H. Adams

I've been dedicated to tattooing since 2006, beginning my apprenticeship at the age of 15 in Illinois and Missouri. By 19, I was unexpectedly running my first shop in North Carolina before moving to Arizona to continue developing my craft with the goal of eventually making it to San Francisco. In 2013, I relocated to San Francisco and later took over ownership of Castro Tattoo, rebuilding it into the welcoming, community-focused space I had always envisioned.

Today I specialize in custom color tattoos, cover-ups, and tattooing color on darker skin tones, creating vibrant pieces that are intentional and built to last. My work moves between fantasy, realism, and expressive organic bio-mech, always customized to the individual. My favorite subjects include outer space, octopuses, and fantasy-inspired color work.

Beyond tattooing, I have spoken at conferences across the country on building more welcoming tattoo shops, industry inclusivity, and advanced color work techniques. In 2023, Castro Tattoo produced and led Queercation, the world's first LGBTQIA+ and ally tattoo conference, bringing together 65 tattooers for three days of advanced education, networking, and inspiration. I am also expanding into permanent medical tattooing, offering nipple reconstruction tattooing and phalloplasty tattooing while continuing to build this area of my practice.