Stewart Robson

Further to what @cltattooing said: It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand. Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever. We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service. Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date. If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less) Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

I wonder who told that story? ;) She did get tattooed that day, but her man-friend didn't. We can call this story "Fish Fingers" To clarify: A tall, (probably around 6 feet) "amazonian" woman was discussing her tattoo with the counter-staff while her shorter man friend (probably just over 5 feet tall) was "feeding the pony". We weren't able to see from our side because he was hidden behind her and the counter. To this day I'm still impressed by her poker-face. She never let on what was happening back there. He also seemed to enjoy watching her get tattooed. They probably had a great evening when they got home with her new tattoo. I like this story and I'm glad you reminded me of it. It's good to know that there are still people out there with a raw passion for tattoos and life in general.

Thanks for the interest but... people have no problem asking personal questions on the internet huh? But to be less abrasive: Soap will be working at Modern Classic in Fulham, London one week each month... then we'll see what happens. There are myriad factors to consider after that but the long-term goal is for him to work full time eventually. The "status" of Lab Monkey for the coming months is the same as it has been for years - it's open, with Soap and others (currently Adam) doing tattoos. If Soap sells his existing shop isn't really anyone's business but his own. Same deal if he gives it to unicorns, another tattooer, or simply closes the doors forever. Whatever happens, Soap himself will give appropriate information. Yes, Lab Monkey is the first shop I did a tattoo in. While I was still struggling to learn, without structured guidance and tattooing out of my house, Soap graciously offered to let me sit in at his place for a week. That was the first time I tattooed people that I didn't already know. I'd been tattooing for about a year at that point. I've tried to return when my schedule allows. The information we've given about the shop is all that we've had the time to prepare. It's been a hectic 12 months preparing the shop. Especially hectic since the end of August when we got legal access to the premises. There's also been a bunch of conventions, visitors and regular work to do with Frith Street while getting our new space ready. - To answer another frequently asked question: Everybody at Frith Street knew about our shop since the end of 2013. They have all been supportive, interested and helpful with myself, Valerie and our new manager. Especially Naomi and Dante. It's easy to leave a shop on sour terms. Not so easy to keep it sweet. Sometimes we don't get a choice. So Valerie and I have gone to great lengths to preserve our working and personal relationship with everyone at Frith Street. I will keep my Sunday appointments there for the foreseeable future. Rest assured, we will make public updates with relevant information in due course, when time allows. Right now, we're concentrating on opening a street-level, regular tattoo shop that's practical and convenient for the people who work there and the people who want to get tattooed there. Your best bet for reliable info is the shop Instagram, Twitter and website. Keep 'em peeled!...

@trashpolkakid If you like that style of tattooing and not many people around you do, consider yourself blessed. Being an outsider with an interest in marginalised subjects or styles is a rare thing in the world these days. Especially on the internet. I'm old enough to have seen some interests very dear to me, (some that I even defined myself with in my teens) become very mainstream, even ubiquitous. That's not so much fun, especially when you use those interests as starting points to forge friendships with like-minded people. Enjoy your outsider tastes! Note: Trash Polka came after watercolour style tattoos -Ed Hardy did some in the 80s.

@cloudkicker Other than the suggestions mentioned, considering your area. Robert Atkinson at Dolorosa Tattoo.

Thank you. Late-night typing isn't my strong point. but yeah, Part Two is finished. The next DVD will be done when Part Three is finished (so don't hold your breath it could be 1-4 months) The original streaming service I used turned out to be pretty amateur-ish so I moved to Vimeo - you need to sign up but it's a much easier process once you do - you can download to own and I've set the rental period to 1 month. Thanks again for the interest. I think this one is a little more entertaining and positive than Part One - please spread the word...

*cough*CopperheadEditions.com*cough*

Holy Moly! I finally did it. I converted the PAL DVD to NTSC so that North American, Canadian, Japanese and the rest of South American tat fans can watch the DVD in the comfort of not-in-front-of-a-computer - such a thing does exist. You can buy it from store.copperheadeditions.com Also a friendly reminder that you can stream a HD version at the Copperhead Editions site too - this version is just the documentary without bonus features but it's in HD so you can see all my shaky camera work! Thanks to everyone for the support and patience with this project.

@asradin you outed yourself! Also, thanks.

Thats why we have banners displayed at the backs of our booths and business cards at the front.

This isn't Yokohama Horiken. It's actually Miyazo and he's tattooing Yebis, who also had work in the exhibition. I only correct this because in my opinion Miyazo is possibly the most exciting tattooer working in the world right now. What Chris Brand is doing with the 108 heroes is very interesting and commendable and the other artists involved in this exhibit are fantastic, but for me Miyazo's work has a flow and rhythm that is both bold, delicate and breathtaking. Qualities rarely found together in any medium. @Lance I thought we'd already spoke at SFO last year? not a formal introduction but I think we exchanged words. Just say Hi - it's easier than walking through a crowd in a fundoshi. All I'm prepared to say right now it that I found the exhibition, lectures and whole experience incredibly positive and personally overwhelming.

@reaperz Richard Stell and Tony Hundahl would both do an awesome job. In Dallas, Oliver Peck or Dean Williams at Elm Street. You won't be disappointed.

I had the pleasure of hanging around while Taki checked the exhibition yesterday and did his press conference. I don't normally get involved in gallery shows and museums because they usually focus on the paintings tattooers produce which doesn't interest me as much as tattoos but this is and incredible thing for me to be part of. Mostly because of the other tattooers involved. It's a small-ish exhibit as far as museums go but there's a hell of a lot to see. I'm not going to review it, I'll leave that to others, I just wanted to share a few of the photos I took yesterday. I checked with Taki and he's ok with me posting them here but most of all: Photography is encouraged at this exhibition. If you post the shots to instagram, twitter etc. Please hashtag them #JANMtattooshow Enjoy.

If this is a real post and not some elaborate keyword troll, I don't think that's the kind of information anyone might readily share (nor should they be asked, in my opinion) either in the tattoo shop or online. Aside from being very personal, it has very little bearing on the solution to the problem. In this (or similar situation) my advice would always be to cover it with a great looking, high quality tattoo. Japanese style tattoos work very well for that.

It's not Breaking Bad ;) Meaning; it's not serialised. There isn't a story. It's in four parts because each part focuses on a different aspect of being part of FST (or being part of tattooing as a whole) Part One is the close knit family aspect. Part Two is the global 'community' and FST's position in it. Part Three is the people, roads and attitudes that led us to be where we are (wherever that is) and Part Four is focuses on what it is to dedicate your life to something. Each part was designed to stand on it's own. Each one has a slightly different feel. Already the people who've seen the rough cuts of them all have a favourite. Thanks to everyone for the interest. Special thanks to those who bought or rented it. I really appreciate it. The response has been way more positive than I thought. I feel I should say: it's probably not what you expect. It's not a moving gallery of tattoos and it's not an advertisement for tattooing or for FST.