Art flows in lots of different directions. Like a river, you always feel you can predict or chart its course; but give it a little rainwater and it soon swells into an elemental force all its own. That is what City of Ink tattooist, Chris Davis is–an unpredictable artist with a flood of talent. When you meet Chris you immediately get the feeling this man is about business–and he is–but with a twist. Whatever hours you feel it will take for you to endure the pain of getting a tattoo pass by seamlessly. Why? Because the man is just that entertaining and EFFICIENT. Chris is the self-dubbed, aptly named, Master of “The One Time Line.” If you need a tattoo on the go then he is your man. “I’m always about doing quality work, but I want to do it in a way that doesn’t tire me and the other person out…going over one line in a tattoo over and over again is pointless! Get it right the first time and move on. Sharp, crisp lines–that’s my thing…”
On my Ink My Whole Body journey Chris’s tattoos struck the closest with me as he seems to master animated art that borderlines on three dimensional graffiti. His original designs are humorous and gritty, showcasing his own split nature of an earthy artist with a slick mouth that never leaves you bored. “Humor and making people laugh man that’s what it’s all about…you wanna really enjoy doing what you do…I can honestly say I’m doing what I enjoy and I like to see people get the art they enjoy on them…”
Chris’s piece for me dominated the lower half of my upper left arm. He followed the motif of a previous tattoo based on “Raava” from The Legend of Korra and decided to give me his own spin of the all-powerful female Avatar. “I love cartoons man so when you got to talking about her, and her spirituality, I know just how I wanted to incorporate her onto your arm to kind of give you a half sleeve…” Mr. Davis’s take on Korra is beautiful. As a brown skinned, African-American man I could not believe how the color and shading of the character popped out of my arm. Golds,blues, and shades of brown marked my arm like a beautiful badge of honor. To see it you will just have to grab Kontrol Magazine’s Summer Lust issue in Barnes and Noble’s nationwide!
Chris credits his immense skill to actually taking the time to work on becoming an artist before he became a tattooist. “Every tattoo artist is not an artist, but they definitely should try to be…I learned that early on when I was doing my apprenticeship…It really just improves the quality of your work, and quality work is what keeps clients coming back to your chair! You gotta make that money [he laughs]!”
You can schedule your own appointment with Chris Davis at the City of Ink, Edgewood location: 353 Edgewood Ave NE, Atlanta, GA(404) 215-9155. Be sure to hit him up and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @nameschrisdavis!
