The Dutch Touch

In a similar vein as my girlfriend on the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention posters, this delightful bit of naughty Netherlandic kitsch is by the great John van’t Hullenaar, from Dutchman Tattoos in Burnaby, B.C.

As a fellow Dutchman, I approve wholeheartedly.

Amsterdam Tattoo Convention

We just got in the latest poster for the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention, and it’s already framed and hanging up with the previous years posters.

http://www.tattooexpo.eu/en/amsterdam/2016
And the posters from previous years featuring my girlfriend.

Done by an artist “Veni Vidi Vince”.

The Diary of a Tattooist

CBC documentary from 1964 called The Diary of a Tattooist, about Victoria, B.C.’s Doc Forbes. Truly like something from a time capsule. Interesting to see how the techniques and culture has changed.

Left Forearm Tattoo

I’ve shown two pieces I’ve created in the last few days for my right forearm. The front and the back which will then be filled in from there.

Now, I also have a drawing in a similar vein for the left forearm, also based around the idea of spirals and foliage. Sadly, I did this drawing a bunch of years ago, and I am still waiting for that goddamn Jarkko up in Kincardine, Ontario to do it. Damn him!

I took these photos back when I completed this drawing and taped the paper printout to my arm, again to ascertain if everything went where I wanted it to.

Back of Right Forearm Tattoo

In conjunction with the one I created for the front of my right forearm, here is one for the back. Just seeing if everything goes where it’s supposed to. The spiral on the bump on the outside of the wrist (I believe it’s the ulnar styloid process) needs to be modified a bit. Made tighter and smaller. I’ll likely work out the stuff that goes between the two sections afterwards.

Front of Right Forearm Tattoo

Piece I’ve drawn for the front of my right forearm. Just seeing if everything goes where it’s supposed to. Working on the piece for the back of my right forearm. And from there I’ll figure out the rest.

Sugar Shack Grand Opening

Went with some friends up to Kincardine on Saturday for the grand opening of the brand new Sugar Shack Tattoo. Their previous space had served as home for 13 years, but it was time to grow. After many hundreds of hours of work on the building they bought, the space was finally ready to unveil to the public.

The front lounge/waiting room/gallery.

Go up two steps and you enter the actual work area. I’m accustomed to a shop with separate rooms so it was a novel sight to see one open room. Different, but I like it. I suppose each approach has its own appeal. 

Dragon painted on the floor.

Three workstations.

It never loses its appeal.

A selection of some of the art and photos on the wall.

Books and knick-knacks on the shelves.

Scotch.

It also happened to be the weekend of the Kincardine Scottish Festival. Given Scott’s Scottish heritage, and that the 105 year old building they’re now in was originally the home of the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band, they were piped into the building. 

It even got a swell writeup in the local paper.
http://www.kincardinenews.com/2013/07/05/sugar-shack-tattoo-to-mark-grand-opening-with-world-champions

Very nice day, very nice drive up, very nice to hang out with friends, very nice to see the new shop, very nice to see some  old friends, very nice food and libations, very nice town. Very nice.

The Four Tattoos You Need To Stop Getting Right Now

I almost spit coffee out of my nose.

“Girls, you are the worst offenders. I can almost guess which of these images you’re about to show me when you pull out your pink, blingy iPhone and start scrolling through the images. And I wait and wait as your squared-off plastic french manicure thumbnail taps the screen repeatedly while you search through all the duckface pics you made in the ladies room at Chipotle.” 

Having spent a fair bit of time in tattoo shops and around tattooists, I see and hear about it all. And yes he is correct. The amount of herd mentality you see in tattoo clients, especially women is unreal. You see these waves of the same damn design/essential design come through. And when you offer to draw something along those lines, but you know, a little more unique, no no, they want that exact same tattoo they just handed you a shitty low rez JPEG print out of.

At one point it was butterflies, then it was kanji, then it was ass antlers, then it was a little heart on the wrist with the word love in it. Now it’s these sheets of “profound” text and  “inspirational” quotes. As a friend of mine, who is even more cynical than I am, has no qualms about saying, “some things just need to be kept to a T-shirt or a framed picture on the wall.” Thanks for helping pay the rent, but good god damn, develop a personality already.

http://www.angryink.com/2012/06/the-four-tattoos-you-need-to-stop-getting-right-now.html?cid=6a00d835803dd069e2017c36f20f2b970b

Got a new tattoo

So the tattoo shop celebrated its 13th anniversary yesterday. 

In honour of the occasion, all the tattoo artists (and me) contributed designs of the number 13. 

The idea was that on Friday the 13th, for $13 you could pick a 13 design and have it tattooed on you, to mark the 13th anniversary of Cottage 13. When I got up this morning I had the notion that I would get Bryce, the very talented apprentice, to do one of Andrew’s designs on my right ankle. 

I had a bunch of running around to do, and showed up at the shop around 17:00. Had a beer, ate some food. Sat around and chatted with everyone, laughed, ate some more, had another beer. Was delighted to learn that two of my contributions had been chosen and permanently marked on customers. Somehow or other during all this the subject of letting the son of the owners have a go injecting some ink into my skin was broached. Either he suggested it, I suggested it, I don’t recall. “When Bryce is tattooing me, I’ll let you take the machine and give it a try.” I believe another beer or three was consumed. He took one of the designs that Bryce had done and with some tracing paper went over it. The idea of him having a go wielding a tattoo machine kept being discussed. His dad took the design that he had traced, showed him how to make a stencil, which he then placed on my left ankle. 

With a liner (a thin marker) and a shader (a thick marker) he went over the design. He confessed that it made him a little nervous and that it made his hands a little shaky. 

But he did okay.

An idea that may have been said slightly in jest originally, became just perfect. It wasn’t the design I had originally contemplated, it certainly wasn’t the artist I had originally contemplated, it wasn’t even on the side I had originally contemplated, but...it was magically right.

I have known him since he was born. I love him more than anything in the world. I have known his parents for a long time. They mean the world to me. I have been affiliated in some small way with the shop since day 1. The place means a great deal to me.

This was not a design that necessarily fits into the grand scheme of designs I have plotted out for my body. It’s a fun souvenir piece, something to mark a place that means something to us on a significant milestone. 

Getting him to do it was... really perfect. There were six supremely talented artists there who could have done it. I chose my 9 year old pal to do it. I asked his parents and everyone else if they were okay with him doing it. No one raised any objections. The stencil was prepared and put on, and Andrew showed him how a machine was set up.

I really wasn’t in the least bit worried about any of it. I wasn’t expecting perfection, to be honest, some errors would add to the charm of the piece. And his dad was right there to take over if he wasn’t up to the task, but we were all quite willing to give him a shot. Let him gain an understanding of what it is the tattooing process is all about. He dipped the tip of the machine in the cap of ink, pressed the pedal, and....started tattooing me. 

He was a bit hesitant at first....

...there were times when he didn’t even get the needles in all the way.

But he got the hang of it.

Because of the spot it’s in, I couldn’t help but have an involuntary twitch a few times. I was admonished to hold my foot still. Wait’ll you get a tattoo there, little buddy.

Dad showing him some techniques (and doing the outlining on some of the trickier serifs.)

Give it a wipe.

Dad supervising.

Bryce the apprentice looking on to see how it’s done. I don’t recall who but one wag got a good laugh out of everyone when he cracked “Lookit! Those lines are almost as good as what Bryce is doing.” I think a good portion of an apprenticeship consists of being ribbed as often as possible.

Put on some Vaseline.

 The artist himself.

I gave him the $13 plus a $7 tip and a big hug.

And the finished results the next morning. He went beyond the line in a few places, he missed a few spots, but I don’t care in the least. Its “imperfection” makes it perfect to me. It’s a fun souvenir, and has more to do with a time and place and the person who did it than anything else. I figure it’s good to give him an opportunity, and hope it gives him an appreciation and understanding of what his dad and other artists do. I suppose there aren’t many 9 year olds who can claim to have done a tattoo.