deeperthanwar

I'm off to Octopus Ink today to go meet with Joss (the owner) and sort out the final details of my slot there.  I've booked loads of appointments in, and I'm still scheduling a few more too.


I've got some really interesting pieces to do while I'm here, which is nice.  It's always fun to go work somewhere new with different people for a while too.  A change is as good as a rest, as they say...

I've also been doing quite a bit of work on the Victory Tattoos website.  There's not much content up there yet, but the basic template for the site is done, and there's a little info.  There's also a link to the contact page, so that I can start booking some tattoos in for when we open in January.
Beth and I are working out plans for the grand opening, and there's going to be some fun stuff going on.

Thanks to all my clients and friends for their continued support.  You guys are amazing!  

Right then! I can finally reveal Deeper Than War's big news.
With our trip to Canada tomorrow, I'm going to be away from Primal Ink too long to keep it open.  Sadly, Neil has had to take the decision to close it down.

After a lot of decision making and planning, we have decided to take the studio on for ourselves.  I will be flying back in as soon as possible after Christmas to take care of some business, and to begin renovating what was Primal Ink.

We are aiming to give the studio more of a boutique feel, as we think it really fits the ethos of Deeper Than War: more custom work, and a more relaxing approach to the tattoo process.
I'll be posting pictures in January as we revamp the space, so keep an eye on this blog to find out more.

We are still planning to move back to Canada within the next year, so this is just a temporary project, but we are very excited to launch Victory Tattoos under the banner of Deeper Than War.  I think it's going to add a fresh element to the tattoo scene in the area around Blackpool, and it's going to be a great place to work out of.  I have an existing client base at the shop who are all excited to stay with me through the changes, and who I am excited to have the chance to continue working on.

Keep an eye on www.victorytattoos.com as that takes shape too.  At the moment it simply re-directs to this website, but it will become the shop's own space on the internet so that www.deeperthanwar.com can continue to focus on all of the projects we have going on.

Thanks to everyone who has been and continues to be a part of our journey.  We're having a blast!

Want a really cool idea for a tattoo shop?  Put a purpose built studio inside a custom t-shirt printing shop.  That's what some friends of mine have done.  
An artist I worked with back in Toronto has gone into business with Pop Trap Inc; probably the coolest screen printing outfit I've seen.  
The studio part of the business is the latest addition to an already fantastic creative space, and brings a fresh concept to the tattoo boutiques and street shops that proliferate in Canada's largest city.

I think it's a great idea, so I'm stoked to say that I have a guest spot there from November 22 - January 6 when we're in town.  The owner of Octopus Ink, Joss, is a great artist, and I'm very happy to work with her again.  Go check out some of her work on the Facebook page, and get in touch with me if you want to book some ink time while I'm there.  

Anyway, here's a little selection of the stuff I've been working on in the last little while. Let me know if it inspires you to get something!

Hello folks.  Just a quick update from sunny Lancashire.
Beth, Addie and I have been over in the UK for a month and a half now, and I've been working at Primal Ink tattoo studio for about a month.
Since arriving here, we've been getting involved in loads of stuff in the community.  Addie has started nursery, we've been leading worship and speaking with the youth and young adults, and Beth has started her placement with Blackpool Advocacy.

I am now the only artist at Primal Ink, and work is really picking up for the summer.  
If you're in the area, and would like to pop in to see me, or get some work done, just drop me a line to let me know!  And, of course, if you're anywhere in the country, and you fancy a lovely holiday by the sea, you could always get some ink while you're here!

I've mentioned before that one of the reasons I love my job is the amount of time I get to spend with people; real quality, chunks of time that give the opportunity to build relationship. This is even more the case when I get the chance to do a really big piece that requires several sessions.

I started work on Justin's chest over a year and a half ago. He had contacted me because I'd tattooed a friend of his, and he was interested in getting some work done. He gave me a vague idea of what he wanted, and we spent a good few weeks talking about it, and changing concepts around. We knew that we would be taking a while to complete the tattoo – giving the tattoo time to heal between sessions, and allowing the cost to be spread a little. Because of this, we decided to do the tattoo in pieces, so that it never looked incomplete between sessions.

We started with the outlines of the birds, and came back a few weeks later to colour the owl. We did the Phoenix shortly after that, followed by the heart.

After we had finished the heart, Justin moved out of the city, and got a new job. It was hard for him to get back in to my studio to do more work, but we stayed in touch the whole time. I had spent more time with this client than I often get to spend with my best friends (especially since most of them are now scattered around Europe and North America).

When, several months later, Justin found time to get back into Toronto, it was like meeting an old friend. I was excited to get back to work on the tattoo, and start to see it come to completion, but I was equally looking forward to spending time with someone who I had come to like a lot.

When he came a little while ago to put the colour into the phoenix side of his chest, I was a little sad that our chances to hang out were coming to an end along with the tattoo. During the last 18 months or so, I had come to know Justin's favourite bands and artistic inspirations. I knew about his work and colleagues. I knew what his passions were; about his relationships and his family. 

We're talking about starting work on a sleeve now, so I don't think the tattoo side of our relationship is over, which is good to know – I like his ideas, and he usually sits pretty well. But I'm pretty sure that we've forged a friendship that would last, tattoos or no.

I've been back in a shop for the last 2 1/2 months or so.  I felt the need to be around other artists, and, to be honest, I wanted the walk-ins.  
I joined the team at Tickle Me Ink - a local shop to me, with a fairly solid walk-in trade and a fun, friendly atmosphere.

It's been an interesting ride so far - due to some issues with the location we were at, we've moved to a new shop.  It's good, because we've had the chance to re-build our image, and to improve our workspace (something I mostly got out of by being on vacation in Florida...)
The shop is spacious, light, and pretty flipping cool.  I'm there Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so drop by and pay me a visit.

We're at 964 St. Clair Avenue W (St. Clair and Oakwood).  The basement still needs a little work, so if you want to give us a hand with that, just let me know!  Hope to see you there soon...

Mark has offered countless times to teach me how to tattoo. The first problem with this offer is that I don't have the unusual gift of patience that he has for tedious tasks (knitting - another example). The second problem is that I simply lack the desire to tattoo. My head maintains that it is a great opportunity to learn a skill for free, but my heart says...meh. Well, today everything changed.

I happened upon these images:

Gasping with excitement upon my discovery I thought, “THIS is the kind of tattoo I would love to get. Wait a second, this is the kind of tattoo I would love to create!”

As a painter, you can imagine how Amanda Wachob's work appeals to me. She is brilliant. The textured brush strokes, the splatters of paint...I'm salivating here. What a magnificent idea – to essentially paint a little bit of your body.

Now I will just have to convince Mark that we need to plan a pilgrimage to New York City so I can get some work done. Or I could trust Mark to have a go at a different style of tattooing. Or (this being the most likely) having been inspired I will start to experiment with this technique myself.

Bethany

I started work on this piece nearly a year ago, when we outlined the two birds.  The client came back for the colouring and the heart, but then we had a bit of a break for a few months. 
Now we're back at it.  We put the lines in last week, and he's back in another couple of weeks to start on the shading.  It's a hugely fun piece to work on, as he's essentially given me free reign on it.  It's really nice to have so much input into a tattoo. 
I'll be posting more pics as it comes together.  Keep your eyes peeled...