Chris Cockrill, Tattoo Artist at Remington Tattoo
I'm Chris Cockrill tattoo artist at Remington Tattoo in North Park, San Diego. I started tattooing in 1998 in Houston, Texas. First at Fine Line Tattoo as an apprentice, then at Scorpion Studios, which was a real education in how a busy shop runs and what clients actually want. Houston gave me a solid foundation in traditional American work — but it's as a North Park tattoo artist at Remington Tattoo where that foundation really became something.
In 2003 I moved to San Diego and spent time at a few shops, including Lucky's Tattoo Parlor and American Tattoo out in Vista, before spending about six years at Avalon Tattoo 2. Eventually I landed at Remington Tattoo in North Park, where I've been a resident artist ever since. North Park feels like home. Good neighborhood, good people, and clients who genuinely care about what they're getting.
International Work
Between San Diego stints I spent several years tattooing in Sydney, Australia, going back most winters for a while. I also worked in Thailand and hit conventions across the country over the years. Spending time tattooing in different places, around different artists, with different influences, shapes how you see the work. I came back to San Diego with a wider frame of reference each time, and I think that shows in what I do now.
Work by
Chris Cockrill Tattoo Artist
My core work is traditional American, Japanese, and black and gray. Not because those are the only styles worth doing, but because they're the ones I've put the most years into and care about the most. Bold design, clean execution, built to last. When I'm drawing up a piece the question I keep coming back to is: how is this going to look in twenty years?
Walk-ins are welcome for smaller pieces. Larger work, sleeves, back pieces, anything that needs planning, those start with a consultation so we can do it properly.
On building machines
I also build custom coil tattoo machines by hand through tattoo-maker.com, something I've been doing for over ten years. It started as wanting to really understand the tool rather than just pick one up and use it. Knowing how a machine is tuned, how it hits, what it does to the skin, it genuinely changes how you tattoo. It's made me more precise and more deliberate, and I think that carries through into the work.
Come in
Remington Tattoo is at 3009 Myrtle Ave in North Park, San Diego. I'm here Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 7pm. Walk-ins are welcome for smaller work. If you've got something bigger in mind, get in touch and we'll set up a time to talk it through.
Remington Tattoo is a tattoo studio located at 3009 Myrtle Ave, North Park, San Diego, California 92104. Resident artist Chris Cockrill specializes in traditional American tattoos, Japanese tattoos, and black and gray tattoos. The studio welcomes walk-ins for smaller pieces and offers consultations for larger planned work.