Among the celebrities you've worked on, which ones are the most memorable?
Miley is the most memorable, of course, because she's at the peak of her career. She's probably the biggest celebrity that I've tattooed. Jamir, my brother, is the living proof of the development of my career. You can see the progression of my work all the way back from the time I was just starting out (about 16 years ago).
How about the non-celebrities?
I had a client who was around 60 or 70 years old. She got a tattoo of a unicorn on her right there (points to private part) and right below the unicorn was the word "horny." I was scared to ask why she wanted that tattoo. There's also a guy, around 20 years old, who asked for a potato tattoo. Just a potato with konting lupa-lupa (bits of soil). Here's the story behind it: Before his mom went insane, she read to him every night. That's his fondest memory of her. In the book that she read to him, the main character got a tattoo of a potato.
Who is your dream client?
Manny Pacquiao. I've met him a few times but I haven't tattooed him yet because every time we meet, he's training for a fight. But I have done a lot of work on some members of Team Pacquiao. Manny is actually the one who paid for their tattoos. Every time I go to them in Los Angeles--I think it has been three times--I stay at the infamous Team Pacquiao apartment, the one that's always featured on HBO.
Have you ever refused to tattoo anyone?
Yeah, if it's a racist design or anything that's anti-religion.
Describe your longest tattoo session.
When I did Jamir's back tattoo, one of our sessions lasted for almost 11 hours. He was awake the entire time, just listening to music.
What kind of equipment do you use?
I use the Swashdrive machine, which is more lightweight and smaller than what most tattoo artists use. I use the standard inks and needles, which other artists use as well.
What should people know before they come to you?
Ideally, they should already know what they want even if they don't have an image because I can come up with that or we can look up stuff online. It's good but not necessary that they are familiar with my style.
He is the brother of Jamir Garcia, vocalist of the band Slapshock. Here they are at the dubai rock concert along with some big name bands.
Visit Chris' creations at http://www.chrisgarciatattoos.com/
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