Meet Dillon Eaves: Tattoo Artist, Illustrator, & Dog Dad

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dillon Eaves and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dillon, how do you think about risk?
Risk taking for me has been essential to my success. I like being a pioneer and forging a path for myself. I try to have the mindset that even if I fail at something that the universe has my back and that there are valuable lessons to be learned in my failures. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have safety nets in life, but sometimes you have to just jump into the great unknown. I knew little to nothing about owning my own business, but after watching how my mentors operated their’s I knew that there were certain things I wasn’t going to do. Some of it is trial by fire but thats a risk all successful people take. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own Charnel House Tattoo in Toluca Lake, CA. I opened the shop in October 2017 and it’s been a wild ride ever since. This shop is the culmination of who I am as an artist, and every inch of it has been a labor of love. It took me about 6 months to find the perfect location and I absolutely love were we are located. I saw the potential in this studio space when there wasn’t any. This shop is unlike anything else out there. It’s inviting, bright, clean, and warm as if you were in someones home. Owning my own business has been a challenge especially this year (thanks COVID), but there is nothing that has been more rewarding.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my all time favorite spots in Los Angeles is Little Tokyo. Some of my favorite spots out there include Kinokuniya Los Angeles (the ultimate bookstore), Curry House and Daikokuya for good eats, PopKiller, Space City Vintage, and Kools for some incredible clothing, and Max Karaoke Studio for some fun at night. Bergamont Station in Santa Monica is also one of my favorite places to visit. I also love going to catch sunset at Griffith Park Observatory, it’s one of the best views in Los Angeles in my opinion.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe my career to the person that took a chance on me as an apprentice after being fed up with my persistent persuasion, Jeremy Swan of Broken Art Tattoo. I owe the creative atmosphere there and my old co-workers a great deal for pushing me creatively. Derrek Everette was a huge influence on me as well, the way he would treat people and his bedside etiquette was something I always admired. I’ve tried to model how I treat my own clients after him. I’ve always admired how innately talented he is and how you could just look at something and tell that he made it. I also wish to mention my current co-worker Marc Durrant for joining my shop and contributing to the high standard and reputation of Charnel House Tattoo. He is an incredible artist in his own right and I’m lucky to be able to learn from and work with such a talent. I owe a huge portion of my successes to my wonderful partner Lindsay Byrd, who has always believed in me. I strive to be the person she sees me as every day of my life. She is an incredibly talented artists in her own right, in the field of makeup, and has been my rock for over a decade.

Website: www.charnelhousetattoo.com
Instagram: @dilloneaves
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/charnel-house-tattoo-los-angeles
Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DillonEaves?ref=seller-platform-mcnav