Vory

[Vory]

@Jbeaufosho wrote:

Yeah one of the biggest pain in the ass spots to tattoo. I just recently did a rose piece on this lady’s side and she was the same way it was terrible. I was able to salvage the tattoo but it was nowhere near where it could have been. Sucks even worse when it’s a great piece of art like that. My only comments on the art would be deeper blacks and heavier contrasts but that’s more personal preference than criticism. Keep up the good work.

I actually got a chance to see the line session healed on the koi fish. It could’ve been a lot worse. Especially with how that client drinks…. Oh well, all part of the game. I learned a lot from that experience.

I agree with you on the deeper blacks. Those skulls are all over a year old. Unless I throw some prisma color black in there, graphite just doesn’t provide the contrast I want any more. I’ve been working a lot lately in conte crayon and chalk on toned paper. It’s been frustrating working with a less forgiving medium, but as always, it’s got it’s own rewards.

I really appreciate the feedback. More is ALWAYS welcome. I’ll be posting in the future, asking for more of a critique emphasis. I hope to hear from you.

[Vory]

@Jbeaufosho wrote:

I know this post is old and the person that posted it probably won’t even see this lol. But I had to comment cause I pop a boney for traditional shit. Its really not bad man. But study the old shit for the shading. I usually shade them from the bottom left corner. But look at the way Jerry does his ships. Hes the king of that shit. Old school seems simple but it is NOT. there’s a lot of rules. Study the masters.

^you said it brother.

where I bought my sailor jerry books:
http://www.hardymarks.com/

There’s tons of others, I just like knowing where my money is going.

[Vory]

Can we sticky this or something?

[Vory]

I always, always always cover my clip cord. However I do not bag my machines. For whatever reason….that isn’t really practiced in California. It seems the bag always gets caught with machine running and I spend more time messing with it than I do tattooing.

Back when I had just started as an apprentice I was yelled at once for spraying downt he machines with Madacide. The alcohol in it gets into the little places in your machine (between washers, coils, etc) and will cause rust. I was told, that at the most you spray some cide onto a paper towel and wipe down the machine. Ideally you use non alcoholic sani wipes.

That’s what I’ve used ever since. One wipe per machine and I can clean them really well without fear of doing long term damage. I also never touch my machines without gloves. I pretend they’re dirty even when they’re not. Could just be my cross contamination paranoia but I don’t think I’ll ever hear my clients complain.

[Vory]

@drftbred wrote:

Thanks for all the tips both odds you guys!!!

I also had one other thing I struggle with, my shading is solid black and looks good but when I use grey wash my powder shade does not look even it looks a little patchy

Do I need to make another post for that or can I ask here?

Another post couldn’t hurt, you may get more opinions that way.

I like this guy’s grey wash set up for the most part;
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3791

How are you building up your gradients? starting from light to dark?
Does your GREYWASH machine bog when it hits the skin (my opinion is that it should).
What I mean by “bog” is that it slows down a little. You’ll hear a change in the pitch when the needle hits the skin. For black and grey work, I like my machine to have a much lighter hit. I build up my tones slowly and remember it will heal a lot lighter than when it is fresh.
There are tons of good and bad machines out there. I won’t begin to cover them as there are a ton of good topics for it on here already. Someone like Ram could help you out with that better that I could anyway. I’m not much of a machine guy.

Another note, don’t forget that the skin itself, is a tone. You’re not working on a white piece of paper. The design needs to made with this in mind or it’ll look bad no matter how solid of a tattooer you are.

I hope you find what you’re looking for!

[Vory]

First off, I completely agree with what Ram said.
Overall, his tips should solve a lot of problems.
That said, there’s a couple other things you can try to step your lining game up.

To “pull” a line (for lack of a better phrase) in a single pass consider riding your pinkie finger. What I mean by this is, rather than holding the machine and resting the side of your hand on your client, drop your pinkie finger down and use that to hold up your hand. A little bit of oinment on the tip of your pinkie will help you glide right along. It will feel really wobbly and uncomfortable at first but I’ve seen many great artists use this technique. Try making the exact motion several times across your clients skin before you attempt the line. Give your hand and arm a couple times to learn the movement you want it to make.

Ram’s way of stretching is dead on. He’s very, very right about too much ointment making things difficult. It’s something you’ll come to know by feel. An effective method I’ve see is using a paper towel to gain traction against the skin rather than just stretching using a gloved hand. The towel is set on the skin using your fingertips, add a little pressure and pull. It can be very effective for certain areas and can also take some of the stress off your stretching hand.

Remember what Ram said about the rubber bands. Bending the needle bar toward the machine is bad. Your lines will look downright shitty.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone.

[Vory]

@ewok_poacher wrote:

You don’t know of All or Nothing?
2569 South Cobb Drive
Smyrna, Ga
.

owner – Brandon Bond
Managers – Dave Tedder, Matt Dunlap
A few artists names-
Tony Mancia
Mike McMahon
Jason Adkins
Short Parker
Vince Villalvazo
Josh Woods
Nate Beavers
Brian Reynolds
The list of bad asses that work/worked there is a long one

Also I am trying to help here but at the same time not broadcast that I am helping – I remember how discouraging it was and also I remember the mistakes I made. I want to try and help others avoid these and keep myself under the radar while doing so.

I know your pain. You’re not the only one to have found themselves learning in a big name shop.
The last few months of my apprenticeship were spent at Humble Beginnings Tattoo, San Jose CA.
The shit I picked up there changed my life forever.

[Vory]

Hey Lenn,

Just to make sure I got this;
Basically your bro is getting tattooed by guys who are starting shit with you.
Hopefully he’s not letting them touch your work….if so that’s another matter entirely.

I’d say you need to establish whether or not your bro knows what’s going on. You’d be surprised how badly things can be miscommunicated these days. Little shit blows up into big shit, especially with tattooing and $$$ involved.

Best bet is to keep your cool with him. He is free to get tattooed by whatever dickhead he wants as long as they don’t touch your work, it’s not really disrespect.

[Vory]

Go for it dude!!! That sounds awesome.
My friend just did that with her Grandmother’s old building and it came out so amazing. No street signs or anything but having a set place to work at makes it official. Seriously man, ya gotta go for it.

Best of luck brother

[Vory]

Hey Lenn,

I don’t know if they can ship to you but check these out.
http://www.tatsoulspearman.com/store/index.php?cPath=205
These are the best disposable tubes I’ve found anywhere and there’s no background check to order.
I’m not a fan of anything else by tatsoul. The wrath gen 2 tubes are the only thing I buy from them.

[Vory]

Hey Hannah,

The work is looking solid.

A couple suggestions;
1. try punching your blacks a little bit. It can give you a big more pop in some areas and can extend your value scale which may help with the “flat” look.

2. Draw in layers. Tracing paper is your friend. You can have a really messy sketch (work out your anatomy and compostion) and then get a final line drawing without much effort by tracing the lines you want onto a clean piece of tracing paper. This method is also great for experimenting with little tweaks. For example, the difference between a good piece and a great piece could be moving a wave two inches to the right. So instead of redrawing the whole design everytime you may want to change something, work it out on a seperate piece of tracing paper. This will give you greater control and I think will give you a chance to really show off your skills. Remember, being critical is what’s going to push you to the next level.

Don’t quit! You’ve got something here!

[Vory]

@Lennart82 wrote:

A nice portrait :)

The upperlips though are too, whats it called…. marked/dark/lined ;)

And I would love to see your refference picture ;)

^definitely what Lenn said. Portraits are very tricky. Keep sketching from life and what he’s talking about will “click” one day. You’ve got the raw skill and with just a little bit more refinement I really think you can blow people away.

[Vory]

Dude…Ramen. Hell yes, bro.
I wish I could give you a star or something. The above was so rad and to give that information to people for free is a great kindness.

[Vory]

@Lennart82 wrote:

Totally great looking skulls :D

Did you use a skulle model as a reference?

Thank you! Yes I did use a skull model. I picked up an anatomically correct skull from a medical student website a few years ago for $100. Probably some of the best money I’ve ever spent.

Up until recently, I only drew from life, never my head. Now that I feel a little more comfortable with the rules of perspective, form and the power of line, the fun can begin.

[Vory]

It seems like being frustrated with clients is all part of the industry.

It’s awesome you guys have a little place to vent to each other.
Don’t trip Lenn, people do not understand what it’s like. Art, let alone tattooing, is some seriously complicated stuff. Some will be open to hear and others really, really won’t. Don’t let them get you down bro.

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