Eight-year-old tattoos like a pro and wows clientele with impressive ink

San Antonio, Texas - An eight-year-old tattoo artist is making waves at a family-owned parlor, and she's got the clients to back up her ink game.

Athena Castillo did her first tattoo in December 2021.
Athena Castillo did her first tattoo in December 2021.  © Facebook/Nite Owl Tattoo Studio

Some third-graders are into sports, while others are are into scholarly activities. But eight-year-old Athena Castillo's extracurricular interests are a bit different from others her age.

Sure, a lot of kids – and adults – are into drawing, but Athena took her passion to new heights by trying her hand at tattooing.

KENS-5 reported that Athena first picked up a tattoo pen and inked a drawing of her own on someone's skin in 2021. The recipient of the tattoo was the young child's mentor D.J. Ramirez., an artist at the family-owned Nite Owl Tattoo Studio in San Antonio.

The piece? A small alien head tattoo on his ankle.

When asked how her love for drawing turned into an interest in ink, Athena said, "Every summer break, I would come over here and just watch the guys tattoo.

"I was like, maybe I could start doing that one day," she told the outlet.

So far, she's done roughly six tattoos, including cherries, a Doritos chip, and other small pieces.

How can an eight-year-old tattoo legally?

Now, the young tattoo artist has expanded her clientele. But fret not, as she only tattoos under the supervision of Ramirez.

If you're wondering how an eight-year-old is able to tattoo legally, the shop's owner and Athena's grandmother Diane Castillo said, "The state health department came out and they did an inspection [of the shop]. They said there was no legal age limit in Texas for someone to tattoo, and they said they would rather she tattoo here in a professional environment versus at home."

Without the law in the way, Athena was free to kick-start a career in tattooing.

It's clear that the young ink master has a keen interest and growing confidence in the art of tattooing, too, as she mentioned she feels "happy" after each piece she tattoos because she's "amazed [at] how good I did."

Cover photo: Facebook/Nite Owl Tattoo Studio

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