Tattooed Heart Studios

Reviews 3

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Corey Lively

Project: Van Gogh "Starry Night" full wrap from just above elbow to top of shoulder. Also covered up previous black ink tattoo. Artist: Amy Nicholls, @ANichollstattoo Duration: about 12 hours. Tattoo #: my 5th tattoo, but my largest and most complicated. In my opinion, its difficult to walk into a tattoo shop and ask an artist to tattoo a masterpiece such as "Starry Night". Throw in that the piece will be a cover up of an existing all black ink tattoo and it becomes even more complicated. But thats what I did. I searched the Internet for quite some time looking for an artist with the portfolio that I felt would do Van Gogh justice. When I came across Tattoed Heart I felt like Id found the right shop. I was very impressed by Amys portfolio and what I felt like she could do with this piece. Knowing that Starry Night is oil on canvas, Amy was a clear choice as her concept, style, and inspiration lent itself very well to the required seamless blending of colors, non-linear natural elements and landscape, and almost non-existence of defined lines. I did request that Amy remove the cyprus from the painting and replace it with the Tree of Life (for symbolic reasons), which she did flawlessly. We worked out some details during my first appointment and communicated via email about specifics until she sent me the "draft" of my tattoo a few days before we started. Even though it was diffucult to envision the final result based solely on line work I could tell that Amy and I were on the exact same page with the design. The finished piece came out even better than I could have imagined. You never know if what you see in your mind is going to translate on to your body as a tattoo, but Amy did such an amazing job I cant point to one single detail that I wish would have come out differently. She incorporated the leaves from the Tree of Life perfectly into the background landscape, village rooftops, and night sky. The color and shading is consistent, with the perfect amount of intensity and contrasting subtlety. Each element of the painting is expertly translated into the tattoo. The moon just above the tree in the foreground is an excellent focal point of the piece which sets the frame then allows the eyes to work through the individual aspects of the piece without dominating the background or overshadowing the intense detail work that Amy did. Just as in the original, Amys interpretation allows for smooth viewing transitions and distinguished yet well-blended features. Aside from the tattoo, I would also compliment the entirety of Tattooed Heart Studios staff on their exceptional customer service. Bryce was always pleasant when it came to scheduling and makes you feel at ease when you walk through the door. Tattoo parlors can be intimidating, but the atmosphere at this shop will put you at ease. One aspect that I found exceptional was that they treated each customer with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. No matter if it was a small piece or a large piece, it was as important to them as it was to the customer. I will tell you this.... This studio is staffed by professionals with exceptional talent. If your piece doesnt fit their style or if the artist doesnt think he/she would be a good fit for your project, I believe they will tell you. But believe me, its for your benefit (remember the cover up part?). I also believe they will give you recommendations for a better tattoo that will make you happier in the end. As the quality is so high, the wait list can be long. But its well worth it. I waited a while but I couldnt be happier with the final result. Once we started, Amy was committed to working with me expeditiously until completion. The appointments were as close together as I could get them to allow for healing and it was never rushed. Amy worked until either she or I needed to be done for the day and it was never an issue. I can say that John has put together the best shop I have found and I hope that I get to work with Amy on some future projects.

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Esprit Basner

Getting tattooed by Amy at Tattooed Heart was my best tattoo experience to date! Despite the fact that I was going to a new shop (an intimidating experience for me) and was going for my largest piece yet, I felt totally at ease throughout the whole process. During our consultation Amy was positive, enthusiastic, and clearly invested in creating a piece of art that would be true to her style and would incorporate all of the details that I wanted. Even after the consult she kept me updated with her sketching progress, and I was lucky enough to see the final image even before I came into the studio. As a client I felt very involved in the process and like my input was really valuable to Amy. Although I didnt get to see the original studio, the new Tattooed Heart on Coca Cola Dr is just stunning! There are several tattooing spaces which can be made private by clouding/unclouding the glass, which is great as it creates visual privacy without cutting you off from the rest of the studio (we were able to chat with/hear the other artists throughout the session.) As someone with social anxiety, this was the ideal setup for me--having access to others will still having a more private space in which to actually get the tattoo. Im also the kind of person who dreads getting a haircut because of all the awkward chit chat, but in the entire four hours that I sat for this tattoo I never once felt uncomfortable or like there was nothing to say. Amy is extremely friendly and full of fun stories, a very open person who clearly wanted me to have as much fun getting the tattoo as she had giving it. The conversation was a really welcome distraction from the pain, which she also coached me through when I found myself wearing down from the long session. I felt cared for as a client and a person--just couldnt be happier with the experience. And, of course, my gorgeous shoulder piece looks amazing. Im two days into the healing process and its coming along really nicely, with minimal soreness even on the first night. I cant recommend Amy or Tattooed Heart enough--both my ideas and my body were taken care of, and I had such a fun time that I cant wait until I have the opportunity to go back!

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A Private User

Being an artist myself it is extremely important to me that I find someone who is more then a tattooist but also an artist. After doing what felt like eons of searching I found Tattooed Heart Studios, the best choice I could ever make. Contacting John G. was extremely easy and it was even easier setting up the consult. When I came in to meet with John G he had already pulled up the image that I had mention on the online form (sleeping griffin from Alice in Wonderland) and thats when I knew that he was my artist! I had no second thoughts; I showed him my drawing of what I had in mind and some images that I had referenced. John G. is a super amazing artist, its obvious he loves what he is doing and truly makes me feel at complete ease with the fact that Im COMPLETELY entrusting him with my skin and with something that is not little at all. So far I have completed two sittings (already scheduled my third). If you decided to do a large piece (like I have) you will not be disappointed with John G. I love the way he works!!! Every time I leave the studio I have something that is complete, we have broken everything down into sections so that Im not leaving with miscellaneous outlines. Which also gives me a chance to take a break in between sittings if I wanted (which I really havent because his work is just that gorgeous) You want art on your flesh, an awesome environment and artist that will work with you, this is the place HANDS DOWN!!! I have definitely been bragging where I got my tattoo and trying to push everyone I know to go Tattooed Heart! I CAN NOT WAIT TO SHOW OFF MY NEW SKIN.