In the life of ...: A permanent make-up artist

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Jan Bishop gently pulls on both corners of her client’s eye with one hand while her other hand holds the needle steady as it slowly inches across the eyelid, leaving a black line just above the eyelashes.

Bishop has nine years of experience as a permanent makeup artist. Her goal is to make eyeliner, lip liner and eyebrow tattoos look as natural as possible. Bishop is the only permanent make-up artist at and owner of Skin Illustrations, 725 North Second Street. It offers services ranging from tattoos and piercings to haircuts and highlights.

Photo by Katherine Mulder

Eye-opener: Jan Bishop, permanent makeup artist at Skin Illustrations, strives to make the makeup look as natural as possible.

Unlike normal tattoo artists, Bishop prides herself on the fact that most people don’t even notice her work. She says her married clients claim their husbands don’t even know. Though most of her clients are over 30 years old, Bishop says she has student clients from KU and even a handful from Kansas State.

The procedure itself is similar to a normal tattoo except the needle doesn’t go as deep into the skin and a special cosmetic pigment is used. Another difference is in the amount of pain.

Nina Courter had her eyes permanently lined by Bishop shortly after she started working at Skin Illustrations a year ago. She says the pain and fear of getting a tattoo are worse when the needle is so close to the eye. “It is like comparing a mammogram to a pap test. They both have the same amount of discomfort but they are two completely different experiences.”

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