Tattoo Shop Tango: Master Mentor Boneface Did 56 Tattoos in a Day, Then Built a “Flash Tattoo Mall”
The record at the flash tattoo booth inside Jelly Roll’s bar in Nashville was 30 tattoos in a day. Anwan “Boneface” Johnson did 56. People lined up from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m., and he says it was the most money he’s ever made in a tattoo shop in one day. Then he had a bigger thought: if this works here, why can’t it work somewhere else? That question became the Flash Tattoo Mall, a 15-station “tattoo shop for tattoo shops” in Pensacola, Florida.
Boneface is an Ink Master veteran, the owner of Boneface Ink for 20 years, and one of Ink Different’s Master Mentors. In this episode of Tattoo Shop Tango, he sat down with us and co-host Chico Cortez to talk business, change, and taking care of the people around him.
Key Takeaways
The record: Boneface did 56 flash tattoos in one day at a Nashville bar booth with a $200 minimum.
The Flash Tattoo Mall: A 15-station tattoo shop where visiting Tattoo Artists book through a website, show up with their machine, and tattoo walk-ins. No contracts, no ties.
His business rule: “The only thing that really doesn’t lie is numbers.” Flash can out-earn custom work per hour.
His model: Build the brand, front desk, and customer service first, like the San Francisco 49ers.
His heart: Mental Health Mondays, a weekly men’s check-in that drew 20 to 25 guys at a time.
Who Is Boneface and Why Does the Tattoo World Watch Him?
Anwan “Boneface” Johnson competed on seasons 8 and 9 of Ink Master. He’s owned Boneface Ink in Pensacola, near the Navy base on New Warrington Road, for 20 years.
He thinks like both a Tattoo Artist and a businessman. “I’m a numbers guy,” he says. He can’t go to a bar or restaurant without wondering how much it makes or what it cost to build.
He’s also a big believer in innovation. He says he was the first to bring a wireless battery to pen machines. His very first machine was a homemade jailhouse machine powered by a VCR motor, with the battery wired straight to it. Years later, he worked with manufacturers in China to create an RCA battery that fits any pen machine and eliminates the clip cord.
Chico has known Boneface for years. When Ink Different asked Chico which Tattoo Artists he wanted to work with, Boneface was one of the first names he gave. “What you see is what you get,” Chico says.
How Did Boneface Complete 56 Tattoos in a Single Day?
Boneface did it working flash at a tattoo booth inside Jelly Roll’s bar, Goodnight Nashville, alongside Tattoo Artist Bubba Irwin.
The setup was simple. Flash tattoos took about five to 10 minutes each. Because of the location, there was a $200 minimum, and clients tipped, too. People lined up from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m.
The booth’s record was 30 tattoos in a day. Boneface did 56.
The booth only had room for two Tattoo Artists, and everyone wanted those spots. Boneface says you could walk away with $3,000 to $4,000 a day, minimum. That got him thinking about what the same idea could do on a larger scale.
Bubba brought him in as a partner on another location, in a bar around the corner from Jelly Roll’s. Boneface built the whole tattoo shop himself, top to bottom, out of pocket. It did well, but going back and forth between Florida and Nashville was too much, so they closed it.
Pro Tip: Boneface’s 56-tattoo day came from the right setup: quick flash designs, a high-traffic location, and a clear minimum price.
What Is a "Flash Tattoo Mall" and Why Does It Matter?
The Flash Tattoo Mall is Boneface’s new business model in Pensacola. He calls it “a tattoo shop for tattoo shops.”
Here’s how it works:
15 rotating stations: Tattoo Artists from other tattoo shops come in on a day rate and take walk-ins.
A safety net for slow days: If your tattoo shop is slow, you can grab a chair, take walk-ins, and even send those clients back to your own tattoo shop.
Online booking: Boneface is building a website where Tattoo Artists list their available dates. Clients book them, and the Tattoo Artist gets a notification.
Everything’s handled: Stations are fully stocked and cleaned. “All you got to do is pack a machine.” Boneface’s team also helps with licensing before you arrive.
No ties: No contracts. Show up, tattoo, make your money, and go.
Eventually, he plans to add a membership fee. Visiting Tattoo Artists will get to work in Florida, enjoy the beach, and make money.
Why it works
Pensacola is a vacation town. Many groups come in wanting a quick tattoo to remember their trip. Chico calls them “souvenir tattoos.” The Flash Tattoo Mall has $50 minimums, so almost anyone can afford a small piece.
And if someone in the group wants something bigger? Boneface’s custom tattoo shop is two minutes up the road. “While we work on you, we’ll send him up there on the shuttle,” he says.
He opened the Flash Tattoo Mall in early January. He knows it will take time to develop, but he says once something like this is rolling, it works. It also takes some notoriety to pull off, and as Chico points out, plenty of foot traffic.
What Can You Learn From a Master Mentor Like Boneface?
Change is inevitable
Boneface says Tattoo Artists are often hardwired to do things the way they’ve always been done. He points to the switch from coil machines to pen machines. Everyone was “loyal to the coil,” until they weren’t.
He says AI is the same. “It’s going to happen. You better learn how to use it to your advantage.” He believes young Tattoo Artists are thriving because they aren’t afraid to try new things.
Chico agrees that old ideas come back around. He kept his flash racks for years, knowing flash would return. “If you look at Pinterest,” he says, “that’s just flash on the computer.”
Numbers don’t lie
Boneface doesn’t let emotion drive business decisions. “I’ve done Ink Master, and I’ll still do a $50 minimum tattoo,” he says. He points out that if he does 10 $50 tattoos in an hour, that’s $500 an hour, more than most custom work pays.
He thinks ego gets in the way for many Tattoo Artists. “Everybody’s above something until they’re broke,” he says.
The client comes first
Boneface says the key to keeping a tattoo shop open is focusing on the client, not the Tattoo Artist’s ego. “My job is to make them happy, not to force my ideas on them.”
He likes to exceed expectations. But if a client just wants their own design, he’ll do that, too. “I sell burgers, I sell steaks, I sell fries. I sell it all.”
Build the brand, not the personalities
Boneface says the keys to survival are good management, the front desk, customer service, and solid work. Tattoo Artists come and go, and eventually most go out on their own, which he says is the goal anyway.
He compares it to the San Francisco 49ers. Legends like Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, and Steve Young came and went, but the organization is still here. “Everything is centered around the brand, not the people under the brand.”
He’s clear that his way isn’t the only way. Some tattoo shops thrive as close-knit groups of friends. That’s why he runs both: Boneface Ink for a homegrown feel, and the Flash Tattoo Mall, where the brand has to carry visiting Tattoo Artists.
How Do You Build Speed and Consistency as a Tattoo Artist?
Boneface says real progress starts with understanding tattooing completely, then putting needle to skin.
Step 1: Learn the whole body. “You can’t do surgery until you know the body,” he says. Learning one part isn’t enough.
Step 2: Get real experience. At the end of the day, you have to tattoo to figure it out.
Step 3: Let tattooing humble you. Boneface says he doesn’t have to humble new Tattoo Artists. The work will. He’s watched many tattoo shops open and close around him over 20 years.
Step 4: Choose the right work for the moment. Quick flash can be a smart way to stay busy and profitable.
Step 5: Know your tools. See the tools every beginner Tattoo Artist should know.
Before you start, read about the mistakes aspiring tattoo apprentices should avoid.
Why Does Live, In-Person Mentorship Beat Learning Alone?
Boneface’s own career proves it.
He hired the Tattoo Artists he wanted to learn from
Boneface says he was a terrible Tattoo Artist when he started, and he knew it. “Everybody around me was better than me,” he says. Nobody would teach him, so he found another way.
He got a building between two military bases and hired the Tattoo Artists he admired. He gave them three to four months of free booth rent and a high percentage, about 75/25. Then he sat over their shoulders and watched them work. “I’m the boss,” he laughs. “What are you going to tell me, to leave?”
He took care of them as people
Some of the Tattoo Artists who worked for him struggled with addiction. He helped them get into rehab and gave them a place to stay, even setting up rooms in his tattoo shop.
He doesn’t give his Tattoo Artists set schedules. Instead, he asks what they can give him, then holds them to it. He says Tattoo Artists don’t stay because they need you. They stay because they feel appreciated and treated like family.
He knows what it’s like to need help
Boneface grew up in a family that relied on welfare. Both his parents battled addiction. Some days, he walked his brothers and sisters to the Salvation Army or the Boys & Girls Club for free food. He looked forward to school because he knew he’d eat there twice a day, and people were kind to him there.
“You kind of hold on to those traumas and turn them into superpowers later,” he says. He’s grateful for it all.
Today, Pensacola has 80 to 90 tattoo shops, and every Tattoo Artist who has worked for Boneface owns one of them. He’s never parted ways with a Tattoo Artist on bad terms. “I just like to be able to say I’m a part of your story.”
Mental Health Mondays
Boneface also started Mental Health Mondays, a weekly check-in for men. He started it for others and for himself. “I struggle with my mental health,” he says.
He felt men rarely have a safe space to talk, and that people usually care more about what they can do than how they’re doing. So he set up chairs at his tattoo shop. He handed out journals and pens, gave the guys things to note during the week, and asked check-in questions. Everyone shared one hard thing from their week, then one good thing.
Between 20 and 25 men showed up every Monday, from all walks of life. One was a therapist, who said therapists need support, too. The rule was simple: what’s said in the room stays in the room. No videos, no Zoom calls, just a group photo at the end.
Boneface says therapy helped him realize what he needed most was community. He’s lost Tattoo Artist friends to mental health struggles and to the coping mechanisms, like drugs and alcohol, that often come with them. He credits his kids with giving him purpose, and says that without them, he probably would’ve “crashed out.”
He’s now building a lounge in the back of his tattoo shop as a sanctuary for the group.
His advice for anyone in a leadership role: pick two or three people a week and just check on them. “You don’t have to save the world,” he says. “You just help who’s in front of you.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to someone you trust. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 at any time.
What Does Ink Different's Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship Offer?
Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship is an 18 to 24 month, four-phase tattoo apprenticeship that takes beginners to job-ready Tattoo Artists. Ink Different has trained Tattoo Artists for 15 years.
Phase One: Art and design fundamentals.
Phase Two: Machine practice on synthetic skin.
Phase Three: Supervised work with real clients in a tattoo studio.
Phase Four: Building independence and preparing for licensing.
No prior art experience is required. You’ll learn in person from experienced Mentors, with safety standards like the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard built into your training.
This is a career that comes with confidence. You’ll finish with job-ready skills, licensing support, and a guaranteed job offer at one of Ink Different’s own tattoo studios. The Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship is available at 60+ tattoo studios nationwide.
Making Tattoo Training Accessible for Everyone
Ink Different offers Spanish-speaking locations in Denver, Orange County, NYC, Miami, San Antonio, and San Diego. Seats are limited, with only two apprentices per tattoo studio per Mentor.
Ready to Become a Tattoo Artist?
Boneface went from a homemade jailhouse machine to 20 years of tattoo shop ownership, a record-breaking flash day, and a new model for how Tattoo Artists can work. Along the way, he’s made a point of taking care of the people around him.
He wants people to know he’s approachable. “You don’t have to have a certain amount of followers for me to talk to you,” he says. Find him as Boneface Ink on all social platforms, including Instagram at @bonefaceink, or visit Boneface Ink and the Flash Tattoo Mall in Pensacola. Follow Chico at @m4l_chico.
For aspiring Tattoo Artists: Apply now to Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship and start building an AI-proof career with licensing support and a guaranteed job offer at one of Ink Different’s own tattoo studios.
For Tattoo Artists and shop owners who want to mentor: Learn how to become an Ink Different Mentor at inkdifferenttattoos.com/affiliate.
For aspiring shop owners: Explore Ink Different’s shop owner training to build the systems, team, and brand your tattoo shop needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Boneface do 56 tattoos in one day?
Working a flash booth inside Jelly Roll’s bar in Nashville, where tattoos took five to 10 minutes each and people lined up from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. The booth’s previous record was 30.
What is the Flash Tattoo Mall?
A 15-station tattoo shop in Pensacola where visiting Tattoo Artists book days through a website, show up with their machine, and tattoo walk-ins. Stations are stocked and cleaned, and there are no contracts.
How did Boneface become a shop owner?
He hired Tattoo Artists who were better than him, offered free booth rent and a high percentage, and learned by watching them work.
What are Mental Health Mondays?
A weekly check-in Boneface started for men to talk about their week in a confidential, supportive space. It drew 20 to 25 guys at a time.
How long does the Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship take?
Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship takes 18 to 24 months across four phases, with licensing support and a guaranteed job offer at one of Ink Different’s own tattoo studios.
Do I need prior art experience?
No. The Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship is built for beginners.
