San Diego Tattoo Artist Chris Cockrill in North Park
Traditional American, Japanese, and black & gray tattoos at Remington Tattoo in North Park.
Chris Cockrill is a San Diego tattoo artist specializing in traditional American, Japanese, and black & gray work at Remington Tattoo in North Park. Every tattoo is built with structure, placement, and long-term wear in mind.
Tattoo Styles
Traditional American Tattoos
Bold linework, clean color, and design that reads from across the room. Traditional American tattooing has survived for a reason, it ages well, it holds up, and it looks like a tattoo. Each piece is built around the body it lives on, whether it's a tight one-shot or part of a larger collection.
Japanese Tattoos
Japanese tattooing is about movement, scale, and how a design flows across the body. I focus on sleeves and larger pieces. Work designed to make sense as a composition, not just a collection of images. Built with respect for the tradition and an eye toward how it holds up over time.
Black & Gray Tattoos
Clean gradients, strong contrast, and work that doesn't fade into mud after a few years. Black and gray done right is about control, knowing where to push the value and where to hold back. The same principles that apply to traditional and Japanese work apply here: structure first, detail second.
Remington Tattoo — North Park, San Diego
I work out of Remington Tattoo on Myrtle Avenue in North Park, a few minutes from downtown.
It's a quiet, house-style studio, not a busy street shop. That matters more than people expect. Longer sessions are easier when it's calm, and work that takes planning goes better when nobody's rushing. If you've had a bad experience somewhere loud and chaotic, this is the opposite of that.
Wed – Sat, Noon – 7pm ·
3009 Myrtle Ave, San Diego CA 92104
Working With a San Diego Tattoo Artist
Bigger work starts with a consultation. We usually meet in person for about 30 minutes, go over your ideas, put together a plan and a loose layout, and answer whatever questions you have. It doesn't cost anything. It's there to make sure we're both on the same page before anything gets committed to.
If you're coming from out of town, we can do the same thing over a video call and have it sorted before you travel.
If you decide to go forward from there, a retainer gets you on the books.
Part of that conversation is being straight with you. If an idea won't hold up, I'll say so up front, and then we'll work out something that will.
If you've been asking the internet whether your idea will work, you can just come ask someone who does this for a living. It takes half an hour, it costs nothing, and we love talking about tattoos.
Small tattoos are a different story. A lot of those we can just do, sometimes on the spot, with less planning. I usually leave gaps in the schedule for smaller work, so it's worth asking.
From there I draw for your body, not just for the idea. Placement and flow matter as much as the design itself, especially on bigger work. Sleeves and back pieces get approached in stages, with pacing that makes sense for the piece and for you.
You don't need to show up with the whole thing figured out. One solid idea is usually enough to start.
Client Reviews…
I also build coil tattoo machines by hand, one at a time, along with small runs of tools and merch.
That isn't a side hobby. Building machines forced me to understand exactly how the tools work, and that understanding goes straight back into the tattooing. Same focus either way: consistency, balance, and something that holds up over the long haul.
Built by a Tattooer
