{"id":937228,"date":"2026-10-22T19:16:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T19:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/937228\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T19:16:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T19:16:36","slug":"jackson-may-meet-the-rockingham-based-tattoo-artist-behind-ink-on-olympians-afl-superstars-and-rappers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/937228\/","title":{"rendered":"Jackson May: Meet the Rockingham-based tattoo artist behind ink on Olympians, AFL superstars, and rappers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although he\u2019s a Perth boy, Jackson May\u2019s work has travelled the globe.<\/p>\n

Tattoos inked by the Rockingham artist are permanently etched in the skin of Grammy-winning rappers, Olympic medallists, and even the West Coast Eagles.<\/p>\n

Ahead of a mammoth weekend at Perth\u2019s annual Tattoo Expo, the superstar artist sat down with PerthNow to discuss his high-profile clients and his seventeen years in WA\u2019s tattoo industry.<\/p>\n

May revealed his first experience with a prominent customer happened nearly a decade ago, when an AFL all-star unexpectedly slid into his DMs.<\/p>\n

\u201cNic Naitanui first reached out to me through Instagram in like 2016, 2017,\u201d he told PerthNow.<\/p>\n

The retired West Coast Eagle is now a staple on May\u2019s tattoo table, with several pieces including a 2019 realism portrait of Michael Jordan<\/a> being inked at his Rockingham studio.<\/p>\n

\"JacksonCamera IconJackson May with Nic Nat at his Rockingham studio. Credit: Jackson May<\/p>\n

It was this previous client relationship that nabbed the WA tattooer an unforgettable offer: doing ink for the 2018 West Coast Eagles premiership team after their epic MCG victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they won the flag (in 2018), Nic messaged me and said \u2018What do you think about tatting all the boys?\u2019\u201d May said.<\/p>\n

Naitanui turned his kitchen into an impromptu studio<\/a> for the Youngbloods co-owner, with stars like Josh Kennedy, Jamie Cripps and Dom Sheed getting a permanent reminder of their Grand Final win on their skin.<\/p>\n

\"SomeCamera IconSome of the players from the West Coast Eagles\u2019 2018 premiership team got commemorative ink from Jackson May (pictured: Don Sheed\u2019s tattoo). Credit: Jackson May<\/p>\n

Although May played a part in commemorating Eagles history, the artist revealed he secretly held a different AFL allegiance before meeting the West Coast players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been a Dockers supporter for a long time,\u201d he said, but revealed he was never a die-hard AFL fan.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, the Perth local said he\u2019s happy as long as Western Australia is being represented on the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come to terms with the fact that I\u2019m Team WA,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf one of our teams is up there, I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

May also had the honour of commemorating the 2021 Tokyo Olympics for one Perth-raised athlete.<\/p>\n

When Olympic boxer Caitlin Parker landed back in her home state after competing in her first Games, Jackson was one of the first calls made by her coach Foxy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tattooed her coach when she was growing up, and he ended up going to the 2021 Olympics with her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she came back (to Perth), she wanted to get the rings tattooed and he put us in contact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OlympicCamera IconOlympic boxer Caitlin Parker showing off her tattoo, done by Jackson May. Credit: Ross Swanborough\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

In an interview with The West Australian<\/a> after the Tokyo games, Parker sang her praises for May\u2019s work and said the ink was representative of her boxing journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the things didn\u2019t go how I had planned in Tokyo, but (the tattoo) is a reminder for me of all the hard work, the blood, the sweat, the tears that have been put into this journey so far,\u201d the athlete said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a reminder of the people who have helped me and pushed me along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is representative of the Olympic rings, but it is also a push to keep going for Paris. And (my coach) Foxy was there, sitting next to me, as he has been the whole way.\u201d<\/p>\n

It appears the tattoo did its job \u2014 with Parker later becoming the first female boxer in Australia to win an Olympic medal after she won bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n

\"CaitlinCamera IconCaitlin Parker with coach Foxy and tattoo artist Jackson May. Credit: Jackson May<\/p>\n

May hasn\u2019t just worked on the skin of WA sporting legends, however \u2014 with Nic Nat helping the Rockingham artist land a gig tattooing late rapper Coolio during the Perth leg of his 2019 tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was through friends of friends that knew Nic,\u201d May told PerthNow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know if it was going to end up happening, but I ended up tattooing him in his hotel room when he was in Perth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gangster\u2019s Paradise rapper got an abstract lion tattoo done during the session, while May also inked the rapper\u2019s saxophonist and guitarist at the CBD hotel.<\/p>\n

\"JacksonCamera IconJackson May did a shoulder tattoo for Coolio in 2019. Credit: Jackson May<\/p>\n

With so many A-list clients, it seems impossible to choose a favourite \u2014 but for May, he said there was one experience that clearly stood out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Eagles were probably one of my favourites,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the pure excitement of them winning the premiership, then a few days later being with them while they were celebrating.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that was quite surreal and very cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the acclaim and celebrity praise, May remains as level-headed as he did the day he began tattooing back in 2009.<\/p>\n

With the Perth Tattoo Expo approaching, the artist said he was keen to learn some new skills, meet new people, and throw his hat in the ring for a few awards \u2014 although he says taking home a trophy would just be an added bonus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as I get to do a cool tattoo and my client leaves happy, that\u2019s always the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Australian Tattoo Expo<\/a> will be landing at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from October 23 to October 25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Although he\u2019s a Perth boy, Jackson May\u2019s work has travelled the globe. Tattoos inked by the Rockingham artist…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":937229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,134,1625,46,45],"class_list":["post-937228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-lifestyle","tag-perth","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/937229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=937228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=937228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}