Hi, I'm Kara Dee Harrison, an illustrative tattoo artist based on Vancouver Island, Canada.

I am an ambassador of excitement. My mission is to change the standards of service and care in the tattoo industry; giving you not only a beautiful tattoo, but a beautiful experience to go with it.   

I am so pleased to welcome you to my private space, Rainbow Raptor Tattoo Studio, in Nanaimo, BC. My personal Cotton Candy Daydream, the studio is inclusive, fully accessible, eco friendly, and thoughtfully designed with you in mind. (Scroll down the page to see and learn more about the studio)  

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I love tattooing: dinosaurs, Pokémon, pop culture, cute animals, florals, TS stuff, and Pride designs - all in full colour with glitter and confetti options! 

Dinosaurs are my favourite tattoo subject! My dino-geek cred? 

• Shortlisted to be on a dinosaur themed reality show (fingers crossed)
• Redesigned and painted a dinosaur statue in Drumheller, dino capital of the world 
• Collaborated with Dino Lab, our island based fossil prep lab
• Created a line of dino themed merch that's been sold in BC and Alberta 
• I buried dinosaurs in the foundation of my private studio, which is also named after a dinosaur 
• I did 16 dinosaur tattoos in my first year of tattooing, and countless more in the years since    

I'd love to discuss bringing your dino tattoo ideas to life! Check out my dedicated Dinosaur Page for more.

No idea too silly or niche here! Let's talk OTPs and cheesy fanfic tropes. It would be impossible to list them all, but a few of my fave fandoms include; The Owl House, Gravity Falls, X-Men Evolution, and of course, Pokemon. 

Check out my dedicated Pokémon Page for more. 

You are loved. Many of my clients are in the queer community or neurodivergent. It's a personal passion of mine to bring more colourful tattoos to people with melanated skin. I've worked with clients with a variety of skin and nerve conditions, complex scarring, and even skin graphs. If you've been denied before, know that you are welcome here. 

Learn more about Colour Patch Tests for BIPOC folks.  

Tattooing is a multi sensory experience. So imagine it - you arrive for your appointment; the room is the perfect temperature, filled with your favourite scents (or scent free if that's your vibe), yummy drinks and snacks are on hand, and what's that you hear? Perfectly curated music to parallel the energy you need to have a fun and relaxing time.  

Rainbow Raptor has many built in amenities: 

• Complimentary aftercare products 
• Video and written aftercare instructions you can review anytime 
• Fidget items and earplugs 
• Chargers ready to use (no searching for a plug!) 
• Heated tattoo table option 
• Temperature and music volume control (also, you can pick the music)
• A variety of snacks, plus hot and cold beverages  
• Complimentary ice cream from Burnt Honey (everyone deserves a treat after their tattoo!) 

My goal in building my private studio, Rainbow Raptor, was to create a fully accessible space. I consulted with an accessibility planner as the studio was being built to ensure that the bathroom would be ideally setup for wheelchairs and a variety of needs.

Furniture weight: My tattoo table has a working weight of 700lbs, and has a step stool with a 500lb capacity. My guest chair is armless and has a capacity of 500lbs. 

Doorways: The front double doors open to 6 feet and the bathroom door to 3 feet. 

Bathroom: The bathroom has grab bars behind, and on both sides, of the toilet. (The left side bar can be moved up and out of the way) There is a 5 foot turning radius and no storage or floor clutter in that area. The sink is wall mounted and the pipe has a plastic cover. There is a small garbage bin next to the toilet, as well as a larger can in the corner under the sink. In case of a fall or emergency, the bathroom can be accessed from two different doors. 

Wheelchairs: You can park on cement next to the studio, with room for a side or back opening van. The distance from the parking space to the studio is under 20' over cement and paver stones. You can be tattooed in your chair (my tattoo table can be moved out of the room), or if you have a portable lift that you'd like to bring, you can transfer to the tattoo table which can lie flat or recline.      

Victoria appointments: Tattoo Zoo, my regular guest spot in Victoria, has details about their accessibility here.  

If there is anything that I can do to make your time in the studio more comfortable, please let me know! 

Tattoo setup: 

Safe and clean tattooing necessitates a lot of waste. A fully disposable setup means that all of the gloves, surface barriers, and needle cartridges are single use, and thrown away at the end of each appointment. But we don't need to clutter the landfill for the next 100 years to keep you safe! Almost all of my single use products are compostable or biodegradable, and more products are becoming available every year as companies innovate to meet the demand for more sustainable options.   

Composting and recycling: 

In addition to my tattoo setup, I try to incorporate better practices into the studio as a whole. The studio's bathroom uses washable personal hand towels for each client, and the paper towels from my handwashing sink are composted. I also recycle everything that I can and stock the bathroom with sustainable and soft bamboo toilet paper. 

Vegan options: 

My tattoo services are vegan by default. Each tattoo ink I use is vegan and free from animal testing. I additionally don't use any petroleum products. 

And yes, I always stock vegan ice cream and sorbet from Burnt Honey too. (Everyone deserves a post tattoo treat!)  

"Kara is such an easy artist to talk to about design and process. She was flexible with my needs and made me feel heard when I wanted to split up the session because I knew that specific area of my body would be very sensitive . Kara is fun, kind and professional - and gave me an incredible tattoo... so all the best things about a tattoo experience! I would highly recommend. 5 stars!"

     - Emily K. 

"Kara's mastery of colour in her tattoos is outstanding. If you want to get something in full rainbow colour, this is your tattoo artist! Her dinosaur tattoos are pretty much the cutest thing ever. Exceeds expectations!" 

     - Lisa N. 

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See what others are saying!