After seeing the efficiently managed, 28th Santa Rosa Tattoo & Blues, the longest running tattoo convention in California, Scene360 was curious to meet up with co-organizer Daat Kraus who also owns and runs a studio by similar name, “Santa Rosa Tattoo” (originally established in 1978 by Bert Rodriguez). The shop is situated in a renovated Victorian house—its striking old-school charm is present on the outside as well as indoors with vintage furniture pieces, paintings, tattoo memorabilia, and more.
Kraus is not only a shop owner but a tattooer who works in various styles, specializing in “Script,” which he finalized a matching-piece for a couple giving tribute to their daughter Alina (see photo above). Other tattooists working there are Warren S Titus III, Max May, Tony Pimentel and Matt G Shaner—a tightly-knit team who maintain a positive atmosphere for their clients. Although working long hours to finish tattoos that day, the team and some of the clients went out to the Victorian porch to enjoy pizza for dinner.
Above: The happy couple get their daughter’s name inked by Daat Kraus.
Studio owner and tattooist Daat Kraus is great at script tattoos!
Good use of negative space by Kraus, in this script tattoo.
For this Japanese-style tattoo, Max May does a beautiful gradient coloring job.
Tony Pimentel keeps his attention to where it matters: his tattoo machine.
Kraus stenciled, freehanded, and then inked in black a dungeon-like-stairway on chest.
Warren S. Titus III tattoos twice on his client: 1) a barbwire design on wrist, and then 2) a spider on side of knee.
