My career as a tattoo artist began 7 years ago. After a 2 year apprenticeship I began tattooing professionally. My obsession with visual arts has been a driving force in my life since I can remember. I had always been fascinated with body art and when I started to see what tattoo artists were doing with new school color surrealism and photorealism on the skin, I was inspired to explore it as a profession. I have a deep respect for the people I tattoo and for the industry I work in. After experiencing tattooing in street shops for years as well as getting tattooed in them, I knew that I wanted more for myself and for my clients. I desired to tattoo in an environment that is non-intimidating, private and professional. With that inspiration, in the spring of 2010 I opened my own tattoo studio in Santa Barbara California called Merkaba Tattoo. Currently I am working on an appointment only basis and I also attend UCSB part-time to finish my BA in Art Studio.

FAQ

What hours do you work?

          I work by appointment only; I schedule appointments 7 days a week anywhere from 10am to 7pm.

Will you fix my tattoo that I got somewhere else?

            Due to my schedule I am not able to accommodate everyone, tattoos requests that do not involve me having to work on or around an existing tattoo will get priority. That being said I do enjoy doing cover-ups if I feel the existing tattoo can be covered successfully and I may work around an existing tattoo if I feel there is room for me to make it my own. Please fill out the contact form and send a photo of your existing tattoo so I can evaluate it.

What will you not tattoo?

           I DO NOT DO TRIBAL TATTOOS OR TATTOOS THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF SCRIPT. I am open to a lot of subject matters in both black and grey and color and I am particularly interested in anything nature or sacred geometry related.

What do you charge?

          I charge $100 an hour and my minimum is $100, which is equal to one hour of work. I do not charge for drawing time or set up time, I only charge for the time I am tattooing.

How do I set up an appointment?

    Please fill out the contact form and send any necessary photos. I will need a detailed description of the tattoo you want to get including size and placement. I am a one-woman operation and between tattooing and drawing all day it may take up to 72 hours to get a response. I will then contact you to set up a time to meet in person for a free consultation and we can set up your appointment to get tattooed from there. Tattoo appointments require a non-refundable deposit of at least $100, which will be deducted off of the last tattoo session. Failure to cancel your appointment within 48 hours of the scheduled time results in a forfeit of that deposit.

Can I see a drawing before the appointment?

      After leaving a deposit it is possible to come in a day before the tattoo appointment to look at the drawing as long as my schedule allows it, I may or may not be booked. I DO NOT ALLOW CLIENTS TO TAKE PHOTOS OF THE DRAWING BEFORE THEIR APPOINTMENT AND I WILL NOT SEND A PHOTO OF THE DRAWING TO YOU BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT. Any changes to the drawing can be made at the time of the appointment and I do not charge for extra drawing time so long as it is not a major change to the concept.

How do I care for my tattoo?

Wash it several times a day with a mild soap such as Dial and warm water. Let it air dry. After washing it each time put a thin layer of Aquaphor on the tattoo. Keep it out of the sun while it is healing and do not let it soak in water (no swimming or baths, showers are OK). After 6 days if there is a spot that is taking longer to heal than others and it is still sore, you may dab a very small amount of triple antibiotic ointment on the problem area and it will heal it fast, do not use this in the beginning, it will cause scarring if used more than once or used on a large area of the tattoo. Tattoos do get itchy towards the end of the healing process, do not be alarmed. If the tattoo is completely healed you can use cortisone to calm the itching. Remember that during the tattooing process, the outer layer of skin has ink in it. This outer layer of skin must peel off because of this it can appear that your tattoo is falling off. This is just because the dead skin on the surface that is shedding has also been tattooed. The color on this outer layer will appear duller as it eventually comes off. Once the tattoo has peeled the tattoo may appear light (depending on skin type) this is because the new layer of skin initially has an opaque appearance. The brightness of your tattoo will return fully after one month, which is generally when the skin cells have fully regenerated.