Pro Artist of the month – Kat Hardy

June 30, 2025 - 1 year ago

She’s super cool, she’s wickedly creative, and she’s tattooed all your favourite band members… of course we could only be talking about Kat Hardy!

Hailing from the marina town of Bangor in Northern Ireland, Kat is the owner of Four Oracles Tattoo and has had the sort of amazing career already that every alternative teen of yesteryear could have only dreamed about.

We spoke to Kat about her influences in both art and music, how our good friend Kezz from Tattoo Smarter improved her booking game, and what little nuggets of backstage shenanigans she could share.

What first sparked your interest in tattooing as a career?

I had always been an art kid and knew I wanted to work in a creative industry but didn’t really know what form that would take as a career path. When I was a teenager, Miami Ink was on TV and it opened my eyes to the tattoo process and what it could mean to be a tattoo artist; it fascinated me.

I was always drawing in my spare time while going through my education, but it was the push of a well-known northern Irish tattooist I was friends with at the time who told me to go for it after seeing my drawings. Seeing someone local be successful and be able to sustain a life for themselves tattooing gave me the much-needed boost of confidence to pursue it.

What were some of the early challenges you faced in tattooing and how did you work through them?

I put too much time and energy into the wrong people unfortunately and was let down by people in the community that I respected. I let the opinion of others impact me far more than I should have which deeply affected my confidence and I became extremely hard on myself.

For literally years I struggled with imposter syndrome, feeling isolated and dealing with bad mental health. It took a lot of hard work, self-reflection and finding a network of good people around me to help overcome that.

Has anyone – or anything – had a big influence on your style or the way you tattoo?

At this moment I feel like music/pop culture and also Victorian memento mori/funerary imagery has had a huge influence on my tattoo work and who I am as an artist.

I also grew up on punk, emo and metal music, I loved seeing all the old hand-drawn punk posters and album artwork; it was so raw and aggressive and full of passion. I connected so deeply with the DIY punk/hardcore mentality; doing what you can with the resources you have. I have carried that with me for 20 years, and into my tattoo career, so I suppose that has been one of the biggest and most consistent influences for me as a tattooist, artist and person.

How has your approach to tattooing or style changed over time, and would you like to explore more of any other styles or subjects?

I feel for a long time in my career I was trying to find myself and my style, still learning about technical application as well as exploring my artistic side. I made the decision to work solely with black and grey styles 3/4 years ago and that felt right for me because as an artist (painting, sketching, etc), I just could never connect with colour.

I’m a huge fan of American traditional tattooing, I love using it as a jumping off point for my own work but I also can really appreciate black and grey realism work and I think more pop culture portrait style pieces would be fun to explore.

Tell us about how you came to open your own private studio, Four Oracles Tattoo?

After working in large studio environments for a few years I felt like I wanted my own space, influenced by artists and studios I loved and run in a way that worked for me and my clients. I’m lucky to live in a town that had smaller retail units that were affordable, so I took the leap. Running a studio – no matter the size – can be stressful and an extra workload but it has been worth it to be able to create a space that feels unapologetically ‘me’.

How convenient is it for you to have a workspace next door to your husband’s?

I’m genuinely so lucky that my husband’s barbershop is right next door to my studio. Surprisingly, we don’t see each other during the day because of jobs but It’s nice to know he’s there for moments of downtime or showing each other exciting parcels we get in the mail!

We tend to share a lot of clients which is funny, and people joke that we are taking over the road building an empire, but we do find ourselves building a little community because of our businesses being next door to each other, which is a really cool thing to be part of.

For those looking to visit Bangor, which three places would you recommend they start?

Bangor is a marina town, so I always recommend a walk around the seafront - especially on a sunny day! We have two cool independently owned record stores – Bending Sound and Choons; they are always worth a look. For some calming goth vibes, I recommend a walk around the Bangor Abbey churchyard in the centre of the town with gravestones going back 300 years.

What is your client process like from initial consultation to finished tattoo?

I streamlined a lot of my process by working with Kezz from Tattoo Smarter to set up a great booking enquiry system, that made a huge impact of my workload and client experience. While I do get the occasional walk-in enquiry, most of my work comes from an online space so having a digital booking system has been a godsend for me and my time management.

Clients submit a booking enquiry using the form on my website, I reply with a price and link to my online booking system and clients can then book themselves in for date/time that suits them and pay the deposit. I constantly get good feedback from old and new clients about how easy this process is.

My studio is a private space which I hope feels more comfortable and relaxing to everyone who comes in. I also send digital consent forms and pre-tattoo information in advance which gives clients the opportunity to state if they need additional assistance or ways I can help make their experience more comfortable if they are neurodivergent, etc.

I want my clients to feel supported and comfortable from start to finish, sometimes walking into a tattoo shop can be like walking into the unknown and that’s intimidating for a lot of people.

Do you have any advice for those getting their first tattoo or artists starting an apprenticeship?

Do your homework! We live in the most advanced digital time we’ve ever had, with a wealth of knowledge literally in our pockets. For first time tattoos, you can research artists in your area and find the perfect artist for your style of design, it’s no longer a game of tattoo shop roulette. We can research more about tattoos in general so we, as clients, can make safer and better-informed choices.

For artists just starting an apprenticeship, keep it old school. Draw by hand, use reference books, take your own photos for reference, speak to the older artists in your community or wider tattoo community as a whole, learn about equipment you might not have used before, research other styles of tattooing. The internet is great, modern technology is great but I’m a strong believer in having a solid foundation to build on top of.

There are lessons to be learned in everything; by doing the walk-ins that maybe aren’t your style, by drawing on paper, by trying to draw other styles of tattoos than you are used to, by speaking to artists who have been tattooing for 20+ years. Tattoo styles change and I think it’s important for artists who want to still have a career and be busy in 10 years’ time to have the knowledge and skillset to adapt. For me, it’s about respecting the traditions of tattooing and bringing those forward with a modern approach.

Which brands and products can you not work without?

Some may be surprised to know when it comes to my tattoo process I’m a bit of a minimalist. I have a basic product set up that I know works for me and my tattooing.

Some of the products I can’t live without are Unigloves Black Pearl nitrile gloves - they have the right amount of stretch and are the most comfortable gloves I’ve found on the market.

Butterluxe Stencil Glue is the best stencil product I’ve ever used, so when I see it back in stock I make sure I stock up! I love Butterluxe products in general, I discovered them about eight years ago from their aftercare butters and have been a customer since, it’s great to see how they have grown into the brand they are today with a wide range of studio products.

I also recently discovered Biotat glides and I love them, I usually use the green or the purple and they make the tattoo process just so much nicer for artist and client.

Another item I actually can’t live without is a body measuring tape – you won’t believe how many clients don’t know the difference between inches and centimetres! So I always have one of these for measuring gaps on clients or designs on paper.

Can you give us your top aftercare tips, most important for looking after tattoos during the summer?

For the run up to your tattoo appointment, wear sunscreen and moisturise daily. You need at least three weeks to heal before going on a sun holiday so make sure you aren’t getting your new forearm tattoo then hopping on a plane to your all-inclusive beach holiday the day after. For healing a fresh tattoo, I love keeping aftercare products in the fridge, the cold will help soothe warm itchy tattoo areas especially on warmer days.

You’re a huge music lover – do you remember the first band or album that really shaped your style?

Looking back, I think discovering punk rock as a whole as a young teen defined so much of who I was and wanted to be as an artist. I loved DIY-style covers, artists like Jesse Fischer who created Rancid’s …And Out Come the Wolves and NOFX’s Pump Up the Valuum album art, The Distillers Sing Sing Death House and bands like AFI and The Misfits with their really cool look and general horror punk vibe.

Discovering emo/post hardcore in early 2000s; bands like My Chemical Romance, Glassjaw, Alexisonfire, Thursday, Eighteen Visions, really helped shape me and my artistic journey.

You have met and tattooed so many musicians, their crew and family members, but do you have any particular highlights?

It’s been a wild couple of years! Every moment I get to spend in the company of musicians and crew is amazing but some highlights would be tattooing Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance/LS Dunes) and Tucker Rule (Thursday/LS Dunes).

My Chemical Romance is one of my favourite bands of all time and Thursday’s War All the Time is such an iconic post hardcore record for me, so being asked to do tour tattoos for those guys was a dream come true. I had posters of these bands on my walls as a teenager, magazine clippings decorating my school folders and books, listened to these bands making art; the soundtrack to my life and career. They are genuinely good people, they are supportive of what I do and I’m so honoured to have added to their collection and call them friends to this day.

Another massive highlight was being invited by NOFX twice to tattoo backstage, most recently their Brixton Academy final tour shows. Myself and their tour manager Kent Jamieson designed a little ‘final’ tattoo based on their band logo and it very quickly became the ‘final tour tat’ on the tour with band members and crew getting it done to celebrate the final run. Tattooing ‘Fat Mike’ and Aaron ‘El Hefe’ is another one of those moments I’ll never forget. In 2002, NOFX and Rancid released an EP, BYO Split Series Volume III and this was my introduction to both of these bands. NOFX were there at the start of my creative journey so being part of the closing of theirs was a hugely emotional moment for me. If you look closely enough at recent live photos of Mike and Aaron, you’ll spot the tattoos I did for them or stickers I made for them all on their flight cases or instruments.

Tattooing Skye Hoppus backstage at Blink-182 with her husband and bassist Mark taking photos with a disposable 35mm camera was also just one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever experienced ha!

Any stories you’re allowed to share from behind the scenes when on the road at gigs and festivals?

A funny and also nerve-wracking recent one was tattooing Frank Turner backstage at a show in Manchester. He wants his stomach tattooed but I only have tattoo equipment that can fit in my flight case, so we have to use an old wooden fold out catering table we find in the backstage kitchen. There is no fear like the fear of seeing an extremely tall man lie himself down on a table that may not hold his weight and potentially ruin the rest of his tour, but thankfully it did and we got his tattoos done before the show!

I met Laura Jane Grace for the first time tattooing at her show in Belfast last year and we had such a lovely chill hang out. While I was tattooing her wife Paris, she came in and sat on the floor restringing her guitars while we all chatted about everything and anything. It was such a heartwarming experience; having music bring together a group of creatives just living the dream every day and sharing that moment together. She’s amazing, I hope to see her again.

Tattooing backstage with NOFX at Brixton Academy was just crazy; we were lucky we had a crew room to tattoo in so it was calm most of the day but walking around pre/mid show and seeing just how many people turned up felt like that movie ‘rock and roll’ backstage experience. We were standing on the stage while NOFX were playing and my husband turns to his right and see Josh Freese; his favourite drummer of all time just standing there vibing out to the band. After the set and all the guests, etc are standing around the stage, our tour manager friend introduces us to Josh Freese and shows him the tattoos we just done earlier that day. Watching my husband stand speaking to one of his music idols was such a heartwarming experience for me and it’s such a blessing I get to share these moments with my best friend and someone who has been in my corner since day one.

My favourite recent artwork of yours is the alternative album cover for Violet by LS Dunes, what inspired it and what did the band think?

I love that one too! I’m particularly proud because it’s the first full colour piece of art I’ve done in literally years and I also got it made into real vinyl sleeves with art inserts, etc so seeing something physical and being able to touch it opposed to digital art is so special.

This idea was born from the new record they put out this year and a visual I was building in my head when I was listening to their music. This record was inspiring images and scenes of a neo-noir cyberpunk animated movie I was writing in my head, and in this world Violet by LS Dunes is the movie soundtrack.

I am friends with the band so when I saw them earlier this year I brought them a few of the actual record sleeves I had made and explained the concept was and how I was inspired by the songs they had released. They loved it, asked if they could keep the copies I brought and if I’d sign them. When I explained the general outline of the story I had created, the singer Anthony kept telling me we had to do something with this, work together on something and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Huge compliment! I love that band, they are so inspiring and supportive, and they really love seeing fan art and how people get inspired by the music they make.

Is there a dream band or musician you would love to collaborate with on a tattoo design?

They are so many bands I’d love to work with - maybe too many! I’m open and ready for work to anyone reading this but I think it would be dream come true stuff to work with My Chemical Romance, Queens of the Stone Age or Nine Inch Nails. I’d really love to work with brands like Liquid Death and festivals like Warped Tour, Download, When We Were Young; designing some merch or some sort of creative endeavour! I come from a visual merchandising and music promotion company background, so I feel like those sorts of places and this world of crossing over art and music events is where I am supposed to be.

You have said that Joshua Tree is your favourite place in the world, but what about it exactly do you love so much and keeps you coming back?

There is an air about Joshua Tree and an energy I haven’t felt anywhere else I’ve travelled to. It’s quiet and peaceful but there’s also life all around you, it’s just different to what I’m used to seeing at home. It’s my absolute favourite place. It feels punk rock, it feels western, it feels arty, it feels ancient and full of magic. If you imagine getting into a dusty old Camaro and driving through the desert listening to Queens of the Stone Age, Joshua Tree is where you are driving. I’d love to retire out there making art driving a big ol’ truck.

Outside of music and tattooing, what helps you unwind at home?

Outside of tattooing and music, I love exploring graveyards and definitely make more of an effort to go outside especially during the summer on my days off. My husband and I pack a picnic and go off for a drive; we try to be tourists in our own country and visit places/parks/beaches we haven’t been before.

I’ve also recently gotten into gardening, I love putting together flower planters it’s such a relaxing hobby that keeps my hands busy. This year I’ve also really gotten into reading and audiobooks so on days off at home you’ll find me deep into a book. I also paint leather/faux leather and preloved accessories and garments including jackets, gloves and recently I painted a cool leather western hat for an online creator, The Terrible Dogfish.

Tell us about your pop-up alternative thrift and makers market, Oracle Thrift?

Oracle Thrift was born from the need to de-clutter our wardrobes and home, but I didn’t have the energy for websites like Vinted and Etsy. After speaking to a few clients who also felt the same, my husband and I organised a small thrift event; think of it like Vinted in real life, and I also have a few artist/creative clients who wanted to sell some of their products. We had two events last year that were really popular and this summer we return with an even bigger venue and have grown the thrift into a thrift and makers market; showcasing preloved clothing, accessories and an array of alternative artists and creatives.

I’m really passionate about having a space and community for alternative people like my husband and I, my town hosts a lot of events but none feel like they cater for us so we felt it was the perfect opportunity to create one.

What is next for Kat Hardy?

I’ll be completely honest, I’m not sure what is next for me. I want to attend more seminars and workshops for tattooing, explore more and develop my tattooing style. I’d hate to feel stagnant and my brain needs to feel like it’s always learning or doing something.

I’ve been rediscovering myself these last few years as ‘Kat, the artist not just tattoo artist’, so I’d love to try my hand at other creative endeavours I can do alongside tattooing, such as illustration and design work and collaborate with more creatives.

I want to pursue more backstage tattooing and build that part of my business also. The last 2/3 years of my career have given me so many opportunities I could never have imagined; I think going forward for me is about just being open for whatever the universe throws my way and having the confidence to go with it and see what happens.

A massive thank you to Kat for not only agreeing to take part in our interview, but for the brilliant answers and little behind-the-scenes tidbits featuring some of our favourite bands! Make sure to check out her work and BTS content over on Instagram at @kathardy.tattoo and TikTok at @kathardy.tattoo too.

(Additional photos by @fuckincaseyphotos and @gaby_ravy.)