Tattoos By Daniel Dagones

After searching for a good tattoo artist, I’ve been lucky enough to have found Daniel about 4 years ago in San Jose. He’s an extremely talented artist, very creative and also very professional. Impressed by his work, not just one friend, but three friends have also went to him for some tattoos. He never ceases to amaze me with his limitless talent and skills. Not to mention he’s very down to earth and a really good person at heart. I HIGHLY recommend Daniel as an artist. He will always listen to what you are aiming for and never let you down.

I’ve gotten two tattoos from Daniel, and I’d not go to anyone else so long as he is in the area and still working… I first found Daniel by lucky chance… I saw that Guru Tattoo had lots of good reviews so I walked in and was asked to look through their artists books to see if there was one style I like better than any others. Without knowing anything about Daniel, I picked his book as I really liked flower styles.
He was working on another client so I came back later that afternoon to meet w/​him to go over my vision and placement. (I didn’t at all mind coming back, as had I been the client on his table, I wouldn’t want him stepping away to meet with someone else for a consult… when I’m on his table, I want it over as fast as possible!)
I wanted a tattoo to honor my dad who’d passed away… He took down my ideas and took a piece of paper and sketched the area where I wanted it so he knew how big of a space he had to work within. I made an appt for 3 – 4 wks later (yes, he’s that good, he books weeks out!)… This wasn’t my first tattoo but it was the first that I let the artist take my ideas and run with them. When I showed up for my first appointment with him, I absolutely LOVED what he came up with. He hit the nail on the head with what I was envisioning. It took two sessions to finish my first tattoo with him. Each session was about 2.5−3hrs
About a year later, I was ready for my next tattoo. I emailed him and made an appointment to go in and again talk about what I envisioned. He went through the same process again, taking a template of the area where I wanted my tattoo and took down my ideas. Three weeks later when I showed up for my first appointment, I was in love all over again! Daniel has an amazing ability to take his clients inputs and ideas and create mastery! My second tattoo took 3 sessions, all done at his newer shop, which is an awesome place to go. Although, the huge window by his table can make it quite warm with all the endorphins your body makes during the session.
Daniel has a great way of telling stories and chatting up his clients while he’s working on them. He’s very personable and funny, all while maintaining total professionalism. He explains what he’s doing and where you are in the overall process. I’d recommend Daniel to anyone interested in getting only the best tattoo! Worth every penny!

I’ve been thinking about getting my first tattoo for some time now and decided this holiday break would be the time to do it. I initially wanted to get inked at the shop where I got my first piercings from (just based on familiarity), but when he didn’t call me back, I resorted back to Unilocal.I found another shop near my home with a good amount of 5-​star reviews, checked out their website and definitely kept it as one of my options but I decided to keep looking.
I stumbled upon Daniel’s page. He only had 14 reviews, but they were all 5-​stars and I’m the type to give the under dogs a chance, finding undiscovered talents (which is how I found the place I got pierced) and it hasn’t failed. Daniel is no exception, but I’ll get to that a little later.
I gave Daniel a call but had to leave a voicemail. Immediately after I hung up, he calls back. He told me that he’s in Hawaii for vacation, which already caught my attention since I was born and raised there. So we tentatively set up an initial consultation for when he gets back. I asked where his shop was located and low and behold, it’s Current Tattooing, the place I was already considering. Seemed like this was meant to be.
His communication is top notch– The day before my consultation, he touched base to confirm our meeting. I also gave him a few pictures I found to give him an idea of what direction I wanted my tattoo go in. Then the day of our consultation, he notified me that he was running late as his car battery had died while he was away, but only pushed back our meeting 15 minutes.
When I finally met him in person, he had great positive energy and was really personable. Because I had already given him the images, the consultation went smoothly. I told him what features I liked about each one and my gut feeling told me to just let him do his thing. His passion for his art and trade practically exudes from his pores. I gave him my idea and let him run with it. He gave me an estimate of how much the tattoo would cost and asked for $ 100 deposit to secure the appointment, which would be put towards the total cost.
Our next meeting was a week, and all the while, we made no contact. I’d be lying if i said I wasn’t nervous about what Daniel would come up with. After all, this WAS my first tattoo and I’ve seen all kinds of messed up tattoos and whatnot while binge watching Ink Masters on Netflix. And if you didn’t already know, tattoos are kind of permanent. Scarred for life, literally… Despite this, I trusted my gut and had faith in what Daniel would produce.
The day of my appointment, Daniel greeted me just as he did when we first met. He was very reassuring and said that he always sets up in stages rather than setting everything up at once. That way, you don’t feel pressured to finish the tattoo in one sitting if your body isn’t up for it. He was also great about explaining what he was doing as he was doing it.
First step: Placement. Without my prompting, he had the stencil nicely lined up with my collarbone. Not sure if this is something that all tattoo artists should already know to do, but I appreciated it and it had me even more impressed.
Next: Outlines. I hopped up on the table and braved myself for the worst pain I could imagine. For those of you who are blank canvasses, this is probably the worst part. Have had friends describe it as bad as being cut with a scalpel. For me, it wasn’t nearly s bad. We all have a different tolerance for pain and it also depends on where your tattoo is. Regardless of your threshold, just remember to keep breathing. Be sure to stay still because you definitely don’t want them janky lines. And remember that you can always stop. But it’s up to you if you want to sport a partially outlined tattoo…
Finally: Shading/​Coloring. This part is more annoying than painful. Imagine someone constantly rubbing your sunburned skin. This process seemed to go by much faster than outlining. At the initial consultation, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do full color or classic black and gray. But since this was a piece that he drew up for me and had the vision, I gave Daniel full creative freedom over what the final product would look like. He went with black and grey with gold accents and white highlights. The end result spot on. Daniel somehow new what I wanted even before I knew what I wanted.
Throughout the whole 3 hour session, Daniel kept asking how I was doing and was encouraging that I was doing a great job. He also likes to talk story, which helps distract you from the pain.
Overall, the whole vibe in Current Tattooing is awesome. Extremely positive energy and a great sense of camaraderie between clients and artists. After Daniel was done doing his thing, even the owner came by to give him props on the work he’d done.
Although I’d be confident and comfortable to have work done by any of the artists here, you can bet my loyalty remains with Daniel Dagones.

Daniel is one of the best tattoo artists in the world. He is so patient, helpful, and just all around awesome. He goes out of his way to make you comfortable. He will do his best to make sure that the placement and color match your body and skin tones, and offers great suggestions to make your ideas come to life. Worth every penny! You will love the work you get done from him. He has done 6 of my tattoos and they still look amazing!

I have been to Daniel twice to get tattoos, first time to get snapdragon flowers with honey bees, the second time to get a yellow monarch butterfly, and each time was absolutely wonderful! He is great at listening to what exactly it is that you want, and he’s even awesome enough to do art checks prior to the tattoo appointment. I love the fact that he is super patient and he’s totally cool company while you’re getting your tattoo. The most important thing I could say about Daniel is he is truly an amazing and talented artist, he made my tattoos look so soft and feminine and I get complimented on them almost daily (no joke) I have recommended Daniel to all of my friends and my boyfriend even got tattooed by him recently! This guy is awesome and is definitely my permanent artist that I will go to forever Overall I highly recommendgetting a tatto from Daniel Dagones!!!

Daniel is amazing! He has been working on my floral half sleeve since February and I could not be happier with his work. He has exceeded all of my expectations. He really knows how to capture someone’s vision. He is also very entertaining during my sessions I never get board while he is tattooing me. I would (and have) recommend him to anyone looking for an artist.

I met Daniel back in February when he worked at Marks of Art. It was my first, but rather large tattoo (shoulder blade, to lower hip) and immediately trusted and connected with Daniel upon meeting him. I was amazed and in love from the first initial sketch and he made my first tattoo such a remarkable experience!!! As of yesterday, 7 long months of finding time to continue with my sessions, my tattoo is finally finished! Pictures do not do justice. The detail is incredible, and people constantly stop to tell my how beautiful the flowers look. This tattoo carries so much sentimental value, and I am so grateful and excited to have such an amazing piece on my back forever.
Daniel is an exceptional character; we spent roughly 20 hours shooting the shit, telling crazy stories throughout my entire sessions. He is truly a creative and talented artist. I would recommend him to ANYONE.
THANK YOU AGAIN DANIEL!!!

I just got my second tattoo by Daniel a few days ago, the first was about 1 ½ years ago by Daniel at at Guru. Daniel has a great demeanor for someone who works with people for a living as he is super friendly when it comes to talking about what you want and while he tattoos you which helps pass the time. I was very happy with my first tattoo, which was several hearts on my back, and the most recent one which was a fleur de lis on my hip. The detail is great and so far I have not had any issues with it healing. Both times he helped me with the design of the tattoo and placement, size, etc. which I have been very happy with.
The new shop is convenient in downtown San Jose, is very clean and has a big window with a lot of light. As I mentioned, Daniel makes the experience very pleasant, checking in to make sure his client is comfortable and chatting to keep you distracted. Pricing seems comparable for other tattoos I got elsewhere.
I will recommend him to anyone looking for a tattoo and will go back if I want to get more.

Awsome experience daniel did an awsome job ony tattoo he is easy to work with and an amazing artist

Dan is an incredible artist. I came with an idea, but he made it better. He has a keen eye for depth and dimension, and makes relevant suggestions that truly pull a piece of work together. I am most amazed at how well my tattoo is healing, and how good it feels on day 2 (I couldn’t wait any longer to post my review). I have had a few tattoos before this one, and none of them have been in as good of shape, or caused less trauma to my skin. I would trust him with any design, and would want him to take initiative to bring his spirit and thoughtfulness into the creation. Thanks, Dan!

Daniel is a very talented imaginative artist. I wanted to add onto a preexisting tattoo without covering it up. He not only exceeded my expectations with his design and execution he was able to touch the old tattoo to make it look like one peice. His table side manner is fun and exciting so that several hours of inking goes by quit quickly.

I met Daniel a year ago when he gave my friend a sweet cat skull tattoo. She was a walk in, and I couldn’t believe that he just busted it out like it was nothing. I made an appointment with him to get a pizza slice tattoo. I got in within a few weeks, he was super professional, and this pizza slice looks good enough to eat. Very realistic. I have recommended him to so many people now. He’s basically tattooed everyone I know at this point. And if he hasn’t, he will. Oh, he will.

Amazing person and brilliant artist. This was my first tat and it was on my entire forearm. Daniel did such a fantastic job. Clean lines very good shading owlfection. All u OCD peeps will love him. I love his studio, ambiance, everything was just perfect. And again, Daniel really makes you feel at home and so comfortable. Great conversation and great work. Could not have asked for a better experience. If I could give his more than 5 stars I would. Feel confident that if you see Daniel you are assured a very good tattoo and great experience.

This review is both early and late. I made an appointment today to get a second tattoo by Daniel, and I got my first one about a year ago.
The short of it: Daniel is amazingly talented, easy to work with, as very nice. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to get a tattoo in the Bay Area.
The long of it: After having a TERRIBLE experience with my first tattoo when I was 18 it took me right years to finally get up the nerve to get the stupid thing covered. I research for a few years (not an exaggeration, I really mean years and I looked all over the US and Canada) to see where and by whom I wanted to get it done. I kept circling back to Daniel’s work, and I’m SO glad I did!!!
He made the process of the first one so easy and pleasant. When I met with him the first time last year I told him what I wanted (a sugar skull with marigolds and daisies), and what I needed covered. I think it took three sessions, because I’m wimpy and can only do about two hours at a time. You can’t even tell the first one was there!
So now, a year later, I’m still in LOVE with my art and I’m going in for more: D

Great experience and ended up with a great tattoo that I’ve been getting compliments on constantly!
Daniel was a fantastic artist to work with. I gave him my basic ideas and he came up with a better tattoo than I had in my own mind. He was gentle and very calming the whole time. The entire shop was great — clean and a fun atmosphere to hang out in.
Update: Over a year later I’m still loving my tattoo. I get compliments on it all the time still, and it always puts a smile on my face when I catch a glimpse of it.

When that time came for me to get my 3^rd tattoo… I knew I wanted something different and fun! My love for Halloween had to be celebrated somehow and Daniel was more then happy to make my idea come into an amazing vision! He worked with my budget and spilt the session into two visits to make it easier on my college income. Daniel was funny, professional and great to talk to! He made me feel comfortable and did an excellent job on my tattoo! Even when my mom came with me for my touch up, she got a kick out of her conversations with him! All in all, he is a great artist and person who goes out of his way to make sure you’re satisfied and happy!

Daniel did a small sleeve for me, and I had some images that I wanted, but he really pulled it all together. Not only does he have tremendous skill as an artist (you can tell by his painting and sketch art, as well as the art techniques that he utilizes in the tattoo), but he has an incredible touch with the tattoo gun. He really understands how the body and skin work with the ink and needle, and he does a great job of doing tattoos that look amazing and heal really well. Mine didn’t scab at all. A little flaking of the skin, and it was healed – not even a full week.
Daniel is also the friendliest, most welcoming tattoo artist I have ever met. He seems to genuinely care about his clients and their tattoos. This shows in everything he does. He actually listens to you and will help you bring your ideas to life.
I can’t say enough good things about Daniel. I now recommend him to anyone I know who wants to get work done. Love you, Daniel.

I have known Daniel for years and he is not only a great person but he is a phenomenal artist and Tattoo Artist!!! He will take your idea and really bring it to life and exceed any and all of your expectations! If you are just looking for a small piece, first piece, large piece or looking for a new young and bright talented artist to add to your collection of tattoo’s. Please go and see Daniel Dagones you will not be disappointed!!!

I got a Firebird/​Phoenix add on behind a dragon and Daniel did a most fantasic job making the tails perfectely like i wanted and add lin more details and smokes to make it really awesome and better than i imagined, he is a great guy to talk with and he will take care of you on what you need to know also.
just check out some of his work! you will see this is the artist that you want to do the artwork!