deeperthanwar

It seems everywhere I look at the moment, I'm being bombarded by images of work by the artists at Buena Vista Tattoo Club.  I've been aware of them for a little while, but recently it seems that their work is everywhere, certainly in the tattoo press.

And what fantastic images to be bombarded by.  The work of Volko Merschky and Simone Pfaff is refreshingly different.  It's not often that you find work that is really new and unique, but these guys seem to be breaking a lot of moulds.  They refer to this style of tattoo that they have created in their studio in Wurzburg, Germany, as 'Realistic Trash Polka'.

I actually don't think that it's the sort of thing that I'd want as a tattoo for myself - I'm far too rooted in the old school to use a whole arm or something for this style (although I might be persuaded otherwise in the future), but I am  blown away by their creativity, and by the way that their work is seeming to redefine what constitutes a tattoo.

One of the most famous tattoo artists of the last 100 years (certainly in the Western world) is Sailor Jerry.  From the 30s to the 60s, he worked in Hawaii.  He is often considered to be the first artist to create a fusion between traditional western designs, and the work that was usually associated with Japan.  He is still considered a master, and his revolutionary style would now be classed by many people as classic tattoo imagery.

In the last few years, studios like Buena Vista Tattoo Club, and Boucherie Moderne in Brussels, have been bringing something new to the scene.  As far as I can see, the primary driving force for this is the use of graphic design skills and elements being incorporated into tattoo design.  The result is stunning pieces of living design work, challenging concepts and ideas about what a tattoo is and can be.  Of course, all of this is helped along by the fact that Volka, Simone, Jeff, and the likes are producing technically excellent tattoos.

So far, this movement seems to be breaking out within Europe.  It would be interesting to see, with all of the current hype around it, how quickly it develops in North America.

OK, so this is a few days late, really, but I just wanted to give a quick round-up of my recent trip to the UK.
I had the honour of playing the part of Best Man to my old roommate at his wedding in July (photo by Hubert Hung), so I hopped on a plane and made my way back to the motherland for a week.  This was a bit of a strange experience in itself, because I went without Beth and Addie.  One advantage of this, however, was that I was free to do a lot of work while I was there.

I was there for 7 days, and only took one day off.  I ended up doing some really interesting pieces, and tattooing some even more interesting people.  I finished off pieces that I started over a year ago, and started work on others.  I did everything from small bits of lettering to full colour sleeve work.  I'll be posting pictures on the gallery page when people send them to me.
I tattooed police officers, nightclub managers, Ultimate Frisbee Internationals and Illustrators.  I had a great time, to be honest.

The problem is, I came back more tired than when I left.  I'm taking another trip over in October, this time with Beth and Addie.  I'm not taking my stuff with me though - think it's time for a bit of a break.

Some really interesting pieces coming up before that though.  Expect another post in the next few days about my links with the Coptic tattoo tradition.  Exciting stuff!

I've been listening to a lot of Elvis and Cash recently.  A lot.  I particularly like playing it while tattooing.  I think that it has something to do with rockabilly being so linked to Americana and the slightly romanticised image that I have of tattooing in the 1950s.

Anyway, with the new studio nearly ready for action, I've been inspired to ask people what they would ideally be listening to when they get tattooed.  You know, a bit of research to see what the punters are after.  I posted this question on Facebook and Twitter a few days ago, and got an interesting set of results.  So, without further ado, here's a pick of the bunch:

Neil Young - The Needle and the Damage Done
T-Rex - Bang a Gong or Get it On
Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
Johnny Cash - Man in Black
Albert Hammond Junior - Yours to Keep
Elton John - Tiny Dancer (I prefer the Ben Folds version)

Some people just suggested artists:

Viv Murrell (bit of shameless self promotion there, I think...
Rise Against
The Ramones
John Mayer
Foo Fighters
Guns N Roses

Another person suggested something slow and soft to calm you down.  Not a bad thought.  In fact, I have thought something similar before.
Interestingly, at least two people named things that they had actually listened to whilst I tattooed them.  I think that goes some way to showing how important music is to the tattoo process.

And of course, James Bower would like me to sing him a sea shanty.  James, if you ever get a tattoo, I would love to sing nautical songs to you.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?  Perhaps I'll put together a compilation album or something...

So, winter is always a slow time for tattooing.  At Christmas, everyone's spending money on other people instead of themselves.  In January, everyone's spent their money.  Plus, no-one is really thinking of getting a tattoo when it's so cold out that they can't go show it off.
But winter is an excellent time to get a tattoo. You don't have to worry about the sun while it's healing.  Unless you're really into swimming, you can more easily avoid the pool during the cold winter months.

Maybe that's why February starts to speed up. 

While I've been in the shop one or two days a week over the last couple of months, this week I'm in four days, most of them with more than one appointment.  It's nice to be getting lots of work again.  I'll post pictures when I get a minute's break from actually tattooing.  In the meantime, check out the gallery.  I've added some pictures from the last couple months that I didn't put up yet. 

And don't forget to drop me a line if you want to get something yourself...

Lettering is a HUGE part of tattooing; it always has been.  At least 50% of my clients want some lettering in their tattoos, and many choose to have lettering as the sole element in their design.

Recently, I've found that I'm wanting to move away from using computer based typefaces so much.  They're perfect for smaller pieces, where legibility is the key, but they can be a little limiting, and if you're not careful, you might choose a typeface that ends up as the next Comic Sans or (possibly worse) the next Papyrus.

BJ Betts is a legend in the industry.  Most custom artists will have one if not all of his Lettering Guides 1-3.  So when I was wanting to work on my custom lettering, I had no question as to where I would look.
Betts looks at the art of custom tattoo lettering in a whole new way.  Here's what he has to say on the matter in the introduction to his second Guide:

 “I think, looking at a name or a character that you'll be tattooing, you should approach it as an illustration, versus a typefont. “Draw” the name, instead of “writing” it, if that makes sense. Draw the lettering as if you're drawing a heart, panther, eagle, whatever.

People say their handwriting absolutely sucks. I say draw that name, don't write it if your writing sucks.”

It's a whole different approach, and it makes for great results.  I drew the piece above for a friend's scrapbook.  I feel much more confident now in my custom lettering, which is invaluable when you work in the way I do.

Do you have a piece that you want me to create with custom lettering?  Drop me a line!

It's that time of year again.
I went to Yorkdale Mall the other day, and was horrified at the worsening crowds.  Walmart was even more hellish.  Nowhere to park, enormous lines at the cash.  And that's if you managed to figure out what to buy for that special someone.

It's always a problem for me, coming up with gifts that are really different, original and meaningful.  Beth has no problem with it.  She always gets me the right thing, but I just don't have the right kind of brain for that kind of thing.

I had an idea for people like me.  Why don't I do gift certificates for tattooing?  It's the perfect gift for the person who has almost everything.  Or the person that has nothing but wants a tattoo.

My philosophy for tattooing is that tattoos should be custom, unique creations designed especially for the person wearing them.  If you have a loved one that wants a tattoo like this, why not give them a gift certificate?  All certificates include a free consultation to make sure that the piece will be exactly what the recipient of the gift certificate wants.

I'm also doing some special deals on these certificates up until Christmas.  You can see the December certificate prices on the homepage.  Just drop me a line to let me know what you want.

Happy shopping!