done a few more now. one of them on myself. I know I've blown one or 2 lines on the 3rd one and maybe the cherry blossom somewhere. I changed my machine to a rotary(swiss) based on the advice of one of the artists in the shop, as a way to combat the "wobbly lines" but to be honest I didn't want to use it and preferred my coil. I did what the artist told me to do though and used the rotary and first line in and my line blew. could be that my angle was wrong or I went to deep. my needle was set out at 3mm and all 3 artists in the shop were just confusing the fuck out of me whilst I was doing the rose. Hence why my shading isn't smooth and it just looks rushed. Not how I wanted it to be.
I'm being bombarded with conflicting information and they're bickering between them about what's best for me, one overpowering the other until they're hushed, constantly going round in circles. There are 3 artists in the shop plus the owner who is only in once or twice a week to tattoo so don't get to learn much from him as I'm doing shop duties and drawing when he is around. I've been told to speed up as "I'm too slow" and then one saying "you can tattoo but you can't tattoo" and then the more laid back and younger artist would say "you'll soon figure it out yourself, just takes practice". I'm just baffled by it. I want to listen to just one of them but the owner advised me I must listen to all of them. how is this possible if they keep giving me information that just doesn't get through to me?
When I did the cherry blossom, there were just 2 artists in the shop and they left me to my own devices and that was the end result, using a 7 liner, a 13 mag and a 9 mag. Same for the skull, they checked my machine, station set up, hygiene and just let me tattoo. which is the wrong way to go about it, I know. I've pulled them up on this and they tell me it's hard as they don't have the time. The shop shuts at 6pm, they finish tattooing around 4pm most days. And if I complain, they tell me I've got an attitude problem. Maybe I have but I want to stay in the shop til 6pm not leave at 5pm.
They told me to post up some jenny clark flash with girly floral stuff and no one was interested, I put up some of my gap filler stuff and they tell I can't tattoo them. I feel kind of insulted in a way, not exactly a bruised ego as I know I can improve but like they've placed brick walls infront of me, that don't really need to be there or should they be there as a challenge, which I'm incapable of meeting?
surely the speed should come in time, when I'm more confident in putting in solid lines throughout the whole tattoo? I don't think I'm anywhere near that stage. I'm a bit of a slow learner, being hard of hearing, I process information slower, unless I'm reading from a book. As that is how I taught myself to draw, from a book.
I'm going to Venice tattoo gathering on Thursday so that would be a welcome break but also a chance to see what other artists do and get some advice from the likes of Jeff Gogue, Nick Baxter, Paul Booth, Bob Tyrell, Alex De Pase, Lianne Moule, Jason Butcher, David Corden, etc. Plus continue my drawing with David Kassan.
Rant off my chest at 2am in the morning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEbbLC8v...by=deth_star11 https://www.instagram.com/p/BEd8BTwP...by=deth_star11 https://www.instagram.com/p/BElKXtuP...by=deth_star11