Born in Colombia and a Jersey boy at heart, Jon Zapata is a tattoo artist at Red Baron Ink in New York City’s West Village, specializing in illustrative tattoos, bold color tattoos, anime tattoos, manga-inspired tattoos, and comic-inspired tattoo designs.
Jon has been drawing and painting for as long as he can remember. His earliest artistic influences came from anime and comics, including Evangelion, Pokémon, and X-Men, which helped shape his love for bold imagery, dynamic characters, and visual storytelling.
While studying marine biology in Tampa, Florida, Jon realized his real passion was in the visual arts. After returning to North Jersey, he pursued illustration and graphic design and eventually began managing a tattoo studio. Surrounded by tattooing every day, he quickly realized he wanted to combine his two passions: drawing and tattooing.
After graduating, Jon worked as a corporate designer while continuing to immerse himself in tattoo culture and collect work from tattoo artists throughout the East Coast. When he was laid off during the pandemic, he decided to leave the corporate world behind and pursue tattooing professionally.
Nearly seven years later, Jon brings his background in illustration and graphic design to custom tattooing in NYC. His work is heavily influenced by comics, anime, manga, classic tattoo imagery, and artists such as Gil Elvgren and J.C. Leyendecker. While bold color and illustrative tattooing are at the heart of his work, Jon also enjoys creating black and gray and traditional tattoos when the right project comes along.
Jon’s approach combines contemporary imagery, fine-art influences, graphic design, and traditional tattoo techniques to create original, one-of-a-kind tattoos designed specifically for each client. His goal is not simply to create something that looks great today, but to design artwork that translates properly onto skin and can be appreciated for years to come.
Jon tattoos at Red Baron Ink Tattoo & Piercing, located at 238 W 14th Street in the West Village of Manhattan, NYC, working with clients from across New York City and visitors looking for custom tattoo work while in New York.
Looking for an illustrative, anime, comic, or bold color tattoo artist in NYC? Explore Jon Zapata’s portfolio and contact Red Baron Ink to start planning your custom tattoo.
