New York City-based tattoo artist JonBoy may not be as well-known as Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy or Shamrock Social Club’s Dr. Woo, but he’s definitely making a name for himself these days, most importantly as Kendall Jenner’s go-to tattooist. Kendall Jenner only has two tattoos so far, both inked by JonBoy, and during a recent interview with Refinery 29, the tattoo artist spoke up about the meaning behind the model’s ink, as well as his experiences tattooing Kendall and her celebrity friends, like cousins (and tattoo addicts) Hailey and Ireland Baldwin.
Kendall Jenner’s first tattoo was done a couple of months ago at JonBoy’s NYC-based tattoo shop, and features a tiny, almost invisible white dot inked on the inside of her right-hand middle finger. The second, inked by JonBoy just last week, features a small white broken heart on the inside of her left-hand middle finger, and matches the same tattoo Hailey Baldwin had done in the exact same spot, but in red ink. While some other celebrities, like Rihanna and Cara Delevingne, have occasionally opted for white tattoos, Kendall Jenner seems set on sticking strictly with white ink, a decision that JonBoy explained in his Refinery 29 interview.
“I don’t really [have interesting stories] other than tattooing Kendall Jenner and putting a little white dot on her,” said JonBoy. “That was different for me, but at the same time, that’s what she wanted. So that’s what I’m going to give her.” He went on to clarify Kendall’s reasoning for getting the tiny dot, saying, “To her, it’s the little things that matter. The white color was because she didn’t want it to show with modeling and all that. It was a fun night. Hailey Baldwin was there, too, and I’ve tattooed her a few times; she’s tattooed me as well.”
In fact, JonBoy says, it’s thanks to Hailey Baldwin that the tattoo artist has a sudden influx of celebrities wanting ink done by him. “When it comes to celebrities, Hailey Baldwin has really brought them my way,” he said. “We go to church together, so that’s how we know each other, and she keeps bringing me her crew. That’s how Kendall got here, that’s how her cousin [Ireland Baldwin] got here. Justin Bieber will be coming through here sometime, as soon as he’s back in New York.” Man, we’d love to be a fly on the wall during those tattoo sessions!
