Yakima County is no stranger to celebrating its local artists — we’ve seen it done in countless fashions. Residents enjoy memorials, wall art, handmade street decor, galleries, and many businesses offering canvases to view and purchase.
You’ll find, however, that a different kind of artist may be overlooked in the valley. Tattoo parlors in Yakima host some of this valley’s most creative and talented artists. If you’re considering finding a local venue to get inked, you may have an intimidating number of options. When considering your tattoo artist, it’s essential to consider what style of tattoo you’re getting. While there could be reputable and quality artists at one location, they may not specialize in the style you want.
Cyclops Tattoo
1406 Fruitvale Blvd., Yakima
Cyclops Tattoo, located adjacent to Fruitvale Boulevard and, coincidentally, Kids Club, is sure to have an artist that can perform to your liking.
The owner of Cyclops Tattoo is the skilled and hardworking Pablo Casillas. Casillas specializes in black and white portrait realism. His online portfolio shows clean script and beautiful linework. While mostly inking humans, Casillas is no stranger to animal depictions. One of the most beautiful pieces in his portfolio is a shoulder piece of a B&W lion framed in a rose. Pablo Casillas is worth the wait if you’re looking for a realistic piece from the best of the best.
Richard Rangle, also a Cyclops artist, emphasizes his blackwork surrealism skills but still shows us pops of color in his portfolio. He is a self-proclaimed horror lover with a diverse collection, including manga and modern anime artwork that has become much more highly sought after in the last two years.
Tim Stillwaugh is a king of large, complex pieces that stem between American traditional styles and realism. His gradients and shadows create astounding contrast with framing is top-tier.
Juan Carrillo, another Cyclops artist, likes to incorporate color into his artwork, even if it’s only a slight hue change in the shadows to make the colors richer. His portfolio sports multiple floral pieces that could stamp or wrap anywhere around the body tastefully. His surrealism pieces range in color or lack thereof in order to emphasize the banners or script.
The talented artists showcased at Cyclops Tattoo are among the most diverse in Yakima Valley. They are versatile, professional, and remarkably skilled.
Addiction Tattoos
707 W. Yakima Ave., Yakima
With a catalog almost too big to view, Addition Tattoos has a wide array of clients wearing all sorts of different work. At West Yakima Avenue, this parlor is located just off of many core establishments in Yakima and exists smack-dab in the middle of the county.
The most active artist at Addiction Tattoos, Pete Bennett, works much like the shop itself does — sundry. Focusing mainly on surrealism, Bennett does so in blackwork and color equally. He delves into themes of pop culture, religion, horror, cultural, and scare scapes. Realism is present, but the styles vary with Bennett. While overlooking his portfolio, American traditional, neo-traditional, blackwork and even Japanese-style tattoos have been successfully executed. There isn’t much that this artist hasn’t experimented with before, and he certainly will continue to explore different realms of artistry and continue to spread the name of his place of business.
Crazy Ink Tattoo
116 S. 1st St., Yakima
There quite literally could not be a more aptly located tattoo parlor in Yakima. Heading south on First Street will take you to Crazy Ink Tattoo, tucked just off the main road next to a pawn shop and Game & Grog. You can’t miss their stunningly designed sign jutting out from their newly renovated building.
Crazy Ink is a classic tattoo and piercing shop existing as one of the fundamental parlors making up the town. Every visit there is enjoyable, the piercing apprentices are receptive and hardworking, and tattoos are done with professionalism, efficiency, and friendliness.
Like the other shops noted on this list, Crazy Ink is diversified with so many styles offered by their artists that it almost isn’t worth sorting their portfolios. The shop is clean and almost always busy with at least one client in tow.
However, unlike some other shops in town, Crazy Ink offers exciting and fun specials such as Friday the 13th flash sale tattoos, where you get a pre-drawn piece ranging from $13-$113.
Folks seeking to get a new tattoo should always do their research so they can find the right tattoo artist and tattoo shop. That being said, the only thing difficult about this process in Yakima will be narrowing it down to one specific artist.
