Joe Stratford

Those are all sweet!!

This is a bit of a joint effort. The Dagger, Collar, Angel and Reaper (2-6 weeks old) are by Fergus Simms - Melbourne Tattoo Company, and the Eagle Snake fight (2.5 months old) is by Jess Swaffer - Chapel Tattoo. Wanted to wait until the whole spot was done before i posted them up! Super happy with them, and two of the nicest tattoo experiences (bar the pain!) I've ever had.

Well I am hugely biased and would say mix it up! Im currently up to 13 different artists on my arms (still got space, yay!) At this stage it becomes a hugely enjoyable experience walking into a tattoo studio and artists having the opportunity to see other artists work, not even my best friends would be able to tell the difference in artists if I told them! It all adds to the experience, like others have said, it's not a race, plus you never know where life will take you. If someone said 18 months ago that I'd be living in Melbourne i would have laughed at them. But now i have the opportunity to be tattooed by some amazing guys out here, already knocked Jess Swaffer and Josh Sutterby off the list, up next is Fergus Simms, John Entwistle and Cindy Ray!!! It would suck limiting myself IMO

Agreed, once you have some more tattoos surrounding it it won't stand out as much!

Further to this if there are any LST'ers in Melbourne I am moving there shortly so it would be nice to meet up, have a coffee/beer and talk tattoos/life!

I'm at work and cant watch this but I thought I'd put it up here for those who can and as a reminder for myself. I heard he moved to Tokyo so he could get the work done by 'a real Japanese artist' thats all I got!

I watched this yesterday. Loved it, echoing the previous comments, it is a really well made video with obvious love and care put into it. I've pointed people in the direction of the Tattoo Age/Gypsy Gentlman videos in the past who perhaps know nothing/very little about tattooing to open their eyes up a bit (which has succeeded BTW) this will certainly be added to the list. Thanks!

'I want to get what I want to get, and put it wherever I want it, and not feel guilty or ashamed of it!' I think it get's to a point where you have to understand that you and your parents are going have different opinions on things. You are now old enough to get what you want, put it where you want and you shouldn't feel guilty!! Appreciate it's not their thing, perhaps don't be the one to instigate conversation over it. If they show an interest, great! talk about it, educate them, if not let things be and brush it off. At the end of the day as long as you are a decent, fun and happy person their job is done - that's the most important thing - not your choice in music/food/curtains/skin pictures! Also want to add that I wouldn't try to hide or cover up your tattoos to please them (or anyone else for that matter - employment/work dress code argument aside) be proud to have them and they may see the futility in their opposition of them.

The Golden Age of Hong Kong Tattooing | VICE | United Kingdom At work so I can't watch this at the moment.. but thought i'd put it here for those who can!

I agree with @BrianH just get an eagle or an owl, you know what the meaning is behind it, it doesn't have to be a literal thing to make sense, eagles and owls look great on their own.

Ive just been to the Matt Lodder talk on Sutherland MacDonald. It was fascinating! Loads of interesting stuff, way ahead of his time it seems, and was blown away by the detail in the tattoos from the time. I'm looking forward to the book he is working on coming out. Oh and just thought I'd mention Ed Hardy was there!!! :eek::eek::eek:

@bambi PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THAT TATTOO STUDIO, even a quick look shows up terrible work, this will be on you for the rest of your life. Do not be too hasty in making your decision. We are here to help! I agree with the above, just some butterflies would look great without the stars in my opinion. Are you willing to travel (1-2hours?) to get the work done? We can help point you in the right direction

Great choice @Russ - Certainly on my list. I'm daydreaming about a trip across the states, ROA is high on the agenda. I finished my backpiece around 3 1/2 months ago (which was once a month for 7 months) and I am gagging to get a new piece. My accounts are saying otherwise :'(

@Russ this is one of the best sites I have found.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/theinkspot Hope this helps, and pictures when its done please! Also out of curiosity who is doing it?

I am LOVING everything Tony Nilsson is putting out at the moment, He is the front runner for doing my chest eagle... also a parrakeet(?) for good measure

Surely Kitchen Wizard Craft Tattoo?

I've been following the good Doctor for a while now on Twitter. Always provides an excellent insight into the history of tattooing, correcting (on numerous occasions) the media with their inaccurate portrayal of tattooed peoples. This looks excellent, it's only a few days before the London Convention too! I've got my ticket, will I see any of you there? Book Tickets For The First Tattoo Artist: Sutherland MacDonald : Somerset House Art historian Matt Lodder will delve into the birth of English tattooing as an artistic profession in the 1880s, and discuss the life and work of Sutherland MacDonald, whose parlour was based above a Turkish baths on Jermyn Street in London. This illustrated talk, complementing the Time: Tattoo Art Today exhibition in the Embankment Galleries, will feature never-before-seen images of MacDonald's remarkable work.

@Jackrabbitt666 You have your location set as London, if that's the case phone Frith Street and book an appointment no?! You may have to wait a few months, no more than three I would imagine, maybe not. Keep an eye on the FST twitter. I got a cancellation spot and ended up with an awesome hand sized mermaid/seahorse combo the same day I enquired. I have never found it as hard to get an appointment anywhere as people make out on twitter/facebook/instagram (side note - if you are using these as your means to book an appointment, that's your problem - pick up a phone) Hope you get your tattoo! Eagle and skull, what's not to love!!

I like traditional because it looks fucking cool. Ask anyone on the street to close their eyes and name a tattoo, what will they come back with? Traditional! Japanese! Tiger/Skull/Panther/Rose. These decisions have been made over generations, there is a reason for this. There is an elegance and power in their simplicity, is it not harder to convey a message in a few lines and few colours? They hold up (BOLD WILL HOLD!) So when I'm old and saggy you'll still make out what tattoos I have. When someone comes up to me and asks why I got a tiger/skull/heart and dagger on my arm? I get to say cool shit like ' it's a tiger,/skull/heart and dagger what else do you need to know!' Someone once said to me your tattoos look like tattoos. I thought that was awesome. You can tell what my tattoos are from 5 feet away (back piece 20 feet, take that!) It's a tattoo, its on me, my bodies a temple etc etc but I ain't the sistine chapel. All that said, I appreciate the technicality and application of portraits etc, still not sure how they'll hold up, hopefully very well and it'll prove a few cynics wrong, but it ain't my bag. As for this forum, just a little more tact maybe...

by Stewart Robson On a side note, me and @ThatGuy crossed paths in Frith Street without realising, Crossing the online/reality divide. It's a Fantastic back piece! Gets my vote this month.

Not doing recently, but I do have a stag-do (bachelor party) coming up on friday with a lot of my oldest friends! Any tips/ideas/punishments you guys have I'm all ears!