November 2021 – A DEAD LETTER

Research Into Society – Contextual study

28 November 20213 May 2022Dead Roses

subject research

Statistics And Facts About Tattoos

I started by researching statistics of how many people have tattoos but also what type of people have them, within this image it shows that ‘tattoos seems to be more popular with people who attained higher levels of education’ I found this really interesting and against the normal stigma around tattoos.

There has always been a sense that if you have tattoos you are in a gang or the mafia, therefore I did not find it that shocking that Italy has the highest percentage. This does not mean that stigma is true, from this stigma seeing someone who has a lot of tattoo threatening. So we tend to stay away from them.

38 Tattoo Statistics: 2020/2021 Industry, Trends & Demographics | CompareCamp.com

How Fast Do Human Judge Each Other

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-many-seconds-to-a-first-impression

Within the website there was two psychologists called Janine Willis and Alexander who carried out some studies that determined it takes a human a 10th of a second to judge another. This is mainly from a persons face and not only the first impression but your opinion might not change from that first 10th of a second even when you know them more.

Do Tattoo Stop People Getting Jobs

The BBC new report talks about if tattoos still effect people getting a job, they speak both about people having better opportunities due to their tattoos and also how over the last 5 years (this would have been from 2014-2019) people have lost their jobs due to body art. Their is no law stating that a boss can not fire someone on the grounds of body art, but it is seen as not a viable reason to dismiss someone. Over the last few years body art has become more popular and accepted but it is still seen as a non-professional look.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48620528

How People Live Fully Covered In Tattoo

I watched video and it was really interesting as it shows how being tattooed can effect different parts of someone’s life. From love life to starting a new business, they follow them to see how people react to them but also how they have to be brave and push through the judgement.
Within this video people talk about how they feel about one of the men, how they call him scary and one even stated he should not knock on people’s door after it get dark as he will terrify them. This shows how without even knowing him they would actively stay away from him, just due to appearance.

Where You Are Not Allowed Tattoos

Though all this research it has shown that society is slowly changing to become more acceptable to change ( I know this was heavily tattoos based) but it is still far from accepting, this is not only the same for tattoos this is throughout many different groups who are all trying to be themselves.

As this website says japan is a country where it is not really acceptable to have tattoos, this is surprising due to Japanese style bring so popular. Another one that was a shock was USA, I did not think they had a problem with tattoos due to the amount of Americans that get tattoos. On the same website here is one more facts I found interesting so thought it would add them.

Is It Safe To Have A Tattoo In Turkey? – CowBoy Tattoo

History Of Tattooing pt.1- Subject Study

25 November 20213 May 2022Dead Roses

Subject Study

What Is A Tattoo?

Tattoos are a type of body modification, where a type of ink/dye/pigment is injected into the skin through needles on a tattoo machine. This is a machine that has a rotary wheel that moves a needle.

When Did Tattooing Begin

Tattooing has been around for hundreds of years, therefore it will never be truly known when tattooing first happened. Recently they have changed and become more popular in the form of modern art being placed on the body. Here is one example of tattooing in tribes.

They haven’t always meant the same thing and been ‘acceptable’ for everyone to have. The word tattoo comes from another word, this word is tatau. Tatau is an Tahitian word that means ‘ to mark something’. The Tahitians was one of the first humans to have a style of tattooing even thought some of these tattoos where not permeant. They started tattooing in 1500BC but these tattoos where in respect of their personalities and social ranks within the two tribes that where on Tahiti, this is an island within a group of islands in the pacific ocean.

Tahiti – Wikipedia

these might not be traditional tattoos form the tribs but they are examples of what have might look like.

Timeline Of Tattooing Through History And Cultures.

This is a timeline I found, I have picked out the important information. This timeline shows how tattoos have fluctuated in popularity over history. I found out some really interesting facts from this, for example new-York had a tattoo ban till 1997 and the first women who tattooed was Jessie Knight in 1922.

Tattoo History Timeline (tattoofilter.com)

Traditional Tattoos (left) VS Modern Tattoo (right)

As with mainly all traditional and modern-day tattoo differences, the traditional had thicker lines with bold block colours. Unlike the modern-day tattoo that are thinker, more delicate and a lot more detail and realism. Although modern day tattoos might be more aesthetic, traditional tattoo stands the test of time better as the thick lines wont blur as much and they will keep the art clearer for longer. below are more examples of the difference.

My Tattooing

As I have been interested in tattooing in the future I have been practicing tattooing, although some of these ARE NOT my design these are my attempts at tattooing (I did these…. just NOT my design).

These videos show the different stages of getting a tattoo, from the stencil that is just a piece of paper (like charcoal paper) so it leaves the stencil on the skin. Then the tattoo itself being finished, to the cleaning of the skin after to get all excess ink off.

putting the stencil on skin

cleaning the tattoo

I have really enjoyed exploring tattooing, and this has not only helped me contextually but professionally. Contextually i felt it helped, so i could not only understand the people who get tattoos like me but also the process of getting one. All the stages tattooing evolves is like an experience of someone becoming who they are.

Stencil – like the stencil you try out a look that you think you might like, or try out something like a hobbies you might like.

Tattooing – once you have decided its something you like, you do it and add it to your life. You become it and it becomes you.

Cleaning – you then practice and make it better. Or you forget the old you and focus on the new and happy you by being who you are.

Professionally it has helped as its my future career. this has given me the chance to start to develop my skills within tattooing and my understanding on how to tattoo and learn more about the practice itself.

Some More Tattoos

What Does A Tattoo Apprenticeship Involve

14 November 20213 May 2022Dead Roses

contextual and professional Studies

A tattoo apprenticeship is a excellent way to learn and start tattooing, But equally it can be a tough experience, therefore it very important to know what you will be involved in and where to find a establishment work in.

𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩

Tattoo Apprenticeship: Everything You Should Know

While conducting researching about tattooing apprenticeships, I found a useful website that details the work that an apprentice will experience. The website informs you of what skill you will develop, equally it informs you of alternative ways to learn tattooing (e.g tattoo schools).

Within a tattoo apprenticeship I will learn:

Hygiene (both of after care and during the tattoo).
Techniques of tattooing.
Needle usage.
How to make and use stencils.
How to continue into my own career (e.g booking clients and receiving payments).
Also experience.

A tattoo apprenticeships last around 2 years, started by watching and developing an understanding for set up and hygiene. During the apprenticeship you will tattoo on both real and synthetic skin under supervision by the experienced tattoo artist.

UK Official Tattoo Academy

Additionally I have also researched the UK Official Tattoo Academy. The academy is a tattoo school that teaches a two weeks course, this course is very intense and develops the artist’s understanding of tattooing quickly. It Costs around £2998 to join but eventually it will cost more due to travel or living expenses, as the academy is located in London. They do have a accommodation for £34 a night, so in total for a living space it would cost around £408 for two week and a weekend.

Tattoo Course

Tattoo School VS Apprenticeship

tattoo school

tattoo apprenticeship

–

Has a set curriculum and school time is not flexible.	An apprenticeship is more flexibility and does not have a set curriculum
Due to a class setting there will be near to no time one-on-one.	As an apprenticeship is personal there a greater chance for one-on-one development.
You will graduate with a degree for tattooing.	You get a qualification and possibly a career if you get in the shop.
You are studying along side and building relationships with more developing tattoo artist, But not building a client base during your degree.	You meet less tattoo artists but you build a client base and work off the shops clients.meet less tattoo artists.
You have set limit to learn and gain the skills needed to pass, as it is a school the teachers will have gone through training to teach.	you have as much time as you need but the teacher might not be a good teachers so you have to find a good apprenticeship.
To Join you need a diploma or a collage qualification of art.	you have to have a good portfolio and a good promise of development for an artist to think it’s good to use their time on you.
Getting in to a school is Easier, due to you just needing a qualifications.	Known for being hard to get into.

Although she is in another country there for there could be differences, i watched this video as it was helpful within a professional sense to hear about other people stories within how they got an apprenticeship, but also their advice as someone who has been through it.

Professionally I will need to be able to develop all different styles within tattooing to be able to have a divers client base, therefor I need to build a good portfolio to show the tattooist to be able to get an apprenticeship. This video was really helpful in order to see a practicing artist portfolio so I can see what they would be looking for within mine.

As I have conducted this research I have made a conclusion on what I would like to pursue in the future for my career, as a preference I would head for a apprenticeship due to its personal connection and flow of a client base. Within 2023 I will be applying for apprenticeships within my home town to start an apprenticeship in summer 2023.

𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘖𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳

14 November 202114 November 2021Dead Roses

Contextual and professional studies

I have done some research online and also a little in person on opportunities of tattooing apprenticeships within Leicester. 3 weeks ago I was talking to a person who works at Devils own tattoo shop, about getting an apprenticeship, She mentioned they are looking for an apprenticeship in January and I should hand in my CV. I would love to do this and start my career but this would mean having to move into the city, possibly just for summer or even longer. I would also not have time to do both the apprenticeship and university. Therefore won’t be taking this opportunity.

𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦…

When looking online –

found a facebook posted 4 weeks ago looking for a tattoo apprenticeship below is the post and the link.

I sent them a message to find out more about apprenticeships

I will update this post if I get a reply from them. I am going to do more research on tattoo apprenticeships and how to get a job within the industry (this will be on another post).

when looking online I was really surprised and confused, there was loads of places looking for an apprentice. This would also be a good place to get one due to the shop being in a city there would be a lot of traffic coming in and out of the store. But I was confused as I find looking online for places hard to get around because of going through all the websites and applications forms.

therefore like the first shop (devils own) I was talking about I found it a lot better going into the shop to look both at the atmosphere and also just understanding what they are looking for.

as I live in the country side I have to travel to the closes town to get a tattoo and this town is very small, there are only two tattoo shops. one of these I have been getting my tattoos done there for 2 years now, I have also spoken to them many times about apprenticeship and my plan is to send in my CV and some work in 2023 July to hopefully see if they will take me as an apprentice (due to this being the first summer after university so I’ll have plenty of time).

𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯

to also boots my search on possibly jobs and offers I made a linked in account so that I can look for jobs but also will be notified when an offer is put up. I have joked about 5 different job websites that send me emails about new job offers. I’m looking at both tattooing jobs but also some jobs I can do along side the apprenticeship as while learning I won’t be making a decent amount of money to support myself. I also think some apprenticeships I will have to pay to be taught.

Chine-collé technique

11 November 202111 January 2022Dead Roses

Artist research

chine-collé is a technique of glueing thin paper of a different texture or colour like tissue paper is glued onto prints. When using this technique you ink up the plate, then prepare the paper as normal. Before placing the paper onto the inked plate you place the thin paper on the plate glue side up and then place the paper onto, so when it goes through the press the papers will be glue together but so well it appears to be one piece of paper.

This is a video explaining the technique and showing you how Ken Elliot did the process but I will not be using the same materials as him, but the outcome will be the same. Instead of wallpaper paste I will be using a glue stick due to using tissue paper. This adds a layer of colour underneath the print therefore it’s an easier way to add background colour. I found this video really helpful to get some ideas on how I can use this technique more.

https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/chine-colle

This is the MoMam page explaining the proses of the technique, but also about the materials used. I decided to look into the technique on MoMa as it is a more truthful scores..

the plan

I will be using the plate I have made in dry-point and etching to try this technique on. I will be using them to experiment and explore how I could use this style to bring colour into my works. I have choosen the smaller etching due to the nature with in it, the nature has various different colours within it making the colour range more That just green. The photo below is the plan on what I might do with my etching.

The main colours I want to use is red, yellow and green. I also have white to see if it will change anything but as the paper is white I feel it will just blend in. I will be putting the outcome onto another post to see what has happened and if I want to make changes or I will carry on using this way of adding colour to my prints.

Chapman brothers

8 November 20219 January 2022Dead Roses

Artist research

while I was doing primary research with nature I also thought about the chapman brothers and the work they did with someone else’s etchings, the chapman brothers used art to be very controversial and made to make people have a very strong reaction.

Jake and Dinos chapman are two know English artists who used art to bring reactions to the public in many different ways, one of Whitchurch that I’m very interested in. The main prices I am interested in was their works on some of Francisco Goya’s etchings (a total of 80) and then drew onto each of them with cartoonist and ‘funny’ characters. The original series was ‘the disasters of war’ by Goya but once changed turn into ‘the disasters of everyday life’ below are some this series.

The original series was to show people who bad the Spanish war was and the horrific events that take place, then the brother drew over them and made them into a joke, as they wants to create shocking reactions within people.

these are works are so free, these showed me how even if there are lines set and a drawing in place doesn’t mean that is what you have to stay with. The brothers took a pre-existing drawing and reinventing it. This helped me to develop my colour work as it helped me think that just cause I have created boundaries with my drawings and art doesn’t mean I have to stick with them. Therefor with my etching i am going to try and add colour in a more loose way, I have thought about a technique called chine-collé. As this would give me the opportunity to be more loose with my work and try to have a less of a detailed approach.

form thinking about being more loose / abstract within my work, I decided to try and make a really ruff plan on how I might want my work to look. But I will not be sticking with it, I want to make a plan to try an encourage myself to be more loose. So I have used Procreate on one of my etchings to just add some colour to an image.

As much as I hate this as I do not like colour I still want to go ahead and experiment so with the next prints I am doing with this plate I will be experimenting with chine-collé, but I will be setting the risk and task to use the tissue paper how ever it rips as this will give me less control of the outcome.

𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 – 𝗅𝖾𝗂𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝖾𝗎𝗆 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗋𝗒

6 November 20213 May 2022Dead Roses

Contextual and professional studies

When the gallery first opened in 1849 there was 10,000 different objects given from the Leicester Literal and Philosophical Society. Within the museum and gallery there are a massive range of artworks, animals fossils and many other things to see.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leicester_Museum_%26_Art_Gallery

Through out the year the museum host many events for example:

Family days
meet the artist
black history events
open 32
And so much more

Open 32 is an event and exhibition that encourages artist of all levels to hand in their art works you just have to apply using their website to get your art into the judging stage of the application. They have an adult and junior section to apply to, then you have to fill out some questions about yourself and give them the title and information about your art pieces. Each person can put 3 pieces of art.

This is my application form, and all the imformation, i had to give them.( and all the information i wrote about above)

Below are the prices depending if your a student or not. The only thing you need is prof of study when you hand in.

Once I had filled out the form I sent it off and then waited for it to go through a judging process, i just had to wait till November to find out if any of my 3 pieces got in to the galley.

On the 4th of November I received an email saying that 2/3 of my art works have been chosen to go into the gallery.I needed to get them framed and ready to be delivered to the gallery between the 27-29th of November 2021. Below is the email

I backed my art pieces on to mount board using adhesive spray, making them presentable, but also stronger. I then needed to buy mirror clips and get the art work framed. I started to look around for places to find cheap frames and found a store that would custom frame both peace’s for £25. It took a couple of days to frame, after my art works was ready to be handed in on the 27th November 2021.

These are the pieces I am handing in, when handing them in all I did was sign them in. Due to circumstances I was not able to attend the opening or the artist meet up within the gallery.

I went to visit the works after a while, it was amazing to see works from ages of 6+. This was a very beneficial experience as a professional artist, as I now know what to expect when applying for a galley. Also contextually due to seeing how the gallery had presented each work and used different artists works to complement each others. While my work was in this gallery I visited the gallery itself and looked around the whole thing to see all the other works within it.

𝗧𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 & 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery – Leicester Museums

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
53 New Walk
Leicester
LE1 7EA

Telephone: +44 (0)116 225 4900

natural inspiration from walks

5 November 20219 January 2022Dead Roses

artist research

While exploring etchings I started to look into insperation on how I can develop my etchings and I remembered the chapman brothers, but also a massive inspiration is the world around us. I have some photos of places i went that inspired me but also about the chapman brothers.

Nature inspires alot of my work as drawings but as this year I have been exploring and descoving/ studing nature more. I started to think about and learn much more about colours and how nature uses them. Below are some photos I took while out n nature that inspired or intrested me.

These are some of the places I went and thing I saw that inspired me, all of the colours are there for a reason weather it to draw things in, to send a warning or to camouflage. When looking at this side of colour it helped me to understand on how I can use colour within my art. By this I mean how I can draw a persons eye through my works or to one section of the work before another.
The mushroom shown in the photo is a brightly coloured rare mushroom in the waxcap family ( scarlet waxcap). They are rare due to how they will only grow in grass lands that haven’t been touched by pesticides and chemicals, the bright colour makes the mushroom stand out from the grass and bring a persons eye straight to it. For art this would help people to be drawn to a section of the artwork before another this could be useful for a body off work being presented or a massive piece with a deeper meaning.

the Foxthe fox fits into the nature but also seems like it’s a random colour of orange, this shows how you can use colour more freely and have some that stand out really strong in an image it doesn’t always have to fit in, it’s more abstract.

white flowers flowers are bright and colourful and stand out to help bees find them to be pollinated, therefore the bright colours make them stand out and attract people towards them in order to help themselves. This could be used in art in a way that I’d you have a bright colour scattered around a piece of art the persons eye will scan across the whole pierce of art and make the art look more of a whole piece with the same colour linking different elements.
Trees in the Woodall thought the trees are a different colour to the ground around them, they still are harder to see. This shows how you have to take a longer look than normal to be able to see them. This could be used in art as a way of making people look deeper into the art and also making something seen but not as straight away.
Grass on the tree this shows how different things in nature can stand out and contrast against each other, this could be used well in art to make one thing stand out more than the other.

moss on tree the moss hides the tree really well but you can still see it, using this technique shows how something can be so in your face but still hidden.

𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨

4 November 20214 November 2021Dead Roses

cps

Ink couture is the tattoo studio I normal visit, when i go to get a tattoo I always ask about tattooing and how to get into it. the tattooing industry is very hard to get into now, due to its high demand and the influx within people becoming new artists to the skill.

Due to this I have started an Instagram that is lent towards tattooing to become more known and build a client base before I even start hopefully this will give me a little jump start, but also I am looking for a shop with a high number of walk in clients and regular clients as this will also help to get more clients of my own and get my works more known. For a while now i have been building up my Instagram (when really focusing on my account I grew from 500 to 2,132 right now)

A DEAD LETTER – Dead Roses

Month: November 2021