Tattoo artist covers scars from self-harm, abuse
Nickola Koukla, from Cobourg, says her work is a way to give a person a second chance
A Cobourg artist is combining her passion for body art with a desire to help those physically scarred by self-harm or abuse.
Nickola Koukla was working as a tattoo artist in Vancouver when she began to see clients who had scars due to a mental health condition that caused them to self-harm. Self-harm is the nonsuicidal intentional infliction of physical harm to your own body (e.g., cutting, burning, bruising, scratching), according to jack.org.
The people who come to Koukla have moved on from the trauma, but the scars remain and can further stigmatize them. Some people wear long-sleeved shirts throughout the year to cover the scars, which are typically on their arms.
“We all have wounds — some people’s you can see, some you cannot,” she said.
Koukla wanted to help because it is a way to give a person a second chance.
“People are unfairly judged,” she said.
During the year she spent in Vancouver, she created six selfharm tattoo coverups. She returned to Cobourg earlier this year and opened her own studio, continuing her work covering up scars.
The scars are typically caused by small linear cuts, and she must be mindful of the raised and shiny scar tissue when creating the tattoos.
People started to seek her out because she makes them feel at ease, and they started opening up about their stories, she said.
“I now consider covering scars as a specialty.”
In the last two weeks, she has received about 10 emails from people requesting coverups. Currently, she has a list of clients lined up into 2019.
“I realized there was a demand for people to do this,” she said.
Though the interest is high, Koukla has decided to cap it at one free self-harm coverup tattoo a month. Originally from Oshawa, Koukla received a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Ottawa. She spent time in Europe, where she was represented by a gallery and did portraits on commission. It was in Berlin around 2012 where she discovered a love for tattoo artistry. The style was different than tattoos she had seen in Canada.
“I thought, ‘People are creating art with this,’ ” she said.
Visit koukla.ink for more information on how to schedule a self-harm coverup or to make a donation to help those seeking coverups.
“We all have wounds — some people’s you can see, some you cannot.” NICKOLA KOUKLA TATTOO ARTIST