Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches X

Hello my lovelies, hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Thursday- complete with your favorite foods, friends and family members. This week I'm bringing you yet another small set of personal illustrations from my sketchbook explorations. I'm still on a blind, beauty kick, but it seems as though these ladies are a little less preoccupied with pain and a little more aware of their surroundings.

Thanks for checking in-

and take care until next time...

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches IX

Wow, it's already been a year since I first started spending time at Guru Tattoo...

Soon I will start my apprentice tattoos, and even though I've had all this time to watch and learn from not only Cooper, but the rest of the Guru crew, the idea of tattooing someone in such a prestigious environment is still rather nerve-wracking. Hopefully I can make everyone proud by putting what I've learned to the test. But in the meantime, I'm still drawing away on paper... doing what I can to get ready for that day when I perform my first apprentice tattoo at Guru.

In between Cooper's assignments, I've been inspired to draw some beautiful, blind beauties with broken hearts- not sure why... but they just happened one day... so please enjoy my blue bumblings.

Thanks for checking in-
and take care until next time...


xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches VIII

Cooper's approach to tattooing, via an animation filter, has been not only fascinating but an interesting challenge. I never expected to learn tattooing through this particular lens of illustration, but I feel grateful for all of the insights resulting from his unique perspective. To my surprise, cartooning and animation illustration have provided an excellent bridge for me to more easily understand different methods with which to create a simplified image designed for the body. 

The assignment, featured in today's post, exemplifies the spirit of animation as well as how a cartoon can translate into an interesting, well crafted tattoo. I had a lot of fun exploring different personalities, emotions and characters through these images, and I hope you enjoy some more of my humble beginnings as a tattoo artist.
 

 Thanks for checking in-

and take care until next time...

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches VII

This is what happens when my brain has just about had it with everything that's going on at work, home and my personal life... Cooper is outrageously patient and he understands that sometimes you can push the brain and the body a bit too far... so he gives me a little leeway now and again to indulge in my more idiotic pursuits... so long as I get the rest of my work done.

Please enjoy some necessary "brain drains" from my sketchbook... and don't be afraid to indulge your own tantrums -when no one is looking. The holiday season is approaching fast, so take a minute for yourself and use all that nasty anxiety in a constructive way... or deconstructive way... 

whatever works best for you. 

 

Thanks for checking in

and take care until next time!

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches VI

We're only one day away from the Halloween debauchery ladies and gentleman... I'm so incredibly excited I can't even deal with myself... wow... So let the 24 hour countdown begin... and to help you pass the time, please enjoy these illustrations of yet another assignment from Cooper involving the legendary Phoenix, some more snakes and some roses.

Thanks for checking in 

and take care until next time!

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches V

I hope you all have your costumes ready for the Halloweenie Holiday... just around the corner... I'm still trying to figure out how to dress myself or even compose myself for that matter... it's every dark heart's favorite time of year, where we get to play up those animal instincts on all the spooky levels... But before I can cut a rug with the rest of you ghoulish bugs, here are some images from my sketchbook to get you in the spirit of the season for screamin'. 

Coop always says you can never draw enough snakes, skulls and roses... and then I think to myself... fuck yeah... of course you can never draw enough snakes, skulls and roses... pssshhh... why the hell wouldn't you? 

It took me a little while to get the hang of drawing a believable skull over and over again from memory, but here are some examples as a result of multiple skull assignments over the past few months. I wish I had put a quarter next to these thumbnails, most of these little sketches aren't much bigger than a silver dollar... but hey, they say size doesn't matter, right?

Thanks for checking in

and take care until next time!

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches IV

I don't know if I'm ever going to adequately explain how thorough Cooper is among an industry filled with so many wild cards. From the get go, Cooper had an intricate set of assignments planned within an even more organized timeline for my apprenticeship. 

"We're going to divide this apprenticeship into three parts. The first part will be the bulk of your first year and it will include drawing here at the shop under time limitations as well as illustration assignments at home. The second part will encompass all of the technical skills needed to understand the mechanics of your tattoo machine and equipment. Part three will be the heavily supervised application of tattoos." 

It was pretty intimidated by the work load, to say the least, but the structure of Cooper's apprenticeship helped me to mentally transition into the fast paced, carnival hustle of a well-functioning street shop. When the assignments began, Cooper didn't hesitate to start familiarizing me with some of the more cliché tattoo themes that I would most likely run into from walk-in customers.

"You need to have a skill set that will allow you to take whatever request walks in that door. And until that starts happening, I'm going to give you a list of tattoo genres that would be beneficial for you to know and at least execute well."

Whether a tattoo is cliché or not... all of them seem pretty rad to me. The images below are one example of the many assignments from Cooper preparing me for whatever might walk-in the doors of a tattoo shop. 

This episode is highlighting the "floating or severed head" tattoo theme. 

Thanks for checking in
and take care until next time!

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches III

Aaron Della Vedova (tattoo artist and owner of Guru Tattoo) and his wife Holly Della Vedova (mommy extraordinaire and co-owner of Guru Tattoo) have created an incredibly professional as well as inspirational environment for artists and clients alike. Everyday I walk through those glassy, double doors I can't help but feel honored by the fact that I get to be surrounded by so many talented, hard working artists. It's definitely intimidating and motivating at the same time... I really hope that one day my tattooing will be up to par with these individuals. 

Since the official inception of the apprenticeship I've had the privilege of observing Cooper, a master craftsman in his element, from conception to creation to execution as he methodically plans out every single one of his epic tattoos. Watching the other artists around the shop is pretty mind-blowing as well... I love how everyone's approach to a tattoo is so different. From the way someone handles a client, to the way someone plots and preps the part of the body that will receive a fresh new tattoo... not to mention the different techniques all the artists use when implementing a tattoo.

Hats off to Aaron and Holly 
for assembling such an incredible array 
of time tested talent.

But enough gushing... I could do that all day... 
here are some more early illustrations from Cooper's assignments.

Thanks for checking in
and take care until next time!

xoxo