Meet the Artist: Christopher Cloud
Artist: Christopher Cloud - Clarksville, Tennessee
Before Christopher Cloud was building a career around anime and video game tattoos, he thought music might be where his creative life would take him.
Growing up as a military kid meant moving often, which made sticking with bands difficult. Then, at 18, a completely different opportunity appeared: the tattoo shop he had been visiting offered him an apprenticeship.
Christopher jumped at it.
Nine years later, tattooing has become the creative career he once wasn't even sure was possible—and today, nearly everything clients come to him for revolves around anime, gaming, and the characters they love.
We caught up with Christopher so you can get to know a little more about the artist behind the work.
How did tattooing start for you?
Before tattooing, I really wanted to pursue music.
I played in a couple of different bands, but growing up as a military kid meant moving around a lot, so those groups never really had the chance to become something permanent.
When I was 18, I was getting tattooed pretty frequently at one shop, and they eventually offered me an apprenticeship.
I never really imagined tattooing was something I could do myself, but once the opportunity was there, I jumped on it and put everything I had into learning.
Music took a back seat, and tattooing became the creative path I wanted to pursue.
Why did you choose anime tattoos?
For a while, I was actually hesitant to get into anime tattooing.
I'd heard people say anime wouldn't translate well into tattoos long-term, so I wasn't sure it was something I should focus on.
Then I started researching and realized there was an entire community of artists proving otherwise.
From there, I studied everything I could.
If another artist posted a Reel or TikTok and there were only two seconds where you could actually see them tattooing, I'd replay those two seconds over and over until I could understand what they were doing.
Once I realized this kind of work was possible, I wanted to learn how to do it the best I could.
What are your favorite anime?
Fate, Steins;Gate, and Code Geass are some of my favorites.
Being a fan myself is a huge part of why I enjoy creating this work.
There's something really cool about meeting someone who connects with the same characters and stories you do, and then getting to turn that shared interest into a tattoo they can carry with them.
What does anime tattooing mean to you?
For me, a lot of it comes down to community.
Anime gives people something to connect over, and tattoos give them another way to express how much those characters and stories mean to them.
I get to meet people with the same interests, create something that helps them show that side of themselves, and hopefully make them feel good every time they look at it.
That makes me feel good about what I'm doing as an artist too.
When did things start to click?
I don't know if tattooing ever really gives you one moment where you can say, "I've made it."
There's always something else to learn.
But there was a point where I realized almost everyone reaching out to me wanted anime tattoos—and then those same clients started coming back for more.
They were recommending me to friends, spreading my work without me asking them to, and eventually I had people driving more than eight hours just to get tattooed by me.
That was probably the closest I've come to thinking, Okay, something is really working here.
Do you add hidden details?
Sometimes I'll add two small dots into a tattoo, even if the design doesn't necessarily call for them.
It's a little homage to the shop I work at.
I like details like that because they're subtle. Most people might never notice them, but there's still a small piece of the journey behind the tattoo hidden inside the design.
What keeps you growing?
I don't really see tattooing as something you ever finish learning.
Even after building a career and getting to a place where almost all of my requests are anime and video game tattoos, I'm still looking for ways to improve.
The support I've gotten from clients has helped a lot too.
Seeing people come back, trust me with another idea, and recommend my work to other fans has shown me that I can keep building this while still pushing myself creatively.
What can clients expect from you?
I want the tattoo to be great, but I also want the experience of getting it to be something you enjoy.
I've been tattooing for about nine years now, and one of my biggest priorities is making sure people feel comfortable and can relax while they're here.
We can talk, joke around, nerd out about anime, or you can just chill while I work.
At the end of the day, I want you leaving with the best tattoo I can create for you and a session you actually had fun being part of.
Meet Christopher in the Chair
Christopher's career may have started with an unexpected apprenticeship, but anime and gaming eventually helped him find exactly where he belongs within tattooing.
Today, he gets to spend most of his time creating for fellow fans while still treating every new piece as another opportunity to grow.
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Short description:
Christopher Cloud turned an unexpected apprenticeship into a career creating anime and video game tattoos for fellow fans. Get to know the Clarksville artist behind the work, what drew him to anime tattooing, and why clients travel hours to sit in his chair.
