The Tweetie Tattoo

•March 15, 2011 • Leave a Comment

I have done more tweetie tattoos than I care to remember. Tweetie doing everything that you could think of and some that you couldn’t. There is only one tweetie design that stands out in my mind. I had only done it once before for a young girl who had come in with a tweetie mousepad.

Today I was able to do that same tweetie design again. The client was one that I have done work for 5 or 6 years ago and when he walked into the shop with that same tweetie off of the same mousepad I knew that I needed to do it again. He doesn’t know why this design is so significant to me and probably never will.

If you don’t know why you can read the original post on it here: The Tweetie Story

Today I am grateful that the Universe brings me these reminders of why I should appreciate all the wonder and joy in my life.

Remember to tell those you love them why you do and try to be patient with everyone who crosses your path.

 

Posted in tattoo, TeeJay
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Figure Drawing Class – March 14th, 2011

•March 15, 2011 • Leave a Comment

I’m doing good! This is getting to be a pretty regular part of my routine and I am pretty happy about that.

This week the model didn’t show up so we had one of the instructors sitting for a bit until they were able to get another model to make it in. He must live close as he arrived pretty quickly… but the times on the poses were different than they usually are.
No worried, good practice and I was glad that I was able to make it.

Posted in Art, drawing
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Chris Dingwell Acrylic Paint Workshop

•March 14, 2011 • Leave a Comment

Sunday Chris Dingwell came to town to do a workshop for us on his techniques with acrylic paint. The description of the workshop is here Dingwell Workshop so I won’t go over that again.

We had a great time and everyone agreed that they learned a lot and pushed themselves to try new things. There were a variety of artistic levels and experience in the workshop which was great and exactly what we were hoping for. One person had never even painted at all before.

I would like to thank Chris again for making the trip to Rochester to do this for us and hope that he would be willing to come back again some time in the future.

Thanks Chris!

and without further ado…. here are the photos!

And the pictures that Chris took that I stole off his face book page:

and yes, those last two photos are of me using a blowtorch on my painting. I told you we were trying new things.

I hope to be able to get finished photos from anyone who goes ahead and completes their painting (Chris said his was finished, some people were thinking about doing some more and some figured they would leave them as learning projects and not try to bring them to completion). If I get any – they will go here.

Thanks again to Chris and everyone who was able to make it to the workshop! It was great hanging out with all of you!!!

Posted in Art, AYU Art Group, painting, rochester, ny
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Furries and Gift Certificates

•March 12, 2011 • Leave a Comment

I went to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to get some more work on my sleeve. Don McDonald made the sleeve for me sometime around y2k. When he finished it off with the hand we decided that the arm could use some re-working and updating.
While Don was working and we were talking, he happened to mention that the furries were in Pittsburgh recently for a very large gathering. He had driven by shortly after it had let out and had the surreal experience of seeing half-dressed furries walking down the street carrying their heads – or carrying their entire outfit as they exited the gathering.

It brought me back to a couple of back in the day stories.

The first was that long before I had any idea what the furries were about – some friends and I used to attend the local fetish events in Rochester. There would be the expected sea of leather and corsets and bondage gear… and there was always one lone pink bunny. At the time I had figured that it was just some smart-ass who liked to go to the events and remain anonymous and he (for some reason I had always assumed it was a guy in the pink bunny suit) could watch the fetish goings-on without fear of anyone ever finding out who he was.
I now figure that he was the loan furry participant at the gatherings and I feel sad that there was never another one there for him.

That reminded me of the story about the fetish gift certificates.

You see, every year I used to donate a gift certificate to the Rochester Kink Society for their auction. It was for a large dollar amount (I think $500)  and could only be redeemed for a fetish themed tattoo. This helped them raise money and got me some fun projects that would look good in my portfolio.
So when Carl was hosting a fetish ball and asked me if he could have a donation for a door prize, I figured I would do the same thing.

Same Gift Certificate. Same Parameters. Good for one Fetish Themed Tattoo.

In walks the guy with the gift certificate.

I won this gift certificate and I would like to set up an appointment to have the tattoo done.

Great! What’s your fetish?

What?

The Gift Certificate is for a fetish themed tattoo. What kind of fetish do you want?

What’s a fetish.

Excuse me? You know, a fetish. Bondage? Feet? Adult babies? What is your thing?

I don’t know what you mean.

You know a fetish. Like where you got the gift certificate at the FETISH ball….

Well, I didn’t actually win the Gift Certificate – my friend did and he gave it to me because he doesn’t want a tattoo.

I guess you should go back and ask your friend about fetishes and figure out what you would like to have tattooed, because the gift certificate is only good for a fetish tattoo.

But I’m here now and I want to set up the appointment to have the tattoo done.

I can’t set up and appointment for you without knowing what the tattoo is going to be. I need to know what, where and how big so that I can draw the design and book enough time to finish the tattoo.

Can you help me figure out what to get?

Sure. Here are some books and magazines (gave him a couple of Doris Klostner type books and some bondage magazines) look through them and it will give you a better idea of what a fetish is and what you might want to get done.

*** long time while I am doing other stuff and the guy looks through the reference***

I found something.

Cool. What did you find?

Well here, in this picture, this guy here… I really like the design on the shirt that he is wearing.

That’s a Tribal design.

Yes, that’s nice. I would like to get that.

You are more than welcome to book an appointment to get that done, but the gift certificate will not apply to the tattoo as that is not a fetish themed tattoo.

At this point the guy becomes frustrated and agitated and tells me that I told him if he found something in the magazines that he liked that – that he could get that done. He found something. He wants to have it done.

I try to remain nice and pleasant and calm. I understand he is frustrated and disappointed, he is looking for a free tattoo and he is obviously completely confused as to what is going on.

No, I’m sorry. Tribal doesn’t count. It has to be a fetish. Something that does it for you. Something that turns you on.

Well, I do have a thing for me car.

Perfect. Bring me a picture of you fucking your car and I will put that on you.

YOU ARE DISGUSTING!!! and out the door he went.

I still feel badly. I am sure that I greatly offended him and I am sure that he had a very interesting conversation with the guy who gave him the gift certificate. I learned my lesson and only donate those type of things to AUCTIONS were the people bidding on it know the parameters ahead of time. I will never give one away as a door prize again.

Remember boys and girls,

You Can’t Make This Shit Up.

 

 

Posted in You Can't Make This Shit Up
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Figure Drawing Class March 7th, 2011

•March 8, 2011 • Leave a Comment

Made it back to class last night. Hoping to make this an every week thing as often as possible.

Posted in Art, drawing, Sketchbook
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Figure Drawing Class 2/28/11

•March 1, 2011 • Leave a Comment

I really am going to try and make this class a weekly habit. I was able to go again last night. Wasn’t feeling well, but went anyhow and very glad that I did.

As usual I am not thrilled with the results – but that is not the point. I am learning and growing. My eye is getting better – now I just need to keep working on it and hopefully my eye will continue to improve and the hand will follow along with it.

Posted in Art, drawing, Sketchbook
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Trying Out Oils (for real)

•March 1, 2011 • Leave a Comment

I have been using water soluble oils for most of my paintings for a while now. A couple of years ago at Paradise (then Tattoo Convention) I was given the opportunity to play with real oils during a class. They really appealed to me as the water solubles are sticky. Which requires a lot of scrubbing and pressing hard with the brush to get the paint off of the brush and onto the canvas. Even in experimenting with the additives I have never been able to get anything remotely close to a clean flowing line.

I have hesitated about making the transition to oils for a variety of reasons (concerns about solvents, the mess, the extra time required… yada yada yada) but every time I found myself scrubbing away at a painting and unable to add more layers without scraping off what was already there – I longed for something easier to work with.

Cindy from the ArtStop had told me about walnut oil based paints – which eliminates a lot of the solvent problems associated with normal oil paints. Sounded like a great idea – except for one thing. I have an allergy to walnuts. Not too bad with regular walnuts, but supposedly deadly with black walnut. Not being too terribly sure about the differences I tend to avoid things walnut.

So what happens if I buy a nice new set of oil paints and can’t use them? Damon suggested that I just get the black and white to try them out. If I die, no need to purchase anymore : ) When I was in the store I decided to go all out and buy a couple of colors that I use frequently as well (yellow ochre and a purple that starts with a long word dio-something).

Sunday  I finally had some time off.

Of course Toby needed to help with my new project – both by trying to add his touches to what I was doing:

and by trying to keep that pesky left arm from being in my way:

Despite his help I learned a lot. I don’t consider this to be finished – but it should dry before I go at it again. I learned a TON. Did Not have any kind of anaphylactic reaction and am hoping to be able to do more soon(ish).

Tonight I go back to Fred’s class and I am not sure that I am up for using the real oils again – but I am going to bring them just in case I am feeling braver tonight.

Posted in Art, painting
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Chris Dingwell Painting Workshop

•February 24, 2011 • 1 Comment

On Sunday March 13th from 11am to 10pm, Chris Dingwell will be coming to town to conduct a full day painting seminar and workshop.

OFFICIAL WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: (for now..)

Always wanted to start painting, but you are “afraid?”
Tried it, but got frustrated and gave up?
Painted for years, but want to try something different?

Whatever your level or experience with painting, this extensive, interactive seminar workshop is for you….

I will be starting with a SHORT but thorough slide show, just to establish some background for my work, and then I will go through the steps of beginning a simple painting of my own from scratch!

I will discuss my process and materials to some extent, but my paintings are not about elaborately involved techniques. ANYONE CAN DO THIS! It’s just about pouring your heart into your work and allowing that to be your guide. I will show you briefly how I create my image and layout, then follow with a lot of underpainting, building up to the final result.

Once My painting is off to a good start, it will be YOUR turn.
Everyone in the workshop will be working on a painting from the same reference image that I am, and together we will find lots of different ways to approach the same idea. The remainder of the time will be spent painting together; side by side, discussing our discoveries and hardships along the way. Many of these may be finished that day, but it isn’t required.

We will be working with Acrylic paints, but much of what we will be doing can apply to any medium. If you have your own paints and brushes for working in Acrylic, feel free to bring them, but it isn’t necessary. If you want to work on an easel, you will need to provide your own!

Otherwise I WILL BE PROVIDING ALL OF THE SUPPLIES; canvases, transfer paper, paints and brushes. Bring your own hands, eyes, ears, and brains.

In addition to all of that, I have an extensive list of online resources with links to materials and technique tutorials that will be given to each participant, providing every one of you with an almost limitless expanse of painting know-how!

During the workshop you will be painting along with Chris (and all the rest of us) for much of the day; bring water to drink, and snacks. we will take a lunch break, but we are not buying yer lunch!

Class will be limited to 25 people.The full day class will be $160 which includes ALL supplies. I am asking everyone to give me at least a $60 deposit ahead of time; you can pay more if you like. You can send deposits through Paypal to chris@sanctuarytattoo.com or if you don’t want to use Paypal, please contact me to make other arrangements.

For questions or more info, e-mail chris@sanctuarytattoo.com
For a better look at Chris’ work, go to www.chrisdingwell.com or look him up on Facebook!

More info coming soonish.

____________________________________

The above is the “Official” information – Now here is the TeeJay additions.

Detail stuff. This is going on in the space above the Art Stop LLC in Webster (where we have our regular AYU Art Group get togethers every month). If you have any questions about anything to do with this workshop or any of our other meetings – just let me know.

Personal stuff: Chris is an amazing artist. Although he is a schooled artist – he is not a professionally trained painter. As a result he has a completely different approach to painting than anyone else that I have run across. The biggest and most important part is that Chris really truly enjoys painting. Everything that I have been taught else where about the “right” way to paint goes right out the window with Chris. Obviously it works great for him. His paintings are amazing and he has fun making them.

I have taken his seminar a few times now and each time that he gets going along in his painting process he gets the painting to a certain point and I am so inspired that I want to get up and start painting… from where he started, going in a different direction and running with it. This workshop is going to afford me (and anyone else who comes to it) that very opportunity. To listen to Chris explain his process, then show how he does it and then set us loose to do our own thing with the inspiration.

Here’s the kicker. You CANT do it wrong. As long as you are having fun – there is NO WAY to mess up this painting. Want to do it realistically? Want to abandon the reference and do your own thing? Whatever you are inspired to do is encouraged. We will all be working from the same reference – but what we do with it is the fun part.

I have been looking forward to this every since Chris first started talking about doing it this way. I am truly honored that he is willing to come here to our neck of the woods to teach this class for/with us.

If you know anyone else who is interested in coming – please pass the info along. We are not up to limit yet and the more varied artists and experience levels that we have the more varied the results will be.

—-

Some examples of Chris’ paintings:

How could you not want to come and hang out with this guy?

and if for any reason you want to take this workshop but can’t make it to our date…. Chris will be doing this again in the Spring at Off the Map Tattoo in Massachusetts.

Posted in Art, AYU Art Group, painting, rochester, ny
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Guitar String or World Class?

•February 16, 2011 • 1 Comment

What makes a good tattoo?

Now for the purposes of this discussion I am NOT talking about anyone who is performing dirty tattoos. There is no excuse for endangering anyone’s life for a tattoo. For the purposes of this conversation I am talking purely from an artistic point of view.

I have seen people with tattoos that are visually horrendous that were loved and cherished by the person wearing them. Likewise I have seen people with beautifully done tattoos that they hated.

What’s the deal?

There are a whole lot of factors and things going on. First and foremost is that not everyone can SEE the difference between a good tattoo and a bad tattoo. In the same way that some people (like myself) have a really hard time discerning when someone is singing off key (I am pretty close to tone deaf, you don’t want to hear me try to sing). So no matter how long people sat down and explained pitch to me – I can understand it, but I can not HEAR it. Some people can not SEE the difference between a good drawing and a bad drawing. If it’s a picture of a horse and they can tell it is a horse, then it must be good. Throw a bunch of shading and stuff in there and they are dazzled. Even if the muscle structure is off and the horse is hideous – they just don’t SEE it. Translate that to a drawing on the body and it is no different.

We will occasionally have someone in the shop who will not understand why our tattoos are more expensive than the kitchen tattoos that they are currently wearing (“But I only paid $20 and a six pack for this one…”). I ask them to look through the portfolios of the artists in the shop and examples of the work that we have done and tell them simply that if they can not see the difference between what we do and what they are wearing, then there is no reason to pay the difference. Just as with myself (and my previously discussed hearing handicap) there is no point in me spending thousands of dollars on audio equipment that doesn’t sound any better to me.

Beyond that we get into another level of the tattoo being good or bad. Emotion. Most everyone has something ugly in their life that they love anyhow. The concert t-shirt from 1987, the stuffed bunny that we have had from early childhood, that old ratty easy chair… you get the idea. So we often encounter clients who have an old ugly tattoo that they wouldn’t change for the world. They know it isn’t the prettiest thing ever but the cherish it for some other reason. It represents who they were or where they were at that time in their life. Maybe it was their first tattoo and they remember that feeling of being on top of the world.

Contrarily people will come into the shop with a beautiful tattoo that they hate and are looking to cover or alter. Further discussion usually reveals that there is some ugly memory with the tattoo. They got it done when they were with their ex, it was done at a very low point in their life or perhaps they didn’t get along well with the tattooist and just had a bad experience with it. There is no changing these people’s minds. The tattoos are awful and have to go.

So what makes for a good tattoo?

I can answer this for myself. I can have my favorite artists. We can have lively discussions about who is better and who is inspiring and who is a copy cat and who is an idiot – but when it really comes down to it, everyone sees differently. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I have to remember that.

I’ve always liked the phrase “Whatever floats your boat, as long as it doesn’t sink anyone else’s”. If someone loves their tattoo, I am not going to point out to them where it is technically not perfect. If someone hates their tattoo, I am not going to hop on the bandwagon and bash the other artist.

So, no matter who you are… or where you are. Seek out the artist that is perfect for you. Look at portfolios. Ask questions. If possible, meet and sit down with the person before hand. You are commissioning a piece of artwork that will be with you for the rest of your life. Make the decisions that you can live with. If that means that you need to save and scrimp and fly to Japan or you are going to sit down with your lifelong friend to let him put his first tattoo on you. It is a personal decision. Good Art… Bad Art… beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Think before you Ink.

___________________________

TATTOO CREDITS * LOOK AT ME *

I want to make it abundantly clear that I did not do either one of the tattoos above. I grabbed them off of the internet for a comparison of both ends of the spectrum on the same subject matter. The color skull(s) were done by Jeff Gogue more of his remarkable work can be found on his website GogueArt. I have no idea who did the other one.

Posted in Art, tattoo
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Excuse me, Might I have your Nipple Please??

•February 12, 2011 • 2 Comments

I am aware that this is an odd request. Unfortunately I don’t know how much that will diminish in the explaining, but I will attempt to do so anyhow.

I make nipples for women. I tattoo nipples on mastectomy patients after reconstruction. Sometimes I correct or fix nipples that have been damaged in some way.

On the majority of the reconstructive work a doctor is there months before me making cuts and reshaping the skin into what will become the protuberance of the nipple. Then once that is healed I will tattoo color on the area to make it more realistic.

Sometimes a patient will opt to forgo this part of the procedure and will come to me with what the doctors refer to as a “flesh mound” with no dimensional nipple reconstruction. With these patients I will create a 3D effect. Tattoo the area with a faux technique so that it looks as if the nipple protrudes forward, but is in reality completely flat.

Some of you who have been here for a while remember when Thom was nice enough to let me photograph this process and install a new nipple for him on his arm. (Or you can see it HERE) This is the tattoo on Thom’s arm:

The book that I mentioned in that blog is coming closer to happening. It occurred to me that it would be a good idea to include photos of nipples for guidelines and for discussion on color and shading. The photos that I currently have were obtained in the interest of documenting procedures and I would not want to use them further without permission. I was talking with one of my clients about this dilemma and she suggested that I ask people for them. She even volunteered to help, to let me photograph her nipples and to go out and ask friends if she could photograph theirs.

So here I am. Asking. Can you please send me a photo of your nipple(s)? It would be best if the photos were clear and taken without a flash – with the amazing cameras on phones these days it would not be hard to do even of yourself (or you could have a friend help).

I will need all sorts of color and size and shape and ethnicity for this so ANY contributions are appreciated.

For the legal folks once we get around to publishing I will need a release waiver signed. It is at the bottom of this along with my direct email to send the photos to.

——-

In addition to the book which will be primarily aimed at health care professionals and other tattoo artists who are doing this type of work – I would like to do some art projects to help raise awareness for breast cancer and what these women go through.

In working in this field for over ten years I have seen an amazing transformation of what can be done for reconstruction – but I have also seen how few people are aware of it. I also have discovered a lot about how nipples affect women’s self image and their sexuality. I have seen a disturbing amount of misinformation and even more misunderstanding.

I would like to do what I can to help.

If you would as well, sending me your nipple (photos) can perhaps be a small step.

Thank you in advance,

TeeJay

——–

If you are willing to be photographed in person, please give me  a call and we can set up a time to get together.

To submit electronically, please cut and paste the form below, complete it, attach your photo(s) and send them to me at teejay@frontiernet.net

________________________________________________________________________________________________

By submitting these photographs I am stating that I am

– Over the age of 18 and that anyone within the photographs is over the age of 18

– Have legal rights to the photographs that I am submitting

– Irrevocably transfer ownership of these images to Teressa Jean Dill to use for publication and/or redistribution with no compensation paid to me

– Understand that these photographs may be used for trade publications, art productions or other future uses as seen fit by Teressa Jean Dill under her name or the names of TeeJay, White Tiger Tattoo, Angry Bunny LLC or any future identities which may be formed.

– Understand that I will not be personally identified at any time with any uses of these images. My identity will remain anonymous in any future use.

With my electronic signature below I release these photographs at this time:

Name:

Year of Birth:

City, State or Country:

(optional)

Posted in tattoo
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