Realism DVDS and Combo, and new Ask Guy Updates
3/6/10
March 5, 2010
Greetings from Tattoo Education!
We've got a couple new things going on here at the website, including some great new color realism products and some fresh entries into the Ask Guy page. For starters, we have just started carrying Keith Ciaramello's "Keep It Real", a 3-DVD tour de force covering many aspects of color realism tattooing all the way from design to completion. This includes a DVD of an actual seminar, plus 2 disks of material made in the studio just for the purpose of this package. Keith is one of realism's most solid tattooers, with decades of experience in the field and an easygoing, clear narrative style. His package is $100.
If you are interested in realism and want the most thorough education on the subject possible, then we have a new item for you- the Advanced Color Realism Tutorial Package. This includes not only Keith's jam-packed 3 DVD set but also Nikko Hurtado's DVD "Tattooing Portraits With Nikko Hurtado" and both of Mike Devries' educational items, "Let's be Realistic" and "Get Real With Mike Devries". With three of tattooing's most exciting realist tattooers offering their artistic and technical wisdom like this, there's no way you won't be able to visibly improve your work. This special offer includes savings of $30 off the total cost, if you were to buy the items separately. Only $350 total for the package.
We also have added a few new questions and answers to the "Ask Guy" page. This is a Q&A page where readers are encouraged to submit their favorite and most frustrating questions. I can't make any guarantees but I will do my best to provide clear answers to all of these questions. If you want to post a question, you can submit them from the Q&A page, or simply click here.
I'll be keeping you posted soon with more great educational items, information, and plans for future events. Talk to you soon!
Ask Guy Aitchison feature
2/25/10
We've just added a new button to our navigation bar- a link to the new "Ask Guy" page. This is where I'll be posting answers to questions submitted by blog subscribers- questions about tattooing, tattoo design, tattoo apprenticeships and careers, and anything else related to the skin art subject. Since this page is viewable by the general public, there are some technical details that I can't share there, but at the very least I'll point readers toward the right book or DVD that will help answer their questions. There are already some topics discussed there, such as finding an apprenticeship and working on sensitive areas of the skin, to give you an idea of the breadth of subjects that I hope to tackle there. So ask yourself, what is the most frustrating question you know? I can't promise answers to everything but I'll try my best.
Upcoming Seminars Listed
2/9/10
In the Seminar Schedule section are the current listings for upcoming seminars happening at tattoo conventions around the States and abroad. There are important seminars taking place at this months Detroit Motor City Tattoo Convention, so don't miss out on some very valuable information. Health Educators will be hosting their Bloodborne Pathogens seminar to inform those that are looking for industry specific training on the procedures and regulations in preventing the spread of bloodborne pathogens. Also, Dan Henk will be holding an oil painting seminar, and several workshops will be taking place with the likes of Bob Tyrrell, Josh Carlton and Monte, and Brian Everett & Jack Rudy. Bringing tattoo information full circle, a machine building seminar will be held with Jerry Riegger, Danny Knight, Josh Ford, & Todd Hlavaty covering machine tuning procedures to answering questions. Click on Seminar Schedule for complete information and fees.
2/9/10
Austin tattoo phenomenon Nick Baxter had his big gallery opening last weekend at Last Rites Gallery in New York... and now that the work is available for the public to view, we are offering a collector's edition 2010 Nick Baxter calendar featuring "Rebuilding", the title for this stunning visionary body of paintings. Although January has already come and gone, this group of paintings is ideally suited to present in a calendar format, as it illustrates a gradual deconstruction/rebuilding experience. Even if you already have a calendar for this year, these are some intense paintings that will grab the attention of anyone visiting your office or tattoo station. This calendar also makes a great gift for any fans of Nick's work that you know. Only a limited run were printed, and we expect them to go quickly.
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A lot of people have heard of Nick and are familiar with his work, but this collection of paintings is his most cutting-edge stuff, and digs deeper into Nick's vision that his previous works have.
Enjoy, and I'll update you all soon as things develop!
Innerstate Videos and more!
2/4/10
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
This month I'm taking some time away from tattooing to work on editing the Innerstate documentary. For those who weren't at the Columbus Hell City Tattoo Fest last year, Innerstate was a live painting event that Michele and I hosted featuring 40 tattooists working on large painting projects for 5 days. There's so much to say about that week that I wouldn't even know where to begin here, and since I'm trying not to ramble too long, I'll boil it down to this: you all know how much talent and diversity there is in the tattoo industry, and that many of these tattooists work in other mediums as well. The body of work was spectacular, and the process of watching the work unfold during the week was a spectacle worth remembering. We'll be debuting the film at this year's Columbus Hell City Fest, May 21-23, and shortly after that we'll be releasing the book and DVD package about the event and the art coming from these visionary talents. Check out the video it the following link if you want a short preview of what to expect:
I also wanted to mention that February is the last month where we'll be offering the rebate for Reinventing The Tattoo. If you have a copy of the first edition and want to take the opportunity to cash it in for $100 credit toward the dramatically improved second edition, you have until the end of February before the offer is closed. This offer is only for copies that have a serial number sticker inside the front cover. You can read the Reinventing The Tattoo FAQ for more information about the offer, and about the new edition of Reinventing and why it's worth doing the upgrade, at this link:
http://www.hyperspacestudios.com/reinventing-FAQ.html
Friday, January 22, 2010
1/23/10
Friday, January 22, 2010
Winter is a good time to buckle down and focus on things that there normally isn't time for during better weather. I usually book very few tattoo appointments in Jan/Feb, and this year I'm using this chunk of time to edit the Innerstate video footage that we shot at last year's Hell City Tattoo Fest in Columbus, Ohio in late May. Innerstate was a live art event featuring 40 artists- all tattooists who seriously work in alternative art media besides skin- and over its 5 day course our friends from Above The Shop Productions in Toledo, Ohio shot some really great HD video footage of the event, including some in-depth interviews with the artists. This should be an exciting documentary that will appeal in particular to the community of tattoo artists and collectors; we plan on debuting the documentary this coming May at the Hell City Fest.
In the meantime, I have been working alongside California realist Mike Devries in releasing a new book called Tattoo Prodigies. This book is a large-format coffee table art book featuring tattoo art by a collection of some of the most renowned tattooists working today in all different styles. The book will look amazing, and we hope to have them in hand by this coming Spring and definitely will have them with us at the Hell City Tattoo Fest when we debut the Innerstate documentary. Some cool stuff will be happening at that show, including some other surprises, so keep an eye out at their website (www.hellcity.com) for more info.
I had only two appointments this month, but in the spirit of the Tattoo Prodigies project they were two very different kinds of tattoo- a biomech sleeve and some color portraits. I am of course known for my abstract biomech stuff, but I also enjoy working in many styles and believe that it is important for an artist to work in a variety of styles and mediums to keep their skills sharp and their perspective open. Portrait and figure drawing is a very particular skill that requires being able to see an object in real life and break down its proportions and component parts to be able to reproduce the face or figure on paper or canvas. Drawing a portrait from a live model requires an even deeper level of focus and concentration than working from a photo; and the skills learned from doing this can translate back into any style, even the wacky abstract stuff that I do. We will be involved in helping host a number of classes and workshops this year featuring renowned figure painter Shawn Barber, among others- we'll have more information for you on this subject very soon. Be sure to subscribe to this blog if you want to be the first to know about these things.
Juan Salgado, Tattoo Machines, and Sunblock!
12/23/09
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009
Juan Salgado just headed back home after a few days here. Juan has been dropping by regularly for work (I'm doing his left sleeve- totally biting his style in the process, but it's his arm so I can do that). He's planning on helping us with a Spanish translation of Reinventing The Tattoo- a massive project, so I wish him well on it and won't be so bold as to offer a release date- it will happen when it's ready, which could take all year. But there are so many Spanish-speaking tattooists out there doing amazing work that this makes sense for us to do.
While I was tattooing Juan I turned on a video camera and conducted an interview with him for Tattoo Society Magazine... should be on the shelves in February. I usually do these interviews over the phone but enjoyed getting him under the needle for the purpose. More honest answers!
You know how we are always telling our clients to use sunblock? Well, now I have a great image that you can show them (below). Juan did a big graffiti mural in Puerto Rico a couple weeks back, and spent a big chunk of a day standing in the hot sun on a ladder. He put sunblock on the side I'm working on, but not on the other side... and you can see the difference a week later. If anyone ever gives you a hard time about sunblock, show them this!
I've been playing around with a lot of different machines lately. For Juan, I did the 5 round work with a new Welker iron... I normally use aluminum machines because of my wrists, but the Welker liner has a light enough steel frame not to be a problem for me. Tramp has an interesting feature in his machines- he takes a chunk of metal out of the armature bar right where it hits the front coil core, and replaces it with a rubber plug that he calls a "silencer". So it ends up deadening about half the sound. Hard to say how it alters the machine's performance, but I'm definitely enjoying using it. Juan was convinced it hurt less than a machine without a silencer. I think this is partly because I work magnum-first most of the time, so by the time I end up using the liner the skin is already numbed pretty well with Bactine. Whatever the case may be, it's a really smooth machine. I am also using a pair of aluminum machines from Fallen King, which I'm impressed by despite the fact that they require an annoyingly stiff clipcord in order to work... small price to pay for that kind of smoothness. Still doing my 13 mag work with one of Aaron Cain's machines... still haven't found an iron that drives the big needle groups better than that one. My other workhorse machines are from Next Generation, and have given me many years of good tattooing.
Anyway, have a great holiday, and I'll be updating you again soon!
Juan's sleeve... we still need to do the top of the wrist and a few other things, but it's coming along.
Seminars for Singapore Tattoo Expo now posted at tattooeducation.com!
12/13/09
If you or anyone you know is planning on attending the Singapore Tat2 Show this coming January 8-10, it looks like some top-tier artists will be holding seminars there. This includes:
Shawn Barber: Still Life Painting From Reference
Carson Hill: The Neuma
Bob Tyrrell: Mastering Black And Gray Techniques
Mike DeMasi: Color Realism
Most of these artists have never taught seminars in the Far East, so this is a unique opportunity to learn from some of the industry's finest from around the globe. Click the "Seminar Schedule" button on the left of this page for more details on these courses. The direct link for the convention ishttp://www.tattoo.com.sg/.
Guy Aitchison's Tattoo Education blog
12/9/09
December 10, 2009
Guy Aitchison here; welcome to my Tattoo Education blog. I plan to use this spot as a place to post photos of new work, comments about my recent projects and challenges I overcame, interesting conversations I have with other artists, that kind of thing. If you are interested in subscribing to "Guy Aitchison's Tattoo Education Blog", you'll get an email notice any time new content is posted here.
I also want to extend an invitation to tattoo convention promoters from anywhere in the world. If you are organizing a tattoo convention that features seminars or related educational events, we are providing a place at this website to list these events for free. Thousands of tattoo professionals pass through this web page, so take advantage of this bulletin board to inform the public of the learning opportunities you're helping to make available. You can email your show information to gabe@tattoonow.com. Please include the name and dates of the show, its location and web page, plus a graphic or banner that is 75 pixels high by 300 pixels wide. It would be especially helpful if you include any contact info for preregistration or general questions about the show or the seminars. Please keep your seminar listings short and concise, including the title, date, time, price and a brief description. Your seminar listings will remain posted until after the event.
This week I'm working on a short teaser video for Innerstate, the big live painting event that Michele and I hosted this past summer at the Columbus Hell City show. This will be posted on YouTube by the end of the week. I plan on spending the winter completing the full-length documentary that we are producing that will be included with an art book about the event. I'll keep you all posted as these things and all the other exciting stuff happening around here comes together. Stay tuned!
painting commission I did for Chicago tattooist Marco Velazquez... acrylic on canvas, 12x24".
TattooEducation.com is alive!
10/16/09
Greetings from Hyperspace!
We are proud to announce the launch of our new educational website for the tattoo industry, www.tattooeducation.com. For most of the history of modern tattooing, information about tattoo design and technique was shrouded in a layer of secrecy and misconceptions. However, because of the recent flow of information happening through magazines, television, conventions and seminars, artists and collectors are more informeded than ever about the options and possibilities available in the tattoo art form.
Tattooeducation.com is brought to you by Guy Aitchison, and is powered by the www.tattoonow.com network. Its aim is to bring together all of the industry's best books, DVDs and other media into a single catalog to supply all the needs of a tattooist seeking artistic growth or a collector looking for art books and documentaries about tattooing. Its catalog features items by Guy Aitchison, Michele Wortman, Shawn Barber, Nikko Hurtado, Paul Booth, Mike Devries, Nick Baxter and Health Educators Inc., and will be expanding to include i tems from more tattooists as we get the site more established. Each of these artists has a profile posted at the site and links to their online galleries.
In addition, tattooeducation.com features a free listing for upcoming seminars and other educational events around the world. If you are an artist or convention promoter and are interested in having your events listed at tattooeducation.com, you can contact us by clicking HERE.
You can place orders directly through our website at www.tattooeducation.com, or through our call center at (877) 879-5350. Come take a look and see what we've got!
Guy Aitchison & Michele Wortman
www.hyperspacestudios.com
Tattoo Education.com sells Tattoo Books and DVDs!
8/19/09
We are pleased to announce the launch of Tattoo Education.com, a website that sells quality tattoo books and dvds to tattooers. Browse the collection, and get some tattoo education!