Tim Burke

@Bunny Switchblade super cool

Hi folks, I have a friend who's looking to get a sugar skull tattooed in Manchester, just wondering if any of you have shop or artist recommendations for that part of the world as I can't really think of any? Cheers.

Wish I had enough money to book in with Matt Ariola, his stuff is so awesome.

I was hoping I'd stand a chance this month, we'll see Tuesday, but that Hundahl piece is fierce!

Frith St/Soho in general - London Koya - Japanese udon noodles on Frith St, sometimes there's a bit of a wait and you can't book in advance but it's really fucking tasty and they do a good beer from the Kernel brewery. Honest Burger - Really good quality burger served medium unless you state otherwise served with rosemary salt chips. They also don't take bookings, but if you go along and they can't seat you they'll take your number and ring you rather than having to wait so you can just toddle off for a well earned beer round the corner somewhere. http://honestburgers.co.uk

Yeah, missed the n. Hoest burgers could be something quite different...

@scott Japanese place on Frith St is Koya, I've been a couple of times and they do awesome udon noodles. I like Honest Burger (http://honestburgers.co.uk) in Soho a lot too, they serve all their burgers with really great chips with rosemary salt.

@Eilin That's so lucky! I've waited a couple of years (they even missed me out of the previous batch of people they rang up, I just happened to pop in the other day):p As I've said before though, I don't really mind the wait, just got on with getting tattooed by other people and waited for my time to come around. I'm getting a crowned skull and snake on the outside of my right bicep, that's the vague plan anyway.

@Eilin that's some list... Finally got a call back about getting tattooed by Xam so consultation tomorrow evening then hopefully get the big blank space on my arm filled soon after. Once that's done going to have to save for a while, feeling pretty broke already...

@gougetheeyes love the character in that dudes face, nice tattoo!

@ian really like what he's done with that. You're amassing quite the collection...!

People like Liam Sparkes, Maxime and Duncan X all do work in an engraving style that holds up well.

Greg Christian at Love Hate Social Club London. Such an ace time this afternoon, sounds like he has a fair amount of free spots while he's there... edit: My smartphone is bust, so I robbed this from Greg's Instagram http://instagram.com/gregchristian4130/

Would love to get something pretty sizeable from O'Donnell, time and travel expense kind of make it unlikely for the foreseeable future - really cool for all you guys! Just about to email Greg Christian about getting something while he's in London - maybe a dragon's head, I was going to get Chad to do one if I came up on the reserve list while he's at Frith Street but I figure that's unlikely and if I do I can always get him to smash something else out, could be an exciting month after all...

Spoilt in London, but I love the street shop feel at Frith St - it feels a lot more relaxed to me than some of the other shops. I like that it's both a shop for people who are getting their first tattoo as much as it is for the serious collectors.

@asradin that looks so awesome now it's settled in a bit!

Living in London, I'm pretty fortunate to have Frith St (and all the amazing artists that come through that shop) near by, add in The Family Business and Into You as well and it'd be pretty difficult to stick to just one artist. Having said that, I can see myself landing up with a lot more work by Valerie than anyone else, provided I can get in fairly regularly. I guess it's partly because I'm into the aesthetic of lots of individual pieces next to each other, I can see how it's a different ball game if you're getting large Japanese work.

Oh dear, I seem to have a habit of dragging things off topic round here... I don't think there's been any wrong doing, I just find talking about people's lives kind of weird - but in this context I certainly get why there's an interest and that the things people are taking about are broadly speaking already in the public domain. Anyway, back to what everyone's planning...

@Pugilist that's pretty much exactly what I was getting at.

@ian so cool, Grime's one of those tattoo artists who's really pushing the boundaries in my mind.

Anyone else find it kind of weird the way we discuss tattoo artists' lives on here? Like, they'll mention something in passing, or comment on an IG post, then all of a sudden it's a topic of conversation (it came up with Chad Koeplinger earlier, and I feel happens a fair bit around here). I guess it's just kind of being 'out there', but I still find it a little bit weird the way tattoo artists have fans.

It's still in his biography: - Biography « Hoopers Electric – Meditations in Atrament

I had no idea the wait was going to be that long, I think I was told a year or so when I actually put my name down. It doesn't really matter though, I've saved the spot and just kind of got on with getting other work. Every so often I wonder when I'll get the call, but I really don't see waiting as a problem. Sure, if it was the norm that would suck, but Xam and Valerie's work is a big part of why I made the jump from really liking tattoos to actually getting them so I'm willing to wait. All my others I've picked up from guest spots and cancellations.

Oh, there's a beer thread? How have I missed this until now?! I received this haul from my dad today as a somewhat belated birthday present: 2 of each of these: Blanche de Bruxelles Brugse Zot Blond Chimay Triple Hopf Helle Weiss Hacker Pschorr Munich Gold Moritz Lager Hacker Pschorr Weiss Hell Troubadour Blonde Hacker Pscorr Braumeister Belgoo Saisonneke Suffice to say, any lateness has long been forgiven!