I've gone there for 4 different tattoos, and I can say without a doubt that you will not only get great artwork, but professional service. Â
I have explained to them what I wanted, and asked that they provide any additional suggestions on the design, and I have never been steered wrong. Â They provide objective opinions about placement, look and design. Â They have been very creative, and suggested excellent options for me. Â
My most recent experience was after I moved from SF to OC. Â I emailed them ideas, a basic design picture and Eric was good enough to have something drawn up that was unique and ready when I visited. Â There is no doubt that I would go back to them even though I live down in OC now.
I was in town and knew I wanted to get a new tattoo. I walked in around 2pm and asked if they had any openings and lucky for me, they did! My artist's naem was Dave and he is so talented. I told him what I wanted and he drew up a design in front of me. It was great but not exactly what I had pictured to I suggested some alterations. He was completely professional and incorporated my changes into his design. As a side note, don't be afraid to make suggestions on designs! It will be on your body forever and you should love it.
Anywho, he was fantastic and did such a clean and quick job. It has healed beautifully and I always get compliments on it. Price was great for the excellent quality. The shop is small but clean and friendly.
This year I decided to finally get the lily flower tattoo I wanted. After picking the size and placement I looked up tattoo shops in SF and this place got good reviews all around. Â I sent in a few photos along with the description of what I wanted and was respond to with a quote of pricing and time. After the first time of getting to see a rough outline draw up of what I wanted when I paid the deposit I couldn't have been happier with it. It wasn't what I had first pictured....it was BETTER!! I was told the outline would take fours hours ( which was RIGHT on the money) but after two hours we had to call it quits for the day. Even with Eriks gentle hand there's only so I could take after he did the first parts on my spine!! He was super cool about letting me come in the next day to finish it up! It turned out far better than I imagined! The owner of the shop is also really nice and showed me articles about how she opened the first tattoo shop in her country :) We made an appointment for three weeks from now to put in the color and I cant wait!!
Review Source:For the longest time i wanted to get a tattoo...I am so happy that i found this place...Gabriel did a wonderful job... he understood right away what I wanted...I told him I was going to get the heart from the mexican loteria game  but i wanted to add some wings...He knew exactly what will go well with it...
I really really love the end result.
Thank you Gabriel for my flying heart!!!
Absolutely the greatest tattoo parlor in San Francisco! Â Dustin is an artist and a very skilled illustrator, so you should work with him on achieving your vision, we collaborated on my initial vision and the outcome was amazing. Â This was my second tattoo there and I will keep coming back as I get new visions! Â
Highly recommended.
I have been a patron of Artful Tattoo since 2005. I first chose this particular studio because after doing initial walk-throughs in other studios, I found this place most welcoming. I have since had three major pieces done there with the fourth still in progress with Dustin. His dedication to his craft as well as his ease to understand and communicate with make the proper experience everyone should have because, the art of tattoo is a personal and spiritual voyage, from the creation of the image to the placing of it, and the wearing of it. Highly recommended.
Review Source:Moved to SF bout 3 mo ago and wanted to get my past tattoos re-done. I walked into Artful and really just felt the vibe right away! I asked around bout other shops and even checked out a couple, but most of the feedback (trendy hipsters) and vibe from other shops (pre-madonnas) Â I got was a bunch bull. My artist Dave was real cool and strait forward and did a top notch job! All 3 of my tattoos turned out super dope. I just got my Malcolm X tatt done today and it looks awesome. Artful tattoo is a real legit spot and being a transplant to SF I would recommend it to anyone. Thank Artful for keeping it real.
Review Source:I was in San Fran on a business trip with my wife and had some time to kill. I was interested in possibly getting some ink and googled local tat shops. I came across "artful tattoo" which had some good reviews. Since they were close to the hotel I was staying at I decided to stop by. All I can say is, this place is a class act!....from the moment I went in they were very attentive to my needs/wants. I didn't have anything specific in mind but came across something in one of their books. Dustin helped me get the design to a size that would look good on my inner bicep....not to big, not to small. The tattoo came out better than I could have asked for! This place ROCKS!!!! I will DEF be going back to "artful" when I head back west.
Review Source:I had my cherry blossom tattoo done here. I wanted a super-realistic tattoo, with shades and everything, and I have been looking for some time for a good artist. I decided on this studio after I came in to check out the portfolios and discuss the design. Very professional people who would actually listen to your concerns.. Not to mentions that they were sooo friendly (always a plus :).
I showed Dustin the design that I had in mind, and he was able to draw and apply it exactly how I wanted. I am so happy with the result! I'll come back as soon as I make up my mind about the design of my next tattoo..
I got my first tattoo ever at Artful Tattoo exactly one week ago, a Tom Waits lyric. My boyfriend had three beautiful text tattoos done by Dustin for a reasonable price, so on an impulse, I decided to go. Steven was available. He was warm and encouraging, commenting that it'd be an honor to do my first (unlike artists I consulted at other shops, who seemed bored & world-weary). The owner is a really sweet lady who helped me choose the best arrangement of text on my back (printed from a file I created at home). Steven was careful and deliberating, telling would-be customers they'd have to wait, promising me he wouldn't rush. I was surprised by how little it hurt for the first two thirds of text and how much it stung, that last hour. But it's healing amazingly (I lotion it every three hours or so) and I'm in love. Definitely returning to this shop.
Review Source:I was in town from Philadelphia for a conference and decided to get a tattoo. There is always an uneasiness for me when I step in a tattoo studio. I have found other tattoo studios to be pretentious and have felt judged when I entered them. I felt quite the opposite when I went into Artful Tattoo. They were very friendly and helpful. I wanted a trail of paw prints on my foot. They were able to find the perfect tattoo. I was slightly nervous to get a tattoo on my foot because I heard that it is painful. Either I have a high tolerance of pain or they did that great of job. I'm not saying it felt like a unicorn licking me, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I would highly recommend this place to anyone, but especially people who are new to getting tattoos. Next time I'm in San Francisco, I will probably go back there and get another tattoo.
Review Source:I recently had a large black/white chest piece done here and these guys are awesome. I walked in without an appointment and the manager had someone available to sketch it up and get started later that same day - which is hand to find these days when your looking for a large piece that will take multiple sessions. Dustin did an excellent job on my lion chest piece and I look forward to getting more work done from him. I highly recommend Artful Tattoo whether your looking to get your first or looking to add to your canvas, like myself. They are reasonably priced as well. Thanks guys!
Review Source:I am starting to find this place more an more comfortable to my needs when it comes to great service and great tattoos. I have gotten two tatts from there and I love em both. Dustin helped me out alot, especially when it came to paying attention to the super tiny details. Alli or Allai I think her name is, was super nice too. She said she'd give a discount because I have been there before. Then she gave me some fast curing ointment from Sweden that cured my tatt in a few days. Can't wait to get more from there!
Review Source:Update: The longer my turtles remain unfinished, the more aggravated I get. I was quoted 1 price, but I'm looking at 150+ for another artist to finish the work started here. The search continues for the right artist!
This is a pretty legit tattoo studio. I can vouch on behalf of three friends as well as myself that this place knows how to hash out some great work.
My tattoo artist was Tyrone, who I am told no longer works with Artful and has "dropped off the map". This is really the only thing keeping my from giving these guys five stars. I was a bit strapped for cash and had Tyrone work for 2 hours for $200 bucks on three turtles I had wanted forever. He was able to tweak the design my artist friend had created, and made the turtles look truly awesome. I had a very elaborate, specific criteria for what I wanted the turtles to look like, and he nailed it! I really love them. The only problem was, I was supposed to return to have Tyrone finish the turtles. He left the studio during those few short weeks, and the other artists there insisted on charging me an additional 100 bucks to finish the turtles, despite the fact Tyrone had told me there would be no additional charges of his own free will. I have not yet filled in the turtles and will have to finish them now in conjunction with some other piece, and some other artist, for additional money. That sucks. But the turtles I got are the shit. I get at least ten times as many compliments about them as any other animal I've had tattooed, and I love them.
My friends who went before me to this shop (there were three of them) also loved their ink. It all looks very professionally done and beautiful, although their work was simpler than mine. They also got a great deal. My one friend got a symbol tattooed on her neck for 80 bucks. You can't beat that.
All the guys at this shop are five star artists as far as I can tell. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. I just would make a point to get all your work done before you leave the premesis, and not depend on a long-term artist here.
Thanks Artful Tattoo! Much love for some awesome work, however brief our encounter was.
Steven is amazing.
I came in here 3 years ago looking to get my first tattoo done. Once I sat down and talked to him we discussed what I wanted, font, placement and I felt extremely comfortable.
Within one long sitting I got my script done, and it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I won't lie there were times when I told him to stop but I was a virgin- come on now
We chatted it up about the Academy, photography, art and life. I super adore him and he is pretty funny, def. kept me at ease.
Cash only. Super clean studio. Amazing/nice guy. I'm considering adding more to my back and I know I will for sure come here.
Mike fixed a semi-botched number I did at Shamrock in LA. Â I know- botched? Shamrock? He did not judge, made it better and suggested ways to make it magazine ready- I am not there yet, but love that there is a super clean, professional tatt shop a block from my apartment. When I'm sleeved up you'll know why!
Review Source:This is a great little shop downtown. Â I stopped in a while back and talked to Steven the artist concerning a tattoo I've been wanting. Â We chatted and he totally heard me out and was super helpful. Â I made an appointment for my birthday and he hooked me up. Â I wanted an amazing 1920's Vargas pinup on my side, and he delivered. Â We got the outlining and some small details finished in the first session(1 1/2 hrs. ) I'm going back to finish the black work and shading soon and can't wait! Â Considering it's on my ribs and hip bone, I figured it wasn't going to be an easy piece to sit through. Â He made it totally bearable and as painless as it could be. Â If you're in the hood and want some great ink at a reasonable price stop by or call for an appointment. Â TOTALLY WORTH IT! Â Like the sign in the window says, "Cheap tattoo's aren't good, and Good Tattoo's aren't cheap" But at $120/hr who could resist having something outstanding put on your body for life. Â Certainly not me.
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