Tattoo Artists near me: Caity Murphy best in Melbourne’s north

She’s known for her creativity and now she’s been named the best tattoo artist in Melbourne’s north. See her designs.

Caity Murphy, co-owner of The Painted Heart Tattoo, Diamond Creek was voted the best tattoo artist in Melbourne’s north. Picture: Supplied

The co-owner of a popular Diamond Creek studio, known for her creative designs, has been named the best tattoo artist in Melbourne’s north.

Caity Murphy from The Painted Heart Tattoo Studio has won Leader’s competition, polling the most votes to take the crown.

Ms Murphy said she founded the Painted Heart with her business partner Stacy Molly in November 2020 hoping to create a safe, inclusive safe for all.

One of Ms Murphy’s designs.

“There are some studios where they might not turn you away, but you might not feel super comfortable there. I think especially as a woman, you see that a lot, where it‘s not always a super inviting place to be,” she said.

“We just wanted to make our own little safe space for people to just feel really comfortable and really safe when they come and get tattooed, because you are pretty vulnerable when you’re getting stabbed by someone.”

Another of Ms Murphy’s designs.

Ms Murphy said she had been tattooing for about 10 years and accidentally fell into the profession.

“I was always fascinated by the actual process of tattooing, and I remember my brother coming home with his first tattoo when he turned 18 and I was just obsessed with it. I thought it was the best thing in the world.”

She started an apprenticeship when she turned 18 and after a false start at an unwelcoming studio, she found a good studio to learn her craft. After that, she said she fell in love with tattooing and has never looked back.

Ms Murphy said she specialised in more traditional styles with bold lines and lots of bright colour.

“I probably put a bit of a girly spin on it sometimes just to be a bit different,” she added.

She said despite the Painted Heart having opened between lockdowns, it had boomed in popularity so much so that they had stopped taking on new clients.

“We’ve got a couple of months backlog at the moment, and then we’ll sort of get through that and hopefully start taking on new clients again,” Ms Murphy said.

She said she hoped The Painted Heart would challenge a traditionally male-dominate industry.

The Painted Heart is at 55 Chute St, Diamond Creek.

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