Best California Tattoo Artists

California is a hub for a lot of things that we love. It is home to Hollywood, palm trees and the ocean. It is also home to some of the most talented and creative tattoo artists in the world. People move to California to try and make their dreams come true and are usually faced with a lot of competition. This is the same story for tattoo artists. As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron, and with all these talented artists in California, you know you are going to run into some of the best in the world. Below is a list of some of the best tattoo artists in the state of California.

Oakland California Tattoo Artist 13
Oakland California Tattoo Artist 14

Morgan Murray

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Morgan Murray is a gifted tattoo artist that does his work mostly in the Bay area. 2006 was the year his tattoo journey begin and this was in New York City. He then made the move to the Bay Area in 2015 when he graduated form the Academy of Art. His tattoo specialties include neo-traditional, Japanese, American traditional and realism tattooing. If you are looking to set up an appointment with Morgan, know that his hourly rate is $180 per hour. It’s well worth the cost when you see the outcome.


Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 13
Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 14

Jhon Gutti

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Jhon Gutti was born in Colombia and starting becoming interested in tattooing at the age of 15 when he got his first one. After studying architecture for a few years, he decided this wasn’t for him and started to dedicate his life to tattooing. From there is was all history. He’s been tattooing for over 10 years now and has travelled all over the world. His preferred style of tattooing includes black & grey realism and portrait tattoos. Not only does he prefer it, he is fantastic at it. When you hear about turning a picture into a tattoo, this is what they are talking about. His tattoos are so accurate and realistic, it looks like it was transposed onto the skin. However, he can handle more than just black & grey so if there is something you were thinking about doing, just ask because he can handle it.


Oakland California Tattoo Artist 21
Oakland California Tattoo Artist 22

Amanda Go

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If you are looking for a fantastic tattoo in the Bay Area, Amanda Go could be the woman to do that for you and she is accepting new clients. Amanda is more than willing to knock out a piece of flash for you but she really loves to work on custom tattoos that incorporate what you want with what she is able to do. She loves tattooing in black & grey or color no matter how bold or delicate it is. She also loves mystery, nature and magic so if your tattoo has something to do with any of these subjects, you will have a new fan and a tattoo artist.


Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 25
Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 26

Laura Wangerin

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2008 was the year that Laura Wangerin started her tattooing journey and she is still on that journey today. Laura is a traveler and has tattooed all over the country. She started in Iowa and now she resides in Southern California where she inks beautiful tattoos on all of her clients. Laura loves to tattoo in black & grey and she is fantastic in fine line tattooing as well. Bold yet delicate is how we like to describe her work. From flowers to animals, Laura makes her tattoos pop and if you want to see what all the hype is about, you’ll reach out to her as soon as you get the opportunity.


San Francisco Tattoo Artist 60
San Francisco Tattoo Artist 61

Samantha Sue

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Samantha Sue does custom tattoo work for a minimum of one hour and at $350 for an hour. The only way you can book an appointment with Samantha is stop by for a visit and discuss what you are wanting in a tattoo.

Her tattoo style is rangy but she specializes in plants, animals, geometric and outer space. On the other hand, she can handle almost anything you want in a tattoo. Don’t wait too long before reaching out because her schedule will fill up fast and might have to sit on a wait list. If you are looking for detailed, beautiful and colorful tattoos, Samantha is the one for you.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Rich Pineda 1
Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Rich Pineda 4

Rich Pineda

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Rich Pineda is one of the best tattoo artists in southern California. He started tattooing in March of 2010. Since then, he fell in love with tattooing and has improved greatly in a short amount of time. In fact, his color realism is second to none but that isn’t all he does. Pineda can pretty much do anything you can imagine. He has a lot of hobbies including metal and woodworking, metal working, painting and photography. Tattooing has been the most liberating thing Rich has ever done and he’s always busying doing it. That said, if you want a tattoo by this man, we suggest making an appointment as soon as possible.


Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 21
Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 22

Kari Barba

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Kari Barba is a tattooing pioneer that has been tattooing since 1979. She’s been the owner of Outer Limits Tattoo in Long Beach since 1983. This shop has been a staple in the community ever since. Kari is a talented and prolific artist that is also a great painter. She has taken big steps for women in many ways, but she is also a supreme talent. Kari does some amazing work and has a real gift for realism tattoos. However, she can handle anything you throw at her. From black & grey to color tattoos that are bright and bold. Her portraits are on point as well. We could talk all day about her talents so if you this is something you feel interested in, reach out to set an appointment as soon as you can.


Anaheim California Tattoo Artist 1
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Justin Warn

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Orange County tattoo artist Justin Warn has been tattooing great art on the skin of his clients for years now. You’ll see that he is a multi-talented tattoo artist that is well-versed in a lot of different styles if you look at his portfolio online. He is a big fan of tattooing characters, animals and people in the realism style and you can tell when you look at the work. He can also do a great black & grey piece or floral piece. In terms of tattooing, Justin Wren will make you feel great about choosing him. If you are interested in getting a tattoo by the talented Justin Wren, you need to set up a time to stop in a talk to him. Just will take over from there.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Gilbert Salas 1
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Gilbert Salas

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Gilber Salas has been drawing since he was five years old, so it’s no surprise that he is one of the most talented artists in California. He got a reputation in his hometown of being a great artist and that translated to him inking his first tattoo at the age of 14. Since that point he’s been tattooing and making his clients happy. His black & grey tattooing is amazing and he has a knack for realism and portraits. He has many people that have helped him along the way and he wants to pass on that good will creating a beautiful tattoo that you’ll love forever.


Oakland California Tattoo Artist 7
Oakland California Tattoo Artist 8

Kiki Burghardt

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Bay Area tattoo artist Kiki Burghhardt has been tattooing since 2014 and she has spent the entirety of her tattooing career in the Bay Area. Super creative and talented, Kiki loves to do anything related to floral tattoos in either a girlie style with super bright colors or even in black & grey. She is a fan of some interesting things like cats, snails and cacti so if you happen to be getting a tattoo involving one of those topics, you’ll have an excited tattoo artist on your hands. However, her favorite thing to do is to work with her clients and come up with something custom using the different ideas they have to make a great piece of body art.


Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 27
Long Beach California Tattoo Artist 28

Eric Branchfield

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Eric Branchfield has been tattooing since 2008 so he isn’t new to the game. He prides himself in both precision and adaptability when you talk about working with clients one what they had envisioned. When it comes to his favorite style of tattoos to ink, that would be American traditional and he is great at it. As important as being a tattoo artist for Eric is being a father so if you have children, you’ll most likely connect with him on that level. Email him at the link above to set up a time to have a consultation with Eric and we promise you won’t be disappointed.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Adolfo Vicious 3
Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Adolfo Vicious 4

Adolfo Vicious

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Adolfo “Vicious” grew up in northeast Los Angeles and has been a professional tattooer since 2008. He first got his start in the tattoo industry in Hollywood, CA and ended up working out of Los Angeles. A lot of his work revolves around American traditional and neotraditional work but he is able to tattoo a wide variety of subjects and styles. He loves to work with clients on their ideas and turn them into tattoos. His clients love him and you will too if you choose to work with him. Don’t wait any longer if you want to get a tattoo because the books will fill up fast.


San Francisco Tattoo Artist 21
San Francisco Tattoo Artist 22

Chris Henry

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When it comes to traditional tattoos and illustrative tattoos, Chris Henry could be the man to make your wishes come true. He also has an interest in ocean or sea related topics and if you are interested in getting a tattoo that would involve any of these topics, Chris will be a happy camper. He also has fun with nature or animal themed tattoos. However, the main thing that Chris wants to accomplish when creating a tattoo is to have a client who is extremely happy with the results of the tattoo they just got. Reach out soon if you want a tattoo from Chris. The longer you wait to email, the longer you might be waiting to get a seat.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Anthony Carreiro 3
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Anthony Carreiro

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Anthony Carreiro is a tattoo artist that works out of Southern California, but his skill set is out of this world. When it comes to striking black & grey work, Anthony is the guy for you. He specializes in it and in addition to that, he just kills realism work. Whether you are talking portraits, animals, script or floral tattoos, Anthony Carreiro makes them jump off the paper. He works by appointment only which should tell you how busy this man is. That being said, if you want to get your turn in the chair, set up a consultation as soon as you can so the two of you can work out a plan for your next tattoo.


Anaheim California Tattoo Artist 19
Anaheim California Tattoo Artist 20

Lucky Bastard

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Lucky Bastard lives in Orange County and if you are looking for a large scale tattoo of the Japanese variety, Lucky is the tattoo artist for you. He spent the first 10 years of his tattooing career doing American traditional tattoos, so that is also something he is well versed in. While he is known for completing fantastic American traditional tattoos, his true love is for those Japanese tattoos we spoke of before. It doesn’t matter if you want a small scale black & grey Japanese tattoo or a full back piece color Japanese tattoo, he loves to work on all if them. That being said, because it is so specialized he fills up fast so don’t wait too long before contacting him.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Kevin Lewis 3
Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Kevin Lewis 4

Kevin Lewis

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Kevin Lewis works out of Los Angeles, California by way of Detroit and Chicago. After spending years partaking in art school and trying to land a job that would keep the creative juices flowing, Kevin landed at a tattoo shop with an apprenticeship at Metamorph Studios under Derek Mullins. He became a professional tattoo artist in 2008 and has hasn’t looked back since. Kevin specializes in realism and it doesn’t matter it is a dark and piercing portrait or a bright and bold nature scene. Kevin can pretty much handle any style of tattoo you can come up with. Just set the appointment and let him take care of you.


San Francisco Tattoo Artist 29
San Francisco Tattoo Artist 30

Jason Storey

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Jason Storey is a great tattoo artist that was born in 1966 and raised by hippies. The lifestyle he gew up and the music that he listened to formed the type of person and artist that Jason would become. Since he was a kid, Jason has been drawing and painting which transitioned into a career of tattooing.

Jason is a well-rounded tattoo artist that can handle almost anything you can think of. He knows that tattooing on a client is one of the biggest responsibility that he has and he takes it very seriously. This is a good thing to hear coming from someone that is going to permanently mark you and he knows that it is serious matter. That being said, he wants this to be fun and exciting experience for you. Reach out to him today.


San Jose California Tattoo Artist 5
San Jose California Tattoo Artist 6

Damon Rischowsky

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When you look at the work of Damon Rischowsky, you can see that he has been doing this for a long time and you’d be correct. Damon has been tattooing since 1996 and it shows through his resume of work. Damon took his tattooing skills to San Jose back in 2001 and hasn’t looked back while he continues to make his clients happy with body art. Damon has a gift for continuing to push himself to be a better tattoo artist. These are the kinds of people we want working on us. He is always trying to evolve as a person and artist. In terms of tattoo specialties, Damon loves working in the styles of American Traditional, bio-mechanical, and Japanese tattooing.


Huntington Beach Tattoo Artist 3
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Charlene Ngo

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Charlene Ngo has been creating wonderful body art for many years now. For her, it all started with face painting while she was in high school. This talent gave her the practice and skills to really learn about placement of tattoos before she even started. In order to make her art more permanent, Charlene ventured into tattooing and has been kicking ass ever since. Not many artists have as much experience as Charlene when it comes to tattoo placement and how those tattoos flow with the body. Her tattoo style revolves around color tattooing but she is also very good at black & grey tattoos. She loves tattooing in color the most, but in order to make her clients happy, she will work with you to give you the tattoo you’ve been dreaming about. From illustrative sleeves to watercolor pieces, Charlene can knock it out of the park. Don’t wait too long before reaching out to set up a consultation with Charlene.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Man Yao 1
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Man Yao

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Man Yao has been tattooing in the area for over 10 years in his award winning style that consists of one point, ornamental and custom tattooing. He’s been a student and fan of art since he was very young and he has really shined in his own style of superflat and achromatic art. Man’s genial smile and gleeful nature creates the perfect environment to be tattooed in. He attends many shows and is on the move a lot so set up an appointment as soon as you can to get a time to sit down with Man.


Oakland California Tattoo Artist 33
Oakland California Tattoo Artist 34

Nick Wallin

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Nick Wallin is a tattoo artist that works in the Bay Area and books all of his tattoo appointments via email. Nick loves to work on engraving projects as much as he likes to do custom tattoo work. Nick is well-rounded but specializes in neo-traditional tattoos. His fine line work is also really beautiful so if that is something you’ve thought about getting, don’t wait any longer before reaching out. His color work and black & grey are also very clean. He really enjoys working with his clients to determine what they want in a tattoo.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Andrew Moore 2
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Andrew Moore

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Andrew Moore always though tattooing was fascinating as a child. From creepy penitentiary sleeves to bold Japanese body suits, the styles and colors always caught his eye. Andrew has always hand a love for the natural world, travel and history and he tries to incorporate those elements into his tattoo work. He’s been tattooing since 1994 and after a year of tattooing in Buffalo, NY, he made the move to Los Angeles and he has been there ever since in his own studio. Dynamics, readability and durability are all important factors in creating a tattoo no matter the style. If this is something that you think you might be interested in, reach out.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Patrick Thomas 1

Patrick Thomas

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Patrick Thomas is a Los Angeles tattoo artist and he is proud of his city. He knows that living in this tattoo saturated city is going to force him to be on top of his game and it shows in his work. Patrick is capable of a lot styles but he really thrives in fine line tattooing in black & grey. His work is just stunning and he credits a lot of his skills to the people and city around him. If his work looks like something you would be interested in, click on the link above and contact him for a consultation.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Sean Smith 1
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Sean Smith

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Before tattooing, Sean Smith worked in a mashed potato factory and after four years, he realized this wasn’t the direction you wanted to head in. He then spent some time doing odd jobs until he landed into tattooing where he devotes all his time and energy. He works in many styles and does great fine line work so if you like what his portfolio has to offer, email him to set up an appointment.


Joel Bones Tattoo Artist
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Joel Bones

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Orange county is the home to the award winning tattoo artist Joel Bones. He’s been part of the tattoo community for over 20 years and is a staple in Southern California. He’s been in numerous magazines, newspapers and publications over the years, but that hasn’t stopped Joel from continuing to evolve and grow as an artist. This is what makes him such a great tattoo artist. The gift of being able to push yourself to better is something that makes him special and gives you the opportunity to be tattooed by someone that cares about it that much. He is a well-rounded artist that loves to work in color and black & grey. He’s got a keen eye for details, shadows, contrast and highlights which lead to some stunning tattoos.


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Mario Delgado

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Mario Delgado is a tattoo shop owner that resides in San Francisco, CA. He previously attended the Academy of Art University where he earned a BFA in Illustration but moved on to tattooing in 2001. That said, he’s created quite a reputation in that tattoo community for knocking out beautiful tattoos.

Mario can tattoo anything that you can think of. He loves working with the client to come up with a great custom tattoo. He truly enjoys tattooing in multiple styles but the ones he enjoys most is illustrative, color, black & grey and color work. He also likes to fix the mistakes of other artists so you can feel good about the tattoo you already have. Having someone that truly enjoys a cover up tattoo is a gift so if that is something you are looking for, Mario can take care of that. He works in a clean and safe space so you will always be looked out for.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Andrew Tran 3
Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Andrew Tran 4

Andrew Tran

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Andrew Tran has been tattooing at My Tattoo in Los Angeles since 2007. He is an award winning artist that was tattooing in the Bay Area before he moved to LA. He apprenticed once again in LA and went through some intense training under Jess Yen. Andrew Tran has moved passed his probationary period and he is killing it in the tattoo game. Andy puts his heart into every tattoo that he completes. He loves to involve his appreciation for Vietnamese history into his tattoos and loves to work with the Vietnamese youth. However, he loves all his clients and will work hard to create a masterpiece for you as well.


Huntington Beach Tattoo Artist 21
Huntington Beach Tattoo Artist 22

Mondo

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(714) 683-4291

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If you were to judge a tattoo artist based on all the awards and accolades they have racked up over the years, you might think Mondo was dubbed one of the best in the world. It doesn’t matter what style you like or what you are thinking of because Mondo is able to take care of it for you. From American traditional to realism, black & grey to color or a perfect portrait tattoo, Mondo can do them all. He’s had guest spots at tattoo shops all over the world and been to many conventions sharing his skill set with the public. You can be next on the list if you reach out. You should think about doing it soon because an artist with this much talent is going to fill their books fast.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Joe Reno 2
Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Joe Reno 4

Joe Reno

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Joe Reno has been tattooing since the mid 90’s and he got started in the game by working with master tattooer and machine builder Dan Dringenberg. American traditional tattooing stood out to Joe early in his career and it is the founding style that he worked with. These days, Joe can handle just about any style of tattoo you can think of and knock it out of the park. That being said, his passion is for American traditional tattooing. Joe loves tattooing today as much as he did when he first started so you know if you get a tattoo by Joe he is going to put all his heart into it.


San Francisco Tattoo Artist Deanna Wardin 1
San Francisco Tattoo Artist Deanna Wardin 2

Deanna Wardin

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Deanna Wardin lives in the Bay Area and along with being tattoo artist, she is a enamel pin slinger, painter, sculptur and business owner. The University of Colorado is where she studied printmaking and graphic design which led her to a life spending a lot of her time taking part in a hands on approach to art.

When it comes to tattooing, Deanna has a keen eye for the watercolor and abstract tattoos. On the other hand, she is able to tattoo in most styles. Her tattoos are bold, bright and will catch your eye if you’re walking down the street. If you’ve looked through Deanna’s portfolio and feel like you would like to get a tattoo from her, you should contact her as soon as possible because her books will fill up fast.


Los Angeles Tattoo Artist Marlon M Toney 1
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Marlon M Toney

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Marlon M. Toney was born and raised in Berlin, Germany and then made the move to Los Angeles, CA. He grew up around graffiti artists and that inspired him to become more involved in art. He studied graphic design after high school which gave him the foundation for all the tattooing he does today. He bought a tattoo machine when he was young and practiced on some of his friends. Shortly after he got his first apprenticeship in Berlin. His skill set revolves around realism, neotraditional and color work. He got more into line work techniques later in addition to dot work. That being said, Marlon is capable of tattooing almost anything you can imagine so give him a chance and you will love what he has in store for you.


Oakland California Tattoo Artist 31
Oakland California Tattoo Artist 32

Alexsandra Chelini

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With a great attitude and a steady hand, Alexsandra Chelini has been making Bay Area clients happy for years now. She has been living in the Oakland area since 2016 and has been enjoying tatting up the locals ever since. She attended the School of Illustration in the Academy of Art University to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts. However, having a degree is one thing. When you look at her work you will know that it translated into some fine tattooing.

She has a gift for photoshop, illustration, digital painting, traditional media and tattooing. She really enjoys watercolor, pen and ink, figure drawing, life drawing, botanical illustration, pin ups and vector illustration. With all that said, Alexsandra is able to tattoo in almost any style you can image so don’t wait any longer before reaching out.

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