making things, and some cheesy friend tattoos.
- In you,
on fear
- In Tattoo Advice, you,
I want people to know and see my work, that is why I do it. yet a part of me fears people, being known, shaking a hand. I seek eyes on my work but I fear the people who own the eyes.
why? why are people frightening?
I love the people I have known. I’ve only met a few people who are fearsome. most are kind, nervous, friendly, excited. some are hilarious, supportive, witty, swift.
why be afraid of it? it’s not fame. it’s some other thing I’m seeking. fame would be truly terrifying and also, I don’t think I have the talent required, both in my work and in my self.
some do get famous with less, but I don’t admire that. I would like to admire myself.
I want everyone to see my work. and then I want to curl into a small, invisible ball and roll away.
the internet is made of eyes. yet you are people, and when I remember that, I’m afraid. but I know many of you and you’re wonderful people who have given me no reason to fear. what is this, then? where does it come from?
I don’t know the answers. why would I?
Are tattoo artists rich?
- In Tattoo Advice, you,
some are, some aren’t.
most are able to get by. the fact that we do what we love for a living makes us all rich, though.
Signing party for the Horrors, the night before Halloween!
- In you,
SIGNING PARTY! come color in some horrors!
today at work!
- In you,
today, I made a list. I trimmed a tree. I did a tattoo. two people sent me pictures of ear weights I made that they bought!
just lots of photos today.
here I am with a giant dog, too.
How facebook wants you to waste your money
- In you,
just a repost of something useful I wrote a while back, that a few people asked about…namely, facebook ads.
5 big mistakes people make when planning their tattoos (and how to avoid them)
Comments welcome!
1. Putting the cart before the horse (trying to get art together instead of finding an artist first)
Your most important decision isn’t going to be the art itself, but the artist you choose to apply it. Before you even start putting together any images, you should start looking for an artist to do the tattoo. Most people assume they have to come in with some kind of finished piece and then hand that to just any artist, and they will get a good tattoo. This is pretty much backwards!
Look for a tattoo artist whose work you like, who works in a shop with a decent reputation, and who shows interest in your idea. The best way to do that is to simply search online, plugging in the name of your area or region and “tattoo artist”. Or, alternately, ask people you have met who have tattoos that you really like. Word of mouth is a good thing!
Choose the artist by their work. If they are doing tattoos that you think look awesome, it doesn’t matter if it’s the same subject you’re looking for. For example, if you want a bird on you, you don’t have to look for someone who can tattoo a bird. Every tattoo artist can and will tattoo a bird- it’s the WAY they will tattoo it, that you need to think about. Look at their STYLE. Do you like it? Not your mom, your partner, your friends. YOU. This will be your tattoo. So if you like their style, that’s what matters.
You can usually send an email to an artist or contact them online and present your subject matter to them, and see how interested they are. Sometimes your idea is fine but not exciting, and that’s ok…but sometimes you get lucky and the idea you have is one that THAT particular artist would really love to work on, and that’s always a good thing.
Once you’ve picked out a tattoo artist, go have a consult with them. They will make the art for you, as part of the tattoo process. Seriously. Finding an artist whose vision you trust means you don’t have to pay anyone else to draw for you.
Colored pages from the horrors from readers!
- In you,
Some readers have sent me pictures of the pages they’ve colored! SO AWESOME. Send me yours!
the horror movie list.
my list of favorites… (new additions at the end)
the woman – domestic violence, rape, and revenge horror
possession (the one from the 80s) – monsters, divorces, and doppelgangers
altered – aliens and a hermit guy, innawoods
resolution – drug addiction, atmosphere, original premise, creepy spying, innawoods
slither – aliens, bad relationships, marriage, monsters
relic – bad science, monsters, sexy beasts
the seasoning house – brutality, warfare, rape, oppression, and revenge
from beyond – science, monsters, villianous experimentations
pontypool – language, viral plagues, zombies of a sort, bad day at the office
the grey – animal attacks, betrayal, isolation, survival horror, innawoods
the thing (80s) – brilliant. isolation, distrust, betrayal, aliens.
return of the living dead (any of the first three) – zombies that can speak.
dead end – dark humor, great acting, excellent dialogue, ghosts, innawoods
teeth – abstinence-only sex ed, incest, revenge.
trick r treat – werewolves, murderers, ghosts, pumpkins.
pieces – slasher film with lots of suspense moments.
pioughkeepsie tapes (if you’re a fan of true crime documentaries, you’ll love it)
s&man – mockumentary, self-referential to the horror genre and “extreme” video.
V/H/S – anthology film, harpies, ghosts, video nasties.
abcs of death – anthology, some artsy, some feminist, some violence, zombies.
the masters of horror series. varies
memories of a murder – serial killers, korean horror.
audition – best bad guy ever, gory
funny games – self-aware horror that breaks fourth wall
cabin in the woods – same
the pact – murders, ghosts, incest, abuse.
the host – monsters, claustrophobia
the frighteners – ghosts, bad cgi, JEFFREY COMBS’s BODY IS AN INSTRUMENT OF PAIN
the road (not the one with viggo in it. the foreign one)- ghost road
the shrine – demons, religions, eastern european fear
severance – killers, history, warfare, strife, business, bad days at the office, innawoods
andromeda strain – viral plagues, government fuckups
the mist – monsters, religious nuttery, perfect ending
the shining – domestic abuse, ghosts, evil places, creepy kids
the descent – claustrophobia, monsters, betrayal, great characters/acting, innawoods
anamorph – crime thriller, dark arts, murder
the stuff – consumerism, monsters, plagues, cassandra complexes, industrial espionage
troll – (NOT TROLL 2!) – naked julia louis-dreyfus, sonny bono, monsters, fairy badness, creepy kids
nightwatch – fate, monsters, secret worlds, russian behavior
primal – aussie mayhem, monsters, claustrophobia, isolation, innawoods horror
dogtooth – incest, abuse, control issues, isolation
barton fink – isolation, art horror, serial killers, mayhem, the life of the mind
call of cthulu – silent horror, monsters, elder gods, madness
dead man – existential horror, art horror, isolation, innawoods, ghosts
ravenous – cannibals, innawoods, isolation
american werewolf in london – monsters.
dog soldiers – monsters, betrayal, war games
may – social anxiety, medical weirdness, frankensteining
they live – a documentary
the changeling – possessed wheelchair, kid ghosts, perfect soundtrack
contracted – sexual repression, rape, body horror, gay rights being impeded
REAL THINGS THAT HAPPENED:
cropsey, dark days, the dust bowl (ken burns), tell me and I will forget, kinjongilia, reel injun, titicut follies, just melvin just evil, child of rage, a place for pedophiles, children underground, this entire series
