Resplendent Realism: Think Before You Ink’s Q&A With Tattoo Artist Bookie
By Sidra Lackey
Chris Booker aka “Bookie” considers himself a half self-taught tattoo artist. Although he was born with the gift of drawing, it wasn’t until his wife encouraged him to explore his artistic nature, that he began to — with tattooing. He specializes in remarkable portrait tattoos as a realism tattoo artist. He can be found at the luxury tattoo shop, Enigma Tattoo in Beverly Hills, California where he tattoos alongside the esteemed Katrina “Kat Tat” Jackson.
Think Before You Ink had the pleasure of picking Bookie’s brain for a real, no holds barred interview:
THINK BEFORE YOU INK: Where did you grow up? And did that have an impact on you becoming a tattoo artist? (ex: Were you around tattoo culture via your family / friends / people in your neighborhood?)
BOOKIE: I grew up in Lake View Terrace, CA, outskirts of Los Angeles.
TBYI: How long have you been a tattoo artist?
BOOKIE: For 13 years professionally as of this past April 2022.
TBYI: Did you choose to be a tattoo artist or did tattooing choose you? (ex: did you always want to be an artist or did you fall into it?)
BOOKIE: It was along the lines of tattooing choosing me. It’s not something I sought after being a kid or something that would be a good career choice in my family’s eyes at the time I decided to tattoo. So tattooing chose me. I had a natural gift to draw, and my wife found some old drawings and encouraged me to explore my artistic side. So we sold our iPhones back when the first generation iPhone was out to get some cash to purchase equipment, and the rest is history.
TBYI: Who are the tattoo artists you look up to or who inspires you? And why?
BOOKIE: The 3 for me are Josh Duffy, Carlos Torres and Aaron Delladova. Their style of tattooing is creative, created from their minds. These guys create massive pieces. They’re real artists. Their layouts and compositions when it comes to a tattoo are always perfect.
TBYI: Did you have a tattoo apprenticeship or were you self-taught?
BOOKIE: I had an apprenticeship for about a year. I was fired from it because my mentor at the time told me I had to become a better artist before I think about tattooing. So I took a year off and was able to come back and show him I progressed as an artist. I was able to finish out my apprenticeship. But ultimately it was a little bit of both, because my mentor wasn’t the most responsible mentor teaching me how to tattoo. So a lot of this shit I had to learn on my own.
TBYI: Do you think tattoo artist’s tattoos should be regarded as art, even if the tattooist doesn’t have a formal art background? Why or why not?
BOOKIE: I think art can’t be judged, but tattoos definitely can be judged. There is a certain formula and technique you want to follow. Not so much as art style wise but as far as placement and the layout of the tattoo. Of course technically, put in the skin properly. The way the tattoo heals after it’s been applied. The longevity of the tattoo. There’s a formula that does need to be followed for it to be a great tattoo.
TBYI: What is your style specialty when it comes to tattooing? Is there a style you feel you want to get better at?
BOOKIE: When I first started I was doing a lot of neo-traditional styles. I was drawing everything for the most part. Now I’m into realism, like portrait work. Hyper-realism when it comes to my color work. I def want to get better at executing color realism. But it’s all relatively the same for the learning process. I always want to get better at each style. But I’m a realism artist now. I’ll style dabble into neo-traditional when it’s presented to me but I’m a realism artist.
TBYI: What types of tattoos do you enjoy and dislike doing most?
BOOKIE: I love black and grey realism. I really, really, really despise small, tiny tattoos. They’re just not for me.
TBYI: How do you collaborate with a client on a piece who has no / little idea what they want? Do you prefer that or do you prefer if a client already has a set idea on a piece?
BOOKIE: I prefer a client to have a general idea of what they want. It makes the job 10 times harder when a client doesn’t know what they want and they expect you to come up with something. Because 90% of the time when a client says that and you do something, they want to add this and that. They become indecisive and it becomes more of a headache than a creative collaboration process between client and artist.
TBYI: There’s many changes happening within the tattoo industry currently: from ink colors being banned to inks being linked to cancer, to there being “made-to-fade” ink and even light sensitive ink that can “turn on” and off supposedly. Tattoos can now be turned into NFTs too. What do you think about all these innovations yet setbacks? How do you think tattoos and the tattoo industry will evolve further over the next few years into the next decade?
BOOKIE: Honestly, I don’t give a shit about the social media aspect… and the NFTs and shit like that. When it comes to the inks and stuff like that, you always want to make sure you're using the proper stuff in people's skin because people can have so many different types of reactions to stuff. It’s like anything else, especially in this day and age we live in. Things are going to get watered down because of technology. Tattooing is kinda one of the only jobs that technically a human can do. I hope it stays that way. I hope I’m not out beaten by a robot in the next 10 years… But who's to say it’s a possibility? It’s just the way the world is going. You just have to stay true to being a tattooer. I had a different background when it came to me being brought up in the tattoo game. It’s a lot of respect and honor to the grassroots and the pathways that have been made and that I’ve made for myself.
TBYI: Do you have any advice for tattoo artists in training or those just thinking about entering the tattoo industry as a tattoo artist?
BOOKIE: Shit, just be an artist. Don’t be a person who is someone trying to think of the money first and the artistry last. It’s not going to take you very far. The better artist you are, the more creative, the more you try to push the culture forward artistically, the more money you’ll make. I went a full decade of trying to find the balance with money and being an artist. But I’ve reached a point in my career to where as long as you're creating dope art and giving people dope experiences while they're in your tattoo chair, the money will come. Just be an artist first. And don’t say you’re a celebrity tattoo artist, that’s the lamest shit you can ever say.
You can follow Bookie on IG @bookie_thompson