I feel guilty when I only have a small number of tattoos that I can share with you in a given post…. but then I see lots of other tattooists that will post one tattoo at a time. So here you go.
This week there were some last minute cancellations, some tattoos that can’t be posted here and some days where there were other things than tattooing going on.
Back to figure drawing class! I miss this class so much when I am unable to attend. I already know that I can’t go again next week, hoping that I will be able to make it the week after.
As always, some good, some bad in the drawings. All I can do is keep practicing as much as I can. Hoping to get some more time to paint in the coming weeks as well – but I probably will have to put it on the back burner until after taxes and getting the next draft of the book completed.
In the meantime here is what I made last night and one obligatory cat helper photo.
I didn’t make a lot of tattoos while I was in Florida – but here are a couple of them that I would like to share.
I was thrilled to be able to make a mermaid tattoo. I love mermaids. I would like to have been a mermaid. When I was very small I used to practice holding my breath and sitting on the bottom of the pool hoping to do it long enough to “evolve” into having gills. It never did work, but I get to make tattoos and art work with mermaids in it sometimes and this makes it ever so slightly better : )
Pat came to see me from about an hour and a half away – which was far closer than if she had to come all the way from Florida to New York! Pat was referred to me by her daughter who I have done work for both back home and at Off the Map.
The Orlando Sentinel was there at the convention while I was tattooing Pat and they took photos of us. Apparently some of them did wind up in the paper and one of the locals is sending me a copy.
Back in Rochester…. Sarah was in town for some filer work on her sleeve. We are getting really close to finished on this one. There is an area on the shoulder cap which we will fill next time and that will probably be it (and on to the next project!) It’s always great to hang out and visit with Sarah and I look forward to seeing her.
Joe has had me place his Grandparents on his right arm previously – so this time it was his parent’s turn. There will be background behind this on the next session – but he sits great and we were able to get both parents placed in this first session.
This is Yazzy and she needed to be forever on Luigi’s leg. Luigi and Shirley bring me great ‘prises when they come in to visit. Today they brought me a beautiful doe skull, a gopher skull, turkey feathers and a slutty sock monkey. How lucky could a girl possibly get?
I love my job and the people I get to hang out with because of it!
I really like Yazzy’s eyes. I hope that I was able to do them justice. She was an adorable dog.
I’m heading out of town for a little bit – so there will likely be no updates until I return. Until then, here’s some tattoos that I have been working on.
Bob had some stuff going on so we just had a short session on his Cthulhu…
Filled in Eric’s dorje and started coloring the lotus…
Second sit on the Family Tree – everything in this means something (and I’m not going to tell you what it is… if you run into him and he wants to, he might tell you).
Second and final sit on the Goddess of the Hunt. Unfortunately the stencil that I lined up over top of what we had completed in the first sitting did not come off….making the finished tattoo kind of difficult to make out. She has promised a return visit for photographs : )
Some days I feel like a little kid more than others.
Today I feel like a kid. I painted yesterday, so here I am putting some shots of the paintings I worked on here on my Virtual Fridge.
tattoos. drawings. you know. stuff that I like to make. I like to make paintings too… but there is none of those this time. food. I like to make food too, but I don’t normally post that here.
so here’s some tattoos…
We made a little more progress on Renee’s wings/cherry blossoms. I really love this tattoo and it suits her well. We finally made it to a stage where it will appear finished when she shows it off – there is more planned for this, background elements and more depth… I’ll post the progress when we get there.
This piece fills in one of the corners left on Rachel’s back. There is a whole lot going on in this tattoo! Everything in it is specifically selected by Rachel and is as unique as she is.
I can’t seem to color correct for all the yellow in this photograph. Should be able to get healed photos of it when she comes in next time.
This was the first sit on Frank’s back for a Pandora themed tattoo that I have been looking forward to starting for a while now. We have regularly scheduled appointments set up for 2013 – so I expect us to progress through this one nicely. Really looking forward to it! It will blend it nicely with the sugar skull that I made which is on his right side (not really visible in these photos).
and then of course there is figure drawing class…
I had talked with a friend of mine right as I was leaving for class and she said she expected that I was teaching the class : ) No way that I feel remotely qualified to do that! Besides, I guess it is kind of incorrect to call it a class – Figure Drawing Practice would be more accurate. There isn’t really any instruction. Just a bunch of us doing our own battles with what we see and what we want to try and get on the paper.
This week was rough. One of the other women in class suggested that it was because we were all rusty after having been away from it for a few weeks due to the Holidays. That works. Rusty. Yeah, that’s it.
and I have a little bit before we close up for the night. So I was able to actually upload these tattoos the same week that I made them (the last one here only and hour or two ago).
Here’s some of what I have been up to tattoo-wise this week.
Donna had a small tattoo on her back already (I don’t know who made it) and asked me to make her a celtic Tree of Life to go above the existing tattoo. She gave me few ideas and let me run with it. She sat great and got this finished in one sit.
I had started this piece on Rick a little while back ( I think I may have posted the first sitting shots) and we finished it up on Friday. The tattoo goes with a King Arthurian theme that we have been working on together since the “old days” at the original shop back when it was located at 374-1/2. (How many of you even remember the shop pre-1995?). I love spending time with Rick and it was great to be able to catch up and find out what has been going on in each others lives.
Tattooing is weird like that, we get to know someone and then may not see them again for years at a time, but when we get back together it’s like no time at all has passed.
Meghan and I had planned out this tattoo quite some time ago – life got in the way and it was put on hold for a bit. My appointment(s) for today had booked and cancelled so many times that I had come to think of it as the cursed appointment Saturday and that I just wasn’t going to tattoo at all today. Figured I would catch up on some work type stuff and play counter squirrel. As a last ditch attempt to rebook it I had posted that it was available (again) and Meghan stepped up and said she could come in. Perfect. I get to spend time with another client that I really like AND I don’t have to do any drawing to prepare for the appointment. What could be better?
This is as far as we made it today, but since she already had an appointment to start it in January we won’t have to wait long to finish it up.
All in all an outstanding week. Looking forward to spending some time curled up with my sweetie over the next few days.
Hope that wherever you are and whatever you are celebrating there is joy, love and abundance.
I have been a follower of Dr Sketchy’s for some time and have often toyed with the idea of traveling to one of their locations to participate. (If you aren’t familiar with Dr Sketchy’s follow this link to learn more).
So imagine my surprise when I found out there was one scheduled for right here in Rochester! (even more surprised the day after when I went on the website to find out when the next one was and found out that there have been three prior to this one).
The scheduled time was from 7-10 pm. Mariah and Starr had already made plans to go – so I felt pretty comfortable venturing out to a new place with my friends near by. We weren’t going to make it at 7, since we work until 8… but were still excited to go.
I’m not going to say I was disappointed. I am going to hope that the problems are with a new event and as time goes on they will work the kinks out and correct them. In the mean time, the models that I saw posing did a great job. Even though they appeared to not have done figure modeling before, they held still and didn’t bitch (not as easy as you may think it is).
So far the website does not show another event scheduled – but I am hoping to see one there soon.
Monday I returned to figure drawing at Steve Carpenter’s studio after a couple week hiatus. I was only able to stay for the first two hours. Changed drawing implements again. Trying to use a charcoal pencil now. I feel like I am starting over every time I change mediums – but these have been recommended by several people who’s work I respect so I am going to keep trying with them for a little while. Definitely much easier to get a point on – although the hold is different than the sticks that I was using so it will be awkward for a bit.
I know I have been slacking on posting lately… so here is some of what I have been up to lately (that I could get photos of).
Cthulhu is in progress. This was the first session on his upper arm and I am super excited to get back into this one! Bob sits great and is fun to visit with during our sessions.
Ted the legit : ) adding a little bit more to his arm. The angel underneath was originally done elsewhere and I repaired and embellished her previously. 
This is Mariah’s armpit! Ouch!!! She sat way better than I would imagine that I would. I don’t know if I need to have my armpit tattooed. Maybe when I run out of room everywhere else? I have mentioned that I am a wimp when it comes to getting tattooed.The “eat me” goes along with Mariah’s Alice in Wonderland theme tattoo sleeve – and the “bite me” is much more Mariah than Alice. 
This little guy is healed and I was able to get a much nicer photo than when he was first done. 
I am trying to not bitch about how bad my photography skills are – but I have to tell you that this tattoo looks so much better in person than it does in these photos. 
I honestly didn’t know about the Ikea monkey when Herman asked me to make him a tattoo of “the monkey in the shearling coat” – but once I looked him up I was thrilled to make a fun little tattoo for him. I even came in on one of my days off to get him in for it. Thanks Herman! 
Mini portrait made for a friend of mine as a memorial for his sister. This tattoo is on the inside of his wrist in one of the places he had available. 
Loved making this tattoo for Natasha and honored to have been able to spend more time with her in the process. The reference for this is an embroidered tapestry – I have looked for what I did with the reference photos and can only find the print outs, not the original digital files. Perhaps I can post them if and when we add background to this one.
This little guy is also on Natasha and made some time earlier (couple of weeks?). He is a Couch’s Spadefoot and is neither toad not frog although they are often called a Couch’s Spadefoot toad – they apparently have their very own genus. And you thought you were unique? 
This is Willi. He used to live with Sue when he was plodding along on this earth. He is greatly missed and I am glad that he will be with Sue everyday again now. You are missed and loved little guy.
Went to the zoo with my mom and my kid. It was awesome. We got to see kangaroos and feed the giraffes.
Wonderful day spent with family and a pretty great zoo as well.
I am a female tattoo artist and shop owner. I believe in love and creation above fear and destruction. I am a passionate person and respect and admire that in others regardless of where their passion lies.
But at the end of the day, all I want to do is add a little beauty to the world and try to be a blessing in the lives of those around me.
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