she said. "Then I have clients that have medical conditions that might be surviving cancer or have been through treatment like alopecia."
A known face among the tattooing community, Pretty in Ink has bounced around the Short North and Clintonville before settling at 122 E. Main St. in 2018. Chisholm, who has been tattooing for over 17 years, takes pride in boosting the confidence of her clients and educating others.
"It is a surreal gift that I can just change or tweak anybody's confidence by what I do on their face," she said.
Promoting beauty and confidence, one hair stroke at a time
Tattooing was only a side hustle for Chisholm, who originally trained to be a professional photographer. A California native who lived in Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey, following her passion for art and color theory, she said life had other plans that took her around the nation — even to Serbia for master training in fine-line tattooing — and eventually to Columbus.
"I originally wanted to do cosmetic tattooing to pay for my photography equipment, and then the tattoo thing just took over my life," she said.
She was one of three cosmetic tattoo artists when she got her start in 2008 but said thanks to social media promoting the aesthetic qualities of microneedling, her business was able to take off. Having settled in many places before Columbus, Chisholm said this city was the best place to start and grow a business.
"I love the music, I love the scene. It's got a great art vibe and that's kind of where it started to feed my soul, so it made it really easy for me to grow," she said.
It's also because of this growing popularity that Chisholm began teaching.
"What I am teaching is very important to me. I teach a lot of the fundamentals of everything, the basics and then guide their interests according to their strengths," she said.
With just under 100 students, Chisholm said her training focuses on hand dexterity, hand-eye coordination and repetition. Training typically lasts anywhere between 30 days to six months, depending on how long it takes for students to complete the 100-hour curriculum.
"The biggest difference between regular body-art tattoo and cosmetic tattooing is making it look more natural," she said. "We use similar machines but different pigments sometimes, and I try to keep everything kind of perfectly imperfect with the hair strokes."
Operating as a women-led business in a city that Chisholm now calls her home, she said helping people feel confident in how they look is a skill not to be underrated. And now, Columbus just might become a breeding ground for tiny tattoo professionals.
"If you look good, you feel good. It brings up confidence; it helps put your best foot forward," she said. "Then, the next person that encounters you, you're probably going to have a better attitude if you feel good."
Trending features reporter Amani Bayo can be reached atabayo@dispatch.com.
