Mike DeVries' Animal Ink: Exploring the World's Wildlife Through Tattoo Art Available in Our Catalog!

2/2/12

February 2, 2012

Greetings from Tattoo Education!

 

In our online store, we like to carry not only top-of-the-line, nuts-and-bolts educational items, but artistic and inspirational ones as well. Mike DeVries' new hardcover book, Animal Ink: Exploring the World's Wildlife Through Tattoo Art, is a feast for the eyes, brimming with inspiration from some of the world's best tattooists. Featuring 304 full-color pages, this artistic powerhouse not only contains tattoo work from 160 artists, but in addition includes 62 stories about specific animal tattoos with details, meanings, and inspiration from the collectors who wear the ink and the artists who inked them.

Animal designs have appeared throughout history in all facets of the art world, so it's no surprise that utilizing animals' beauty, strength, and grace has been a large focus within the genre of tattoo art. For those seeking animal tattoos, there is an endless array of styles, creativity, and artists to choose from and Animal Ink encompasses and celebrates these many different displays within its pages by featuring over 1,500 tattoos from creatures of the wild kingdom.

 

Whether your interest is that of a zoological focus, tattoo art, reference inspiration, or keeping up with the impressive accomplishments of tattooists around the globe,  Animal Ink is an exceptional addition to any library. This high-quality 11 x 8.5" hardcover book is brought to you by Memento Publishing and features the work of an all-star list of tattooists. For a complete artist listing, come check out Animal Ink in our catalog.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

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Dan Henk: The Black Seas Of Infinity is Now Available!

1/18/12

January 18, 2012
Greetings from Tattoo Education!
 

Many of you know, or know of, Dan Henk... he's recognized for his edgy, horror-related tattoo work and dark illustrative paintings. Like many tattooists, Dan has a variety of interests and creative pursuits... and has written a sci-fi novel, complete with illustrations.

"The Black Seas Of Infinity" pays homage to the pulp greats of the '70s and '80s, while exploring some interesting new ground. The main character, who we never really get to know by name (should we just call him Dan?), through a series of strange circumstances and decisions, ends up giving up his human body- permanently- in exchange for a high-tech, alien-made humanoid chassis. With no ability to speak and no immediate prospect of death, the plot has all kinds of interesting room to move. One of the most striking aspects of the story is the character's extensive journey across the eastern United States, through the South and into Texas and beyond, through a near future civil-war-torn America. No specific reason or background for the conflict is given, and in some ways it halfway morphs into this brooding, florid meditation on the decadence of modern culture, until the character finally reaches Mexico and the story shifts into sci-fi high gear. A fun read, for not only fans of the genre but anyone who enjoys Dan's dark, intense style. 268 pages, $11.

Although we are primarily an educational website, we like to also carry art books and other creative items produced by tattoo artists. It's very rare for a tattooist to produce a novel, so we're psyched to be able to carry this item here at our online store.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

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Shige and Tattoo Inspiration!

1/6/12

January 5, 2012

Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Although our focus at this website is on education for tattoo artists, we also like to carry a few fine art books and other items that are by or about tattooists but are not strictly educational- after all, inspiration can be as important as education. In this spirit we are excited to announce the addition to our catalog of an amazing new art book by Japan's Shige.

Few tattooists today embody the fusion of tradition and modernity as thoroughly as Shige. Over the course of his career he has become renowned for retooling traditional Japanese motifs into his signature ultra-smooth, technically flawless reinterpretation of one of the world's most respected tattoo traditions. In the book Shige, published by State Of Grace Inc., we are presented with not only a mind-blowing portfolio of all of his most epic work, photographed and presented in a fine-art format, but also a surprising collection of paintings, collaborations and mixed media pieces, plus an entertaining and informative pictorial history of his career and travels. At 9x13" and 324 pages, it's a hefty volume of incredible work presented beautifully... perfect for fans of classic, modern, Western, Eastern... really, anyone who appreciates beautiful art will be blown away by this book... available now at our online store!

While you're there, be sure to take a quick look through our catalog- many of the items there are strictly for tattoo artists and will only be shipped to established shops, but we also carry a wide array of books and DVDs that are intended for both artists and collectors. We also have in stock True Tubes, the first and only hybrid plastic/steel disposable tattoo tubes- truly a revolutionary new product.

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Tattooing Techniques

12/6/11

December 3, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

I get a lot of email from tattooers. A lot of it is appointment requests (which I'm grateful for, even if I can't get back to everyone) but there is also a lot of curiosity about technique. The two most common questions I am asked are, 1) whose machines are you using? and 2) what pigments do you recommend?

For the record, I do have recommendations, and I'd like to share some of them here. But I first want to point out that this is based entirely on my experience working with these products, along with listening carefully to my friends and colleagues about their experiences. I do not- and never have- taken any payment for recommending tattooing products, and in fact have turned down a number of lucrative offers to do so. I feel that it's far more important that I can share with you my honest opinion about what works and what doesn't.

That said, I believe there are many fine brands of pigments available these days, and only a few that are terrible. I've been using a combination of several brands including Eternal and Fusion- these two brands are direct competitors, but I believe that is part of what makes both brands so good. Both brands have taken considerable advice from artists and expanded their selections to include many unusual off-colors and weird tones, vastly broadening the range of what's available. This has helped revolutionize color tattooing in recent years.

I am regularly trying out new machines, different size needle groups, new tube designs etc... but I often find myself gravitating toward a favorite set of machines. For several years now I've been using a lightweight steel liner from Tramp Welker for fine detailing, an aluminum lining shader (a compromise between the short stroke of a liner and the long stroke of a shader) from Fallen King for all my 5 mag work- I do a lot with a five mag, including the initial layout of most large work. I use a production model Aaron Cain machine for driving my big mags, and just recently purchased a liner from Chris Smith of Deluxe Tattoo in Chicago, which I've been using for bold linework and small painterly details, usually with a loose 7 or 9 round. These four machines provide me with the full range of working styles I need to produce the kind of bold but finely rendered work that I'm known for.

We carry a lot of great educational books and DVDs at www.tattooeducation.com from a number of the industry's most innovative artists going into detail about their design and technique strategies, including DVDs from realism sensation Nikko Hurtado, renowned pinup artist Joe Capobianco, portrait and wildlife expert Mike Devries, traditional/illustrative tattooer Russ Abbott, comprehensive realism instruction from Keith Ciaramello, plus my own massive educational package Reinventing The Tattoo, where I go into detail about techniques like the ones I mentioned earlier... along with a ton of other great educational books and DVDs.

Every day is a great day for improving your work; come check out our catalog and see how you can become even better at your profession.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

Guy Aitchison
www.tattooeducation.com
www.hyperspacestudios.com
www.protonpress.com

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Tattoo World by Abrams Publishing

11/15/11

November 12, 2011

Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Every now and then Michele and I are invited to participate in one of the various tattoo related book projects that come out each year. In recent years there has been an explosion of new tattoo art books featuring contemporary tattooists at their best, including several such books put out by our own Proton Press. Most of these books are released within the tattoo community where they find their core readership; it's rare for tattoo books to see much of an audience outside of our industry. 

That's why we are so excited by the release of Tattoo World by Abrams Publishing. This book will be distributed not only within our community but will also see some shelf space in places like Urban Outfitters or stores in major airports. These are places where casual readers will bump into these books and take a minute to flip through them. It's this kind of exposure that brings new serious collectors into tattooing- the explosive growth of tattooing can be attributed not only to the amazing art coming from tattooists, but also to the fact that we've finally been able to break down some of the traditional barriers toward our art being acknowledged as legitimate and important.

Tattoo World is a great deal- it's a 384 page hardcover monster with over 1000 color photos by 125 artists from a wide range of styles and sensibilities. Michele and I were honored to be included in this fine collection of great tattoo art. We are now carrying it at our online store; it makes a perfect addition to your waiting room bookshelf, your home library or as a gift to your favorite tattoo collector. Available now for only $35!

Meanwhile, we have finally put up a Facebook page for our sister site Hyperspace Studios... drop by, take a look and like us if you want.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon-

Guy Aitchison

www.tattooeducation.com

www.hyperspacestudios.com

www.protonpress.com

 

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Tattoo Gathering DVD for sale

10/26/11

October 21, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Tattoo conventions and events have always been one of the best ways for artists to communicate with their peers and discover new things. Each convention offers different features, such as contests and live painting experiences. The Paradise Tattoo Gathering is a stand-out show in that it is set up almost entirely for the artists and their clients, with almost none of the general public walking around. One of its features that really stands out from the other tattoo events, though, are its immersive, in-depth nightly forum discussions with a panel of respected artists expounding on various subjects. These panel talks allow for audience participation and provide a window into the minds of some of the industry's most innovative members.

 

Finally a DVD is available featuring two of Paradise's most memorable panel talks, with two and a half hours of uncensored group discussions with some of the world’s leading tattooers. A variety of topics are covered with plenty of food for thought for artists young and old, including a discussion on ways of staying at the top of your artistic game, keeping your career on a strong path, and avoiding tattoo burnout, along with a talk about exploring the outer limits of what's technically and artistically possible on the human body. Bonus Material: interviews, various artist clips, & the tattoo of the day contests. Take advantage of this inspiring learning experience for only twenty bucks... available now at the Tattoo Education online store!

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon-
Guy Aitchison
www.tattooeducation.com
www.hyperspacestudios.com
www.protonpress.com

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Chris Dingwell's book Inside Out now for sale!

10/6/11

October 6, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

We are psyched to announce the release of Inside Out, Chris Dingwell's new book of acrylic paintings. Chris is one of tattooing's more stand-out wild card artists, and never fails to surprise with his wit and originality. His characteristic paintings have become a favorite among collectors within the industry; we proudly display a major sculptural work of his here in Hyperspace Studios. Over the past few years he has cranked out an epic body of paintings, each more unpredictable and visually overwhelming than the last. Finally he's had the chance to bring this work together into a fun, affordable and highly collectible book.

Simply put, Inside Out will rattle your eyeballs.It's one of the most unique and visually stimulating new art books to hit the market in a long time. Chris is a true original, and you can now enjoy his works up close in this high-quality 150 page glossy paperback volume. Available now at our online store for only $40.00!

 

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Stencil Stuff and Spray Stuff for sale

9/28/11

September 21, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Remember the good old days of using deodorant to apply stencils? For years, tattooists have made do with a variety of substances, including deodorant and soap, to apply stencils, with varying results. More recently, Stencil Stuff was formulated to give you sharp, dark, long-lasting stencils with consistent results. It's been on the market long enough that many well-respected artists in the industry now swear by it. We are now carrying Stencil Stuff at tattooeducation.com; it's proven itself and can help make the difference between a tattoo session going smoothly, or being a stressful race against a fading stencil.

Many tattooists now work freehand on skin, using marker, pen or surgical marker to draw the design directly on, allowing for more intuitive use of the client's anatomy. Unfortunately, many artists have found that marker drawings on skin can be far shorter lived during the tattoo process than hectograph stencils. Spray Stuff changes all that; now, after completing your freehand drawing, you can spray a thin coat of this unique product over the drawing, giving it greater longevity during all the wiping and handling that takes place during tattooing. It's a well-tested product in the toolkit of many of the industry's most noted freehand artists, and we are now carrying it in our catalog as well.

For any tattooists who regularly handle complex projects, these products can provide an extra degree of confidence and take some of the stress out of the job... available now at our online store!

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon-

Guy Aitchison
www.tattooeducation.com
www.hyperspacestudios.com
www.protonpress.com

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Lasered Bio Coverup Sleeve Tattoo

9/24/11

I get a lot of requests for large coverup tattoo projects, particularly full biomech sleeve coverup projects. Each of these requests comes with its own set of challenges, but fortunately in many cases the client has already had a number of laser removal treatments to lighten the old tattoo before proceeding with the new coverup. Although the laser is by no means a perfect removal method- as of now, there is no such thing- it can lighten the offending tattoo enough to allow for far more options with the new piece, plus an overall look that is far less dark and dense than a typical coverup tattoo. This past week I got a chance to finish a full sleeve laser coverup project, and wanted to share it with you. The client had his arm mostly just outlined, plus about half of his forearm filled in from an earlier attempt at covering the unwanted outline... so there was plenty of stuff there to begin with. However,he was diligent about having the piece lightened, and by the time I got to it the arm had been hit almost a dozen times in its darkest parts, providing me with an almost empty canvas.

The laser has its limitations- very dark or thick outlines can be hard to remove entirely, and certain colors- particularly purples and blues- can be especially reluctant to come out. That's where his arm was when we began, with the old outlines lightened as far as they would go and a stain of old turquoise on his inner forearm. With coverup projects, it's really no big deal to absorb old patches of color into the new piece- just a matter of taking those old colors into consideration when executing the new piece. It's a lot harder to cover old outlines, which have direction and purpose and can run counter to the direction the new piece is trying to take. That's why it was so nice to have the old stuff lightened to the extent it was. The remaining bits of pigment, forming a peppery stain over parts of the arm, just served to provide the new piece with an extra degree of texture and character- it's just a matter of working it in.

This client had the additional challenge of being very freckly- but with the old laser stuff showing through, the freckles simply added another degree of detail to the piece; I simply worked carefully to make sure every freckle, spot or stain on the arm was worked into the new piece. The key with coverup projects is to remember that you really can't cover the old stuff- you have to incorporate it into the new piece. Attempts to cover or bury the old work inevitable create dark tattoos; the last thing your client needs to hear from strangers on the street is, "nice cover-up".

I also recommend working carefully to create balance through the whole piece- dark vs light areas, detailed vs smooth areas, brightly colored vs subdued areas... the balance between these elements should be maintained through the whole sleeve, not just the coverup zones.

 

A coverup doesn't have to look like a coverup; it just needs the right approach to begin with. A little lightening with the laser never hurts- at least, it doesn't hurt the project. As far as hurting the client, that's another story entirely. For more information on the techniques used to do this piece, check out my mammoth instructional package Reinventing The Tattoo; you can also see more of my coverup work at the Hyperspace Studios coverup gallery.

 

Stay tuned for more tattoos, information and educational products!

Guy Aitchison

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Cranial Visions Softcover

9/14/11

September 13, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Tattooing is an art form that attracts a wide variety of artistic styles. A vast spectrum of artists express these styles creatively not only on skin but in other media as well, including painting, sculpture, digital art, etc. Art done by tattooists has been collected into group art show or book projects numerous times, and always makes for a great viewing experience. Memento Publishing's recent book release, Cranial Visions, is a great example- the skull, a classic favorite tattoo motif, translated into a dizzying variety of tattoos, paintings, sculptures, photographs, digital creations and other hybrid art.

Cranial Visions is now being offered in an affordable softcover edition- 800 images for only $60! It's a must for your shop library, or makes a great gift for any tattoo fan. Available now at our online store.

We'd like to also remind you of another book we're carrying from Memento Publishing, Tattoo Prodigies. Rather than being a theme-oriented group project, Tattoo Prodigies features tattoo work by some of the world's most sought-after tattooists, each showcasing their own style or specialty, in a beautiful large-scale format; some artist features include detailed interviews. It's another great book for the studio library, a perfect companion for Cranial Visions, only $80!

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

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Cranial Visions is now being offered in an affordable softcover edition

9/14/11

September 13, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Tattooing is an art form that attracts a wide variety of artistic styles. A vast spectrum of artists express these styles creatively not only on skin but in other media as well, including painting, sculpture, digital art, etc. Art done by tattooists has been collected into group art show or book projects numerous times, and always makes for a great viewing experience. Memento Publishing's recent book release, Cranial Visions, is a great example- the skull, a classic favorite tattoo motif, translated into a dizzying variety of tattoos, paintings, sculptures, photographs, digital creations and other hybrid art.

Cranial Visions is now being offered in an affordable softcover edition- 800 images for only $60! It's a must for your shop library, or makes a great gift for any tattoo fan. Available now at our online store.

We'd like to also remind you of another book we're carrying from Memento Publishing, Tattoo Prodigies. Rather than being a theme-oriented group project, Tattoo Prodigies features tattoo work by some of the world's most sought-after tattooists, each showcasing their own style or specialty, in a beautiful large-scale format; some artist features include detailed interviews. It's another great book for the studio library, a perfect companion for Cranial Visions, only $80!

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

»Read More

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True Tubes - Sample pack and 11 Diamond available!

8/11/11

August 10, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

We've had an incredible response to the addition of True Tubes to the Equipment section of our catalog. True Tubes are the world's first hybrid plastic/steel disposable tubes, offering all the convenience without making any of the sacrifices. True Tubes come in a wide variety of styles, including different sizes of round and diamond tips along with a wider than normal range of shading tips. The steel tips are made of high quality stainless and are always brand-new- none of the wear and tear that you'll see on your non-disposable tips.

We have just added 11 diamond tip liner tubes to the catalog, making for a total of 11 different True Tube styles. Since we've had a lot of requests from artists curious to try them out without committing to a dozen of each tube style, we are now offering a mixed sample pack that includes a 5 diamond, 8 diamond, 11 diamond, 5 round, 7 round, 9 round, 5 magnum, 7 magnum, 9 magnum, 11 magnum and 13 magnum. We include two of the 5 diamond tubes, our most popular style, to make it an even dozen. This sample pack is a great opportunity to try out all the styles of this revolutionary new product- check it out!

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

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True Tubes - Disposable tattoo tubes with steel tips!

7/22/11

July 18, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Those who've known me for a while know I've never been a big fan of disposable tattoo tubes. Although you can't beat the convenience- these days, you can get by without needing an autoclave if you are willing to use disposables- the tubes themselves have always been, in my opinion, fatally flawed. My biggest issue has been the tips themselves; plastic tip exert a different level of friction on the vibrating needle, changing its ink flow properties and altering the entire tattooing experience. With most of them, the exact angle of the tips is slightly off- an unavoidable by-product of the plastic forming process- and the number of needle group types has been limited to just the most popular basic styles. Many artists have adjusted to these differences out of convenience, but many others, myself included, have stayed with steel tubes for the long haul for their greater variety and higher quality overall tattooing experience.

Now, veteran tattooer and Hell City promoter Durb Morrison has created a new disposable tube that overcomes all these problems. True Tubes are the world's first hybrid plastic/steel disposable tubes, offering all the convenience without making any of the sacrifices. True Tubes come in a wide variety of styles, including different sizes of round and diamond tips along with a wider than normal range of shading tips. The steel tips are made of high quality stainless and are always brand-new- none of the wear and tear that you'll see on your non-disposable tips. And at around two bucks each, we're talking about a significant improvement in your tattooing setup at just a fraction more cost than even the cheapest disposable tubes.

Michele and I have been using True Tubes all year. I've always been skeptical about disposables, but after a power surge fried our autoclave and we faced delays in getting the replacement parts, I figured I'd try them. I've always respected Durb and knew he's have a solid product; now after working with them for a few months, I'm impressed enough that we are carrying them at the Tattoo Education online store. True Tubes are the first steel tipped disposable tubes of their kind, and allow your machines to run at the speed they are engineered for. I recommend you try them- if you are already using plastic tubes, you'll be amazed at the improvement. if, like me, you are a steel tube fan, you'll find True Tubes to be a more than adequate replacement. We've got them in stock now at our online store.

For the rest of you who are still fans of steel tubes- or for any tattooists suffering from hand and wrist problems- I'd like to remind you about Morphix Grips, another great product we carry. Morphix Humbolt and Flatiron grips are scientifically engineered to fit your hand perfectly, allowing for a high degree of dexterity while easing strain on the hand and wrists... allowing for longer and more productive sessions.

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Japanese magazine Tattoo Burst Article

7/15/11

Friday, July 15, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

It's been a while since Michele and I have done a major article in a tattoo magazine; although it's helpful for tattooists at any stage in their careers to submit work to the magazines every now and then, just to keep their work in general circulation, we tend to pace our magazine appearances further and further apart. But when our friends at the Japanese magazine Tattoo Burst invited us to grace one of their issues, we made a point to gather some of our favorite recent work together for them. Japan has a long history of doing innovative designs on skin, dating back hundreds of years, and their contemporary tattoo culture is vibrant, technically strong, breaking new ground while remaining firmly rooted in their long tradition, so we were honored to have the invitation.

Since Tattoo Burst is difficult to find outside of Japan, we thought we'd post the article online so you can all check it out, including an English language translation of the interview; you can find it at our art site, www.hyperspacestudios.com, at the Events page. Check it out, and while you're at it be sure to drop by the Hyperspace online store to check out our vast variety of wearable art goods, archival prints, music and other fun creative gifts.

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, our friend and client Jamie Kilstein (pictured here) is scheduled to perform some of his noted hard-edged political comedy at the Steve Allen Theater this coming Monday night at 8:00pm. This is one of his most important performances yet and he expects some influential people in the audience; what he needs now are some tattooed rabble-rousers to show up and give the crowd a little color and life. He's not only very funny but also smart and very on-point with current affairs. If you're interested, click here for tickets (only ten bucks!), or check out Jamie at www.wearecitizenradio.com.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

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Rendering Realism In Colored Pencil DVD

6/10/11

Friday, June 10, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

I get emails from tattooists all the time asking for the special secrets... whose inks do I use? Whose machines? What needle groups? All these questions reveal what I think is a fundamental problem with the way tattooists learn; rather than concentrating on learning to draw well, they hope to bypass all that messy and time-consuming art training and just learn tattooing. Unfortunately, that would be like learning to play the guitar without understanding how music works- basically, a waste of time.

My answer to these questions is always the same: Focus on your drawing. If you have a strong command of your art skills, tattoo skills will come much more easily along with things like shading, color theory, clean linework and all the rest. Let me say it in all capitals: YOU CAN'T BE A GREAT TATTOOIST WITHOUT BEING AT LEAST A PRETTY DECENT ARTIST. Period. The longer you try bypassing the art fundamentals, the longer and more painful your struggle with tattooing will be.

Fortunately there are more and more good art teaching materials available that are targeted at tattoo artists. For starters, the first 200 pages of my book Reinventing The Tattoo are dedicated to things like flow, contrast, lighting and linework before anything is even discussed about putting it into the skin. Nick Baxter's recent book Sharp-Focus Realism In Oil is another good example- lots of discussion on color theory, focal planes, composition and artistic message, explained in a way that should make sense to any tattooist or apprentice. Now there's also a great resource out for learning about colored pencil realism: Chris Lowe's Rendering Realism In Colored Pencil.

Colored pencil is a great medium for tattooists to work in, since its application, including hand movements, is so similar to tattooing. This new DVD provides an in-depth look into color realism with Chris Lowe as he reveals his methods on rendering realism in colored pencils in a concise manner, including which papers, pencils, and tools he uses. Start to finish, you will see every moment with detailed explanations to prepare you to achieve photo realism. In this 2 hour DVD you will gain all of the information you need to take your colored pencil to the next level, preparing you to take those same advanced steps on skin.

Available now at our online store for only $60.00. Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

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Guy Aitchison and Don McDonald collaborative back piece tattoo

6/5/11

June 6, 2011
Welcome To Tattoo Education!

Twice a year, Pittsburgh tattooer Don McDonald comes by Hyperspace Studios so we can work on projects, varying from elaborate collaborative paintings to big collab tattoo projects. Recently Don came by so we could put the final two sessions into Baltimore tattooer Markuss Decker's back. We started this project last spring, and including this visit have put a total of 6 long sessions into it, with both of us tattooing at the same time for the bulk of that time. We almost broke Markuss- the back can be pretty tricky to sit for- but everyone's happy with the end result. Pictured here is a healed photo of the previous visit, then a fresh one of what we got accomplished this time around. There's a bit of coverup in the upper area, but rather than simply going dark we chose to use enough texture and detail throughout the piece to absorb the old tattoo without a need to go any darker than necessary. The finished project took roughly 36 hours, with probably 2/3 of that involving 2 machines at once- close to 60 hours worth of tattooing.

Throughout my career I've always been involved in collaborative projects with various tattooists on paper, canvas and skin. Collaborating is a great way to learn and expand your boundaries, plus just a fun way of hanging out with other artists and picking their brains. If you choose to work with another tattooer on a project, I recommend that you:

1) Work it out on paper first!
2) Try to tap into both artists' strength, so you can both have elements in the finished piece that reflect your current skill level.
3) Aim to have each artist work all parts of the piece, both on paper and later on skin, so that the piece is not divided into "their" parts and "your" parts... the piece will be more unified and you will learn a lot more if both artists are involved in all parts of the project.
4) Trade places from time to time, to ensure that each artist can put their touch in all areas of the piece. Before each switch, and before the beginning of each session, talk through your strategy: how will dark and light be distributed? How thick will the lines be? How will black be used, and where will it not be used? A good collaboration should be a partnership, not a competition, so the more communication, the better.

Mix it up well enough and you'll end up with a finished piece that looks like it was done by an artist who can only exist when the two of you are working together... a rare meeting of minds, and a great artistic challenge. You can see a whole bunch of collaborative work I've done with various artists at our Hyperspace collab gallery.

I've also posted some new material in the Ask Guy page. This time I talk about getting smoother gradients, working with gray washes and applying solid black so it will heal smoothly. I also address a big taboo question: Should a gay person even bother pursuing a career in tattooing? Is our industry ready for that?

Check it out, and as always, please feel free to submit your own questions... I'll do by best to answer them the best that I can.

Thanks, and I'll be in touch soon!
Guy Aitchison

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Ask Guy - some answers!

5/16/11

May 15, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things after the birth of our new daughter- a lot of you artists are parents and you no doubt know how big the adjustment is. Now I'm sinking my teeth back into a couple of ongoing book projects, some new tattoo pieces and some website upgrades. I'm starting with a new chunk of material for the Ask Guy page, where readers are invited to submit their favorite tough questions, and I do my best to come up with sensible answers for them. In this round, I'm focusing on achieving smooth solid color and tribal black saturation, along with the classic big questions on how to land an apprenticeship or how to improve your work situation to be able to attain a working environment where you can function at the pace and style that suits your personal and artistic sensibilities. As always, feel free to submit your own questions. Thanks, and enjoy! 

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"Get Digital with Mike DeVries and Jamie Parker" on sale now

4/11/11

April 9, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

A growing number of tattooists have been embracing Adobe Photoshop for all kinds of needs, everything from making a slick portfolio presentation to preparing drawings for their clients. In answer to this increasing need, Mike DeVries and Jamie Parker have put together an affordable, thorough DVD tutorial to help get artists familiar with this crucial piece of graphic art software.

"Get Digital with Mike DeVries and Jamie Parker" is a two-disc instructional DVD full of tips, tricks, and techniques to help tattoo artists to utilize Adobe Photoshop and learn how its tools can enhance creativity and imagination. Beginning with familiarization of most of the tools used in Adobe Photoshop CS3, the DVD explains what most tools are ideal for, covering shortcuts, saving options, and file organization.

Subjects such as: the importance of the dodge and burn tools, loading new brushes and fonts, colorization of black and gray photos, adding light sources to photos for striking enhancements, and changing backgrounds are explained. The instuction also delves into more advanced techniques, such as adding color to a pencil sketch and "zombifying" images; as well as guidance on how to make business cards, fliers, and banners. This excellent DVD set will help tattooists in an abundance of ways, making preparation for their creative projects more innovative and original than ever before.

Disc 1: Beginner & Intermediate....2 Hours.......Includes HD Digital Copy in Quicktime Format

Disc 2: Advanced...2 Hours........Includes HD Digital Copy in Quicktime Format

This tutorial don't cover every tool in Photoshop,... it just goes over what is the most useful for tattoo artists! Available now through our online store for only $50.00.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

 

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Keith Ciaramello's Keep it Real Volume 2

3/22/11

March 22, 2011
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

We are psyched to add the second installment of Keith Ciaramello's realism educational program to our catalog. In "Keep it Real Volume 2", Keith picks up where he left off in KIR vol.1 by explaining applied realistic techniques in black and grey. Keith continues to provide the clear, detailed explanations he has become known for, and once again (as in KIR Vol.1) includes his onscreen "Palette Cam" and photo reference throughout the entire process. Presented almost entirely in real time, and shot with extreme closeups so clear you can count the needles. Find out firsthand why Keith's instructional DVDs receive such positive testimonials from tattoo artists all over the world. If you have any interest in improving your realism techniques, this 4 hour/2 DVD package is an opportunity not to be missed.

Available now at www.tattooeducation.com, for only $75!

We have several other great new educational products available soon... we'll be in touch!
 

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Cranial Visions for sale

1/10/11

Greetings from Tattoo Education!

One thing that all tattoo artists and collectors are familiar with is the human skull; this universal icon is as much a part of tattoo culture as the ink itself. It's a subject that has been explored not only on skin but in many other mediums. Noted color realist Mike Devries, with help from Jeff Johnson and others, has brought together an epic collection of skull-related art like nothing before ever published: Cranial Visions: Exploring The Skull Through Artistic Interpretation.

Forming as an idea, progressing into a collection of efforts, and ending on the coffee table, this book is not merely two covers, a binding, and 240 pages; it is a display of thousands of hours of work, in which artists have created a compilation devoted to one of the biggest inspirations in art since the beginning of self expression. The book itself is 8x12", hardback, and features a painting by Shawn Barber on the front cover. That painting is just a taste of all that you will find on the inside.

Artists like Shawn Barber, Jeff Gogue, Nick Baxter, Bugs, Nikko Hurtado, and Carlos Torres have translated their paintings into tattoos and vice-versa; opening the doors for the possibilities of each medium to grow. There are multi-media pieces by Simon Hayag, Dan Hazelton, and Cam De Leon that introduce us to the potentials of a new age, while keeping the traditional subject matter as something we can recognize.
 

There are drawings from the minds of Alex Grey, Chris Winterson and Andrey Barkov. The sculpture section is a masterpiece all its own. From mosaic-covered skulls by Stan Young and Crystal Thomas, to hand-built machines by Aaron Cain, these three- dimensional pieces demand attention and emotion from the viewer. There is outstanding photography by Jean Baptiste Carhaix, Russell Haig and Julius Motal, presenting the skull in its raw form; as well a portion of the photography section that features shots by Mike DeVries, as he captured skulls from his own collection, providing the reader with inspiration and reference from all angles.
 

Featuring over 800 images from more than 250 artists, Cranial Visions: Exploring The Skull Through Artistic Interpretation. is not meant as a book of flash, but as a source of exploration and inspiration for all artists. Available now at the Tattoo Education online store for only $70!


Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

Guy Aitchison
www.tattooeducation.com
www.hyperspacestudios.com
www.protonpress.com
 

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Russ Abbott's DVD, Iron Clad: Tattoos Built To Last reduced

1/5/11

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Nikko Hurtado's new DVD Release

1/3/11

 Monday, January 3, 2011

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West of East, a music video DVD Release

12/7/10

December 7, 2010

Greetings from Tattoo Education!

Tattooist Michele Wortman has been producing unique electronic music for much of her tattoo career, and has recently released her latest CD, Current, featuring dreamy hypnotic beats and punchy melodies. To accompany this new release we are also introducing West of East, a music video DVD showcasing the music of Sunchannel with video produced by Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortman. This electro-psybient journey is a trip through sight and sound, featuring music from Current along with two bonus unreleased tracks. If you are a fan of electronic music and trippy visuals this is one DVD not to pass up. Also makes a great addition to your tattoo studio DVD collection- a perfect distraction in the waiting room or during those long sessions. This is multimedia art at its finest, produced from within the tattoo community. This combo package makes a perfect holiday gift, and are offering it for a limited time as a special for the holidays: Get both the West of East DVD and Sunchannels newest release Current for only 25 bucks!

Also, don't forget the other great package deals we're offering during this holiday season, including the Tattoo Community Project Pack and the Hyperspace Studios Educational Combo Pack... blow the mind of your favorite tattoo artist without breaking the bank.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

Guy Aitchison
www.tattooeducation.com

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Morphix Grips for sale

11/19/10

 November 19, 2010
Greetings from Tattoo Education!

We want to start by thanking you all for helping make Nick Baxter's new book, Sharp-Focus Realism In Oil, the success that it's been. Although we are keen on carrying up-to-date educational material of all sorts, this kind of high-quality art book is a central focus of what we're aiming for as a part of the tattoo community. However, we are also interested in carrying items that are not strictly educational but reflect an innovative attitude in helping to move the industry forward. In this spirit we're excited to announce the first equipment item in our catalog: Morphix Tube Grips.

After 22 years of tattooing, my hands are tired. I'm having to work with lighter machines and book shorter sessions, along with working shorter weeks. Over the course of time I've tried out a lot of different tubes and grips, trying to find the right weight, size and shape for my ailing hands. Last year I was introduced to a new product, the Morphix Humbolt grip, which over the course of time have replaced almost all the steel grips in my tube collection. I was initially impressed by the grip's unique design and the way it took into account the way the hand wants to naturally relax when it's in a clenched position. I was at first concerned that I would give up some maneuverability in exchange for more comfort, but was surprised to find that the Humbolt allowed for even greater freedom of movement than I had in standard tubular grips. After using them for over 18 months, I'm impressed enough with the long-term comfort and fatigue reduction that I am now offering them as an item at www.tattooeducation.com.

Morphix is currently offering two different designs: The Humbolt (my personal favorite), and the Flatiron, designed to automatically create a 45 degree angle with the skin to provide an ideal position for shading and coloring. Their composite material is heavier than a disposable tube but lighter than steel- this moderate weight has proven an ideal balance for my technique. They have also survived many trips through the autoclave, showing no deterioration even after 18 months of intensive use.

We are offering the grips individually, in case you just want to try them out, or in six-packs, where you'll save a lot on shipping. If you're looking to make your work day more productive at less of a cost to your long-term health, this product is a great place to start.

Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon!

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Sharp-Focus Realism In Oil by Nick Baxer for sale

11/3/10

November 3, 2010
Greetings from Tattoo Education!
Proton Press and Tattoo Education are excited to announce the release of Nick Baxter's groundbreaking new book, Sharp-Focus Realism In Oil. Renowned tattoo artist and oil painter Nick Baxter has condensed over 10 years of artistic knowledge into one book. Both formally schooled in oil painting at the college level and self-taught through years of honing his style in the tattoo industry, Nick brings these two worlds together into a simple formula in his specialty: Sharp-focus realism.

Aimed specifically at helping tattoo artists who are seeking to expand their artistic practice into a second medium, this book makes many helpful comparisons between the tattoo and painting mediums; at the same time, it encompasses enough information to be of immense value to all aspiring realist oil painters, from beginner to intermediate level. Nick discusses in-depth strategies for developing precise technical skills and a unique personal style, in the process revealing many of his own techniques and preferences including a groundbreaking section offering critical insight on the often-overlooked mental game of creating inspired works of art. 

Laced throughout with full-page color plates of a wide selection of Nick’s paintings throughout the years, this book will satisfy not only aspiring painters but also fans of Nick’s art, and of realism in general. First 200 copies come with a limited-edition autographed bookmark. Available now at our online store for only $60!
Thanks, and we'll be in touch soon with more high-quality new education products for the tattoo industry. 

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Mike Devries DVD Release

10/20/10

October 18, 2010 Greetings from Tattoo Education! Since we opened our doors last year, one of the significant instructors we've worked with is California color realist Mike DeVries, whose lush colorful technique has helped set the standard in what is possible with color realism. Although he is well known for his celebrity portraits, one of his great strengths lies in his animal portraits and wildlife realism. His new 2-disk DVD package, Get Real With Mike DeVries: Animal Style, focuses on this subject, and really outdoes his previous instructional packages: higher image quality, more camera angles, better music and essentially real-time editing. It covers topics such as Photoshop reference preparation, placement, stenciling, set-up, machines, needles, palette and ink choices, color mixing and other up-to-date tattooing techniques for producing this signature look.

For this DVD, he chose a full-color gorilla portrait and does the project start-to-finish, explaining new ideas and tricks throughout the process. Animals, portraits and realism go hand-in-hand, and you can apply many of the ideas discussed in this DVD toward things you already know but want to evolve into fresher techniques. This package is for the professional tattooist, or for apprentices learning in a supervised shop environment. It is meant to boost your already-existing skills and provide some new components to consider the next time you approach a realistic tattoo. Total running time for disk 1: 3 hours 38 minutes, disk 2: 3 hours 13 minutes. These two disks are chock-full of cutting edge tattoo technique; regardless of the style you work in, there's something for you.

If you are a fan of color realism, we also carry Mike's other Get Real DVD, which focuses on a more traditional color portrait, Tattooing Portraits with Nikko Hurtado, demonstrating this rising star's velvet-smooth realism methods, and Keith Ciaramello's Keep It Real, a fat 3-disk package focusing on all angles of color realism. Drop by our online store and check out our catalog today!

Thanks much- Guy Aitchison www.tattooeducation.com www.hyperspacestudios.com

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Introducing The Tattoo Community Project Pack!

8/13/10

One of the most exciting things about being part of the tattoo community is how many cool projects there are to get involved with. More than any other art scene, tattooists tend to be very comfortable working together on collaborations, performances and other art projects, allowing them to explore a wider range of techniques and styles than an artist would just working by themselves. Over the past decade we have been involved in a number of such projects, all of them very different from each other but each exploring a different aspect of vision, creativity and collaborative energy. In The Tattoo Community Project Pack, we feature books and DVDs from four of these projects: The ArtFusion Experiment, Scratch Art, Innerstate and Pint Size Paintings.

The ArtFusion Experiment  was started by renowned dark artist Paul Booth, working in conjunction with Filip Leu, Guy Aitchison and a host of other artists from around the world. The goal of this project was to put artists in situations where they were collaborating with other artists, both on skin and canvas, under pressure and with little chance to do any conventional planning. The results of these projects have been unpredictable, fun, frustrating and invigorating, giving the participants a unique look at a totally different approach to the creative process. Paul Booth produced the ArtFusion documentary based on these experiences, and it has become an important mainstay in many tattooists' video libraries.

The Scratch Art project  is the brainchild of Hyperspace Studios' Michele Wortman, who noticed that the scratchboard medium had many interesting parallels to tattooing and wondered what would happen if a large group of tattooists had a chance to try it out. The result is a fantastic collection of different imagery, styles and techniques, all done in the scratchboard medium. This 272 page book is absolutely chock full of surprising, innovative imagery from hundreds of tattooists, including some of the industry's biggest names.

Innerstate  was a 5 day gathering of 40 tattooists held in conjunction with the 2009 Hell City Tattoo Fest. The artists invited worked in many different styles, but all had one thing in common: Every one of them is not only an experienced tattooist but also a dedicated practitioner of some other artistic medium outside of skin art. After warming up for 2 days in private, the group completed their projects in a live public performance setting, all in the face of time and crowd pressure. It was very much in a similar spirit to the ArtFusion Experiment, but with a key difference: artists were encouraged to plan their projects ahead and spend the weekend bringing it to completion, as opposed to the ArtFusion goal, which was to mix and match different artists' visions in a random blend. After the Innerstate event, we produced a 100 page full-color book highlighting the event and featuring color plates of all the finished pieces in this surprising body of artwork; in addition, Guy Aitchison produced a 50 minute documentary about the experience.

Pint Size Paintings  is the invention of Hell City's Durb Morrison, who began experimenting with very small paintings and decided to ask the entire community to submit work for the project. All pieces are 2x3 inches, but the similarity ends there; as with the Scratch Art book, every variety of vision is represented here in vivid colorful detail. And like Scratch Art, it is a small book that you will find yourself flipping through again and again, and finding surprises each time.

This collection of 3 books and 2 DVDs would normally retail for a total of $145, and if you already have any of these items, they are all available separately. However, we are now offering a special bundle price for the whole collection- only $130 for everything. Fatten up your tattoo library today with these essential inspirational items. Makes for a great gift too!

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Complex tattoo coverup projects two

8/2/10

August 1, 2010

Greetings from Tattoo Education!

This is the second in a series of complex tattoo coverup projects that I'm chronicling here at tattooeducation.com. In last month's entry I showed a backpiece in progress, covering a relatively light pair of old angel wings that had plenty of open space in them. This time I'll be showing a different type of project, where the unwanted tattoo is dark, dense and fills a significant part of the zone that the new design will occupy. This is a classic coverup challenge, and at stake is not only the ability to hide the unwanted tattoo, but also to create a new piece that does not have the dense, muddy appearance of an obvious coverup tattoo. The client had a torch design centered in his upper arm, filled with detail and without much open space within the design. There isn't much color apart from the red in the flames, which will be incorporated into the color scheme of the new tattoo.

After working out the basic idea in my sketchbook, I drew the design on the skin using Sharpie markers, starting with a yellow marker and working my way to darker colors as the design was dialed in more. By starting with a light marker, you can prevent a dark and muddy finished drawing and avoid the need to use alcohol to erase and correct the design as you go. In this case we opted for an abstract design incorporating a strong, easily readable S-curve, plus a second layer of flowing organic elements. I made as much effort as possible toward working with existing details in the old design and converting them into usable details in the new drawing.

One widespread misconception among much of the tattoo community is the idea that you are covering the old tattoo with the new one. In reality, once two years or so have passed, all remaining pigment in the new piece will have settled into the same layers of skin as the old unwanted tattoo; therefore, you are mixing tattoos, not covering one with another. So it is essential to plan as much as possible on using the old piece as a foundation for the new one. You can see how the shapes in the new design make use of the strongest (and hardest to hide) aspects of the older piece. In the first session I laid the whole thing out with a 5 magnum, lines included, then skimmed through it with a 7 round to clean up the lines, strengthen the edges of the dark areas and give strength to any details that were placed in the design with the purpose of masking old stuff. Since time was limited, not much color got done; instead, I concentrated my efforts on rendering detail in the coverup zone, and, near the end of the session, packed white pigment in over the remaining exposed parts of the old piece. Although white will not cover darker pigments, it can lighten them by a small amount- after healing, roughly 7-12%. Enough to be worth doing.

Six months of settling later we did another pass. This also had to be a relatively short session because of time constraints, so even though it was tempting to work on the rendering of the non-coverup parts of the piece, I knew these areas would only need one pass, so I continued to focus on the coverup area. This is a good practice- in a multi-session coverup, it's important to spend at least part of every session layering over the coverup area so that by the time the whole piece is finished it will look more or less even with the non-coverup parts. I have seen cases where the artist evidently was not eager to work on the hard parts and finished all the easy parts first, causing the client to have to come in more times for what must have seemed like less satisfying sessions... so keeping the focus on the harder parts from the very beginning of the process will get you ahead of the game. Here you can see the healed results of the first session, followed by the fresh photo of the second pass where I packed color through the whole upper coil, hiding the dark red flame, and another layer of white over the still-exposed lower parts. You can also see how, in this pass, I focused on sharpening the details that are crucial in hiding the unwanted tattoo.

Below is a healed shot of this second pass, another six months down the line. You can see how the two passes of white have had a small but significant impact on lightening the unwanted piece... not enough to ever dream of making unwanted tattoos invisible by whiting over them, of course, but enough to make a noticeable difference in the overall clarity of the new tattoo. This time we were able to sit for a healthy long session, where I started by using a 13 magnum to pack color through the whole piece. During this stage I worked at deepening the organic background areas while keeping the foreground shapes lighter; I also focused on trying to bring the coverup and non-coverup parts of the shiny coil material into roughly the same value range- crucial for hiding the old piece.

With a solid pass of pigment through the whole tattoo, I then went through with black and a 7 round to re-darken the outlines and bring more focus to the details, while at the same time making sure not to go too dark with any of the foreground features. This helps to sharpen and define the new design while pushing the old one deeper into history. Next, still using the 7 round, I continued sharpening and refining edges and details using color, especially in the red chrome effects in the coils, which are an important part of the coverup strategy, since the reflective details are capable of covering unwanted old details without breaking the continuity of the large foreground shapes that give the new design its bold graphic impact.

Finally comes the next pass of white highlights; many of these are placed in areas that have been left blank for the purpose of highlights. Some white is also packed over strategic areas within the coverup zone, although this time, instead of attempting to lighten whole areas, small points are being pushed a bit lighter to give the piece a sense of sparkle.

I fully expect to make one final pass on this piece to really be able to call it finished, but you get the basic idea: Rather than simply blasting over the old piece with anything we wanted, I carefully designed the new one to be able to incorporate some of the movements and details of the old piece, guaranteeing a cleaner overall result. Also, instead of just going dark over the coverup zone (making the new piece into an obvious coverup- and if that's the case, why even bother...?) I made an effort to break the tattoo into clear light and dark areas with strong contrast between them, and carry this high-contrast look through both the coverup and non-coverup parts of the project. You can see how some strategic detail can go further in hiding an old piece than a field of dark color would. Next time you have a coverup project in your schedule, try applying some of these principles and see if you can't make it look a lot less like a coverup.

Also this week, I have a couple new entries in the Ask Guy section of the site, this time focusing on pigment reactions, general inspiration and developing more of a steady hand. Check it out, and feel free to post any of your own questions... the more challenging, the better. Happy tattooing!

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Greetings from TattooEducation!

7/2/10

I just did a second pass on a big backpiece coverup tattoo project I've been working on this year, and thought I'd share the photos and talk a little about my strategy. This was a backpiece request, something to cover a pair of fairly old, semi-faded undersized angel wings:

Now, the traditional approach to coverup tattoo projects has always been to go dark, and try to overwhelm the old tattoo. The problem with this approach is that the outlines of the old tattoo almost always show through, even with solid black tribal work, making the piece look like an obvious coverup. Part of the reason for this is a fundamental misunderstanding of coverup tattoos. In reality, you don't cover the old tattoo- you mix it with the new one. All of the pigment particles from both tattoos, old and new, will ultimately reside in the same layers of skin, once the healing and settling have taken place. Knowing this, the best way to hide an old tattoo is to try to absorb it into the new one. Fortunately, my client's request was for a totem pole made of birds, meaning that I could hide the feathery pattern of the old tattoo in the feathery details in the new piece. With the right amount of detail, the new tattoo should be able to capitalize on what's already there. In this stencil, you can see how this works:

For larger work, I tattoo most efficiently on many types of projects by starting magnum first. In this case, I used a 5 magnum, which has very low skin resistance, allowing for quick work. It's also a small enough needle group to rough in bold lines while being wide enough and spread enough to permit some basic rough shading and color gradients. In this first step, I aimed to work the detail in such a way to help conceal the old tattoo as much as possible, without creating a dark region in the tattoo:

At this point, the old tattoo is already starting to get buried in the new one. The next step, though, allows for selective saturation in just the right places: the tightening stage. After finishing with that initial magnum pass, working with a 5 or 7 round permits the refinement of edges and cleanup and darkening of key details, in such a way as to make the tattoo much stronger:

This consists of darkening the bold lines made with the 5 magnum and saturating the feathery details in such a way as to incorporate and camouflage the old outlines. The old tattoo is really starting to fade into history here. After that, I had to move pretty quickly with the color, since the client was in pain and needed me to finish as quickly as I could. Since I knew we'd have another chance at a later date to really saturate the color, I focused on the coverup areas and laid down as much color as possible in that short time using a 13 magnum. At the very end, I switched to a small magnum and blasted white over the remaining obvious coverup areas:

In this first session, I deliberately aimed a little light, knowing I would have a second (and third, if necessary) chance to add more detail, saturate the color more and do whatever necessary to really hide the old piece. I knew this first pass would heal light, which it did:

However, it made for a really solid foundation for the second pass. This time through, I first got into it with a 5 round to work all the detail, using a combination of black and color to try hiding the remaining unwanted old detail. I then made a thorough second pass with a 13 mag through all the color, then resaturated it in key places with a 7 mag. With the magnum pass finished, I spun through one last time with the 7 round and some of the lighter colors, then some white highlights:

 This tattoo is not necessarily finished- I anticipate needing a final pass through the coverup zone, darkening the details another step and going deeper and more saturated with the color in select places. A big part of the job, though, is in also adding similar amounts of detail and rich color throughout the whole backpiece, as such:

Part of the art of coverup tattoos is in accepting that a small amount of the old tattoo may be visible, and distracting the eye from that with strong detail and movement. Using large areas of black shading over the old wings would not have made the piece look any less like a coverup- on the contrary, it would look even more like one.

I plan on putting together the big book on coverup tattoos in 2011. In the meantime, though, you can learn all kinds of great stuff from the items in our existing catalog, including detailed techniques on all styles of tattooing. Remember that many of the items in our catalog are only shipped to professional tattoo studios- you don't want to be the tattooist doing the work that we have to cover up!

Happy tattooing, and I will be in touch soon!

Guy Aitchison
www.tattooeducation.com
www.hyperspacestudios.com
www.protonpress.com

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Innerstate the movie, and some more ask Guy Aitchison answers

6/3/10

 In May of 2009 at the Hell City Tattoo Fest in Columbus Ohio, we hosted the Innerstate live painting performance. At this event, we challenged 40 of the tattoo industry's most innovative artists to each produce a work of fine art, based on their own personal inner visions, in a live performance setting. The list of participants is a tattoo community powerhouse, including Nick Baxter, Shawn Barber, Kim Saigh, Markus Lenhard, Nikko Hurtado, Jeff Ensminger, Jon Clue, Juan Salgado, Nate Beavers, Jen Schichi, Chris Dingwell, Christopher Gay, Gabriel Cece, Steve Morris, Don McDonald, Tim Creed, Craig Driscoll, Phil Robertson, Kimberly Reed, Jennifer Billig, Marty Holcomb, Muriel Zao, Mike Cole, Adrian Dominic, Jeff Gogue, Patrick Conlon, Damon Conklin, Lizi Sage, Cory Norris, Ricky McGee, Timothy Boor, Dee Dee Seruga, Jay Strange, Tim Plumley, Dan Plumley, Canman, Juan Lopez, Carson Hill, Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortman, with guest artists Hannah Aitchison and Jo Harrison.

Innerstate: The Movie is a 50 minute documentary film featuring interviews with the artists and an inside look at their visions, techniques, concerns and goals. It's a fast-paced film with a great soundtrack, perfect for your tattoo shop video library. It comes with a 100 page full-color softcover book with additional interviews and quotes from the artists, photos of some of the event's highlights and gorgeous full-page color plates of the finished pieces. If you are a tattooist with any interest in working in a second medium, this book and DVD are highly recommended; the package is also an ideal gift for any tattoo fans who enjoy the fine art produced within the tattoo community. 

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Innerstate Book & DVD For Sale

6/1/10

  was a one-of-a-kind tattoo fine art event hosted by Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortman at the 2009 Hell City Tattoo Fest in Columbus, Ohio. At this event, we challenged 40 of the tattoo industry's most innovative artists to each produce a work of fine art, based on their own personal inner visions, in a live performance setting. The list of participants is a tattoo community powerhouse, including Nick Baxter, Shawn Barber, Kim Saigh, Markus Lenhard, Nikko Hurtado, Jeff Ensminger, Jon Clue, Juan Salgado, Nate Beavers, Jen Schichi, Chris Dingwell, Christopher Gay, Gabriel Cece, Steve Morris, Don McDonald, Tim Creed, Craig Driscoll, Phil Robertson, Kimberly Reed, Jennifer Billig, Marty Holcomb, Muriel Zao, Mike Cole, Adrian Dominic, Jeff Gogue, Patrick Conlon, Damon Conklin, Lizi Sage, Cory Norris, Ricky McGee, Timothy Boor, Dee Dee Seruga, Jay Strange, Tim Plumley, Dan Plumley, Canman, Juan Lopez, Carson Hill, Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortman, with guest artists Hannah Aitchison and Jo Harrison.

Produced by veteran tattooist Guy Aitchison, Innerstate: The Movie is a 50 minute documentary film featuring interviews with the artists and an inside look at their visions, techniques, concerns and goals. It's a fast-paced film with a great soundtrack, perfect for your tattoo shop video library. It comes with a 100 page full-color softcover book with additional interviews and quotes from the artists, photos of some of the event's highlights and gorgeous full-page color plates of the finished pieces. If you are a tattooist with any interest in working in a second medium, this book and DVD are highly recommended; the package is also an ideal gift for any tattoo fans who enjoy the fine art produced within the tattoo community. $50.00

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Guy Aitchison and Don McDonald's back tattoo, and proton press website launch!

4/19/10

 Sunday, April 18, 2010

This past week has been chock full of creative fun here at Hyperspace Studios. Twice a year, Pittsburgh tattooer Don McDonald comes by to swap work and collaborate on various projects- you can find a lot of these pieces in the Hyperspace Collab Gallery. This week we started a backpiece on Baltimore tattooist Markuss Decker. Although Don and I have done some large collab tattoo projects, we had yet to tackle a back and were curious to see how it would go. We normally work with both of us tattooing at the same time when we collaborate, so we had some small concerns about Markuss being able to cope with what would certainly be a worse pain situation than a collab sleeve.

We started out the process by getting a clear photo of Markuss' back and doing a number of pencil drawings. Although there is some coverup involved, there had already been a very effective laser session, so we could proceed more or less normally. Once we had a handful of pencil drawings that we liked, we then used Photoshop to composite together our favorite parts of each drawing into one design, then use the Photoshop paint tools to clean it up and hammer it into a cohesive overall design:

After that, I had the design printed life-size on canvas, stretched it on canvas stretchers and sent it to Don's studio, where he did a thorough pass with oil paints. Then, last Wednesday, he and I spent a day tweaking the painting with Markuss and his boss John hanging out providing entertainment. Eventually we got it to a point where we felt ready to proceed with the tattoo:

The following day we stenciled on the top two-thirds of the piece and got a good long session in, with both of us working. Markuss hated it but could cope. You know how, when you're getting tattooed, it sucks but you have this sense of it being worth it because progress is happening? One great thing about getting double-teamed like this is that although the pain is nowhere near double the normal amount, the progress definitely is doubled. After a good night's sleep we stenciled the lower part and drew in the back of the neck, which ties in with the awesome throat sleeve that Don had already done on him. After a few more hours, we got the whole thing to this point:

I don't like sending clients home with just an outline... usually I work magnum first, so that generally wouldn't be an option in any case. What we have here is not only a solid and built-up set of linework but also a good shaded and colored foundation for the whole thing. We'll be doing a couple more sessions on this in November and two more again a year from now- by then it should look pretty cool.

As always, if you and another artist are interested in collaborating on skin, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have your design thoroughly hashed out ahead of time before you take it to skin. If you are both on the same page, great things can happen at an amazingly fast rate. Without a plan, though, you can get mud.

On a totally different note, we just launched a new music website at www.protonpress.com. For starters we are featuring 5 musical projects, 3 of them by tattooists but all of them from within the tattoo community. Proton Press Music is focusing on instrumental music in a variety of styles including dark ambient, punchy electro, experimental psychedelic, heavy crunchy dub step and some gorgeous atmospheric guitar soundscapes. We have a free music player there, so drop by and give it a listen... if you like anything there is a download link and a place to order hard copy CDs. On May 22 at Hell City, we'll be hosting a live performance of all 5 of these acts on Saturday night after the contests... if you have any interest at all in music, try not to take any late appointments that night!

Last but not least, I just posted several new questions and answers at the Ask Guy page including information on stencil longevity, disposable tubes and issues related to copying other people's tattoos. As always, I encourage you to send me your own questions- the tougher, the better... and I'll do my best with them.

I'll post more cool stuff soon!

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Tattoo Prodigies, Hell City, and more!

4/2/10

 It's been a big month, and this last couple weeks in particular have been packed with events. I am still working on the final edit of the Innerstate documentary film, which we intend to release at the Columbus Hell City convention in May. We'll be having a debut screening for the film at midnight on Friday, May 21 at the show. If you are working that convention, be sure not to overbook yourself that day!

In addition, we have taken delivery of Mike Devries' latest book, Tattoo Prodigies, which we here at Proton Press teamed up with Mike and Memento Publishing to bring you this gorgeous oversized hardcover volume featuring some of the best tattoo art being produced today. Whether you are an artist or a serious collector, Tattoo Prodigies is jam-packed with inspirational eye candy in all styles and flavors. We now have it in our catalog at tattooeducation.com, so be the first in your town to own it! Perfect for your lobby, or the private bookshelf over your work station.

We plan on holding a big book release party at Hell City on the same night as the Innerstate premiere. This will feature 3 amazing new tattoo community group book projects: First, there will be Tattoo Prodigies, which I just described. Next comes Innerstate, which is not only going to be featured that night as a documentary film but will also be in the form of an 80 page paperback book that will come with the DVD of the documentary describing one of the most eye-popping art events ever to happen in tattooing. Finally comes Pint Sized Paintings, a tiny but huge book of epic little works in paint by a wide variety of tattoo artists. Released by Durb Morrison of Hell City, this book is a unique expression of the creativity happening in our industry.

Speaking of Durb, I finally got away from my desk the other day and did a couple days of work on the ongoing biomech project  I'm doing on his leg and foot. The foot in particular is turning out really cool... but this brings up a chance to talk about a rare but important healing issue. Most of you probably wrap your clients in some kind of non-sick barrier such as plastic wrap. This is important for protecting the tattoo and keeping it from sticking to their clothing or bedsheets, especially in the first hours after the session. However, I have noticed that on hands and feet in particular, leaving these areas wrapped for too long can cause the skin to prune up really dramatically, as if immersed in a bathtub for too long. Furthermore, this pruning does not readily go away and in my opinion, after observing this enough times, causes healing issues and significant color loss. The answer is simple: Wrap these areas for a short time- 45 minutes to 1 hour- and then clean them and let them air out, blotting occasionally to prevent body fluid buildup from forming a scab. For foot tattoos, keeping the foot elevated for the first day will reduce seepage (and pain as well!).

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New Ask Guy stuff posted: Tattooing older skin, sun-damaged skin and thin skin

3/11/10

Thursday, March 11, 2010

This month I am an editing fool... pretty much doing nothing except for working on the Innerstate documentary, which is just about done. It looks like a Hell City release date is totally doable... but if you can't be at that show this year to check it out, I'll let you all know when the documentary is available. It will come with a glossy 96 page book as well.

I just added some new Q&A material to the Ask Guy page, including some stuff about working on older sun-damaged skin, plus dealing with the thin skin on the inside wrist and bicep, which can be prone to blowouts. As always, I invite you to send me your favorite, most frustrating questions about tattooing... and I'll do my best to provide clear answers.

I did actually get a little tattooing done this month, including this Egyptian backpiece tattoo I'm working on for D.C. tattooist Matthew Wojociewski. A little inking makes all the hours at the computer more tolerable. Plus, Matthew does great tattoos, and I always enjoy catching up with him and checking out his latest work. My next appointment will be in a week... I'll be working on Hell City's Durb Morrison, and we'll be brainstorming about what to do this year in the Hell City Special Events Room. Lots of fun stuff happening!

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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!

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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.

 

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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.
 

 

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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.

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!

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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

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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.

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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.

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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/.

 

 

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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".

 

 

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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

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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!

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