Custom Tattoos, Piercings & Cover-Ups in Sherman Oaks

Tattoo Artwork

Custom tattoo work in every major style.

At American Ink Tattoos in Sherman Oaks, we pride ourselves on delivering unique and personalized tattoo work that stands out. The shop's range covers vibrant color tattoos, intricate black and grey designs, traditional American tattoos, fine line, and detailed realism - each piece crafted with meticulous attention to detail and a real understanding of the client's vision.

Today that work is carried by two artists. Josue handles black and grey realism - religious pieces, memorial portraits, and large-scale custom work from half-sleeves to full back pieces. Knives specializes in patchwork designs with lots of fine lines, shaped by a fine-arts background and a collaborative design process. Whether it's a custom design, a meaningful cover-up, or a striking portrait, the commitment to quality shows in every piece. The tattoos page walks through the full process from consultation to aftercare.

Piercings & Body Mods

Professional piercings from experienced piercers.

American Ink offers piercing services tailored to your individual style and anatomy. The piercers cover a wide variety of piercing types - ear placements from lobes to helix, tragus, conch, and industrial, plus nostril, septum, lip, eyebrow, navel, and dermal piercings.

Miguel, the owner, brings more than 20 years of piercing experience and is the shop's resident piercer. Knives - whose start in body art was piercing - takes piercing appointments alongside tattoo work, covering everything from first lobes to advanced facial placements. Every piercing uses a sterile, single-use needle and a setup laid out fresh for each client, and every appointment ends with detailed aftercare instructions. The piercings page covers the full menu, jewelry quality, and what to expect.

Custom Designs

One-of-one designs developed with you.

We specialize in creating custom artwork tailored to your unique vision. The artists collaborate closely with clients to design one-of-a-kind tattoos that reflect personal stories and artistic preferences, ensuring each piece is a true work of art rather than a copy of something off a wall.

A custom project usually starts with whatever you have - a rough sketch, saved images, a written idea, or a style you keep coming back to. The artist develops that material into a design drawn for your placement and scale, and tells you honestly if a reference will not translate well at the size or spot you have in mind. Custom design work is quoted at the consultation, with tattoos starting at the $150 shop minimum.

Tattoo Cover-Ups

Old tattoos, honestly reworked.

We offer expert tattoo cover-up services to transform and rejuvenate old or unwanted tattoos. The artists use advanced techniques and creative designs to seamlessly blend the cover-up with your existing tattoo, providing a fresh look you'll actually want to show off.

Every cover-up at American Ink starts with an honest, in-person assessment of the existing piece - how dark it is, how dense, how large, and where it sits. Covering old ink usually means going darker or larger than the original, and the artists explain those design realities up front instead of promising something that will not hold. The cover-ups page explains the assessment, the constraints, and how to get started.

Consulting & Ideas

Consultations that turn ideas into plans.

We provide comprehensive art consulting to help clients refine their tattoo ideas and designs. The artists offer personalized consultations, ensuring each concept is thoughtfully developed and tailored to your style and vision before any needle comes out.

A good consultation covers the idea, placement, rough size, references, timing, and budget context. From there the studio matches the project to the right artist or piercer, gives you a realistic read on scale and cost, and leaves you with a concrete next step - a walk-in, a scheduled appointment, or a deeper design session. The pricing page explains how quotes work, and the walk-ins page covers what suits same-day visits.