I've been dedicated to tattooing since 2006. At the age of 15, I started my apprenticeship in Illinois and Missouri. By 19, I was unexpectedly running my first shop in North Carolina and later moved to Arizona to continue developing my craft in hopes of making it to San Francisco. In 2013, I relocated to San Francisco and eventually took over ownership of Castro Tattoo, re-building it into the space I had always envisioned. Now as owner of Castro Tattoo , I have shared my expertise at tattoo conferences across the country, leading panels on building more welcoming tattoo shops, industry inclusivity, and advanced colorwork techniques. In 2023, Castro Tattoo produced and led Queercation, the first LGBTQIA+ and ally tattoo conference in the world, in collaboration with other LGBTQIA+ tattoo shops, allies, and artists across the Bay Area. The event brought together 65 tattooers for three days of advanced seminars, networking, and inspiration. Building on this success, we are attempting to organize a Queer & Ally Tattoo Convention in the Bay Area, again in collaboration with local LGBTQAI+ tattoo shops and artists. This event will provide a platform for tattooers to share their work, participate in educational opportunities, and connect with the public in an affirming space. My Work I specialize in custom color tattoos, cover-ups, and tattooing color on darker skin tones. My work is rooted in creating pieces that are vibrant, intentional, and built to last. I move between fantasy, realism, and more abstract, expressive designs like organic bio-mech, always customizing each tattoo to the individual. My favorite subjects to tattoo are outer space, octopuses, and organic bio-mech. I love fantasy color tattoos of all kinds! Additional Practice: I am currently expanding into permanent medical tattooing. I offer nipple reconstruction tattooing and phalloplasty tattooing at a discounted rate while continuing to build this area of my practice. Custom Tattoos and Color Work: We start by booking a free video consultation to go over your idea (click the "Book Now" button on the home page). If you have a subject, I will create your piece based on that subject and any notes I have. As long as there's a general direction, no amount of information is too little. I can also be very precise if you have many specific subjects you'd like to include. Cover-Ups: A lot of tattoo artists don't enjoy doing cover-ups. I happen to really love them. I prefer that you think about what subject you'd like in that location to cover your tattoo (space, octopus, flowers, etc.) and let me design the image around it. I use full color to cover tattoos instead of relying on heavy black like many tattooers do. In more extreme cases, I also have a lightening solution that can help fade the tattoo so we can achieve an even better cover-up. Dark Skin Tattooing: With the lack of tattooers who know how to tattoo all skin tones, I feel it's important to mention that I both know how and genuinely enjoy doing color on darker skin. I work by leaning into undertones and contrasting those undertones with carefully chosen colors. Skin tone heals almost like looking through a pair of sunglasses placed over the artwork, creating unique colors for every individual. Art Recreation Tattooing: I recreate existing artwork as tattoos, translating paintings and illustrations into skin with a focus on accuracy, color matching, and longevity. I absolutely love recreating paintings as tattoos! Realism Tattoos San Francisco | Color Tattoo Artist San Francisco | Cover-Up Tattoos San Francisco "H. Adams has been making their mark on the tattoo industry in unique ways over their 18 years of tattooing, from owning and running the historic queer tattoo shop Castro Tattoo in San Francisco, to hosting the Reinventing the Tattoo interview series *Live in the Castro*, where they interview LGBTQ+, BIPOC, women, and other underrepresented tattooers. They also recently organized the first queer and ally tattoo conference, *Queercation*, where around 65 tattooers attended advanced seminars and found inspiration during a three-day event in New Mexico." Honors and Awards: * SF Gate Best in the Bay – Best Tattoo Shop * 1st Place – Best Back, That Damn Tattoo Contest, Chicago, IL * 1st Place – Best Unusual/Weird, Hell City, Phoenix, AZ * 1st Place – Best Back, That Damn Tattoo Contest, Los Angeles, CA * 3rd Place – Best Unusual, Body Art Expo, Phoenix, AZ * 3rd Place – Best Unusual/Weird, Hell City, Phoenix, AZ * 2014 – 1st Place, Unusual Category, Phoenix Body Art Expo ("Chair Sandwich")