Solid State Tattoo

I've been going on for years about getting a cover-up done on a 20 year old koi tattoo that was showing its age. I liked the work of Jon Reiter's that I saw online, and a few friends had also had great experiences at Solid State, so I booked a consultation with Jon.

The studio is impeccably clean, and feels more like an art gallery than the 'typical' tattoo shop. I brought inspiration images with me, we went through them together, and Jon asked a lot of clarifying questions to make sure we were speaking the same language. I really appreciated the effort he put into understanding precisely what I wanted, and he was also very matter of fact regarding what could feasibly be achieved as a cover-up. Jon was very up-front that the look I was after was outside of his natural, go-to hand as an artist, but he took on the challenge and seemed to be inspired by it. I booked my appointment for about three weeks later.

I didn't see my drawing until the time of my appointment. That made me a little nervous, since I'm overly particular and wanted to make sure I had time to tweak the art if it wasn't exactly "right" -- but I had absolutely nothing to worry about, since Jon seems to be overly particular as well. The art was awesome and matched up with the vision in my mind. Jon got to work, and 2.5 hrs later, my cover-up was done...and I am SO pleased with it! The work is really beautiful, achieved the unique look I was after...and you'd never know it was a cover-up unless I pointed it out.

I also have to add that this tattoo healed AMAZINGLY well. I don't know if it was Jon's skill, or the fact that his care instructions are simple yet specific...but I had very little weeping, itching, or discomfort from the healing process. My new pair of 'painted' koi are really beautiful, and I couldn't be happier with the end result. I will absolutely go back here when the urge for more ink hits me!

Solid State is absolutely the best shop in Milwaukee.  Clean.  Comfortable.  Polite.  Incredibly talented artists.  I have several tattoos inked by Julio.  If you want color, this is your guy.  I am stopped constantly by those admiring the EL CORAZON piece he did for me three years ago.  The color is still amazing!  Go here.  No hesitation.  This is your place.

I finally put my big girl pants on and got the tattoo I've wanted forevs. This place made the cut.  They made me feel super at ease and comfortable. I got a pretty decent sized tat on my foot and its absolutely perfect. Julio is immensely talented. Worth the 5 week wait time. Can't wait to book another appointment.