From the Studio #003: Hollywood Stars Tattoo Story - A Work in Progress

By Erik Gutierrez, founder of Hollywood Stars Tattoo

The Hollywood Stars Tattoo story includes the people who became part of the shop.

In 1998, while I was still in the Marines, I designed the tattoo shop I wanted to open. I carried that design with me until Hollywood Stars Tattoo opened on December 1, 2004. Six years passed between designing the shop and opening its doors.

But the story starts much earlier. I began tattooing at 13, and tattooing stayed with me through my military service and into the business my brother and I built in Los Angeles.

Looking through these photographs, I see the different stages of that life. Some of the hardest years came after the Marines, before I found my way back into a shop and opened my own. That part belongs in this story, too.

Tattooing from thirteen through my Marine years

I started tattooing when I was 13 years old. By the time I joined the Marines, I had already been doing it for about six years.

I enlisted at 19 and turned 20 in boot camp. I served from 1996 to 2000, and I tattooed throughout that time, from boot camp to my last day in the Marines.

Aboard the USS Saipan, I made tattoo needles and tattooed fellow Marines.

Making tattoo needles aboard the USS Saipan during my Marine years.

Tattooing a fellow Marine.

When someone sits down for a tattoo, they are trusting the person holding the machine with something they will carry on their body. That responsibility has followed me through every stage of my work.

During 1997 and 1998, my brother lived with me off base. I was the one serving in the Marines, and we shared that chapter of our lives together.

Finding my way after the Marine Corps

When I got out of the Marine Corps, I started working at a tattoo shop right away. The shop was in Lynwood, and I was living in South Gate, so it was convenient.

I met some really good friends there. I also admired the artists and their artwork. Being around them pushed me to push myself and become a better artist.

I stayed for about a year. But I realized I was earning nowhere near what I had been making in the Marines, when I had my military pay and my tattoo income. I became disappointed with shop life at that time and decided to work on my own.

For about another year, I did house calls, tattooing out of people's houses. I would invite my friend Alan to come with me. For a while, it was good.

At the same time, I was living with some free-spirited guys. There was a lot of partying and very little focus on business. I was falling down, and toward the end of that time I started thinking about how far I had fallen.

I had gone from earning Marine Corps pay plus tattoo income to sleeping on the living room floor with friends.

Around that period, I was almost killed on three separate occasions. By the third time, I remember thinking, "I came out of the Marine Corps safe and sound, and I'm gonna get killed in the streets."

I had to change my life. I wrote out a plan and stuck with it.

That plan got me back into shop life. From 2002 to 2004, I worked out of another tattoo shop. In 2004, I opened Hollywood Stars Tattoo.

I had carried the design for my own shop since 1998. Getting back on track gave me a way to move toward it.

Opening Hollywood Stars Tattoo in 2004

By 2004, I was back in shop life and ready to open the studio I had designed in 1998. I had kept that design through my military service and the years of finding my way afterward.

On December 1, 2004, Hollywood Stars Tattoo opened in Los Angeles, near LAX. My brother and I came from a family of ten, and family became part of the way we approached the shop.

I wanted people to feel comfortable coming in, talking about their ideas, and getting to know the person who would tattoo them. The space we built had to support that experience.

An earlier chapter at the Hollywood Stars Tattoo storefront.

The Hollywood Stars sign letters during fabrication in 2011.

The shop continued to develop after opening. The photographs of the Hollywood Stars sign letters being fabricated in 2011 show another part of that work. The letters were still laid out inside the studio before becoming part of its identity.

When I look at the earlier storefront photograph, I also see the people who were there for that chapter. The design became a place that other people could be part of.

The people in the Hollywood Stars Tattoo story

The Hollywood Stars Tattoo story is full of people. Some photographs show a tattoo in progress. Others show people standing together, smiling, or spending time in the shop. Both belong here.

My connection to the Marines continued into the studio years. Family remained part of the story as well. The people around the shop helped shape the atmosphere we wanted clients to walk into.

My connection to the Marines continued into the studio years.

Family has been part of this story throughout the years.

What I want you to experience as a client

For a client, that atmosphere matters before the tattoo even begins. You should be able to explain your idea, ask questions, and feel heard while we work through the design together.

You can bring a finished concept or an idea that still needs work. We can talk about the subject, placement, and what matters to you. The goal is a tattoo that fits you and a process you understand.

I believe every client has value. That means treating your time and your commitment seriously, discussing the work clearly, and keeping our word when you book with us.

Those are the parts of the shop I want you to feel during your own visit. The history gives you a way to understand the people behind the work.

My daughters become part of the story

Over the years, my daughters became part of the tattoo story, too. There are photographs of them tattooing me. Those moments bring my work and my family together in a very personal way.

My daughter Monique is now an apprentice. Seeing her learn the craft adds another chapter to the story that began when I was 13.

My daughters became part of the tattoo story, too.

Still a work in progress

I turned 50 this year. That puts roughly 37 years of tattooing behind me and more than 21 years since Hollywood Stars Tattoo opened.

There is a lot of history in these photographs, but I am still working on what comes next. My work continues to develop, and so does the shop. I want the experience to improve along with the tattoos.

The design I carried in 1998 became a real studio in 2004. Since then, clients and family have added their own chapters. I am grateful to the people who have trusted us and become part of it.

Hollywood Stars Tattoo is still a work in progress. So am I.

If you have an idea for a tattoo, tell us about it through the Book a Tattoo consultation form. We can start with a conversation about what you want to create.

Advanced Design Preparation: Give Your Idea More Room to Develop

You only get one first version of your tattoo. When the meaning and details matter, giving your idea more room to develop can help you communicate what you really want.

We usually create and finalize your design together on appointment day. For additional exploration beforehand, ask about Advanced Design Preparation: dedicated artist time to research your concept, gather references, and organize a folder before your visit.

Your final design is developed and refined with you at the appointment. We will confirm the preparation included and additional fee before you commit. Advance sketches are agreed upon separately.