Easter's been and gone ... off to uni I go ...

Well back at uni and in full swing.

Had a work in progress meeting which I was just dreading, mainly because I had gone back to the original way of working, with paint instead of the transfer process. However the work in progress went surprisingly well, with understanding why I had gone back to the paintings, I received good feedback and tips on how to take it further...

 I was recommended in during this work in progress as an off shoot and for maybe some inspiration, to watch Alfred's Hitchcock's 'Birds' (1963). Known for being creepy and little scary I was slightly put off because I don't deal well with anything that's a creepy or scary. However I did take myself off to purchose the film, to find it HMV had sold out. - I am now considering trying to find some you tube clips, but I will I get it not watching it all the way through?

25/04 - 01/05 :: Week summary

★ Easters been and gone... off to uni I go...

Gigs, gigs and more gigs ..

I wanted to share with you my new found love for live gigs, especially but Marches Court and Vault of Eagles.
They are both local bands form back home.

I recently witnessed Marches Court's first gig at the Cock and Magpie in Bewdley, which happens to be owned by the girlfriend of Dave, the lead singer from Naked Remedy!
Ben Green the lead singer from Marches Court has got a great voice, and once the band has a full drum kit I believe there will be know stopping them! Check them out on there website: Marches Court.
Also check out the lead singer in facebook by clicking on his name above and watch out for more gigs, they are well worth a listen, especially if your into bluesy/soft rock music. :)

This weekend my friend 'Mrs Brand' (because she loves Russell Brand), got us involved in a mini roadtrip to Malaven with the Vault of Eagles. I had never met or seen the Vault of Eagles live, only experienced them via their website (click here)  ! This band blowed the bar away at The Great Malven  Hotel on Saturday night and was so happy to have witnessed it! The members of the band are: Mari - lead guitarist and vocalist, Hetty - base guitarist and backing vocals and Scott - drums!
I got talking to all the members and they were all really nice, quirky in there own way and they love what they do ! :)  Scott and I  got talking about tattoos, he found out about me learning the art of tattooing and he showed me an old tattoo he wants made bigger - so watch this space hopefully I'll be tattooing the Vault of Eagles drummer this summer! :)

Being surrounded by other creative souls, really give me the buzz and love of loving something. I get asked a lot if I get nervous when I'm tattooing someone, I always answer the same, 'the first time I was because I was like 'Bloody hell, I'm acting tattooing someones skin" (That someone being my mother) but no I don't get nervous, because it's what I do. I couldn't even tell you the first time I drew something, because I've been doing it for the that long.
Scott was the same he constantly gets asked if he gets nervous before he goes on stage, and his answers always the same. 'Know it's what I do, there's nothing to be nervous about, it\s a great buzz.'

I do have a love music and live gigs are the best. I find they always give me a buzz and gets my creative juices flowing, even though I don't have a musical bone in my body and my musical knowledge is pretty lame. Listening and enjoying is enough for me to be inspired to create the way I create.

Now look at those paintings...

After my relief of deciding to go back to my painted illustrations, I soon got back into my painting stride and I created these:

 

Not only do I enjoying creating these kind of illustrations way more than the 'transferred onto skin', it allows me to capture the colourfulness of The Demon Girl book. 

The 'transferred onto skin' illustrations were created in a way you would not normally see illustrations created, however the fact that the process to creating those illustrations was different, it was this that I liked the most about those illustrations. One of my tutors said that she wanted to see, better photography ie with a better camera, but I did take them with a digital camera. The slight blur and patchy-ness of the illustrations was purely from the way the carbon paper transferred onto skin and there is nothing you can do about it, and I think this played a major element in those illustrations - it's not like you are tattooing over the carbon transfer to make the illustration extra special - the transfer is just a transfer.

After much frustration... there is a break through! (Thank god for college friends)

After weeks of frustration, and being disheartened with my FMP.  A sign of inspiration came through in the form of two old friends in the pub.

While being back home over the Easter break I met up with to old college friends at one of my favorite pubs back home.  They are also studying BA (hons) Illustration at Birmingham Uni, we were discussing our FMP's and I was telling them about how my tutors felt that my painting wasn't the way to go and that I should use a different process, and to say they were shocked was an understatement "You've been painting forever, what do they mean they have never seen you paint? Just because they don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist".

I actually showed them my painted Illustrations which I did at the start of the project, followed by my 'transferred onto skin' illustrations. They were much more impressed with the painted illustrations than the 'transferred onto skin' illustrations.
There and then I decided to go back to my painted illustrations, I've always felt that they have captured The Demon Girl book far better. I would rather stay to what I feel is true to the book, and do what I enjoy doing for my final weeks at uni.

Lets get painting ...

18/04 24/04 - Week Summary.

★ After much frustration... there is a break through! (Thank go for college friends)
★ Now look at those paintings ...
★ Gigs, gigs and more gigs ...
★ Plan of action:

Cancellation of Ink.... Plus a little Naked Remedy!

Well my tattoo has been canceled due to my tattooist car breaking down, and him not being able to get his studio! Which I am totally gutted about but what can you do, it will just have to wait.

On the plus side I went to a Naked Remedy gig. Naked Remedy are a local band in my home town, the band is made up of Tom and Nave on guitar and Dave on lead vocal's and drums. Click the link below if you want a feel of Naked Remedy.

 naked remedy - live recording

They are best heard live and in person, so check out their website for more gig and band info :)

naked remedy website


I have not seen a live band for over a year, and I loved it. It really gives you a true feel for the music and there is now for the band/musicians to hide when their on stage; so you know when you see a live band play what your getting is truly them. OK maybe not all the time, and there are many tricks and exceptions to this rule, but surely you get where I'm coming from so lets not get technical about it all.
Hearing live music definitely puts me in a good mood and gets my creativeness flowing. Which hopefully inspires me to create something amazing, from a random drawing , to that painting I've been trying to get onto canvas, to designing a tattoo. Being around creativeness, whatever that creativeness might be, really inspires my own creativeness.

On going addiction ... More ink please!!

Getting my sugar skull started tomorrow - being tattooed by Robert Bowers!

I can not wait!!

Introducing the musical captain ...

As you can clearly see I have been struggling with this project over the last few weeks, also over the last few weeks I have Been talking to a friend (lets call him musical captain) quite a lot who has a big passion for music and he keeps sending me random ‘you tube’ links. Such as; Johnny Lang, The tallest man on earth, Free, Interference, etc
In his own words; “I’m a bit of a music snob”, he stated this after he was about to take the piss out of me for liking p!nk! “HA yes P!nk I like her and I don’t care so sssshhh with you music ‘stuck-up-ness’ haha “
No, in all honesty my musical knowledge is not fantastic mainly because I suck at remembering names and song title's and I have no musical ability in me what so ever. However, my ipod is never far from my side; my ipod is full of memories and not a day goes by when my music doesn't pass my ears. 

Musical captain does have some pretty random but pretty awesome music choices that just seem to make me smile! They keep me calm and de-stress me form my work a little. Don’t think this his intention when he shares his music taste with me, he his just sharing his passion and his music passion is saving me from totally falling out with my work.
Oh congrats musical captain on the gig this weekend!

(Here are some of my favourite’s that musical captain has sent me.)

James Yorkston
Joy Division
Jack Kerouac

Musical captain also got my thinking about some of my old favourites too:

The Smiths
Otis Redding


:)

I'll let the music do the talking!

Struggling!

Being back home for easter is such a stressful busier time than actually being at uni.

Having to work during the week, having people queuing up to get tattoos, plus having to find time to do uni work! Fitting it all in is difficult keeping my inspiration and motivation up to do uni work is even more difficult!
How is the uni work going? In all honestly I’m struggling! Loss of inspiration and motivation is really dragging me down, because I want to do something great and I know time is ticking by rapidly!
I have managed to do another illustration, which I transferred and photographed on my mom’s thigh. (see below).

This is suppose to illustration the chapter in the book where Breandan turns up outside the Temple with his ‘glamour’ (appearing in his human form) up, wanting to see Rae.
Has you can see this is not the greatest illustration, they are two obvious and the boy could be anyone. There is no subtle indication that the boy in the image is a demon.
The idea to show a subtle hint that the boy in the illustration is a demon came as a very late after thought which it why one doesn’t exist in the image.
My heart and mind was definitely not in this illustration, my heart and mind haven’t been in my uni wokr since I have been back for easter. I know this is the most important project though out uni but I just want uni to be over, so I can get on with my life and what I really want to do!

The above illustration was so ‘naff’, I decided to take my frustration out on a canvas. This is what has came out so far:

As you can see this is still based on The Demon Girl, and is obviously not finished. This doesn’t look to fantastic at the moment but I’m hoping my love for painting will take over and this will turn into something great.




....

11/04 - 17/4 :: Week summary ★

★ Struggling!
★ Introducing the musical captain ...
★ On going addiction .... more ink please!
★ Cancellation of ink .... Plus a little Naked Remedy.

This may be of interest to you...

For the Forever Exhibition and PANDKG Magazine I was asked to right short bio, about myself and my work. This is the hardest thing to do; you want it to be interesting and honest without it sounding too honest, boring or/and cocky.

After several attempts, of writing, re-writing and re-writing again, I ended up with this:

(HAPPY READING - Don't judge me too much :/ )


I have had a passion for creativity since I can remember and been obsessed with tattoos since I was around the age of twelve - Asking my parents “When I’m 18 can I get a tattoo?”  - I never quite made it to my 18th birthday.
I got my first tattoo when a boy at my primary school jabbed his pencil into my finger, leaving a pencil mark. I got my first real tattoo a few days before my 17th birthday; I took a friend and my mom to a rough looking local tattoo shop, and got some stars tattooed onto my right foot. I’ve been addicted to ink ever since. (Now on my sixteenth.)
I am currently in my third year at Solent University studying for a degree in Illustration, while trying to make my mark within the tattoo world and I am currently seeking a tattoo apprenticeship. I know how I feel when I get a tattoo, and being able to make others feel that same way would be an honour. I believe that everybody has a story, and in many cases they have many stories, some happy, some sad, some inspirational, some heart shattering.
“Getting a tattoo is a journey not a destination” - Vince Hemington, tattoo historian.
I don’t want a job to make money, I want to do what I love - to create. I’m a firm believer in if you want something enough you will find a way to get it; and nothing thats worth having, ever comes easy! So my advice for others like myself? Take the knock backs on the chin, have faith in what you do, and keep trying! If you want it enough you’ll get there!
From a young age (turning 22 years young this July) I was always imaginative and creative, art was my strongest subject at school. However, I really found my passion for art during my BTEC National Diploma at Dudley College. During my final major project (FMP) for my BTEC, we could do what we wished so of course I went for my passion; body art! I ended up painting onto my friends bare skin, and photographing my creations. Even though uni has been fun and quite a journey, I can not wait to finish and start doing what I have always loved - Painting and tattooing!
When it comes to creating images I have a certain way of working, I love to learn the stories behind images whether they are paintings, drawing or tattoos. A lot of my tattoo inspirations leak into my work. I also love to paint on a large scale (my favourite paint is definitely acrylics) and practice tattooing as much as possible, which will hopefully help towards getting a tattoo apprenticeship.
I love expressing my stories and emotions onto canvas via my paintings, and getting them tattooed onto my body via ink, my body shows my story.
Besides my passion for art and addiction to ink, I have another addiction, shoes! With owning over a hundred pairs and having a tattoo showing my love for my footwear. One of my other hobby is photographing feet (in shoes) mainly my own, in the many pairs of shoes I own. One of my ambitions is to display these photographs that I have collected over the years, in a one off exhibition.
I plan to draw forever and open up my own tattoo/art studio with adjoining tea shop one day, where my clients can relax, and view my art work, in a friendly unique ‘english tea’ atmosphere. There's many places, and cultures I’d love to explore, because the world is massive gorgeous place to be! …

Seeking tattoo apprenticeship ...

Dawnii Fantana, who runs Painted Lady Northfield, Birmingham. and who also put together the Forever Exhibition as offered to show my portfolio to any tattoo studios who are after an apprentice.

After getting images printed professionally and sorting out which images to place in my portfolio. I gathered a selection of my paintings, tattoo designs and tattoos.

This afternoon I took my portfolio round to Dawnii's shop, to her find her busy tattooing and taking several phone calls - she is one busy lady, but always seems to have time for people!
It's nice to see such a good tattoo business which is ran by women in this predominantly male industry. It proves it can be done and that there is room for more along side it!

She took my portfolio and business cards, and said she would keep in touch!.

We also talked about the Forever exhibition and she said she would let me know about next years show!

So watch this space baby!!

:)

pandkg magazine continued ...

....

It took me another several days for me to compose a 500 words bio of myself, my work, my passions and inspirations, and to select which 12 - 20 images i wanted to send to the magazine.
Want to know what I sent? You'll have to wait for the magazine to come out - I will keep you posted!!

Peace.

04/04 - 10/04:: week summary ★

★ pandkg magazine continued
★ Seeking tattoo apprenticeship
★ This may be of interest to you...