Tattoo Archive

I can't believe that I'm the first person to review this place! It's not just a tattoo parlor, but a book store and gallery all rolled up into one. Too, it's not at all "creepy" or garish. C. W. Eldridge is a legendary figure in tattooing. As Jason Sweet of <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FTattoodles.com&s=491e15bcb7ccb72e12643b92d00a12821b93e38e0e93cc19073e7d0811d49ba5" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Tattoodles.com</a> states, Eldridge "has worked with such artists as Ed Hardy, Bob Roberts and Greg Irons, but despite his notoriety, he is possibly one of the most humble people in tattooing." It's true, "Chuck" is a really nice guy. I went in with my wife about six months ago after we'd dined at Skippy's, just because the wood floors, gallery lighting and cool art so intrigued me (there's a model of a ship, photos, heaps of posters, etc.). After we'd around a bit, my wife leaned over to me and said, "You could get a tattoo if you wanted." I was stunned ...

I've gotten 3 tattoos from Chuck Eldridge when his shop was in Berkeley, CA. He knows a lot about tattoos, but he is NOT a great tattoo artist. He does a good job ONLY if you know exactly what you want and he can just copy and trace the design for you. But if you want him to be creative and design something for you, then he is not your man.

I totally trusted him on my first 2 tattoos because he gave me exactly what I wanted. He just copied the drawing I had and put it on my arm.

When I went back to him for my 3rd tattoo, I gave him more creative freedom to put together a design for me. The moment he showed me the outline, I was having 2nd thoughts. I should have stopped him, but since he did a good job with my other 2 tats, I bit my tongue and didn't say anything.

This tattoo required about 3 or 4 sessions. So after he did the outline, we were done for the day. I didn't tell him how awful the outline looked, but I should have. I just left his shop feeling really bad. For a long time, I was really embarrassed to show people the tattoo he started.

I have since finished the tattoo with another tattoo artist who did a very good job of making my tattoo pop and stand out. But to this day, I am still not 100% satisfied with my tattoo because of its horrible beginnings.

I am now seriously thinking about getting parts of my tattoo removed.  The more and more I look at the tattoo, the more frustrated I am with the areas that chuck did. I see so much potential  in this tattoo, but Chuck really dropped the ball.  

Bottom line, go to Chuck at your own risk. He's been tattooing for over 25 years and he is a tattoo historian. He knows everything about tattoos, but in my opinion, he is not creative or talented when it comes to his drawing abilities. I would never go to him again for my tattoo needs.