Our History
Joan Zuniga born in La Havana, Cuba, he started tattooing at the early age of 18. As a kid, he always has a lot of passion for art and drawing.
He starts tattooing at very young working on friends at school and locals, and after few years as he began to getting well know, he starts inking tourists who would travel to the island exclusively to get one of Joan’s tattoos done. Customers from outside the country gave him access to professional equipment, which allowed him to improve his work and explore new styles and grow as a tattoo artist.
At the age of 22, he left his country. Upon his arrival in Costa Rica, he started working in professional tattoo shops, which was a new experience for him. But it was not until he finally arrived in the US that he genuinely was exposed to a whole new world. He starts working at tattoo shops in Miami Fl and participating in tattoo conventions, allowing him to grow to a whole new level and learning new technics.
He also enjoys building tattoo machines with is another of his hobbies. Currently, he is working at a Private Tattoo Studio by Appointment only and serving the area of Fayetteville NC, Fort Bragg NC, Hope Mills NC, Spring Lake NC. We also have clients from Raleigh NC, Charlotte NC, Jacksonville, NC that travel to us to get work done. For anyone interesting in custom black and grey tattoos in the North Carolina area, get in touch.
LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF AND ABOUT WHAT DRIVES ME AS A TATTOO ARTIST.
I have been tag some times as a bad attitude tattoo artist because I care.
We can’t speak for all tattoo artists, and this is a generalization made based on what I will assume is a small section of the entire tattooing profession. Still, you would be amazed at how many artists have social anxiety issues or antisocial tendencies. It is a common trait found in many artists, not just among tattoo artists.
But I only speak from my viewpoint, but I know I have a reputation for being an artist with a bad attitude, that I’m relatively proud of it. For those that believe me to be a lousy attitude indeed, they have only become offended by my honesty. For those that truly know me, they understand that I don’t take the time to sugarcoat or protect feelings. That doesn’t make me a mean person, or a bad attitude one, but if you didn’t know better, you would think I was rude.
I am standoffish at first while trying to be respectful and helpful. Once I get to talking about an idea I’m excited about or talking about something I’m passionate about; I open up. But if your plan is going to make a bad tattoo, I’ll tell you it’s going to make a bad tattoo. If it’s upside down (because it’s for me!), I’ll take the time to explain that symbols are for other people to see. If it’s too much detail for the size wanted, I will tell you won’t hold up, so either go bigger or simplify the design.
Also, don’t get excited to do lots of designs, like little tattoos, lettering, finger tattoos, tribals, Polynesian tattoos, cover-ups tattoos, finishing other tattoo artist’s work in particular when they are poor quality ones.
Or the same design the last 15 girls asked for it. My heart doesn’t race when asked to do a 5-minute tattoo or the shop minimum. However, as long as the idea is designed well and will hold up over time, I’m more than happy to do the tattoo after I explain how a more extensive, or original tattoo design may make them more comfortable in the long run, of course.
But infinity symbols, roses, crosses, and butterflies even when paying the bills, I genuinely don’t think it is the right choice when it comes to that tattoo you going to have for the rest of your life. Those are tattoos everybody has, and you may end regret it. But don’t expect me to jump up and down in excitement to do the same design people have done 100 times.
Again, respectful and helpful, I’ll never say it’s an idiot,” even when sometimes they are. Trust me, I have seen people while working in a street shop that brags about being tattoo studios, and some of those walk-ins shops. Come for those tinny tattoos definitely, that’s something I consider for my years of experience a mistake you should never do. But that’s not my call to make. It’s your body; get what you want on it. But I will always take the time to explain what doesn’t work or what won’t hold over time.
Because the secret is this, I’m a bad attitude because I care. I care what your tattoo looks like when it’s finished. I care what it looks like in ten and twenty years. I care about how it looks to other people and other professionals. I care about how it affects your life, and I care about how it affects my reputation. I’m known for being a bit of an a**hole, but I’m also known for being an excellent professional tattoo artist.
And I’m pretty proud of that. So I may be blunt or brutally honest. But it’s because I care about my craft, I care about my name, and I care about you and your tattoo. And I think there are plenty of artists out there that feel the same.