Patchwork

Instead of drawing on my days off this week I decided to try out a different idea. I’ve been wanting to make a patchwork quilt for a long time but always found it a bit daunting, so I’ve decided to make a patchwork tote bag.

Step One:

Buy some different patterned materials that go well together. I found a selection of dirty looking florals that I love. One of the materials even has little birds on it!

Step Two:

Draw out your design onto paper and be sure to number any pieces that could be confused.

Step Three:

Cut out all of the pieces.

Step Four:

Cut out the pieces from material, being sure to leave a 1cm gap around the edges to allow you the room to sew them together, then do just that! I still have the rays from around the edges to cut out and sew but I’ve finished the middle part.

Stay tuned for more progress.

Day Thirtyfour

I have a lot to show you today. I did some drawings using tracing paper. I did an initial sketch then traced the lines over in black pen then used another sheet of tracing paper to do some shading so you can put them together for the complete idea, but still have access to the linework alone. Here’s the four pictures I did:

I took the pattern around the owl from the Thomas Hooper sketchbook I bought at Brighton convention. I think it works pretty well!

I have a week off from my other job this week so I might try and do at least one drawing each day, even if it’s just a small one.

Day Thirtythree

Walking to work today was great. The sun was shining and everything felt really positive and great and I felt like summer is on it’s way! We did a bit of cleaning and tidying of the studio because Pete had a couple of spare hours. I then showed him the reference books I bought at Brighton convention. He is quite jealous of the Eckle sketchbook I bought! I decided as a warm up that I would copy one of the drawings from it:

I really enjoyed copying this, though I did get a bit lazy with some of the linework towards the end. One thing I found particularly interesting was the lack of shading in it. It took no time at all to shade and so much of it is implied by the linework. I can get a bit caught up in shading out every feather but this shows that keeping it simple can really work, as long as you have great lines. It’s definitely made me look at the way I draw things a little differently, and I’m really looking forward to drawing my own piece using some of the techniques I picked up from this.

I really can’t recommend Eckle’s latest sketchbook enough. Every page is just stunning and I envy his talent so much. Available to buy here.

As a follow up, I finished off a skull drawing that I had started earlier in the week:

It was nice using pencil for a change today rather than my usual ink. It’s a lot faster and more precise. Expect more pencil drawings tomorrow!

Day Thirtytwo

Today I had my second customer. My good friend Elliot was down from london so I did a little owl on his ankle. Here’s the outlining:

The word twit was a last minute addition. We joked about it then he said “oh go on then, just do it!”. I like people who have a sense of humour with their tattoos! The linework went a lot better this time and I generally found it a whole lot easier to do. I think it was a combination of the leg being easier to tattoo, the fact it was a smaller tattoo, and also being rid of the “first one” nervousness.

I shaded it in and added some colour. It was nice to use colour! I love the shade of red so so much. It’s still a bit messy but I can see improvement from last week already. I hope I can get someone in for Thursday next week. If not I’ll probably practise a little on my own leg.

After we finished the owl, Elliot went over a tattoo that he outlined on me when he first started out. Here’s a (sort of) before shot:

As you can see he’d already re-outlined the top of it. Seeing the massive improvement he’s made with his lines in such a short time gives me a lot of hope for my wonky ones! Here’s the finished piece:

I am so happy with it and I think Elliot did a really great job! Here’s a link to his blog if anyone is interested in having a look.

I had a really fun day hanging out and I’m feeling more and more confident about myself every week. Pete seemed to really like Elliot as well and gave a subtle “It’s a shame you don’t live in Eastbourne…” comment. We’re hoping to make a flash sheet together over the weekend so keep an eye out!

Book Of Skulls

From the introduction to Thomas Hooper’s Book Of Skulls Black and Grey Version 02:

“The skull is an amazing image, object and symbol.
For me it contains a mysterious spirituality, symbolising death, rebirth and the element in between our life and nothingness. When we are alive the skull holds our brain, which in turn holds our imagination, our consciousness and subconscious dream state. Our minds are as vast as the universe, yet when we die, that giant infinite mass disappears and we are left with this vessel – the skull. It is so small compared to the quantity of space that it held when we were alive that it almost seems like a magic trick. This contrast of confinement and limitless space, combined with the physical and visual elements of the skulls anatomy, are what inspire my fascination with it.”

This is possibly the most useful reference book I could ever own and I am so glad I picked up a copy yesterday. Expect to see nothing but skulls from me for a while. I did a quick ink painting from it this evening. I wanted to do it properly photorealistic but bailed at the last minute because I realised how late in the evening it is already and I knew if I started I wouldn’t be able to stop until it was done.

First I did a qhick sketch. The photo shows the page in the book I was using for reference.

Sorry for the slightly blurry photo, I didn’t realise until too late.

I outlined it in two different marker pens.

Then used my inks to add shading. I’m not sure if it was the paper, the brush or the tissue I was using or what, but there was something just not right about when I was inking this. It seemed like the ink dried way too fast and the water just wasn’t blending it properly. I’m still pleased with the resuly but I would’ve liked it to be a lot smoother.

Brighton Tattoo Convention 2010

I got on the train thismorning with the following in my purse:

That’s what spending no money for a month looks like. I got to the convention at just gone 10am and there were about 15-20 people infront of me in the queue. It was ridiculously cold outside and I’d stupidly left my hat and gloves at home. Once I got inside I basically ran to the Frith street stall to see Valerie Vargas but unluckily I was just that little bit too late to get some work done that day. I can only assume that people who worked at the convention got all of the early appointments. I was a little bit gutted that I missed out but the money I would’ve spent was well spent otherwise. I picked up a tshirt by Valerie to semi make up for missing out and plan on booking in soon and hopefully getting an appointment in a couple of months time.

Definitely a new favourite tshirt. I headed to the IN2U stall opposite and had a chat with Adam Sage. He said that he didn’t have anyone booked in yet, and I’ve always really liked his work and wanted something so on the spur of the moment I decided to get a little semi-anatomical heart as a gap filler on my arm. I had a look around the rest of the convention while he was getting things ready then headed back and we got started. It was a really different sensation getting a hand poked tattoo. It was so much more relaxing and it was really cool watching the dots build up slowly. I’m so pleased with how it’s turned out and I think I’m hooked! I might see if I can get some more done by him soon. Here’s a photo:

It was quite strange getting tattooed at a convention, having everyone looking at you to see what you’re getting and taking photos etc. I’d be up for doing it again though. It’s the ultimate souvenier really! I can’t stop looking down at my arm and smiling!

After gettig tattooed I met up with a friend of mine and we had a look around all of the stalls. I picked up a whole load of stickers and business cards and saw some really cool work. We spent some time in the bar and witnessed part of one of the tattoo competitions. I’ve never really understood them. I wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting a prize for something that someone else did on me, not to mention parading myself on stage showing off my tattoos. I much prefer the subtle method of walking around and if anyone wants to look, then go ahead.

We headed out to the supplies room and had a look at the Gentleman’s Tattoo Flash stand. I spent a lot of money there.

This is all the reference/flash/reading material I picked up. The flash sheets are by Eckle and one of the sketchbooks is by him too. I also got a Thomas Hooper sketchbook and his Book Of Skulls which is full of amazing black and white photos of skulls from every angle. Definitely the perfect reference book for me! I also picked up the latest Total Tattoo magazine and both issues of Swallows and Daggers which is a cool tattoo magazine that’s printed on newspaper. I’m looking forward to reading them and looking through my books once I’ve finished typing this out!

I said goodbye to my friend then bumped into another! We chatted for an hour or so about tattooing, tattooists, apprenticeships and everything inbetween. We watched some women doing firebreathing and using angle grinder things which was quite cool then I headed off home.

I had a really awesome time and I couldn’t've wished for a better day really! I’m so pleased I was able to pick up so much reference and that I got to experience a different way of tattooing, as well as spending the day in great company. I think I definitely prefer the Brighton Tattoo Convention to the London one. It just has this nice vibe about it and it isn’t ridiculously busy like London is. Now I just have to wait until 2011!

Day Thirtyone

There’s not much else to say about today. Half days are weird. I feel like I don’t get to make much progress and I’m usually tired from working at Game in the morning. I am really pleased with today’s picture though.

Tomorrow I’m off to Brighton Tattoo Convention. I’m really hoping to pick up a tattoo by Valerie Vargas, but if I’m not lucky enough to get an appointment then I’ll be buying a LOT of reference books/flash sheets! I’ll post all about the convention tomorrow evening.

Day Thirty

Today was the big day. I did my first tattoo on a customer! My good friend John came to visit from Manchester. We spent yesterday evening eating awesome burgers in a local pub then hung out talking lots which was good fun. Then this morning we headed over to the studio. I was so nervous. I’d had nightmares about basically everything that could possibly go wrong with it anf didn’t really sleep after 6am thismorning because I was overthinking it. I was so nervous when it came to starting but I think I did okay. Some of my outlining was alright but a lot of it was quite shakey. It didn’t help that just after I started John admitted to having a bit of a phobia of pointy things on his wrist so every time I went near it i could feel how uncomfortable he was. I can feel myself talking myself down here, I’ll just go ahead and show you the photos:

To say I’m happy with the outlining would be a lie but I’m hoping it sorts itself out a little as it heals. And worst case scenario, I can always go back over the lines and thicken them out. I think I need a lot more practise time. The polar opposite though is my opinion on the shading. I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out and can’t wait to see it all settled down.

The most important thing is that John is really happy with it and was incredibly encouraging the whole time. We went to london together and did a bit of shopping before he left to go back home and he spent all afternoon looking at his arm and smiling. Hooray for satisfied customers!

Days Twentyeight and Twentynine

My hours have changed now that I’ve started coming in on Thursdays to practise tattooing. Now I work Thursday until I want to go home, Friday afternoon and all day Saturday which means in theory you should get three updates from me each week instead of two. Unless I’m useless and forget to update on the Friday like I did this week. Yesterday afternoon me and Pete had a good talk about me tattooing. I had a lot of questions about how it will all work in terms of me getting my own supplies, if I can borrow some of his to start out, and of course how much money I should ask for from the people I tattoo and how much I will owe to Pete. He said that the last thing he wants to do is profit from my talent so as long as I pay him enough to cover any materials I use of his while I practise then he is happy with that and once I start tattooing properly, then I’ll just have to pay a certain amount each day towards rent etc then any money I make ontop of that is mine. It is quite scary entering a world of self employment and now knowing where my money will be coming from. I just hope that I manage to build up enough clients to keep me going, although I know it will be tough to start out.

We also talked about equiptment and what things I should look into buying. It’s quite handy that Brighton Tattoo Convention is coming up next weekend so I’ll get to look at all the supplies and get an idea of how much they cost and what I should be looking to buy. I got my ticket in the post a couple of days ago and I am really excited about going! I have everything on my body crossed that I manage to get a walk in with Valerie Vargas on the Saturday.

I didn’t do any drawing on Friday afternoon. I was feeling the effects of my cold and tried putting pen to paper but nothinbg was coming out well and I was getting frustrated so I just put my head on the desk until it was hometime.

Today I felt a lot better and cracked on with drawing straight away. I was looking through my portfolio and realised that I hadn’t done any drawings with big thick bold lines for ages and I really missed doing them. So first off I drew a wolf’s head:

I am so pleased with it. I always used to struggle to draw stuff like this before I started my apprenticeship and it just goes to show that regularly drawing every week can do wonders for progress. Next up I redrew an owl that I did ages ago but gave it flames behind it and changed a couple of bits:

I definitely wanna tattoo that owl on someone asap! Next up was a crow on some skulls:

I’m less pleased with this one because the skull on the right went a bit wrong.

I decided to have a bit of a rest and look through some of the new reference books Pete had bought this week. One was a really good one called Vintage Tattoos ( click here to see on amazon ) It’s a collection of old flash sheets from the olden days of tattooing and it was really interesting to see the influence those old sheets have had on some great tattooists today. Some of them look like they could’ve easily been drawn yesterday. I thought I’d have some fun and redraw some of the designs on a little A5 flash sheet:

I love the girl so much and the shark is really cute too. There were so many other designs I wanted to redraw but didn’t wan to use up all of my A5 sheets of good paper. I think next week I might do a big A4 sheet full of them. Today has really re-sparked my love of old school designs.

Day Twentyseven

Today was my first attempt at tattooing on pig skin! Luckily I have a blocked nose so I couldn’t really smell anything. Pete talked me through setting everything up then I started by attempting some straight lines. They are tougher than you think. I then stencilled on some stars. They didn’t go so well to start with. I was failing to get the points to meet up properly so I adjusted the needle so that it stuck out a bit further and I could see where I was going better and they definitely improved as I went along. I then got bored of straight lines so I doodled a little skeleton guy with lightning bolts coming out of his eyes.

As a fun game, try and work out what order I tattooed the stars in. I kept forgetting to put vaseline on before I staretd tattooing. It made a big difference to how smoothly the lines come out so I need to drill that into my head. I kind of wish the little skeleton dude was on me instead of pig skin. I definitely need to find a friend who’s up for getting one done, or at least a cute little skull.

I had to stop for a while because Pete had an apointment with someone that he’d booked at the last minute. She wanted a butterfly tattooed in memory of her friend who’s funeral she’s attending on Monday so really wanted to get it done beforehand.

After lunch it was back to the studio to do some more tattooing. I decided to attempt a picture from one of my flash sheets of a lion skull. It was so much fun to tattoo. I really loved doing the little wiggly lines and the dots. I also tried some shading as well and got on really well with it!

Annoyingly the skin was a bit damaged on this piece so the ink has sort of stuck in some flaps on the right hand side, but ignore that and look beyond it!

Seriously pleased with this and it’s made me feel so much more confident for next week when I tattoo my first customer! Although I am still ridiculously nervous about it, and especially the straight lines invloved but we’ll see how it works out! I can’t let it get to me or I’ll never be able to do it. So here’s to thinking positive and looking forward to progress in the future!