Danny
Fuller started tattooing in 1980.
He had the first studio in Crawley, West Sussex, which was in a small
back room (roughly 10ft by 6ft) in premises in 
Springfield
Road. This got the ball rolling but after six
months he moved to a larger place which he called 'The Attic Studio'
as it was situated on the third floor of a building next to 'The Rocket'
pub in Brighton Road. The business ran successfully for three
years but had to close when the landlord sold the building.
Danny's brother
Steve had been tattooing for a couple of years in Brighton, so Danny
decided it would be a good idea to join his brother in business down
on the South Coast. At
that time there were only two tattoo shops operating in Brighton:
Danny and Steve's 'Duke Street Tattoo Studio' and another one
on the pier.
The successful partnership
lasted until 1989 when Danny decided to move on. He rented a basement
under 'The Barbershop' in The Quadrant while the studio was located
down some wooden stairs through an entrance in Air Street. This was
where the first 'Blue Dragon' studio was founded.
Danny
and his wife Clare ran the shop together; it proved to be very successful
as Danny quickly made a name for himself through his careful and accurate
work and the studio became the place to be "marked".
They had a reputation for impressive standards of hygiene and customer
care.
After eighteen months
at the first Blue Dragon studio Danny decided to take over a studio
in North Road when its lease came up for sale. The failing studio was
renamed the 'Blue Dragon' and business was soon turned around
and continued at this site until 1996.
It was during this
period that Danny started body piercing; nipples and navels were the
norm, followed later by eyebrows, tongues and lower lips (labretts).
Piercing of private parts was very popular but Danny preferred
to concentrate above the waistline. As with all of his work, Danny made
the procedure as simple and hassle-free as possible - one reason why
he has been successful in the business for such a long time.
Well, things were
running smoothly but the studio was situated in a part of the 'North
Lanes' that was quite derelict at the time, so when the lease of a
barber's shop further up the road became available in 1996, Danny
snapped it up. This location was much better as it was "nearer
to civilization" as Danny puts it.
By this time Brighton
was becoming overrun with tattoo and body piercing studios. Consequently,
business had slowed down a bit, but piercings were few and far between,
so Danny decided to move further afield.
In 1998 Danny opened
the 'Red Dragon' tattoo and body piercing studio in Horsham, West
Sussex - his old stomping ground - and handed over control of the
Blue
Dragon studio to Dave Lyeach, a very competent replacement. Danny
decided to work full time at the Red Dragon studio in 1999 rather
than alternating between the two, which made it easier to find him!
2003
marks Danny's 23rd year in the tattoo trade. His skills have taken him
to many countries working as a guest artist, especially in the USA.
He has won major awards both in the UK and abroad. He has also
attended and worked at all the major conventions in Britain and many
of those in Europe and the US.
Danny has been featured
on TV and radio programs and has had work published in magazines and
newspapers. A few famous music and TV celebrities have also passed
his way.
Since becoming a father,
Danny has gradually slipped away from "public stuff" as he
calls it and works quietly and purposefully from the Red Dragon tattoo
and body piercing studio... "watching and waiting, ha! ha! haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!".
