Remington Tattoo · San Diego, CA
Illustrative tattoo artist, San Diego.
Terry Ribera has defined his work as illustrative for 25 years — long before much of it was folded into "neo traditional," and long before anyone who didn't know the work started calling it "new school." Every tattoo is drawn from scratch and rendered like a finished illustration on skin: real drawing, real light logic, a painter's depth, built to last decades.
“Illustrative isn't a trend or a sub-style. It's real drawing — invented, not copied — made permanent on skin.”Terry Ribera — 25 Years Illustrative
The Definition
What illustrative tattooing actually is
Illustrative tattooing is exactly what it sounds like: tattooing approached as illustration. It starts with the ability to actually draw — value, structure, anatomy, and light logic — and to invent a composition from scratch rather than trace a reference. The finished tattoo reads like a drawing or a painting living on the body, with real depth and its own voice, not a copy of someone else's flash pulled off a wall.
This is how I've defined my work since I started tattooing in 2000. Back then, most of what people now call "neo traditional" didn't have that name yet — and for a while, people who didn't understand the work lumped it in with "new school." The label kept changing. The work didn't. Illustrative has always been the honest description of what I do, and I've been doing it here longer than nearly anyone.
It's also bigger than any single style. My illustrative realism, neo traditional, neo Japanese, biomechanical, and ornamental work are all illustrative tattooing — the same foundation, different subject matter. Whether it lands as a black and grey portrait or a full-color mythological sleeve, it's drawn, designed, and built the same way, and it's built to last.
“25 years in, and every piece still starts the same way — with a drawing, made only for you.”Terry Ribera
Terry began tattooing in 2000 at Tahiti Felix's Master Tattoo — established 1949, the oldest tattoo shop in San Diego — later worked at Avalon Tattoo II under Fip Buchanan, and opened Remington Tattoo in North Park in 2011. His illustrative work has been booked roughly a year in advance for nearly two decades, and his fine art has shown at Modern Eden in San Francisco and La Luz de Jesus in Los Angeles.
One Approach, Every Style
The illustrative approach, across the board
Illustrative isn't a lane I stay in — it's the foundation under everything. Explore it by style:
Neo Traditional
Bold, readable illustrative work with a painter's depth.Neo Japanese & Asian
Dragons, koi, hannya and samurai, drawn through an illustrative lens.Biomechanical & Bio-Organic
Mechanical and organic forms, illustrated to run under the skin.Ornamental & Art Nouveau
Filigree and Art Nouveau line, built on real drawing.Black & Grey
Illustrative realism, portraits and figures in tonal black and grey.Cover-Ups
Old ink redrawn into large-scale illustrative work.On Skin
Illustrative tattoos, on real clients
Custom illustrative tattooing across every subject and style — color and black & grey, all drawn from scratch.
Fine Art
Paintings & illustration
The same hand behind the tattoos — oil paintings and illustrations. At heart, an illustrator.
From the Drawing Table
Drawings & designs
Where every piece begins: original drawings and body designs, invented for the client and never pulled off a wall.
Illustrative Tattooing
Illustrative FAQ
What is illustrative tattooing?
Tattooing approached as illustration. It starts with the ability to actually draw — value, structure, anatomy, and light — and to invent a composition from scratch rather than trace a reference. The finished tattoo reads like a drawing or painting living on the body, with real depth and its own voice, not a copy of someone else's flash.
Is illustrative tattooing the same as "new school"?
No. New school is a specific, exaggerated cartoon style. Illustrative is a broader approach rooted in real drawing and rendering. Early on, people who didn't understand the work lumped illustrative work in with new school, and later much of it got folded under neo traditional. The labels changed; the work didn't.
What's the difference between illustrative and neo traditional?
Neo traditional is one expression of the illustrative approach — bold shapes and saturated color rooted in traditional tattooing. Illustrative is the wider umbrella: realism, portraits, mythology, animals, and figurative work rendered like an illustration, in color or black and grey. My neo traditional, neo Japanese, and biomechanical work are all illustrative — same foundation, different subject.
Do you do illustrative work in black and grey and color?
Both. Illustrative realism reads powerfully in black and grey — portraits, animals, figures — and just as well in full color. Every version is built on the same strong drawing and black foundation so it holds up over decades.
How long have you been doing illustrative tattoos in San Diego?
Since 2000. I started at Tahiti Felix's Master Tattoo (established 1949), the oldest shop in San Diego, later worked at Avalon Tattoo II, and opened Remington Tattoo in North Park in 2011. I've defined my work as illustrative for 25 years — longer than nearly anyone working in the style locally.
How much does it cost and how far out are you booked?
My hourly rate is $250, and clients are billed only for time on skin. A $500 non-refundable retainer secures your scheduled dates and comes off the total. The waitlist is currently close to one year, and large-scale clients are booked as ongoing projects with recurring dates. Start a booking inquiry.
Start the Conversation
Ready for something drawn only for you?
Spend time with the work first and make sure it speaks to you. If it does, reach out — every illustrative piece starts with a single conversation at Remington Tattoo in North Park, San Diego.