Will NFT Transform Tattoos Into Profitable Art?

A geometric tattoo by Scott Campbell, who hopes his marketplace, All Our Best, will be a blessing for tattoo artists, who currently charge by the hour.

But you can't hang tattoos in a gallery or auction them at Sotheby's. They live and (unless previously retired) die with their owner. It also means that the most requested tattoo artists are still paid by the hour, just as many were during their apprenticeships decorating the biceps of sailors and bicyclists.

Artists generally aren't paid by the hour, said Scott Campbell, 44, a Los Angeles tattoo artist who has tattooed Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Aniston and Marc Jacobs. "Musicians don't get paid for the time it takes to create a song. You'd never go to a gallery and think, 'How long did it take the artist to paint it? I'll pay him for his time.'

Campbell, who works with other tattoo artists such as Mark Machado, known as Mr.Cartoon and Brian Woo, Dr.Woo, wants to change this equation.

Campbell preparing his ink at a tattoo event in 2015.

This week, Mr. Campbell is opening an online marketplace, All Our Best, where tattoo artists can offer their designs as permanent commercial products in the form of NFTs.

To update: an NFT, which stands for non-fungible token, is basically a digital stamp of authenticity that can be bought, sold or exchanged as a cryptocurrency on a blockchain. This is a far cry from the tattoo world, where stars in the field see their earnings limited to around $1,000 per hour for a one- to three-hour session, even when working with Hollywood stars.

In this new market, clients will buy exclusive rights to the tattoo design, rather than the tattoo itself. "I'm selling you an idea, instead of just a few hours of my life," said Campbell, who has been blurring the line between tattooing and fine art for years, showing his tattoo-inspired sculptures and paintings at galleries and art fairs . . "NFT is basically like some digital stickers."

As a perk of ownership, buyers get a guaranteed spot with the tattoo artist, which is no small feat, as the best tattoo artists can be nearly impossible to book for those outside the celebrity circle.

But that's not mandatory. Some owners may choose to preserve their virgin skin.

In theory, NFT tattoo owners could even hire a different tattoo artist to perform the tattoo, while still claiming the work as the original. (Copying tattoos without the artist's permission is a rampant problem).

At first, All Our Best will feature only a handful of well-known artists: Mr. Campbell, Mr. Cartoon, Dr. Woo, Grime, Sean from Texas and Tati Compton. Campbell plans to expand the roster and eventually open the market for any tattoo artist to sell their work.

He's not the only tattoo artist who sees an opportunity in blockchain. An artist in Portland, Me. named Brad Wooten, for example, sells photos of digitally designed tattoos as NFT.

The revenue potential is considerable. Early-stage prices for NFT tattoos on All Our Best will range from $1,000 to $10,000. The blockchain technology also allows artists to earn a 10% royalty every time a work is resold.

Clients can also benefit if the work appreciates, unlike the current setup where "all they get out of the deal is an Instagram post and some bragging rights," Campbell said. "They actually have something they can keep and pass on to their kids that has a life beyond just being that thing on their arm that in 10 years is going to get sunburned and look blurry anyway."