Doc Price: A Life in British Tattooing

Price's interest began with a blue butterfly on a former sailor's hand. Growing up in Hereford, he was fascinated by the idea that an image could stay on the body for life.^[2]

Price recalled getting his first tattoo from Billy Knight in Cardiff at about 13. It said “Mother”.^[2] His father wanted a mention too. Price recalled returning to Billy Knight the following week for a tattoo that said “Dad”. ^[2] In a later interview, he said he decided to make tattooing his trade at 22.^[3]

Before Plymouth, Price worked from a small ice-cream kiosk at Barry Island. He recalled sitting inside to tattoo while customers sat outside, sometimes in the rain. He later bought a shop in Pontypridd. ^[3]

Price learned outside a formal apprenticeship & described himself as self-taught. He named Bristol tattooer Les Skuse as a mentor. Skuse had access to American inks & flash.^[3]

He chose “Doc” because he admired Doc Forbes & Doc Webb. He told Total Tattoo that medical-sounding names were familiar in the trade. ^[3]

Roses, skulls, swallows & panthers were among Price's regular subjects. ^[2]

Some customers wanted a black panther because their father had one. Price welcomed those requests as signs of affection & respect. ^[3]

Tattooer & collector Ginger Fil described that pleasure in old flash. In a 2021 Tattoo Life interview, he spoke about spotting small differences in familiar designs, including eagles.^[8]

Price was also interested in how tattoos aged. He remembered asking Doc Forbes about a realistic wolf tattoo that still looked good years later. ^[3]

Price recalled losing the family's belongings & his tattooing equipment when the ship carrying their luggage to South Africa sank. ^[3]

He later told Total Tattoo that he sold his Pontypridd shop to pay for the family's return to Britain.^[3]

Price later worked in Australia. Profiles describe a Sydney shop called the Bucket of Blood. Sources disagree on the exact dates.^[6]

Plymouth was not his first choice. Price recalled approaching Chatham tattooer Charlie Bell about opening a shop there. Bell directed him towards Plymouth instead. Price & his family moved from a beach hut to rent a shop in the city.^[3]

In Plymouth, Price built his reputation one customer at a time. Local reports say it grew from the early 1970s. Recommendations from customers helped establish his shop.^[1]

At his Union Street studio, country music accompanied the work. He was a Glen Campbell fan. The shop also appeared in a painting by Beryl Cook. ^[2]

In Ozbike, Australian tattooer Tony Cohen recalled tattooing at home before Price saw his work & offered him a place in the studio. They worked together for 12 months before Price returned to England. ^[7]

Cohen also remembered drawing freehand & struggling to get the scale right. ^[7]

Jimmie Skuse, Les Skuse's grandson, also spent time working with Price. In a 2015 Total Tattoo interview, he recalled being given a Casper the Friendly Ghost design to tattoo. Price knew he could manage basic linework & colour.^[14]

Back in Bristol, Jimmie drew a sheet of Casper flash & hung it between his father's & grandfather's designs. His father then booked him a customer for one. Jimmie remembered being nervous, but the tattoo earned his father's approval. He went on to help in the family shop during school holidays.^[14]

When asked in 2017 about his best period in tattooing, Price said, “Now!” He welcomed better hygiene & women's growing role in the trade.^[3]

Price also built tattoo machines for other tattooers. In anInkers profile, he said he was trying to improve how they worked. ^[6]

His workshop interests also included knives & swords. In 2017, Price described making blades & metal fittings in his own forge. He said he had studied the craft in Japan & America.^[3]

He also spoke to Inkers about plans for sculpture. His ideas drew on ghosts, erotic imagery & the decorated knockers on old doors. As he considered stepping back from tattooing, he wanted to keep making machines for other tattooers.^[6]

Later in life, Price was recognised as part of tattoo history. ITV reported that he attended the 2017 opening of Tattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.^[10]

The exhibition brought together tattoo art, photographs & objects, including material from Jessie Knight's archive. It explored who made tattoos & who wore them.^[5]

Tattooers have also helped document his generation. Price was included in the announced lineup for Tattoo Flash Back. Ginger Fil & Lal Hardy organised the 2021 gathering. It focused on collecting and exchanging tattoo material.^[8]

The tattoos themselves are also worth preserving. Liam Sparkes's book Old Gold includes tattoos attributed to Price, alongside work by Les Skuse, Pinky Yun & Ron Ackers. The photographs were taken across Britain from 2018 to 2023.^[12]

Shawn Barber documented Price through portraits. His 2019 portfolio includes Portrait of the Artist, Doc Price and Doc Price's Hands.^[11]

His late wife had also tattooed. One of the pieces he wore was a Welsh dragon she made. Bill worked alongside his father, though he joked in a 2019 interview that Doc had made him wait until 18 for his first tattoo. ^[2]

By 2017, Price was already calling it his son's shop. He lived upstairs & came down each day to work.^[3]

Price's appearance at the 2019 London Tattoo Convention was promoted as his retirement. He still planned to continue repair work. ^[2]

By June 2026, the Plymouth Post reported that Price no longer tattooed. He was still in the shop while Bill worked.^[13]

The paper's September remembrance reported that Bill was continuing the family business. ^[1]