Diving Swallow Tattoo
Categories: Professional Services, Tattoo [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Lake Merritt, Oakland Chinatown264 14th Street
(between Alice St & Harrison St)
Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 251-2050
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- By Appointment Only: Yes
82 reviews
Neighborhood: Telegraph Ave
"I'm a HUGE fan of body mods. I've been here twice, and both were very good experiences. The first time was to just talk with the staff, and…" read more »
17 Reviews for Diving Swallow Tattoo
Cedre is an amazing artist and such an enjoyable person to interact with that I'd give six stars if I could. I had my first tattoo done here, a relatively large first on my leg, about a month ago, over two sessions. It is well worth your time and money to contact these folks -- after all, we're talking about permanent body art here and you should be looking for the best.
I'm already looking forward to returning, although I'm trying to stay under one tattoo every 5 years. I doubt I'll be successful in that, but I'm trying. Really, I am. No, really. Shut up.
I love Marie Wadman. My adventure with her began over a year ago, around November 2006 when I went on her waitlist and waited patiently for 6 months just to see her. I brought in the pictures and the plants that I wanted tattooed on me and she was so sweet. She understood my reasons for wanting that subject matter on my back. And then in the summer of 2007, we began my backpiece.
She's an intense, amazing, and terrifically talented artist. She's also super cool and we have dorky conversations about our pets. She is by far one of the most talented floral and fauna tattoo artists in the area. 7 months from the first day of Marie ink, I have a gorgeous backpiece. I would go back for more, but I seriously think I am getting too old for tattooing. I am turning into a wimp.
Mind you, she is selective and has said no to a friend of mine. However, if you do work it out with her, you're all set.
When I was about to turn 30, I got an amazing floral tattoo from Marie. No one can do what she can do. She was incredibly professional and really invested in making sure my tattoo was perfect, from the concept and artwork to the shading and color. It turned out amazing and two years later i still get people who stop me on the street to compliment me on my tattoo and ask me what shop i went to. Its an awesome feeling to know i have a beautiful piece of artwork on my skin. Marie's an expert at what she does and the whole experience was a great one. She gets booked up fast and far into the future, (I hear, these days, she is booked out a year ahead) but it's well worth the wait. And, even though she's pretty specialized and doesn't do just any tattoo, she was able to help fix my sisters tattoo after she basically got her arm butchered by a guy who was just 'starting out.' It wasn't Marie's style of artwork, but she fixed it and made it look great and my sister loves what she did. Marie is a complete professional and moreso, an amazing artist. I hope to be able to go back sometime in the future to get more flowers on my other arm.
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Just take a look at their websites and portfolios.
Most of the artists here work on a masterpiece/art level rather than just slamming some ink into your flesh. A refreshing outlook and one that makes me loyal. If impatient. Since it takes months to get work done.
This shop is clean, professional, certain artists can take months and months to book - but I find that comforting, not a problem.
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I sought the brilliance of Marie Wadman after a referral, and it was a good idea that I did so a year ago. She started as a graphic design artist who lost motivation at her desk job. She took her talent to the tattoo machine, and now her waiting list is as large as ever. I had black and grey waves added as the background to an existing tattoo and couldn't be happier.
The shop is clean and looks like you'd get a massage along with your new ink. Marie accepts both credit and cash (though you pay $10 more an hour if you use credit). There's a parking lot right next to the shop, and BART is only a few blocks away.
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In my experience, most tattoo artists at popular joints are self-righteous and detached. In other words: BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. They act as though they are doing me a favor by being willing to tattoo the likes of me and letting me join "their kind."
Tattoos have always been seen as a right of passage for those who prove themselves to be outcasts, rebels, bad seeds, and whatnot. The irony is that most tattoo artists promote nonconformity, but in order for you to be treated with respect, you have to be seen as "one of them".
I suppose they are tired of how much of a fad tattoos have become, seeping out into the mainstream so much so that lower back tattoos have their own name and TLC has a show about a tattoo parlor. And who can blame their quip with commercializing something artistic?
But, that should be a quip about quality and not about personality.
Sociological rant aside, The Diving Swallow is none of this.
Foremost, note that they tattoo by appointment only. Upon hearing this you might be quick to think they are pretentious, but this is their way of ensuring quality. They don't do wall tattoos for someone who just walked in off the street. They specialize in custom tattoos and charge by the hour, not by the tattoo.
ALL of the tattoo artists are WOMEN and they each work independently with different prices. I spoke with Cedre and she charges $150/hour and requires a deposit of $150 if your tattoo can be completed in 3 sessions or less or $200 if it will take more than 3 sessions. Your deposit gets calculated into the last session.
Cedre took extra time to talk with my friend about his tattoo. We had crashed the parlor without having known it was by appointment only, and still she was pleasant and willing to take time out of her busy schedule. I look forward to tossing my tattoo ideas around with her in the future.
Currently, you need to book with her at least 3 months in advance and one of the other girls is booking people as far away as 8 months. So, you can't get any impulsive tattoos; another way to ensure quality.
5 stars, definitely.
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Marie is booked into next year for a reason... her work is beautiful and well executed.
Everyone at Diving Swallow is really talented, but Marie is the bomb when it comes to custom floral and greenery tats.
this is art.
I had a tattoo done by Marie roughly 6 or 7 years ago and it still looks FABULOUS! She is wonderful! The tattoo was a very emotional process for me as it memorializes my mother and her passing of cancer. Marie was able to help me think through the creative process of how to symbolize several points in one tat! She did a cherry blossom with two leaves and my mother's name in "Kanji" in the middle which means second leaf, so she was able to depict the cherry blossom leaf such that it represented that exactly! She was very reassuring, as I was very hesitant about getting this tat on what was supposed to be a very sensitive area of my body- my lower back. I am in the process of researching a few pieces of artwork in hopes that she will do another tat on my shoulder that will represent yet another milestone in my life. You can not go wrong with Mary!
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Beautiful space, very comfortable experience. Loved the art and the artists. Everything was very professional, clean, friendly and clear.
I was tattooed by Marie about a year ago. She is by far the best floral artist in the bay area, if not the entire west coast. She books far in advance, but is worth the wait. She was patient with working around my schedule, and managed to get my lilies done in 3 sessions.
The shop is so ridiculously awesome. The light hits perfectly, music flows, everything is very lofty and open. The artists seem happy here, and I think the energy of the environment plays a big role in tattooing.
Anyways, go here. Support them.
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I am in no way experienced with the 'tattoo' community, but i do know that I fully enjoyed my experience so far at DS. Cedre is the artist that I am working with, and she managed to draw up an awesome image for me, based on several photos that I brought it. It was especially challenging becuase I was using photos of traditional turkish floral designs, and while i wanted a unique image, I wanted it to still keep its traditional feel. So far, I have my out line. IT was my first tattoo,a nd it overlaps my ribs. Cedre was totally helpfull in preparing me for my tattoo, asking if i needed breaks, water, food, etc. She knows what she is doing, and she is a perfectionist. I would recommend her, even though the cost of her time is still very expensive (170 an hour) a tattoo is permanent!
I still have yet to get it filled in, but so far i had no bleeding during the tattoo, after the tattoo, no leaking of ink, no swelling, and just about no scabbing. talk about good technique!
I have had work done by both Marie and Leslie.
Marie's floral work is, by far, the most beautiful I have ever seen in tattoos. Her artwork is meticulous, aesthetic and perfectly laid out. She has done hawaiian flowers (orchids, and plumerias) on a half sleeve for me. They are all rendered in a way that reminds me of those beautiful botanical drawings found in vintage books.
On my other arm, Leslie created a gorgeous chinese good luck carp that covers the top of my upper arm. Her specialties include some incredible asian designs that look vintage as well, not cartoony or stark. I am planning on getting more work by her in the near future at her new studio in SF (chinese dragons).
The studio is immaculate and very comfortable. I always feel like I'm getting a spa treatment while I'm there! Book early as there is a wait especially for Marie. Go check out the website and all the artists' portfolios. They are all very talented and friendly. There are no flash tattoos done here - all custom. They are the best!
This is a woman co-op Tatttoo Shop. I met Leslie Mah at one of the Tattoo shows and scheduled an appointment for a tattoo and when I arrived at the shop, I was so impressed with how clean and how nice it was inside. I almost felt like I was in an art studio. No flash boards on the walls, just nice paintings and the place was clean and bright.
Leslie was so patient in our consultation on what I wanted and she took my idea and we scheduled a follow up appointment for the tattoo.
To get your tattoo, you go upstairs and again, the place was immaculate, did I already mention clean? There is about 4 or 5 other stations and all of the stations are clean and nothing is strewn about.
If you're thinking about getting a tattoo, give them a call, check out Leslie and if Leslie is too busy, check out Marie. Marie's work is incredible. I don't think they do walk-ins since it's by appointment . Just take a look at their website.
"Life is too short to worry about what other people think"
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The shop is totally immaculate and a beautiful, inviting space. Marie seems to do great work. However, unfortunately, not everyone else there shows such pride in their work or has that level of skill. I had a tattoo done there, not by Marie. I had a consultation, brought in a few drawings, gave my tattoo artist $150, with the understanding that when I came back in two weeks she would have created a tattoo based on those pictures and what we talked about. Wrong. When I came back in two weeks, it was obvious that she had done nothing in the way of thinking about my tat, much less having drawn anything. She hurried behind the partition and I followed her, as she began hastily tracing, with tracing paper, one of pictures I had given her. She didn't add anything at all to the stupid 10 second tracing that she did, and when I asked her about this, she kept saying that when she was done with the actual tat it would be what I had described, but she kept balking at actually spending the time to draw it for me first. Then she started complaining about late it was (6pm, which was the time I had scheduled. I wasn't late or anything) and how tired she was of working such long days and of tattooing in general. She treated me like I was a walk-in customer at $50 / piece place, not a client, with an appointment, at a $150 / hour custom shop. I should have just walked out when I saw what was going on, but I'd heard such great things about the shop, and I had this appointment, and I was so looking forward to it. Needless to say, my tat is not what I envisioned, at all. I'm getting the tats redone at Diamond Club at some point (I went there to get to the rest of my work done) and I'll post before and after pictures. I'm not trying to be a hater, and I'm not a random complainer. Believe me, I wanted it DS to be a great place. Marie is great. She maybe needs to do a better job at interviewing / monitoring her artists.
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This is by far the prettiest/cleanest tattoo shop that I have ever been to. When you go to other tattoo shops, all you see is usually a wall of examples of tattoos and grumpy guy behind the counter. This place had beautiful paintings on the wall, a nice comfy sofa, and they even offer you tea!
When I finally met Marie Wadman, all I did was bring in a picture of one of my orchids and she created my orchid tattoo that you see here. Grant it, it did take about 6 months from start to finish (apparently I caught her during a slow time. she can be booked up to a year in advance), but it was well worth the wait.
Now she says she specializes in botanicals, but I've seen some of her other stuff and she is incredible. I don't know the other women in the shop, but I did look through their books too and there is definitely some talent here. I would definitely go back Diving Swallow for my next tat.
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Diving Swallow has a calm, inviting atmosphere. This place feels much more like an art gallery than a tattoo parlor. I found Marie through the website and immediately knew I needed her to do a large piece for me on my back. It was soooo worth the wait! She is first of all an amazing person, very cool, down to earth, smart and talented woman. Our consultation was great, she drew up and emailed me the sketch and it was everything I had envisioned. When the first session came, I was excited and not in the least nervous considering this was my first tattoo. I have one session left to go and am elated with what she has created. There is a bird now on my back that looks so lifelike you want to reach out and touch it. Marie is truly gifted and I would have waited years just to have her do the work. If you are looking to get a beautiful natural looking tatoo of flowers or fauna, please consider Marie. I absolutely love her and will definitely be going to her for more pieces in the future.
Professional, clean, overall comfortable atmosphere. I wasn't getting anything too complicated, but I met a woman had put over 100 hours into her back there. Overall very pleased with the experience.
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