Book Signing Party : Count Down! : 3...

Hello to all of you beautiful people caught in the vast virtual universe that encompasses the other side of my computer screen. How is reality treating you today? Have you been graced with any life-changing epiphanies since the last time we connected through my blog? In any case, one step at a time... slow and steady wins the race... more clever euphemisms on the horizon... 

But first...

I would like to fill you in on a little not so secret event coming up at the end of the month. In case you haven't heard about it yet, Graham Smith and yours truly are about to debut their premiere art books with a signing party at the historic SDAI Museum of the Living Artist, in scenic Balboa Park. Here, we intend to personally sign books and display artwork, in addition to providing a festive atmosphere for all those who decide to grace us at our party. This event is free to attend and will feature well crafted delights for all of your senses to enjoy. 

So prepare your musical inclinations for some live, masterful musings by "Man From Tuesday", an acoustic band comprised of Singer/Songwriters, Michael Lille and Andy Lund from Taylor Guitars. 

But let's not forget our precious palates among this flurry of fun... 

Foodies and artists alike, will be thrilled by the delicious tastings planned by Sea Rocket Bistro, noted for their local, farm fresh, sustainable, epicurean delights created by Executive Chef Tommy Fraioli. And, as an added bonus, Blue Moon Brewing Company has decided to pair Sea Rocket's handcrafted hors d'oeuvres with a special selection of their handcrafted beers. 

Tantalize your taste buds with Blue Moon's Valencia Grove Amber or one of several selections from their Vintage Series! Alternative beverage services will also be expertly provided by San Diego's newest modern day neighborhood hangout, Heights Tavern- to ensure that all your cravings will be satisfied. 

Oh! And one last tidbit of information about our event, because this wouldn't be complete without a little artistic input from you...

Please, please, please, anyone and everyone inclined to attend, bring sketchpads and drawing materials to create your own masterpieces during the party. Live models (originally featured in Graham's book) will be present, helping to encourage an atmosphere of creativity as well as bolstering a spirit of celebration in regards to the art of crafting a sketchbook.

During this evening of sensible luxuries and beautiful people, it would be ever so gratifying if you decided to partake in the creative process alongside us, by drawing upon this visual, auditory and tasteful feast.

Pictured Below:
Graham Smith's Book
"Marks : Volume 1"

Xupuy Edicionés
Quito, Ecuador

Pictured Below:
Katherine Brannock's Book
"Sketchbook : Volume 1"

Xupuy Edicionés
Quito, Ecuador

Here's a little teaser for the upcoming event. This video features the night Graham and I laid eyes on our books for the first time. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did...

First Peek - Book Unboxing from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Hope to see you 

Saturday, March 30th 

at the SDAI Museum 

of the Living Artist.

Located at:
1439 El Prado, 
San Diego, CA 
92101
 
Call them 
if you have any questions 
about the Museum
or its exact location:
(619) 236-0011 

It will be fun, 

but it will be 

more fun 

if you attend...

 Thanks for checking in...

and take care until next time..

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches XV

Good morning to all of you and I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday. Today I'm bringing you the second installment of American Traditional tattoo exercises from my apprenticeship with Cooper at Guru Tattoo. If you missed the introduction to this particular blog post, here's a recap of the assignment. 

I'm nearing the end of the first phase of my apprenticeship, and one of the last genres I have yet to explore in tattooing is the style of American Traditional tattoos. The previous blog post, as well as this present post, feature the illustrations from one of Cooper's more time intensive assignments having to do with this specific type of tattoo. The exercises contained within Cooper's assignment were designed to teach me the fundamentals of how to create a proper American Traditional tattoo by filtering all of the unnecessary filagree that detract from the core meaning within an image. 

When it came time to construct a new illustration, 

I was pitted with the same question, over and over again- 

"how do I create an image that moves straight to the heart?"

No fluff... no bullshit... no ego.

For the first time I had to truly change my mindset, from striving to create a breathtaking image (riddled with mystery and innuendo), to reinforcing a timeless emblem (free of any confusion or misinformation). I could never claim this work as my own, but I could be proud of the fact that I was replicating a lineage- hopefully in such a way that will reflect the same amount of respect and forethought that most other American Traditional tattoo artists uphold. By the time this assignment was complete, I had gained a new understanding, as well as appreciation, for the craft of American Traditional tattooing. It remains to be one of the hardest genres I have ever attempted to tackle.

Thanks for checking in,

and take care until next time!

xoxo

Parachute Factory Show : Downtown San Diego

PARACHUTE FACTORY

 Saturday, February 16th, 2013
6PM to 12AM

Brought to you by Yeller,
in conjunction with Sezio.

This abandoned building, located at 627 8th Ave, will display never before seen graffiti art, created specifically for this one time event! There's a $5 cover, but that gets you into the show, access to three floors of incredible artwork, a dj, a band- and drinks will be served throughout the evening.

So don't miss your only chance to see an event showcasing some of the most amazing street art Southern California has to offer- because shorty after the opening night all of the artwork will be demolished by the owners of the building...

So don't blow this opportunity.

But just in case there's no way you can make it, here are some sneak peaks of my room, taken by Chaz Cruz, before the commencement of this unbelievable show. You can follow Chaz and his amazing photography via these convenient social media sites...

www.chazcruz.com 
www.chazthoughts.com
www.facebook.com/chazcruzphotography
www.twitter.com/chazcruz 

Thanks again Chaz!

And before I wrap up this post, I would like to thank my extremely talented friend, Florence Pacho, for her incredible hair and make-up skills! You can check her out at her personal studio, Pikku Salon located in Golden Hill... She is one of San Diego's best kept secrets!

Thanks again Flo!

Thanks for checking in,

and take care until next time...

xoxo

Piñata Demon Series II

Hello again, Ladies and Gents... 

Hope you are planning a wonderful Valentine's Thursday... 

complete with someone you love very dearly.

Anyways, here's the second blog installment of my Piñata Demon Series. This week I've decided to overload you with the preliminary sketches for (what could be) the entire set of piñata demons- but lately, I've had a voice in the back of my mind encouraging me to create even more of these interesting little oddities. At the moment, our grand total of 26 illustrations may transform into a convenient alphabet book with a prospective debut date in 2014... but once again... we shall see... There are so many more projects on the agenda right now, so many of which I have yet to tell you about. 

But for now, please enjoy the start 

of these seductive streamer spirits.

Thanks for checking in...

and take care until next time!

xoxo

Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches XIV

And now back to the drawing board... 

The past few weeks have been full of my own ideas and interests, but we're bringing it back to the epicenter of where it all began... my tattoo apprenticeship at Guru Tattoo with Cooper and his list of assignments designed to prepare me for the best and worst of the tattoo industry.

The images featured in today's blog post are from one of Cooper's most time intensive assignments, intended to teach me how to translate a detailed illustration into one that is indicative of a Traditional American tattoo. I absolutely love traditional, and was excited by the idea of exploring the steps needed to filter an image into its purest, most basic form while preserving the core of its meaning.

 Cooper had me start with small detailed drawings, then asked me to strip any extraneous line work that detracted from the symbology of what I was instructed to depict. After about four stages of this process, each of which eliminating more and more unnecessary material, I slowly began to understand the importance of intention behind every line used to create an image. 

The next "Tattoo Apprenticeship : Sketches" blog post will feature the final stage of this process designed to instill the concept of American Traditional tattooing. Here are a few images from the first round of drawing for this assignment. All of these illustrations could roughly fit into a 2 inch by 2 inch square.