Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Cooksey.
Hi Scott, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started getting tattooed in 1994, and I fell in love with the whole experience so hard that I knew right away I wanted to be on the other side of the needle. One of my best friends had already been tattooing for years, so I spent countless hours hanging out in his room, watching him work, listening to music, and soaking it all in. I’ve always been artistic—coming from an artistic family made drawing and composing designs feel natural—but teaching myself how to actually use the machines and needles was the real hurdle. Luckily, I had plenty of friends who were brave (or crazy) enough to let me practice on them.
During the day I’d draw and paint flash at home, and a couple nights a week I’d tattoo those friends while I paid the bills bartending. This went on for about a year until my buddy landed a job at a shop in Deep Ellum, the heart of Dallas’s tattoo scene back then. Not long after he started, he told the owner about me and convinced him I was worth taking a chance on. I quit bartending the next day and walked into my first real shop gig.
For the first year there, the deal was that I had to pierce if I wanted to tattoo. So I pierced, I drew every single day, and I kept practicing and refining my craft at home. This was the era when you actually had to know how to draw—no Google images, no iPads, no Procreate. If you couldn’t draw it freehand, you didn’t tattoo it.
That shop was my launch pad. For the first ten years of my career I worked for other people, paid my dues, and got really good. Then, right around year ten, I hit the point where I was done working for someone else. My brother and I opened Lone Star Tattoo in 2005, and I’ve been my own boss ever since.
I ran a big, busy shop for two decades—six chairs, artists coming and going, all the chaos that comes with it. It was an adventure, for sure. I met some incredible artists, made lifelong friends, and watched a lot of talent pass through those doors. But managing people, drama, egos, and everyone’s “particular needs” was never my thing. It wore me out.
So recently I downsized. We moved just down the street into a smaller, private, appointment-only studio that’s perfect for just me and my wife Josefhine (who’s also an amazing tattooer). Life is simpler now, calmer, and I’m able to focus 100% on the work itself. My tattoo work can always be found through a Lone Star Tattoo or Powerhouse Irezumi search engine.
After 30 consecutive years of tattooing full-time, I’m still teaching myself new techniques and tricks almost every day. I’m still excited to get to the shop every morning. Honestly, I feel like I’m just hitting my stride—like I’m finally warmed up and the best work is still ahead of me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Business has been pretty smooth for me, all things considered. I started with a solid work ethic and never let it slip, so the tattooing itself always took care of me. The only real “rocky road” was managing a shop full of tattoo artists for 20 years. That’ll test your patience—plenty of highs, plenty of headaches, but I’ve got nothing but good memories from that building overall.
The bigger speed bumps were the ones nobody could control: the 2008 economic crash and the pandemic. I’ve always had a loyal, steady clientele, so I personally never took the financial hits a lot of people did. Junior artists who depended on walk-ins got crushed when the streets went quiet. During Covid I did have to cancel a couple of guest spots in Italy that I was really looking forward to, but really that was small potatoes compared to what others went through.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Japanese irezumi specialist—that’s about 90% of what I produce these days. American Traditional is the other 10%. If you know my work, you know me for big, bold, Japanese tattoos. I really doubled down on irezumi about 15 years ago, and the deeper I’ve gone, the more it’s given back.
I have a deep respect for the traditional Japanese style layout and rules. Everything reads properly from a distance, flows with the body, and has that classic look my clients desire. I do add my own flavor, but I never stray far from keeping that real irezumi look. Simple, strong, legible from across the room—that’s my trademark. I want someone to look at your arm in 50 years and still know exactly what they’re looking at. It’s timeless, like classical music. Trends come and go; this work endures.
I’m proudest of the fact that after three decades I still get fired up walking into the studio every day. The whole process still feels like a privilege: sitting down with a client, getting a detailed understanding of what they want tattooed, drawing it, stretching it over multiple sessions, and then listening to how much they love the work. That moment never gets old. Neither does hearing that people stop them on the street, ask who did their work, and they dig my card out of their wallet to hand over. That’s the highest compliment in this job.
One of the most rewarding things I’ve done over the years is throw charity flash days. I’ll pick a handful of solid designs, drop the price, tattoo all day, and just about every dollar goes straight to a veterans’ group or an animal shelter. Seeing the shop packed, raising thousands for causes I believe in, and sending people home with fresh work they love—that’s a great feeling.
At the end of the day, making people happy with something they’ll wear forever is why I do this. That, and knowing the work I’m putting on skin right now will still turn heads decades later. That’s the win.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I wouldn’t t call it luck, I’d call it 30 years of hard work and dedication to the craft.
I don’t publish set prices, and here’s why: every piece I do is 100% custom—size, placement, detail level, number of sessions—all of that changes the investment. My work isn’t cheap (it never will be), because large-scale, properly executed Japanese irezumi is a serious commitment in both time and craftsmanship. What I can promise is that clients get every penny’s worth in quality, longevity, and something that’s built to look solid and timeless for the rest of their lives.The best way forward is always a quick in-person consultation. I’ll be asking questions about what you’re interested in having done, discuss your ideas and its possibilities and give you an estimate on pricing and the time involved.So if you’re serious about getting something big, bold, and done right, I’m easy to find. For anyone interested in booking, the best way to reach me is through my website: www.lonestartattoo.comJust head to the contact page, fill out the form with your idea, and I’ll get back to you quickly to set up a consultation.Easy as that!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lonestartattoo.com/scott-cooksey/
- Instagram: @scottcookseytattooer
- Facebook: Scott Cooksey Tattooer
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoneStarTattooDallasTexas
