State of Art Tattoo Studio

Well. Everything seemed alright when I came in the shop, my best friend and the woman she babysits for were both getting tattoos done, i was asking them if they knew who my artist was (my best friend goes to my artist as well). He proceeded to tell me that «there are 3 tiers to tattoo artists: bad, middle, and high class» and then said that my artist would be ranked in the middle. He called their shop the «Target» of tattoo shops and also said «You wouldn’t find a target at La Encatada». This made me upset for many reasons. One would be because my artist isn’t just my artist, she is someone i respect as a person, i’ve known her for years and if i thought her work was bad then i wouldn’t let her touch my skin with ink. right? but another reason im upset is because an artist should never EVER talk trash about another artists work, ESPECIALLY to strangers. (he talked poorly about multiple shops)
aside from me being offended personally, he was also very cocky and arrogant. an artist should never have to tell people they’re good for others to know. if they’re good it’ll show in their work.
my friend got a rib piece done, it pained her so badly she was almost hyperventilating and she was crying and he refused to give her a break. After a few days, we noticed bruising on her tattoo. BRUISING! Explains why she was in so much pain, he was extremely heavy handed. Not to mention when the woman she babysits for went to get her tattoo (her very first one) she was asking him a bunch of questions, and he would laugh at her and answer her questions like she was an idiot. I’m so disappointed with this experience. The art is good but we will never be coming back. Us and our Target tattoo artist will be just fine our non-​bruised tattoos.

Wow I love my new tattoo! My artist was Andy, he did an amazing job. I’m really picky and I he gave me exactly what I was looking for (actually even better) I’ll definitely be coming back for my next one. Also, the shop is really clean and there’s a lot of cool art work.

Love love love this shop! Got both of my tattoos here, and neither was very complicated, but they still treated my pieces like a big deal because they knew it was a big thing for me! Being a young woman I decided I was going to get the piece on the back of my neck in pink… bad idea on my skin tone! I looked like I had a lovely Hebrew scar on the back of my neck! I know Hebrew scars are all the rage right now. but I wasn’t feelin it! They re did my tattoo for free in black ink. Whew, thank gosh for state of art! They also helped me design my memorial tattoo for my hip and were very patient with me while I decided what I wanted! Jake and everyone here is amazing and I would recommend them to anyone!

I’m not from Tucson and I really wanted to get something done during the 3 months I’d be here and I did my research. Soooo glad I found State of Art!!! I met with Dre (owner and artist) and right away I felt comfortable. I told him what I had in mind, he let me email him a ton of pics and ideas, and when I arrived for my appointment I was not disappointed in what he had come up with. He said once you get a piece done by him you won’t ever doubt his abilities… quite confident in himself I thought… but he was right! I wish I could bring him back to Michigan with me! I love this piece! Thank you Dre!

I have been coming to State of Art for years, and I’m not going to lie I have been around other shops before, and have stuck with this one for a reason. Andre, and his crew there are such amazing artists and outstandingly fair with their pricing even though that should not be a concern when getting a tattoo because well… you get what you pay for. I have been tattooed by almost everyone in the shop, and have never once walked out with the thought «this is permanent.» Phenomenal work, and would 110% recommend this place to ANYONE looking to get a tattoo. They have many awards to back up their work, and artists with different specialties. They will definitely make you feel at home when getting tattooed here!

Mike was awesome! I went there with my girlfriend and it was our first tattoos. He was very easy to work with and took his time. I would definitely go back again without hesitation!

I have had, like I said before, three tattoos By Kevin Patrick, due to some scheduling issues, his and mine, we had to reschedule an appointment, I was going on vacation, he had some family schedule time, on and on. The last time I was there, he failed to discount my deposit of $ 40.00 from our last session, he said he would discounted on our next scheduled appointment. I didn’t think anything of it, cool, I said, then we scheduled for October, kinda far, but hey… it gave me time to think of what I wanted. As the time approached I sent him there or four tattoo ideas, never hearing from him, like before, so I started thinking this must be the way tattoo artist are, not sure…
When I came back, the night before my appointment, I had an emergency at the house, so I sent him an email telling him I would reschedule, he said ok immediately following, then within an hour, I was abel to solve our emergency, emailed Kevin back and asked if we could continue with the appointment, he emailed me back 5 or 10 minutes later and said, sorry I have booked another appointment. Well, i was disappointed so I asked if he would reconsider, he would not, sounded a little cocky, said «I book far and fast», ok, then he said especially on weekends. I told him, I don’t need a weekend, I can come anytime… he then told me that he would not be able to schedule me till December…, again I asked if he would reconsider, he told me what do you think, I can just call and reschedule my client, or something to that effect, silly me, I thought I was a client also…, I told him, hey i think you just don’t need anymore clients, and you think that your all that, or something to that effect, don’t remember my exact words, but I didn’t like the way he handled the whole thing. Then he emailed me back and said that I had forfeited my deposit, since I had not given him 24 or 48 hr notice, mind you, I had not cancelled, and he never gave me anything saying that, except a business card with the deposit written on the back. Ink Masters would not be proud, today your on top, tomorrow who knows, the bottom line is, he treated me like a bother, unprofessional, took my deposit, and… I will never, ever recommend this place to anyone, at least not Kevin…, from the beginning I felt like he was doing me a favor, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and I was right… if you get too cocky, well, there are always much better artist who are willing to go the extra mile, and most importantly, conduct yourself as a professional, not an amateur…
Bad for him, because I had several people who were interested, so he lost out, not me. Enjoy my deposit…, pro’s don’t need to do that…

Last week, my husband and I started our journey to find an artist to do pieces on the both of us. There’s something uniquely scandalous feeling about searching for a tattoo artist– promiscuously reading reviews and popping in to shops, basically to go in and silently interview their portfolios of work– and then to «meet» the artist and see if they offer any traits that either turn you off or on.
Unless you have severe compulsive issues, you take your time, and when you find the artist, you just know. When we «met» Jake Kloos at State Of Art Tattoo, we knew he was our guy. His color work is beyond perfect, and even more impressive, his portraits are beautifully accurate and life like. I feel, this is the greatest telling attribute an artist has– the human face.
Jake totally went out of his way to say hello and be personable, and «real». We booked our appointments and returned today, a week later. Jake is time conscious and works with a gentle hand– I had a large piece done and felt as relaxed as can possibly be, under the circumstance. The work was perfectly interpreted from my ideas, and turned out, technically, and aesthetically, better than I even imagined.
Go to Jake, you won’t be disappointed. He’s a nice person, and a legitimately talented tattooist.

Jake at State of Art was awesome! He does amazing color work and was super personable. Its hard to find tattoo studios where the artists aren’t super pretentious and you definitely won’t get that at State of Art. My favorite part, they do amazing work at fair and reasonable prices. I will definitely be back!

I had a quarter sleeve and chest piece done by Dre, the owner. The shop is probably the cleanest I have ever been in and has a great atmosphere. Dre is awesome and getting tattooed by him is like getting tattooed by the most interesting man in the world. There isn’t much he hasn’t done. He is an artist to the truest sense and you will not be disappointed.

State of Art Tattoo Studio is a full custom shop. So, when you come in, you won’t see collections of flash art hung on the walls from which you can choose. No, here, you come in with an idea of what you want, consult with your artist, and then let them work their magic. I overheard Andre (owner and bad-​ass artist) say the following during one of my most recent visits, «I hate hearing a client say, ‘that turned out exactly like I imagined it!’» To hear that, according to Andre, is an insult, because 9 times out of 10, the person receiving the tattoo isn’t an artist. Andre says he feels an obligation to blow a client’s mind. Otherwise, he hasn’t done his job to the best of his ability.
It’s that relentless pursuit of perfection that sets the artists at this shop apart from the rest. That tenacity is a HUGE part of the reputation of the artists at State of Art. If you need further verification that these guys are badasses, just take a look at the walls. They are adorned with award after award won from tattoo conventions from across the state.
Jake, Murder Mike, Tony Four Fingers, Andre, Erika and Kevin can absolutely change the way you look at tattoos. Any of them can come up with the most amazing designs, based on the simplest of ideas. They are the epitome of modern artists, in my humble opinion.
At no other tattoo shop around will you find a collection of more intellectually overqualified tattoo artists/​piercers than you will at State of Art! I mean, just take a look at some of the booths next time you’re in the shop… there are degrees from MIT, Harvard, and the University of Washington to name a few. Knowing that your artist is talented enough to help you envision your tattoo dreams is one thing. Knowing that they can carry on an intelligent conversation with you while they do it, well, that’s an added bonus, in my book.
For any of you out there who are more into piercings than you are tattoos, fear not… State of Art has one of the best piercers around in Preston. From lips, to nipples, to (insert body part here), all the way down to sub dermal piercings, Preston can make your next trip through the metal detector that much more harrowing! Extremely professional and thorough!
If you’re looking for the absolute best of the best, look no further than State of Art Tattoo!
WORD TO THE WISE! Once you know what you want, go ahead and book your appointment with the artist of your choice. Their calendars fill up FAST, and have been known to be booked as far was six weeks out! Remember… this art is permanent… but, for these guys, it’s definitely worth the wait!

Had a tattoo here after reading positive Unilocal reviews and wasnt disappointed. everyone seemed nice and jake was kind and patient and i thought very gentle; much better than my previous experience at a different place. would recommend.

Great shop! Better people! All around best place in Tucson and maybe even Arizona to get a tattoo! Jake was my artist, dude was good people! Won’t go to another shop! Also a big plus is that they have a atm right inside of the shops.

Andre touched up a 13-​year-​old tattoo and it looks way better than the day I got it! Great shop!

This place is great from the first time walking in the door they are very helpful with any questions i had about the tattoo i wanted they also got me in the same day. the guy that did my tattoo walked me thru everything he was doing (this was my first tattoo) and in the end it looks great. i will going back here when i am ready for my next tattoo.

I’ve been getting my ink done here since 2009, and I won’t go anywhere else. Andre, Danny, Kevin, and Jake do great work. They’re award winning artists and way chill. I love State of Art.

Jake and Kevin and Danny and Andre are Truly talented. I have had several tattoos here by Jake. In my opinion, One the best up and coming tattoo artist
Kevins tattoos are mind blowing. Andre and Danny do amazing stuff No big egos here just straight on art. It like a bunch of great friends doing what they love.

Had an amazing Asian dragon piece done by Andre Garcia. Very clean shop. Great price for the quality and quantity of work.

Andre has done 3 tattoos for me and all of them turned out great. The other artists are all also good as is the piercer. The atmosphere is fun and everyone is friendly; sometimes I had more fun just hanging out and talking to everyone that came into the shop. If you are thinking of getting a tattoo or piercing (and you should because they are awesome) this is definitely as good as it gets in Tucson!