Woodhaven Tattoo is a small team with complementary skills and a shared preference for thoughtful work over unnecessary fuss.
Mateo founded Woodhaven Tattoo after years of drawing and developing his tattoo work around New York. He grew up sketching Queens streets, faces, lettering, and neighborhood architecture, and still keeps a small paper sketchbook nearby even when most project references arrive digitally. His approach centers on composition, black and grey work, portraits, and careful conversations before tattooing.
Lena brings a precise drawing style to fineline, botanical, illustrative, and color-focused ideas. She became interested in botanical drawing after keeping a collection of pressed leaves and flower studies while studying art in New York, and that attention to small natural forms still shows up in the way she develops references. She is particularly attentive to spacing and knows when simplifying an idea can make the final composition stronger.
Andre handles piercing appointments and helps keep day-to-day studio communication organized. A longtime Queens resident, he is the person on the team most likely to remember a client's music recommendation or the exact lunch order from a neighborhood spot weeks later. His working style is calm and practical, with an emphasis on explaining placement, procedure, and aftercare in straightforward language.
We start with questions rather than assumptions. For tattoos, that means understanding the subject, placement, size, references, and what you like about them. For cover-ups, it means seeing the existing ink first. For portraits, it means checking whether the source photograph gives us the information needed. For piercing, it means discussing the requested placement and assessing what is appropriate for the individual.
Once the direction is clear, we keep the process straightforward. We explain relevant design choices, make room for practical questions, and treat aftercare as part of the service rather than an afterthought. The goal is not to make tattooing or piercing sound complicated; it is to make sure important decisions receive enough attention.
Read more about the company on our About Us page, or see the services we provide.
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