I started going here in 2012. Got a lower back tattoo done by Hawk, and while it was a little squished, I chocked it up to my scoliosis and was pleased enough (it was very black, and lines were clean)... Read More
I started going here in 2012. Got a lower back tattoo done by Hawk, and while it was a little squished, I chocked it up to my scoliosis and was pleased enough (it was very black, and lines were clean). Returned for another tattoo by Hawk again in 2014, and heck I don't know how it was messed up as much as it was. I was impressed at how quickly he finished this, in about 35 minutes, I still remember. Maybe rushing is what made this a bad tattoo? The middle of it, which is supposed to be symmetrical, is horrible misshapen in places. At the beginning, there was a bump on the side of the curve, which I thought would lessen as it healed, but turns out it was some ink jutting out of the line. Looked like a simple fix. Went back in for my touch-up, explained how I just wanted it smoothed out, and he says "I think I see what you are getting at," and made it even worse. I should have asked for him to draw the fix in pen first, but I didn't want to insult an artist, and assumed it was going to be done correctly.For $140 for a smaller tattoo, I expected clean, crisp line work, and for it to be mostly close to the photo, but it honestly looks like crap, like I went to a cheap place and paid $40, and I still cry about it from time to time. Lastly, the ink work was so splotchy. There are patches where it looks like not that much ink was used if that makes sense. I know some people can treat tattoos poorly while they heal, but I assure you, it looked splotchy the next day, which I hoped was it just healing. I got this tattoo 3 years ago, and had it touched up by them 2 years ago, but I'll attach a photo from 2015, so you can see what it looked like just after it finished healing. I'll put the exact photo I gave them right next to it for a comparison of how bad it looks next to the real deal. Took me so long to complain, because these people were so very sweet, and always treated me kindly, and my first tattoo wasn't bad. I feel awful, because Hawk is a genuinely kind/cool dude, and never made me feel uncomfortable or nervous, and always checked to make sure the pain wasn't bad. But heck the more I look at this tattoo, the more upset I get, so I have to speak up. I am a huge perfectionist when it comes to anything, so I did extensive research, and going by the portfolios, this place seemed good at the start. Then again, you won't know what a place is truly capable of if they don't show ALL of their work. The dead giveaway that my tattoo probably wasn't done very well is that, as I was told after my first tattoo, they always take a photo of their work for their portfolio. No photo was taken of this one, because who wants this shoddy job being used to represent ANY tattoo artist? It's terrible.For as much as I paid, I shouldn't have to be looking for fix/cover-up options this soon, but I am, and I will try to find a place that can hopefully help me out. As someone who is a huge perfectionist, I don't want to be overly-dramatic, but having something like this on my skin is low-key ruining my life. Doesn't look too bad from further away, which makes everyone say it looks fine to them, but I have to look at it in the mirror every day, and it is not okay. Read Less