Edmonton tattoo artist Jenna Coffin to star on reality show ‘Ink Master’

Jennifer Johnston, known professionally as Jenna Coffin, is a tattoo artist in Edmonton. For Johnston, tattooing “wasn’t even on the radar” for her until she met her husband, who then apprenticed her. Now, she is a successful tattoo artist who is set to star on the reality show, Ink Master. 

In terms of artistic aesthetic, Johnston explained that her inspiration comes mostly from conversations with her clients.

“I have a very overactive brain. When I sit down I have a million different thoughts. So my client will give me a theme, or a movie, a cartoon, whatever, and then I just sit down with it,” she explained.

After ruminating over the ideas from the clients, she puts them all together. According to Johnston, the “end result is [a peek inside her] busy brain.”

Ink Master has been a personal and professional learning experience for Johnston

Johnston’s tattooing roots expand beyond her shop in Edmonton. She trained in Europe, and commented on the differences between European and North American tattooing culture. 

“The work ethic is much stronger in Europe than it is here. Everybody is more advanced [in] the techniques [and] the conventions.” 

Johnston is set to appear on the sixteenth season of Ink Master, a popular tattooing reality competition, later this month. She competed as part of the “young guns,” a team of young artists with less than a decade of experience. The team is pitted against an older, more experienced group of artists, and a battle of the generations ensues. 

Johnston described the show as a learning experience. She had to adjust to the high-pressure environment and learn to work within time constraints. 

“You only have three hours for everything.” 

“Everything” includes both the design process and actual tattooing. Johnston’s main professional takeaway was how difficult it is to work with such little time, but declined to expand on what she learned about herself on a more personal level. “That will give a lot away.” 

To learn more, tune in to see Johnston compete on Ink Master, premiering October 23 on Paramount+.