G Flip's tattoo artist Coco Loberg reveals the biggest do's and don'ts of couples tattoos
By Maddison Leach|
Valentine's Day is around the corner, and smitten Australians will be lining up to get matching tattoos to commemorate their love from the likes of fine-line tattoo artist Coco Loberg.
Loberg counts stars like G Flip among her regular clients, so will she be inking the singer and Selling Sunset girlfriend Chrishell Stause on February 14?
"I would for sure do one if they wanted one!" she tells 9Honey of the famous couple.
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"I've tattooed G-Flip twice now, and Chrishell's been there both times and it's cool," Loberg continues.
"They're just so relaxed, they're best friends and they just just hang out [while I tattoo], it's really nice."
Loberg isn't sure what kind of tattoos she'd design for them, but knowing G Flip and Stause, she's certain the couple would be after something super fun and unique.
Matching tattoos are more popular than ever these days and make up a staggering 60 per cent of Loberg's work, but hardly anyone is getting their partner's name tattooed anymore.
Instead, everyone wants quirky custom matching tattoos that are less obviously 'couples tattoos', like designs based on inside jokes or cute puns.
"People try to be as different as possible so they don't have something that everyone else has, which is sick because they bring in unique ideas," Loberg says.
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It's part of the reason she was so excited to create a unique set of temporary tattoo designs for Toblerone which represent just a few of Australia's favourite and most loveable quirks, from having a goofy laugh to being crazy adventurous.
The designs aim to inspire Aussies to say 'Your quirk is why I love you' this Valentine's Day, and Loberg says there's no better inspiration for a matching tattoo with a loved one.
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"Our best bits are our little quirks and things that make us different. One that I related to was having a sweet tooth and so does my partner," she laughs of partner Gareth Fletcher.
It's not just couples getting matching tattoos either; plenty of Loberg's clients come in for matching designs with their best friends, and mother-daughter tattoos are gaining popularity.
"It's quite funny to see the mum come in and the daughter's already got five or 10 tattoos and the mum's getting her first one at 60, it's cool," Loberg adds.
Friendship or family tattoos tend to be "safer", as you're slightly less likely to break up with a mate or your mum, but there are some big do's and don'ts for any matching tattoo.
Choosing a unique or custom design is a huge 'do', as is making sure the design reflects something you love about each other, rather than something "quite heavy".
"Keep it as light and fun as possibleกญ as you get older you don't always stay in touch with friends," Loberg says.?
Having a lighthearted matching tattoo makes it easier to still love the design even if you and your partner or friend go your separate ways.
"They were part of your timeline at some point and you obviously had enough fun with them to get a matching tattoo with them, so I think it's still something to celebrate," Loberg adds.
The biggest mistake people make, especially if it's their first tattoo, is trying to jam too much meaning into a single design out of fear that it won't "mean enough" otherwise.
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"The fact of the matter is, you know what it means and no one's gonna be able to decipher it anyway, so make the design look good and then explain what it means later," Loberg says.
"A lot of people come with a list of things that have to be involved in the tattoo butกญ it's just going to look like chaos. I just have to turn them away or try to redesign it with them."
The other big mistake people make is trying to get a tattoo on the cheap, because you're likely to end up with poor quality work that you hate in a few weeks' time.
"Then you're going to have to get it lasered off when you realise you can't stand it anymore, which is going to cost triple the amount you paid in the first place," Loberg adds.
Tattoo artists can afford to charge more for their work these days because Instagram and other social media sites allow them to build huge platforms, with clients regularly travelling from overseas to get tattooed by artists like Loberg.
Her prices start at $100 for a simple custom tattoo design and Loberg charges celebrities like G Flip the exact same rates as her regular customers, except in a few cases.
"I don't ever charge them extraกญ but sometimes we'll trade for different things depending on what their creative output is, like bartering for art" she says.
