I finally found Jojo! He's absolutely the best. I haven't seen him since he moved from El Sobrante to Richmond. I got a portrait of my father in his Vietnam Marines official pic in black and grey. A ... Read More
I finally found Jojo! He's absolutely the best. I haven't seen him since he moved from El Sobrante to Richmond. I got a portrait of my father in his Vietnam Marines official pic in black and grey. A little background, I actually was seriously thinking about going to Kat Von D's tattoo place in LA on La Brea I think. I actually went in and asked logistics and the receptionist or whoever told me that one of the associate tattoo artist would take it, cost $800 and I need to bring in the pic. I was very close to making an appointment until my friend suggested I see Jojo. I was hesitant because once I have my eyes set on something, I don't see anything else.I decided to check out his original website and and I was converted. He specializes in life-like portraits, which is who I needed. I found who I was looking for right in my backyard. In 2010, I went into his original place in El Sobrante. Small but gorgeous. His assistant told me there was a 2 month wait and it would be $500 ($300 less than LA Ink) writing included (He said sometimes people put birth/death date and the like). I was not bothered by the wait, I took as he was good. And if you can't wait two months, you probably shouldn't be getting a tattoo.A week later, I came in to make another appointment and they said something opened up for next week. I took it. Jojo is really professional and he makes you double check the stencil a couple of times before he does anything (spelling and stuff). I kid you not, he just outlined the marine cap, the face, ears, nose, eyes, collar, and the lettering (the title of my parents' favorite song). EVERYTHING else was freehand. It was so amazing to see. I paid 575, incl. tip at $75.As far as pain, I thought it was going to hurt more but I barely felt anything. But that could be due to my chubby arms. Read Less