Rising Stars: Meet Fionna Fanning of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fionna Fanning.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my apprenticeship in 2019 at a shop in Medina. I began tattooing shortly after, mainly working on my friends and coworkers. The next year, we entered lockdown during the pandemic, so I had a large pause in my progress. Once we came back to the shop, it was all about being able to eventually make tattooing my full time career. In 2022, I got the chance to work at Black Metal Tattoo Co in Strongsville. The next four years were full of immense artistic growth. I started going to tattoo conventions and making so many friends in the industry. Finally, now in 2026, I work at Sacred Heart Studio in Tremont, with the owner and piercer, Marissa, and fellow tattooer, Emily.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it was not a smooth road. Being completely honest, it was full of difficulty. I dealt with a lot of hardships during my apprenticeship. Without going into too much detail, or throwing people under the bus, there were plenty of moments where I was completely alone, and desperately needed help and guidance. Having a stronger mentorship would have helped me tremendously. I felt like I did so many tattoos completely blind. I think during apprenticeships, there should be training wheels, booster seats, and hand holding. It is that serious to me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Ive been tattooing for seven years, including apprenticeship. I really enjoy doing illustrative designs, fineline, black and grey, and color. I love when I get to do traditional tattoos as well! I like to use a stipple shade for my designs, as they give it a hand drawn feel, like they are taken right from a children’s fantasy illustration book. Im proud to hear comments that my linework is clean, as that is something I believe is incredibly important for every piece. I want all of my tattoos to look like I took my time and really double checked everything. No matter how big, small, complex, or simple, I want all of my clients to leave with the most perfect tattoo I could make. Im proud that I have so many clients that I have been working on for so many years. Knowing so many people trust me and enjoy my work makes my heart burst. Some of my favorite moments include being able raise thousands of dollars of donations for local charities, including the Cleveland APL, Food Not Bombs Cleveland, and the Parma Heights food bank. Being able to give back to the community is a great privilege.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love being able to work closer to downtown. Tremont is a beautiful city that I am exploring and learning more about. Having a walkable city is really important, and I think Tremont nails it. I look forward to seeing the city grow and expand with time. The citizens of Tremont are so kind and genuine. So many people just pop into the shop to say “Hello!” and look around. We’ve met many people who have never had a tattoo or piercing, but they still wanted to wish us success with opening shop in their neighborhood.
The thing I dislike about Tremont would be the lack of public trash bins. I think littering is one of the most “trashy” things you can do, and there’s certainly a bit of an issue with that around here. I will be starting a trash picking group, where we meet up, get coffee, and collect litter from around town. I genuinely think Tremont is a beautiful city and I know it would really shine if we can all work together to combat the litter pollution.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Tattoosbyfinno
• Other: Tattoosbyfinno@gmail.com