Healed work over fresh
A freshly-tattooed photo lies. The real test of a tattoo is how it looks 6 months later — that's what I document and that's what I show.
LUIS AMAYA
Tattoo Artist
Black & Grey · Full Color
San José, California
About the Artist
The skin remembers what matters.
I'm Luis Amaya, a tattoo artist specialized in realism — black & grey and full color — based in San José, California. With 10 years of experience creating art on skin. These aren't tattoos made for Instagram — they're tattoos meant to be worn for a lifetime.
My work focuses on what the client carries inside: portraits of loved ones, a specialty in religious designs, and sleeves where each piece has to speak to the next.
A clean studio experience, session by session, in English and Spanish. Bookings are handled directly with me — no middlemen.
Black & Grey RealismFull Color RealismPortraitsReligious ArtSleevesMemorial Pieces
10
Years
500+
Pieces
EN/ES
Bilingual
Philosophy
How I work, and why.
Some rules have been non-negotiable for years. These four define how I work with every client — and why some of them have done 3, 4 or more pieces with me.
Custom, always
I don't copy. Every piece is designed from scratch for the client, their body and their story. If you wanted another artist's flash, there are other artists. With me it's bespoke.
Approval before the needle
Nothing gets tattooed until you've seen the final sketch and approved it. If it needs a redesign, it gets redesigned. No surprises on session day.
Respect for what it means
If I'm tattooing your mom, your Virgen or your family crest, I know what it weighs. Technique matters — but the attitude behind the work matters more.