Artcore Studios

Um put a mother fucking yin yang on my freckle why don’t you?
Cough. Bitch.
;)
Call me?

Ryan did my tattoo almost a month ago. I’m really happy with the way it turned out. He was very personable and asked how I was doing every step of the way. He’s a very skilled artist. I highly recommend Ryan for your next tattoo.

Got my tattoo exactly as I wanted in a timely matter at a fair price and it looks amazing Thanks to artist Ryan Wiebusch. I would highly recommend Ryan and art core studios!

I did not enjoy my experience here. The tattoo artist I worked with was boring and unimaginative, and far to expensive.

I’ve always had great experience at this Studio! I think Artcore is seriously underrated!!! The studio is clean, with art displays on the wall. Super friendly place! The atmosphere is great! My artist is Atom. I had 3 tattoos done by him, and I LOVE all of them!!! He is a very talented artist who can turn your idea into a master piece! Super professional and easy going person! He made me feel comfortable and made sure to tell me about how and what he is doing during tattooing which was nice since I was nervous from time to time. I recommend a friend there to get a small piece done and she also had a great experience with a different artist. You will NOT be disappointed, if you are looking for a great artist and a super great studio to get your tattoo done I definitely recommend Artcore! Only thing is they are always booked way out, but it’s worth the wait ;)

Thank you, Seattle/​King County Humane Society. At Tuxes and Tails this past May I bid on and won an hour’s worth of work by Chris Gay. The thrill of auctions isn’t quite as competitive when it’s a silent auction. But I won it and had the downtime to come in.
My consultation was quick and brief. I had a vague idea but wasn’t 100% sure of the placement. Once that was sorted out I emailed Chris a general idea of what I had in mind and he got to work on the sketch.
Fast forward to last night: the sketch and colors were perfect. I requested it bbe shrunk down by about 1″ and it still worked, none of the detail was lost. Chris is a great guy, easy to talk to you and extremely knowledgeable. As many have mentioned, if you are looking for flash art, keep looking. This place has artists who create, not people who reproduce the same barbed wire arm wrap.
The type of tattoo I am in the process of getting isn’t orthodox, (or maybe it’s becoming more so these days). I realize many people want to know and control exactly what they are getting permanently marked on them but that’s not my mentality. I like to give a general idea and let the artist roll with it. For me (and maybe I’ve been extremely lucky), I’ve never been disappointed.
I sat through one session doing outlines and the larger portions of color and will have one more in a month after it’s all healed to add more depth. Chris is extremely nice, will make you laugh and knows tattoos are hard tickles.

Artcore came highly recommended from several people and I was excited to get a piece done here last year.
However, I didn’t get anything because during my consultation with The Artist That Shall Remain Unnamed he flat out refused to design a piece for me. He wasn’t very nice about it and made little to no attempt to reach any sort of compromise or solution. He told me I could either get something totally different or on a totally different part of my body. So I did… At a totally different shop (Liberty –
).
I have seen first hand what the guys at Artcore can do. It’s impressive and the studio is really nice, though a bit out of the way. In fact I would probably recommend them if anyone asked. But I didn’t like how I was treated and I would never come back.

I’ve been getting tattoos from Joby at Artcore Studios over the last 7 years for a reason — the artwork is amazing, beautiful and the highest of quality. I’ve attempted to get tattoos at other places I won’t name, but they’re never as good as what Artcore does, and I just ended up having to come to Joby to get it fixed. I’ve learned my lesson though! Artcore is the only place I’ll be going. I think it’s also really wonderful that what I want in a tattoo design matters, and I’m not made to feel like my opinion is sub-​par, like in some other tattoo studios.
Everything you could want from a tattoo experience, you get at Artcore. They’re the best and I am the happiest of customers. Go see them!

It might be unfortunate for Artcore that I write this review because of the other employees there, but my dealing with «Atom» yesterday was enough to never make me want to come back. I decided to chose them because of the quality of their art and drove over 20 miles to visit them and get the process going. Atom came off completely pretentious, rude and put off by my very existence. I was looking to collaborate with an artist on some ideas for a cover-​up. I know I made that very clear, that the quality of the piece would be more important that the piece itself. He wasn’t interested in that. I asked to look at some work and he half-​heartedly grabbed his portfolio then seemed to not even want to open it. He then starts to ask if I know what I’m getting into. How many hours it’d take, how much it would cost, etc… I am a little shocked that it seemed that I was getting talked OUT of getting a tattoo… by a TATTOO ARTIST. So, I’m not quite sure what all that was about but I’m not with it. I don’t know that everyone at Artcore is like him, but if they are, well… enjoy this. The sad part is, that the work looks really legit. Joby’s is better and I almost wished I would have ran into him instead. To summarize, I’m not sure what I did to deserve being treated this way. I get it, you’re an «art studio» but I’m still a human being and you’re still a business so other potential customers need to know what they’re getting into.

I don’t normally write a review until have the service done but in this case I had to write something.
To start, I want a new tattoo. I’m over anal picky about my artist and have done tons of research. I visited 16 shops and called at least 40. Out of all of these first contacts and phone calls I can say I was underwhelmed & shocked with the horrible level of courtesy, knowledge, & professionalism in the Tattoo world all except for Artcore Studios.
First & most important, when they answered the phone it was professional! The receptionist wasn’t finishing another lewd conversation before saying hi. The person knew their hours of operation, good directions, and nice manners.
When I stopped in I was greeted professionally in seconds with a warm hi. The two main artists were floating around while I was looking at folios, one asked if I needed help the other said hi. I know this sounds simple but damn so many shops treat you like an a-​hole or ignore you while they have a chat session about bogus domestic violence & DUI charges.
After talking to one of the artists (Joby) I wanted to move forward. Emailed him & left a message as he was busy tattooing when I called. For the first time ever, I got a return call the same night from the artist! He actually said, «Just wrapping up the day & returning all my calls.»
The shop was über clean, well lit with lots of free parking around the corner. Big windows on the outside letting you see the ink going in, although it feels a little voyerish ;] .
My only disappointment was that they book a ways out, a great sign of quality but still upsetting to me personally. I can see why they book out so far as the competition has no Customer Service ability or an ounce of professionalism. I know the tattoo experience should have some occult pieces and guys with too many piercings making you a bit intimidated but there is no excuse for being rude or running a bad business.
All this said, I can see why Artcore is Artcore Studio and not Artcore Tattoo Parlor.
Nice to see someone taking the lifelong installation of quality artwork seriously & with some reverence.
Thanks!
I will update my review when/​If I do get my tattoo here.

Been in for quite a few sessions now and the piece I have been getting done looks fantastic. The studio is spacious and comfortable to be in. I won’t rant too much about the quality of work, the other reviews speak volume enough. Go in and talk to the artists and you will be confident you are making the right choice in many ways.

I had a great experience at Artcore. They were friendly, professional, and talented, all the things I want in a tattoo studio. I was lucky enough to schedule with Joby who is normally booked well in advance, but was able to squeeze me in to a weekend appointment on short notice. He helped me decide on the best font (my tattoo was text only) and gave me great feedback about the location and humored me when I was very picky about getting it exactly centered on my not-​so-​straight arm. It was quick and relatively painless, is healing beautifully and was very reasonably priced. I most appreciated that Joby was ready for me when I showed up, he had my artwork ready to go, and most importantly, he didn’t make me feel like I was wasting his time with a small and basic tattoo. I kinda want another one just to have an excuse to go back.
I definitely recommend these guys, worth the wait if you have to schedule out.

Artist: Atom
Recommended Tip: Churros
Very clean shop. Atom does amazing work and spends plenty of time with the clients making sure they are happy with the design and outcome.
I appreciated his dedication to making sure the tattoo was «done right the first time.» He also made my laugh my ass off while getting the work done.
Will definitely be going back.

I feel really irresponsible for not writing this sooner because this place is AMAZING and should be known to all.
Artist: Chris
When: 3 sessions 1 in May and 2 in June.
Where: on my back (it takes up most of the lower right half of my back and then some)
When I was 12 I was in a plane crash (AA 1420) and lost my sister because of it. I was one of the lucky ones on the plane to not have any physical scars or injuries as a result of the crash. My psychological journey since has been long and mostly private. Throughout the last year or so I have been doing more and more revealing of my story to others and decided that I wanted a tattoo that in a way could be the physical expression of my psychological scars.
With such emotional material and this being my first tattoo, I didn’t want to go to just another stereotypical asshole tattoo «artist» where I would feel invalidated and scared. I did my homework and checked out several shops through Unilocal and then personally visited three shops before choosing Chris at Artcore. I could not have had a more pleasant experience with Chris as my artist. He took the time to collaborate with me on a stunning tattoo. It was (is) everything I wanted; as if he had read my mind. He even wanted to know what model the airplane was so that he could get that part of it correct and had me email him a photo of my sister so that he could get her eyes correct. The eyes are completely accurate. My mother even says so and she would know better than anyone else in the world what her daughter’s eyes looked like. The fire he did was exactly what I wanted. Real, but beautiful. The best way I’ve heard it described was by a friend that said, «it looks like watercolor.»
The second session I had was the day after the 12^th anniversary of the crash and the last session was done on the 12^th anniversary of when my sister passed. Chris knew this and was very sensitive to what was going on for me. He didn’t ask me to talk about it, but was receptive to anything I did want to tell him.
If you are wanting a generic flash tattoo, don’t go here. They don’t have books and catalogs of flash on the walls. They have their portfolios, artistic brains, and skilled hands. All custom pieces.
I could write a much longer review about everything that was awesome about this place and Chris, but I’ll keep it relatively short. I’m trying to get my tattoo photographed and then will post it on here, but don’t really know where to go for that…

Artcore is the best! So the first thing people usually say to me after discovering I have a gigantic (and beautiful) tattoo on my back is «Wow! You don’t seem like the kind of girl that would have a tattoo!» (Really?! Who exactly is this ‘kind of girl’? ‘Cause I’d like to meet her?) Unfortunately, before my husband and I found Artcore at the Seattle Tattoo Convention, that same ‘that kinda girl’ attitude was expressed by many other local tattoo ‘artists’. We were seriously disappointed. However, when we met the guys at the Artcore booth they were so friendly and seemed genuinely interested in listening to our ideas for the work we were wanting to get done; we were sold!
We also loved Artcore’s dedication to the originality of the art they create with the client. At Artcore, you will not find any flash. Basically, you bring your ideas about what you want, whether its examples from books or the internet; and they work with you to design the final image. Then you make your appointment to get the work done. There’s no pressure on the client to hurry up and get in the chair!
As far as the artists go, you really can’t go wrong. These guys are all so friendly, fun, and they all do tremendously amazing work. However, my husband and I both had our work done by Joby. He’s awesome. Joby has an excellent eye for line work and color. He also rocks on the proportion of the tattoo to your body (you know what I mean, we’ve all seen the tat that’s way too big or small for the part of the body its on…). With my husband’s tattoo, Joby worked with him on every detail. Which goes to show how Joby is very thoughtful about his clients because my husband is a detail guy and always has lots of questions about the details on everything! My husband’s tattoo turned out wonderfully.
As for my own tattoo, its amazing. Its also another example of how cool Joby is. Unlike my husband, I’m not a detail girl. I gave Joby the basics about what I wanted and he has done an excellent job of putting what I wanted into something tangible. For almost every sitting, we’d have a conversation about the work and how the colors were going to develop. At times, I’d be a little unsure of the color scheme, but we’d talk about it and come to an agreement. I never felt pressure to do something his way because he is the artist and I never have been disappointed with the work.

Our dog, Keiko, had passed away and my husband and I wanted to commemorate our love for her and decided to work through our grief and memorialize her with a tattoo.
We visited a few tattoo parlors that day, not really sure what we wanted to do, we had toyed with the idea of having her face inked on our arms, but we were not entirely confident in anyone’s ability to adequately capture her likeness. By the time we got to Artcore, we were down to just text «In Loving Memory of Keiko». We met with Levi, told him what we were looking for and he started sketching out the text — then we realized that the text wasn’t really working for us and we felt stumped. Levi simplified the process for us and created a really simple, yet heartfelt banner with her name in the center and it just hit home for us. We had been over thinking the whole thing.
It was my fifth tattoo, but my husband’s first. Levi did an awesome job cranking out a perfect duplication on both of our arms. He definitely got my husband hooked on ink! Not only is Levi talented, but he is also very sweet and patient. When I’m ready for my full back montage, I’ll be back!

I recently got a tattoo done here by Joby. I thought it was both a great experience and a really awesome tattoo!
I came in with a very specific idea in my head, but a very vague way to portray it. Joby did a perfect job of somehow deciphering what was in my head and transforming it into the exact tattoo that I wanted!
It is a great studio in that cute little unique Georgetown area. They have private rooms so you don’t have to be a window display through your suffering. They have no flash anywhere which is awesome because tattoos are supposed to be works of art, not clipart!
I will get the rest of my tattoos done by Joby and highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great tattoo studio!!!

I love Artcore.
I think they are absolutely the best place to get work done.
Joby (he was Bishop at the time) did my older brother and I’s back work. We wanted to get matching tattoos and Joby helped us come up with a unique design we both loved. During the process, Joby was patient and nice to talk with. I wanted it done in black, but Joby thought a deep purple would look better… and he was totally right. The tattoo is beautiful, and after having it for 5 years it looks fantastic.
My younger brother also went to Joby for his first tattoo. It turned out perfect.
When I’m ready for my next tattoo, I will come back to Artcore.
They know what they are doing, and will work with you to make a perfect design.

Christi Brooker, the artist I went to at ArtCore is no longer there. She is absolutely amazing and I love her, but I want to say how great the studio as a whole is.
The place is kept impeccably clean, there’s absolutely no flash anywhere to be found. While Christi was working with me, the other artists (not while they were working, obviously), were super friendly and came to chat with us. It was a comfortable, approachable environment while maintaining a high degree of professionalism and artistry.

This place is the real deal. First thing you notice when you walk in is that there is real art hanging on the walls and not a single piece of flash. Just one look at their website
or their portfolios and you will be impressed with the artistic quality of their work. All the tattooers are great here and you will get personal attention and a great tattoo if you go.
I particularly love Atom’s work and dig the fact that he only schedules one tattoo a day so you have his complete attention. When I first started looking for my tattoo I went into Slave to the Needle and Laughing Buddha and I couldn’t get anyone’s attention because they were swamped with customers. There is something to be said about going to the shop that is out of the way and not in the spotlight. Really good art is not always the most popular or best known.