Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Cockrill.
Hi Chris , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been tattooing since 1998, and it’s been the center of my life pretty much ever since. I got my first real tattoo at 18 and have been mesmerized by the magic of it ever since. I basically never left the shop after that, earned my apprenticeship in Texas, and I’ve been at it full time for over 25 years now. I moved to San Diego in 2003 and have tattooed here ever since, with a lot of trips to Australia and all around the country along the way. Today my home base is Remington Tattoo in San Diego.
My art background is a mix of things. I came up through a real apprenticeship, took art classes in high school and college, and put in a lot of hours drawing and painting to get better. Years of drawing and painting taught me a ton, and I still take classes when I can because there’s always something new to learn. I started out doing fine line and neo traditional, and these days I like tattooing a lot of illustrative, traditional, and Japanese work. My style leans strong, clean, and confident, linework and shading that holds up over time, and a big part of the job for me is making sure the person in the chair walks out stoked on what they got.
The thing that surprises people is that I also build the machines I tattoo with. That started around 2011 with a couple of buddies here in San Diego, and it grew out of wanting tools that worked exactly the way I do. Building and tuning my own machines makes me a better, more consistent tattooer. I know my tools inside and out, so I can focus completely on the person I’m working on.
When I’m not at the shop I’m usually surfing, or thinking about it. I’ve been married 27 years and have two dogs. After all this time I still love the craft, getting to make something meaningful for someone and building the tools to do it well.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing about it has been a straight line. Tattooing is a long road before you’re any good at it. Apprenticeships are hard to find in the first place, and once you land one it’s humbling work. You’re paying dues, cleaning up, and drawing constantly while you earn your spot. It’s years of hard work before the craft really starts to come together, and even now I’m always trying to get better.
Moving from Texas to San Diego in 2003 meant basically starting over. New city, no clientele, building trust from scratch in a place where nobody knew me yet. That takes years and a lot of good work before it turns into something steady.
The other side nobody really prepares you for is being self employed. You come up focused on the art, and then you realize you’re also running a small business. Taxes, saving for retirement, figuring out health care, all of it falls on you. That’s been a real learning curve, and it’s a part of the job most people never see.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What I do is pretty simple, I make tattoos and tattoo machines here in San Diego. I like tattooing all kinds of stuff, illustrative, traditional, Japanese, flowers, animals, a little realism here and there, kinda all over the place and I like it that way. I also paint a ton outside of the shop, which feeds right back into my tattooing. I just try to keep my work clean and solid so it holds up and still looks good way down the road.
What really sets me apart is the design process. I put a lot into a detailed consultation and prep the artwork ahead of time, so by the time you sit down we’re both on the same page and ready to go. I also build my own machines, which not a lot of tattooers do, and it makes me better at the actual tattooing because I know my gear inside and out. But the thing I’m most stoked on is that people keep coming back and sending me their friends and family. That trust is really the whole thing for me.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’m not sure I really believe in luck. I think you mostly get out what you put in, so most of what’s worked out for me came from just showing up and doing the work day after day. That said, I won’t pretend timing doesn’t matter. I’ve probably missed a few things here and there from bad timing, being in the wrong place at the wrong moment, but nothing I lose sleep over. You put in the work, you stay ready, and things tend to shake out the way they’re supposed to.
Pricing:
- shop minimum $150
- Hourly Rate $200
- Deposit to book $100-$200
- Smaller one sitting tattoos are typically a pre priced flat rate,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tattoo-maker.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscockadoodledo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tattoomaker1/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-cockrill-881a9a76/
- Youtube: @chriscockrilltattoo
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/chris-cockrill-tattoo-san-diego-2
- Other: https://www.remingtontattoo.com
