Long before Cheyenne Goulish became a tattoo artist, she was already building little worlds of her own.
Her childhood was filled with anime, Pokémon, Nintendo games, and hours spent drawing favorite characters or creating OC's herself!
Years later, returning to art eventually led her to tattooing, where that same love for fantasy, bright color, nostalgia, and storytelling found a new home.
Today, Cheyenne specializes in colorful anime and character portraits that let her bring all of those influences together.
We caught up with her so you can get to know a little more about the artist behind the work!
What brought you to tattooing?
Art had always been a big part of who I was.
At some point, I realized I wanted to reconnect with that part of myself and started drawing again.
I decided to explore tattooing, and pretty quickly I realized I loved every part of it.
It gave me a way to create every day while also making something meaningful for another person.
Where did your style begin?
My whole childhood revolved around anime and gaming.
I grew up watching things like Pokémon, Sailor Moon, and Naruto, while playing Nintendo games whenever I could.
I would draw my favorite characters, imagine my own Pokémon, and create little worlds of my own.
That never really went away.
I still love fantasy, whimsy, action, and especially getting to play with lots of color.
What are your favorite anime?
Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto, and Hunter x Hunter are some of my favorites.
Anime has honestly been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so getting to build a career around these characters and stories feels very natural to me.
Now I get to take that love and turn it into colorful character pieces for other fans.
Who helped you get started?
I had a few really important people help me along the way.
Two tattoo artists in particular, Dustin and Noct, answered my questions, helped me understand where to begin, and taught me skills that made a huge difference early on.
I've looked up to them since day one.
Having people willing to share what they knew helped me turn something I loved into something I could actually pursue.
What matters most in your designs?
Emotion.
I want the tattoo to capture what makes the character feel like themselves.
Sometimes that's something intense and powerful. Other times it's beautiful, soft, whimsical, or completely over the top.
I love figuring out how the colors, expression, movement, and smaller details can all work together to give the piece that feeling.
What ideas are the most fun?
I love ideas where different worlds get mashed together.
One of my favorites combined Harvest Moon, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon into one tattoo.
I've spent so many hours of my life playing all three, so getting to bring them together was incredibly nostalgic and fun.
Those kinds of projects are exciting because you get to take things people already love and turn them into something they've never seen before.
Do you add Easter eggs?
Absolutely.
If a character or idea reminds me of something else, I love finding little ways to reference it.
I once designed a client's original World of Warcraft Troll Hunter as Tank Girl. The finished character reminded me a lot of Jinx from Arcane, so I worked in a few accents inspired by her too.
More recently, someone wanted a unique Gengar evolution piece, so I dressed the characters like jesters because Gengar is all about tricks and jokes.
Those little details make designing so much more fun.
What piece makes you proud?
One of my favorite pieces I've created is a Zelda and Light Dragon thigh piece from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
I had so much fun designing it.
There were a lot of glowing elements, a surprisingly large color palette, and plenty of opportunities to really play with color theory.
I also got to lean into the ethereal, almost 3D look that I love bringing into my anime work.
It felt like so many of the things I enjoy creating came together in one tattoo.
What was a big milestone?
Getting close to completing my first cohesive anime sleeve felt huge.
It's a Demon Slayer sleeve, and working on something at that scale really helped me understand my own style better.
Every new section gave me another opportunity to improve and figure out what I wanted my work to look and feel like.
That project helped me grow a lot.
What keeps you inspired?
My clients.
Seeing someone's face light up when I reveal the finished tattoo never gets old.
The hugs, little gifts, snacks, messages, and all the small ways clients show their appreciation remind me that there's a real person and story attached to every piece I create.
That connection makes everything worth it.
What keeps tattooing fun?
Honestly, I just love making beautiful art for people.
My dream might be to own a castle on a farm someday, but until then, getting to create art, meet amazing people, and make tattoos that give someone a little more confidence is a pretty great way to spend my time.
I wouldn't trade the experiences tattooing has given me for anything.
Where are you now?
I feel like I've really started understanding myself as an artist over the last year.
With support from my shop, my clients, and AnimeTattoos.com, I've been able to hone my style and figure out what I genuinely love creating.
I'm almost six years into tattooing, but in a lot of ways, I feel like I'm just getting started.
That's exciting to me.
Meet Cheyenne in the Chair
Cheyenne's work brings together the things she's loved since childhood: anime, gaming, fantasy, bright color, and creating worlds that feel a little magical.
Today, she gets to share that imagination with her clients through colorful character tattoos that are full of personality and unmistakably hers.
Want to Get Tattooed by Cheyenne?
If you haven't booked with Cheyenne yet and her work feels like the right fit for your next tattoo, we'd love to hear your idea.
