Your Turn

Kelly Doty is a pal of mine over at Off the Map Tattoo ,
and we started this little game recently.
It's called "Your Turn".
It started a couple weeks ago when I saw the article about Heidi,
the German cross-eyed possum,
and knew Kelly would love it.
So I posted the link on her facebook wall,
and within a couple weeks she had done a Heidi tattoo.
Awesome!
(but why stop there?)
So we decided to continue it,
and she just posted a little news article on MY wall.
And I have one month to do it as a tattoo somehow.
It's a cute little inter-species love story,
just in time for Valentine's Day.
A goose and a Highland Bull named Hamish.
You can read about it (and see a photo) here.
So the clock's ticking.....
who wants a romantic bull and goose tattoo?
(it'll be quite cheap, of course, and super awesome)
Email me if you want it.

Wind-time, wolf-time, ere the world falls;

I started working on a big Ragnarök leg sleeve this week.
Víðarr fighting Fenrir, some fire, some lightning.
You know.
Viking apocalypse type stuff.
(no, no Naglfar. but that would have been dope)






















We didn't get too much farther than the outline,
but I'm pretty excited about it.
It's on a big leg, for sure,
so it was three full stencil pages,
along with a ton of Sharpie markering.














This weekend, aside from painting my butt off,
Meryl and I will also be attending Powderhorn's Art Sled Event.
Yeah, my neighborhood is pretty rad.

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, Meow.

I love doing tattoos of animals wearing clothes,
but one of the things that might slightly top that
is animals wearing animal costumes.
(like the wolf in the penguin suit)
I'm not sure if this bee costume gave the kitten magical flying powers,
or where she hid her tail,
but it was super fun to do today.
Carrie did the initial sketch herself,
and everyone at Identity Tattoo agreed it was the best customer drawing we've ever seen.
(normally we get hairball lookalike drawings,
and it's no help what-so-ever)
I revamped it a little,
and her husband (?) came up with the idea of the dotted flight line.
Nice!

Saturday is my Friday, kids,
which makes this tattoo the end of my work week,
and the beginning of another nonstop painting weekend.
Aside from a little babysitting Meryl and I will be doing tomorrow,
you can find me avoiding the negative temperatures
with the heat turned way up and sitting in front of an easel.

Off to a good start.

I'm jealous every time someone gets a first tattoo that isn't an instant regret.























My first one was mantramp stamp-ish.
(hiding it from the parents)
The week I turned 18.
Terrible ideas.
Luckily, I got it covered.
(as best you can cover some scarred up solid blackness)

Anyway, point is,
this was her first tattoo.
And she did it all in one shot.
So it's either a start to a serious tattoo addiction,
or it scared her away from ever getting another one.
We'll see.

I love doing bird tattoos,
and ribbons/banners that don't have any words in them,
so this was a bunch of fun.
And as I always say,
I'm hoping to get photos of this healed.

This week's mailbag.

Our house (Louderhorn Inn) gets some serious mail.
Postcards, mail art, gifts,
save the dates, hatemail; the works.

But then Ryan went to Florida last week,
and we get a coconut dropped on our porch by the postman.
An eff'n coconut.
(it cost $3.25 to send a medium-sized coconut through the mail)

















Also this week,
Pamala (the knitting cat recipient) sent a package to the shop,
with these two knit gifts inside.
And there was a typewritered note explaining the yarn isn't wool,
but instead a cotton/synthetic blend;
making it not only awesome, but vegan, too!
I can't imagine how I deserved these,
but they are so dope.


















Meryl and I are starting our art mailing back up,
since she's doing all the letterpress and book arts stuff lately,
and has access to all the wonderful tools and presses.
And we're both busier than ever before,
so of course we want to add even more to the pile.
She'll be gathering addresses soon,
and will probably post the finished products on her blog.
I'm not one for documenting outgoing mail art,
so if you aren't getting it in your mailbox,
check it out there.

Funhouse Artist : FESTER

Fester can do portraits.

I have tattoo artist friends all over the world. My brother and I travel to tattoo conventions in places that most artists don't go to. For us, Mexico is a special place. We have been attending conventions in Guadalajara and Mexico City for the last 9 or 10 years and that's where we met Fester and Juan... and now both work at the shop. Most of you who have been to the shop or who subscribe to our blog might vaguely know who Fester is.

Celaya is a city in the center of Mexico, it's in the state of Guanajuato. That's where cajeta is from.. it's a caramel topping. F*ck, put it on your ice cream, your frozen waffles... cake. And it's the home of "pulque"... an alcoholic drink that "f*cks you up and makes you fat" - Juan told me that. That's also where Fester is from. He owns a shop there called "Ninety Nine Tattoo". He works at the Funhouse full time and flies back to manage his place once in a while. He has over a decade of tattooing under his belt. He is well traveled and can tattoo any style.

He does great script. So clean and precise. Look around... go to shops and look at their freehand script. Most of it sucks. Fester, Juan and Sasha have it down. This is a sort of chicano style. Lots of artists in North America, especially here, aren't exposed to this type of art. It's not in the culture. It's usually associated with gangs, n prison and there is a certain method to doing it.

More script and a traditional style rose.

The lines here are consistent and clean. To do lines this long and clean takes some real skill, which Fester can handle with his eyes closed. To get rid of that love handle is another story... looks like a side of pork with the skin still on! EW...

Huge patches of solid even grey shading is also a skill which not all artists have. It involves knowing and understanding your machine's function, the correct ratio of water to black ink, and years of f*cking up in order to perfect it. This piece is full of grey shades which are solid and even. Note: The realism of the shading to make this look carved out of rock, check out the "pits" in the rock.... it really does look textured!

This guy had his eye sewed shut and part of his lip...

Part human, part machine... that's what it looks like to me. That's one bloodshot eye!! Nice bright solid colors, clean lines... bold in parts to create depth and to "hold" those sections in. The white highlights really make this piece.

Come down, book with Fester. You won't regret it. He sits behind the wall between Sasha and Mark. 604-879-4114.

Foot Gremlins

Sounds like a funky fungus.
Don't get it wet,
it'll multiply.

Rachel wasn't even born yet when this movie came out,
but she's pretty into it.
I think I'm going to have to rent it again,
it's been a while.
Mid 80's comedy/horror, weird puppets,
Cory Feldman, a ruined Christmas/holiday movie,
some easy rules to follow that the white people can't follow
(or don't take seriously),
kinda dark-but still marketed to kids:
What's not to like?

Spreading the Message

These photos were taken by my brother, Kyle,
while he was down in Australia doing a semester abroad.
(he also took photos of lighthouses for me)
I'm sure you'll see them in print at some point,
but I couldn't wait to share.

















and

End of the Road

Ok, here's a little pile of photos from my last day at Off the Map.
I didn't get a chance to post them that night,
because we had a big dinner out with my Northampton peoples,
OTM crew, and Megan and Joan (who came up from Brooklyn to get tattooed).
There was supposed to be some CT folks there, too,
but 2 inches of snow scared them off.
(Ohhhhhhhhhh... no I DIDN'T!!!)

Megan got the black squirrel tattoo,
(sorry for the terribly wonky photo)
and then when I thought we were done,
surprised me with the rabbit request.
It was a torn off piece of China Pan's paper menu of the zodiac.
2011, Year of the Rabbit.
She wanted it on her hand,
but that would probably just f up her whole year,
so we compromised,
and settled for elbow ditch.
Not something I normally do,
but it's China Pan and Megan.
How could I say "no"?

Joan sat so well,
(even though she was nervous)
and got this conch shell on her foot.
She's a science nerd,
which means we get along splendidly,
and I got to hear a bunch of rad facts about conches.

And finally, I left Off the Map with a little parting gift.
A framed photo of me in the frame.
And since I knew it'd be a difficult explanation,
I took a photo of me holding the framed photo of me in the frame.

I had a super successful trip,
and enjoyed it greatly.
Thanks tons to Maynard House and Off the Map,
I couldn't possibly have been treated any better.

Maptastic

Thanks to Chloe for modeling this guest spot shirt for me.
I'm not sure if that's her dead bird face or her sexy face,
but she's always awesome;
and other than Star Wars,
we have a lot in common.






















In fact, the whole shop has been so great,
and it'll be a bummer to leave.
(it's also 20 colder in Minnesota than here)

I spent a bunch of hours tattooing this today.
That's a upright bass scroll that the branch is turning into.
The idea is to finish the tree-bass below the lizard, eventually.
Sometime when I'm back in town....






















I still have one more day at Off the Map before I head back home,
and two exciting pieces left to tattoo,
but here's (almost) everything I've done so far.

Over-Mapped

Having this much fun is hard work.
I want to get a tattoo or two from the day up on the blog every night,
but it's working till late, then dinner with friends.
Then once Maynard House settles in for bed,
I'm doing drawings for the next day and responding to emails,
and before you know it, it's 2 am.
Thanks to Tyrant for driving up to Northampton tonight;
he, Amy and I went out for dinner
after I got done putting the finishing touches on her chest piece.
I started my day off doing this ferns tattoo,
so it was black and grey all day.






















I also made shirts for this guest spot,
but haven't taken any photos of them yet.
I'll get off my lazy butt tomorrow and get that done.
But 2 am is here again,
so I'm off to get six hours of sleep before another full day.

STANLEY T. MADHATTER!

Art and Steve @ Corktown Vibrators show with Hatter


Steve and Hatter with the Bermonsey Joyriders


Steve and Hatter with the Bermonsey Joyriders


Outside the Grande Ballroom Beverly at Grand Detroit

Hatter was a great guy. From the minute I met him... Steve had told me all about his time with Kimmer and Hatter... f**k, I wish that I could have been there to see the Trans love house...and the Grande. But.. I got to hang out with him and Kim when Steve flew out to meet me in Detroit when I played with the Vibrators. What a time... He was definitely a highlight in the tour. He will be missed... Art Godoy...

Outside the Box,

and Off the Map.
Day Three.

Amber cracks me up,
she's the best kind of kookie.
And she always has rad tattoo projects for me.
A squirrel and a spool of thread on a 5 cent stamp,
done under her (super skinny) arm.






















I'm enjoying this guest spot more than any of the previous ones.
It's split half and half with old clients and new ones,
and it's really working well out that way for me.
I feel really fortunate to have such a dedicated clientele who are willing to wait around till the next time I'm in town,
and even more flattered whenever someone new decides I'm the one they want to get tattooed by.
(especially when looking through the extensive OTM guest artist list!)
It's been an inspiring few days here already,
cause there's always some big ideas being tossed around in this shop,
and someone painting,
or drawing up a sleeve for the next day.
And Mr Riegle always has a new hard drive of music to tell me about.

I am making plans while I'm here.
New year, new ideas.

Still Off the Map

Day two at my Off the Map Guest Spot was a good one.
I tattooed my two favorite kinds of clients,
librarians, and the colorblind.
(someday I'll meet a colorblind librarian,
and we'll be best friends)

This was Carolyn's first tattoo.
The photo is super dark,
I'm hoping to get a better one soon.























Next, Mr Bruton came up from CT to get a ram (goat?) skull tattoo,
and I used only subtle variations of earth tones that he can't even see.
And after I beat his arm into submission,
I went and did a touch up on his foot.
Nice.
(i bet that was a fun hour drive home)























Tomorrow switches gears from birds to squirrels.
Lots of drawing and tattooing going on,
and I'm hoping to get in a little painting, too.
I only have 6 days every 6 months or so out here,
so you have to pack in as much as possible.

Mapping it Out.

Maynard F'n House.

Back in it.

Warm vegan cookies when you walk in the door.

(starting the year off right)

Today was the first day of my Off the Map guest spot.

So good to see everyone again,

and to get to work after some holiday time off.

My two clients today were both badasses,

and both are celebrating birthdays this week!

Happy Birthday, kids!

Started the day with Mr Hart.

He got some hurricane side-stomach action,

and sat like a champ.

Here's a red and hurty looking photo:

Then Virginia drove up from the Bronx,

got this bird tattooed on her ribs,

and then drove all the way back home.

Day one down, five to go.

I have a few more bird tattoos to do,

a couple squirrels,

some ferns,

and a skull or two.

And that'll pretty much wrap it up.

If everyone sits like these two,

it'll be an awesome week.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
2011, Year of the Rabbit.

I hope everyone has a really successful,

healthy, and fun twenty-eleven.

Last year we were in Tokyo for New Year's,
and that's a hard act to follow.
So this year we ran away to Providence RI for the night,
and stayed in a cute little bed and breakfast.

We'll check out the city for a little while,

and then head to Northampton MA,

wrapping up our East Coast tour with my home away from home,

Maynard House!!

(big thanks to Li for the vegan hotspots of Providence)