Evie Yapelli does a lot of Disney tattoos. It makes sense though, because she's so close to Disneyland that she can see the fireworks on her drive home from her private studio, Show Pigeon Tattoo.

But don't expect the Chicago native to design a bright and bubbly Little Mermaid back piece for you, as she inks almost exclusively in black (sometimes with hints of red). Think Steamboat Willie more than Finding Nemo.

Myspace caught up with the talented tattooer to talk about everything from inking Mickey Mouse to collaborating on pants, paintings, children's books and much more.

What's it like to be one of the most popular tattooers of Disney designs in an area so close to Disneyland?

It's awesome. It's really fun because I'm always excited about Disneyland and Disney designs, so when I got to be known for that, I got to meet a lot of people who get excited about that too. I have a lot of clients who work at Disneyland or used to work at Disneyland. I even had a client in his 60s come to me for his first tattoo, and he and his wife worked at Disneyland for decades, so that was amazing. I like that people get excited about the way I put my own spin on the designs too, so it's awesome that I get to meet these people who get excited about me doing the tattoos that I love to do. It's a nice way to connect with people, because I have so much nostalgia about going to Disneyland as a kid, so meeting people who grew up going to Disneyland as well is really fantastic.

You recently opened up your own private studio, what's it like running a one-woman show? 

I love it. It took a little bit of getting used to because I like being around people, but the nice thing about being a tattooer is that being around people is part of my job. There are certain things I miss about having coworkers, but the biggest thing for me is that I can give the exact kind of customer experience that I want. My work is very client-focused, so I like to do consultations a certain way. I'm also able to enjoy my time tattooing my clients without worrying about anyone else but them and myself. It's great to set my own hours as well, because I'm by appointment only, so I can work with my customers' schedules but also with my own. I keep somewhat regular hours because I always have something to do. I can go in and paint for a night and not worry about putting everything away right when I'm done, because sometimes I want to go in the next morning and look it over again. That, and I always know where the scissors are now.

Aside from just tattooing, you do a lot of collaborations with other artists. How are those similar and different from tattooing?

It's similar in that when you're working with tattoo clients, it's primarily a collaboration. You're creating something that comes from their idea and your skills. Artist collaborations are similar in that way, but what's nice about a non-tattoo collaboration is that you have more wiggle room. There are certain things you can't do with tattoos, like if you're doing a painting or the custom pants collaboration I did with Miss Ladybug, you don't have to worry about how it's going to age on the skin. The artist collaborations often don't put as much responsibility in your hands. When you're tattooing someone, it's a permanent mark on them, plus you're causing them pain. They're in your care. When I'm collaborating with an artist, it's more like playing. You can mess around more and experiment more. Even in my paintings, I'll start painting something without thinking it through, because if it doesn't turn out well, I can just throw it away. It's a nice balance with tattooing, and I learn skills from that to bring back to tattooing. It's also awesome working with other artists, because you learn so much from other artists whether they tattoo or do other creative things. It's really satisfying.

Speaking of collaborating, how much do you learn from other tattooers you either work with or who tattoo you?

I learn a lot. Opening my private studio, I don't have other tattooers working with me every day. I'm making a conscious effort to keep in contact with other tattooers and talk shop with them to continue my learning. I didn't open a private studio because I think I'm done learning, I opened it because I think I'm at a different stage of learning. I'm more interested in traveling and hosting guests at my studio now. And of course, I love watching other tattooers tattoo me, because I can sort of spy on what they're doing. I can see how they're approaching a tattoo, ask them about the machines they're using, everything. It's hugely important to work around other artists and ask questions. That's a huge part of how you learn. 

See more of Evie's work or for an appointment, contact her on Instagram at @showpigeon.