Stewart Robson

Yeah you started a nice tattoo.... Because you posted it twice in different threads like a needy child, all I'll say is: Nobody says "Check out my Eaglebird fighting a Cobrasnake. I think I'll get a Roseflower with it too." Think about it.

Yup, I have one. Also a heart and banner with my mother's name, from Scott Sylvia. Any sheet of flash I've painted with mother dedications has 'Mam' somewhere.

Ok, I'm late to the party again, but I'm gonna drag up the Guns vs Machines thing again... It doesn't fucking matter. I used to think it marked a difference between 'them' and 'us' but then I learned it's regional too. So I dropped it. Many older English (or maybe even from elsewhere in the British Isles) tattooers used to call their machines 'guns'. Many still do. It doesn't mean they can't tattoo. That's guys we'd consider 'Old School' or 'Traditional'. Yeah, maybe their equipment didn't shoot anything, maybe they were using equipment with electromagnetic motors rather than a doorbell circuit with just regular coils, but that's what they got called by working professionals. 'Guns'. Get over it. Stop getting high and mighty because you heard some 'insider' terminology at the Tat Spot or the Tattoo Parlour or the upscale Dermagraphic Adornment Boutique, or maybe you read it on the internet. I guess you can be the authority on tattoo terminology now. Good for you. I'm gonna keep slingin' ink on my bitchin' clients with my tatty-zap guns and also I'll be tattooing my regular customers as per usual. They way I say it shouldn't be of much concern. Recently I've heard so many time-wasting, lazy-ass, no-talent-goons tell me how much they 'Respect the Craft', 'Honour Tradition' & put their 'Heart and Soul' into their half-assed doodles while asking for an apprenticeship/job/critique/applause/handout/validation, that the terminology has become meaningless. The end result of the effort should be by what measure they, we and I'm, held accountable. Sorry to be so Off Topic.

Thomas Hooper. Zac Scheinbaum at Saved. Trocchio for sure. John Reardon. Seth Wood. Eli Quinters. Big Steve at FunCity. Maybe even Albrigo. Any of these guys would do awesome, non-hokey satanic/heavy shit in black & grey.

Your description is pretty accurate. Just stick to that. Giving them some internet-forum-style 'neo-tribalism-escher-hooper-xed-jondix-geometric-graphic-PatternDotWork-repetition' type title makes everyone look like a douche. If you insist on getting more descriptive, throw in, or google "OpArt" just so we aren't making up dumb titles for things that already have a perfectly good title outside of tattooing.

Me too!

@autosdafe eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com Yahoo! Answers - Home First Internet Clown School. Academy of Performing Arts in Clowning But you're right. It's not your fault, it's someone else's. Don't feel bad about it.No, it isn't true that "Some people don't take ink" but it is true that some people don't take bullshit.

Thank fuck @Jennifer Stell chipped in. She saved me a shit load of time and typing and said it more succinctly that I could. It is getting boring reading the same questions we all took time to answer less than 6 months ago. In the shop it's our job to take the time to answer and be patient multiple times per day. On the internet? No thanks.

@slayer9019 Norse imagery, particularly runes have been adopted by American white power groups in the US. In Europe it's generally not a big deal. European racist groups usually use a ham-fisted mix of their own country's flags/symbols and 20th century German iconography.

Think less. Get tattooed more! Joking aside, although your point is very valid, it kinda doesn't matter. In my experience foreign cultures (i.e. any not your own, except Maori) don't really get offended when someone gets a tattoo influenced by their culture. I'm not sure, but this idea of offending whole cultures seems to spring from the days of usenet or early forums where there was more typing than tattooing going on. I encounter variations of this question all the time. My answer usually is "it doesn't matter" think about everything else in your life and it's cultural authenticity. Think about the language you speak, the food you eat, the clothes you wear etc, etc. unless you are part of a tribe or Japanese, there's a good chance you live a fairly multicultural life without realising it. But yeah, I'd say Japanese tattooing is one of the cornerstones of tattoo culture. Yes there is such a thing. To me "tattoo culture" is more interesting and valid than "tattoo lifestyle" maybe I don't act, socialise, party, work, fuck, drink, ride transportation, dress or eat like others in this culture but they still accept me as a friend, peer or brother when we meet, for the first time, or the hundredth time, anywhere in the world. That's not to say having a sleeve will give you access to a global network of friends but 'tattoo' is a thing in, and of itself. Your Japanese tattoo won't really be a Japanese tattoo, it will be a Japanese style tattoo hopefully executed with love, effort, craft, and respect for its origins. Which is more than can be said for much of our modern lives. Also, traditional arts and crafts are dying out in their native countries around the world. It's often foreigner's interest that keeps them alive. With that in mind, the idea of offending a culture that allows its traditions to die through adopting some of those traditions seems a little redundant to me. After all is said and done, I hope you get a tattoo, for you, that makes you happy.

Call:0044 20 7734 8180 12-8pm UK time. You'll get accurate answers faster than on the Internet. We're open 7 days. We are not snobs, we try to do nice tattoos. Everyone there is nice (except me, I'm a total douche)

No. Unlike most here, or elsewhere online talking about tattoos. This is my business, not a pastime or hobby. So I'm a businessman. The last thing I want with my business is confusion or uncertainty.

they/we mostly like to talk about cost before plans are made. Pretty much the same as anything you buy. If you can't afford it, you don't buy it. Easy.

@CultExiter (and everyone, I suppose) Just call the shop and ask how much your tattoo will cost. Speculation of cost, with strangers, on the Internet doesn't help anyone. If you don't think the cost is worth it, get tattooed by someone cheaper. Also, I've been working right next to Chris, watching him work and speaking to his clients. None of them said he was heavy handed. Regardless of cost, pain and speed. You will get a great tattoo from O'Donnell though. Enjoy. I'll say this again: price is dictated by demand. If something is in high demand, it will probably cost more than something readily available.

@hogg as a type nerd I object to your assumption I'd use Photoshop to kern and lead my type ;)

@Anisya I'm a little late to the party here and I haven't yet watched the Helvetica documentary so what I say may be covered there. In my opinion Helvetica a beautifully designed typeface (it was a typeface before it was a font) which is why it got so overused by cool-guy graphic designers for a while. Anything visual that is used extensively will be rejected by the generation that follows. But blah, blah, blah... Helvetica is the type equivalent of 'pike style' tattoo lettering. In the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, it just fucking works. Always readable and because of subtle variations, always appropriate. It can look shitty in the hands of an idiot who thinks its easy and doesn't understand the basics. ...I mostly butted in because the BBC uses Gill Sans, not Helvetica. Another very well designed typeface, digitised exceptionally well for screen use. But very different from Helvetica to a trained (or partially trained) eye. Most 'big corporations' don't use Helvetica. They may use a bold, sans-serif font, but it's rarely Helvetica itself. Comic Sans is one of the few fonts deemed appropriate when designing information for people with learning and/or sight difficulties because the lower-case letters are constructed the same as handwriting. The problem with most graphic designers is they are trying to express themselves instead of communicating in an effective manner. I guess most younger designers now wouldn't even know what a serif's function is. Comic Sans is a fuck-ugly font though. More dumb tattoos now please.

@hogg yes. I got heavily tattooed while I worked in that environment but I always wore long sleeves to client meetings, however informal. Tattoos often distract from the matter at hand. If the volunteer worker mentioned here had cared about her charity work, she would have understood that and covered up a little, to best serve the charity she was supposed to be helping. As it stands she failed. The story didn't even mention which charity she was volunteering for. Nor did she wear any evidence of that charity for her victim-style press-shot.

@Turquoise Cherry I think it's 'context sensitive' some places it seems right that the staff have visible tattoos, others not. It varies from city to city and job to job. Visible tattoos don't belong in M&S. That above article didn't make it clear what charity work the girl was doing nor who for. It did make it clear that she became argumentative. If I argue, even as a customer, they have the right to ask me to leave. If I was volunteering, you could be damned sure I wouldn't argue with the staff who were playing host to my charity work. Just because you work for free it doesn't mean you can be a dick about it. There's still some responsibility to be professional. I guess my perception of 'tattooed people' is different from most. The majority of my customers are at least skilled professionals, some are craftsmen, some are lawyers, bankers, accountants. Many are self employed or own a business or company. Most of them don't discuss their tattoos with their co-workers, even more don't show them. You can bet most of them don't show them outside of our shop, conventions or maybe the gym. These are the kind of people I have respect for. The kind who don't flaunt their tattoos at the grocery store. then complain when someone doesn't like it. @Dan S once you decide to get a tattoo, for yourself, you are weird. I dont care what anyone else says. A freak is somewhere between that and a bodysuit. except me. I'm normal and everyone else is weird. - but really, your question doesn't have a standard answer but that doesn't weaken my point. Believe it or not, we at Frith Street have a "dress code" If you don't have tattoos, you can't work with us. We think that's fair. To be honest I find it sorta dull and small-minded to discuss the pros and cons of if adults who deliberately chose to do something they know isn't totally acceptable across the board, should bitch and whine when someone points out that it's not totally acceptable. An extreme example: If a nudist who likes to hang around without clothes, does it at a nudist/naturist beach or resort, good for them. Adults exercising their freedoms and hobbies in a mutually agreeable, non-harmful manner. If they do it at a schoolyard at playtime... Context is everything.

She should have thought about that before getting visible tattoos or heavy tattoo coverage. M&S isn't Vans, Top Shop, Urban Outfitters etc. What did she expect? Lately American Apparel have been shying away from hiring heavily tattooed people. I think this is great. I'm sick of seeing heavily tattooed people in every coffee/clothes/record/food shop. No I'm not being sarcastic. It's time for people who make themselves look like freaks to accept the fact that they are freaks and stop whining that nobody accepts them in the non-freak world. Nobody forced that girl to get tattooed, she wasn't born tattooed, it was her choice, regardless if she volunteers for charity work. Are long sleeves and a high collar too much trouble when working with the public?

@hogg, He's not coming to London, I'm going 'over there'. There has been no online announcements or conversations because they often cause trouble, or at least a good luggage search/interrogation.

@SF Dave and THATS why we watermark photos. Artist/Tattooer credit and contact information are always useful. Jordan Teear tattooed that solid, traditional-looking ROA backpiece. He works at Frith Street Tattoo in London. frithstreettattoo.co.uk

What everyone else said, but also Sleepy G. The guys at Forever in Sacramento do great stuff in that style too.

@dcostello I don't want to be a smart-ass but Vargas does at least 4 girl heads every week. each one as awesome as the last but somehow still different. It blows my tiny mind.

Anything Tibetan or Burmese. I love the way he makes that stuff look powerful. Particularly deities. Tell him I said hi too.

@jgoss1579 I see you came here to make friends tough guy. The family and lineage you just insulted are some of the kindest and important humans to have affected the craft and culture of modern western tattooing. Someone please ban this fool. I can't see anything positive happening after this. At least B-Tat walked out of his 15 mins quietly...