Artists
Mari opened the studio in 2015, Dai came from Swansea in 2017, Ash apprenticed here and took a chair in 2022. Nobody tattoos a design they did not draw, and nobody is rushed to make room for the next one.
Mari apprenticed in Bristol, tattooed in Brighton for six years and opened Black Flag above the old record shop on Womanby Street in 2015. Traditional is her thing: bold, clean, drawn fresh every month for the wall. She takes most of the walk-ins and the sailor-style custom work, and she checks the ID.
Dai joined in 2017 from a studio in Swansea. Black only, big by preference: geometric sleeves, ornamental backs, dotwork, and the cover-ups nobody else wants. He draws on the body with markers before any stencil and books large work in runs so it gets finished. Waiting list usually two to three months.
Ash apprenticed here under Mari from 2020 and took their own chair in 2022. Single-needle botanical work drawn from real plants, hand-set script, small symbols and micro-realism, with a reputation for telling people where fine line will not last. Their flash is the smallest and sells the fastest.
How we work
Fine line on a knuckle fades. White ink goes yellow. Tiny lettering blurs. We will say so before you pay a deposit, and suggest what will still look right in ten years.
Flash is a fixed price. Most custom pieces under a palm are quoted as a fixed price after the consultation. Only large work goes on the hourly rate.
Fifty pounds to book, taken off the final total. It is forfeited only if you miss the appointment or cancel with less than 48 hours' notice.
You leave with the aftercare sheet, the film on, and the artist's email. If anything looks wrong in the first fortnight you send a photo and we answer the same day.
Custom work starts with a free consultation, in the studio or by video. Flash is walk-in, Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm, with ID. Eighteen and over only.