Student tattoo artist designs Wildcat T-shirt

A Columbia Falls High School senior, an accomplished tattoo artist, recently designed a new Wildcat T-shirt.

Kiowa Dougherty said he completed the design “in about 20 minutes.” He said he’s been drawing since he was a little kid. His father Sean is a retired tattoo artist.

“I did my first tattoo on my father when I was seven,” he said.

A Native American who grew up in Oregon, Dougherty moved to Columbia Falls a couple years ago. His artwork hangs on the walls of the learning center, a program that helps nontraditional students get through high school.

Dougherty makes all his tattoos from scratch.

“I do everything freehand out of my head,” he said. “No stencils.”

When he graduates, he plans on traveling the U.S. honing his craft. He said arms are the toughest part of the body to tattoo.

“They’re rounded, which makes the perspective difficult,” he said.

The Wildcat T-shirts are given to students who buy a high school activity pass, activities director Troy Bowman said.