For Zaiya, tattooing has quite literally been a part of her life since the beginning — her first word was actually “tattoo.”

Growing up as the daughter of a tattoo artist, she spent her childhood surrounded by tattooing, art and creativity. She has been drawing for as long as she could hold a pencil and has always had a natural artistic ability. Over the years she explored different creative mediums, with a particular interest in three-dimensional art, but tattooing was always the direction she saw herself eventually taking. Becoming a tattoo artist has been her goal for as long as she can remember.

Zaiya began learning the foundations of tattooing part-time in 2023 while she was still attending high school. After graduating in 2025, at 18 years old, she joined Parlour Eleven’s Kamloops location as an official full-time apprentice, allowing her to dedicate herself fully to developing her craft.

Having grown up around professional tattooing, Zaiya entered her apprenticeship with a unique understanding of the industry, but she is still very much focused on learning, experimenting and developing her own artistic voice. Rather than specializing too early, she is currently taking on a variety of black and grey projects and styles to build a strong, well-rounded foundation in tattooing.

Artistically, Zaiya has always been especially drawn to darker imagery and alternative subject matter, and as her work develops, that influence is beginning to find its way into her tattooing. She is excited to continue exploring where that style takes her while building her technical skills and finding the direction that will eventually become distinctly her own.

Zaiya is currently accepting black and grey projects in a variety of styles at our Kamloops studio. She is booking Tuesday - Saturday and evenings by request. She works in black and grey in a wide range of styles. She’s available for custom requests but also has a lot of pre drawn designs to choose from. Her books are always open and she’s super quick to reply to all requests. You can find her on Instagram @deadly.doll.ink or PM on TikTok @deadly.doll.ink or email deadlydollink@gmail.com or submit our tattoo request form .