I was born in Monterey in 1987 and moved to Santa Barbara at the age of 15. My career as a tattoo artist started at the age of 18, 6 years ago. 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 Ca 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.

I am open to tattooing a wide range of subject matters. I will never shoot down your tattoo idea, so if you are not sure if it is something I would be up for, please ask!

I mostly tattoo in color but I am also interested in doing black and grey.

I love working with concepts, so if there is a particular message you are trying to convey in your tattoos please discuss them with me and together we can come up with a unique piece of art.

I will not replicate someone elses artwork as a tattoo. I only except tattoo requests that require me to come up with a custom piece.

Tattooing and drawing are two completely separate mediums. I always do some sort of a drawing in preparation for the tattoo so that the client can get a sense of what they are getting and for me to follow as a guideline while tattooing. These can range from a simple graphite sketch to a full color representation depending on the level of preparedness needed. It is up to me to decide how I will do the drawing. Please note that this is a drawing not a tattoo, it is not to be taken literal. These can take anywhere from an hour to days to complete depending on the size and detail.

I do not charge for drawings, but I do charge a deposit for the tattoo appointment which covers the time I spent drawing in the event that you decide to not get the tattoo. Deposits start at $100 and increase from there and are non-refundable. If you cancel within 24 hours of your scheduled appointment I will not honor your deposit

I do not send out drawings via email or allow anyone to take them from my studio before the tattoo appointment. If you live in the area it is a good idea to come by my studio a day before your appointment to check out the drawing. If you are traveling to get tattooed, I will not send you a photo of the drawing. If there are any changes you want me to make before the tattoo, I will gladly do so.

I do not keep regular business hours. Please know that if you are scheduling an appointment with me, I expect you to be on time.

I charge $100 an hour cash only and my minimum is $100.

It is not reasonable for me to quote an approximate price for a tattoo because there are so many variables, but I do my best to come up with a range. If you are looking to get large scale work I will not quote a price for what it will cost in its entirety. It is best to give me a budget to work with when you come in for sessions.

I do not do free "touch-ups". Most color tattoos need a second and even third pass. I do not tattoo in a color-by-numbers fashion, I see it as being more of a painting that may require layers of color before I see it as being finished.

If you would like to set up a consultation with me please send me the following info: Black/Grey or Color? Size? Placement? Budget? Subject Matter? Any photos you would like me to use as a reference?

Recent Tattoos

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Recent Original Art

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