Sonia Maria Mendez Anderson

After high school in 1993, my father, tattoo artist in San Antonio, told me if I came down and worked at his shop Alley Cat Tattoos, he'd help me through college. My parents divorced when I was young and so this felt like a good move.

I went to Palo Alto College in SA for about 3 years studying accounting, but I realized I really liked being the secretary and doing the artwork I was learning at Alleycat. My coworker Steve Owen took me under his wing, apprenticed me, and I switched my major to art.

After working at Alley Cat for four and a half years, Steve opened Adrenaline Tattoos in 1997 and asked me to follow him there. After serious thought, I decided to go and I'm still currently working there. I specialize in coverups and watercolor but go through phases of what I like to do.

I've worked numerous tattoo conventions, pretty much in Texas to keep things regional so clients could come to me. Which has ended in awards and dedicated clients that has turned into friends.

Since I got my associate's degree in art, I have decided to go back to college this fall and get a certification in finance and management. This decision came because I started to design my own clothing line for tattooed women.

In 2020, I started Working Tattooed Beauties, a community for professional tattooed women who loved their art and careers. We did group modeling projects to promote both, and it evolved into an empowering community. During this time, I realized many of us older women weren't as secure in our bodies and didn't want to get 1/2 naked to show off our artwork all the time, so Tat2Where? was created. A sophisticated clothing line that showcases or covers the ink depending on the environment.

Prelaunch is the end of this summer and official launch beginning of next year…. In an oversaturated fashion industry, they overlooked the tattooed woman. I'm in my 50s, and while I like my biker wear and street wear (which is one of the only lines dedicated to tattooed women) I also want to look sophisticated and classy.

This line a Working Tattooed Beauties brand is dedicated to my father and my Puerto Rican heritage. Called the Anacaona Series, named after a Taino leader who was known for her resilience against Spanish colonization of the islands.

The collections are also named after water - the Threshold collection, the Still Water collection, the Current Collection, and the Undertow - because the woman's body is not predictable.

The models that will be showcasing the clothing line are tattooed women I've worked on over the past 27 years, showcasing my artwork as well.