Melbourne, UK - A celebrity tattoo artist Paul opened up about working with on the star's extraordinary collection – and revealed some of the sad stories beneath the surface.

During their days in One Direction, Harry Styles and his bandmates used to get tattoos in their hotel rooms as a way to escape the madness unfolding around them.

It turns out that, at least for Styles, that habit never really disappeared.

In July 2023, . The photos went viral, showing him off in a bathing suit and giving a glimpse into the true extent of his tattoo transformation: the 31-year-old has ink all over his arms, chest and back.

"You could say getting body art was their first outlet to cope with fame," . "Now, Harry’s chronicles all the different paths he has explored to help be at peace with fame, and life in general."

, a tattoo artist who worked with the Brit and other big names such as Ed Sheeran, had some more insight to share with the outlet.

According to Paul, Styles' tattoos are often spur-of-the-moment, and he even plays "tattoo roulette," not always putting deep thought into the permanent sketches he has inked into his skin.

"Harry is very random," Paul told the Sun. "I was halfway through stencilling another design that he wanted when he decided that he didn't want that now, he wanted to have '17 Black'."

"It was all very erratic how he had his tattoos. I think he's calmed down a lot though, now."

"When I met him, you could see the sadness oozing through him," Paul said while describing Styles' One Direction days. "Because they were locked in – they could never go anywhere."