Inky Bear's Picnic

This coming May, a year will have passed since I started going to DABS Tattoo parlour in Southport to get my sleeve done.  I'd spent nearly twice that time designing it, trying to get it just right, before coming to the conclusion that I needed to speak to the tattooist who was going to take on the design.  My good friend Sally has been going to DABS for four years getting a full back piece done and she recommended the artist 'Inky Bear' (AKA Karl Atkins)

So I went to Southport with Sally on her next visit, taking my designs with me.  I'd met Karl once before and chatted briefly on a night out in Blackpool, but this was a chance to chat properly artist to artist and I discovered we were into a lot of the same things and were very much on the same page.  So Karl took my designs away and came up with a fresh idea that I loved immediately, so I booked myself in with Sally on her next appointment and so it began.....

By my second appointment, I'd come to realise that DABS Tattoo parlour was not only home to some great tattooists, but also they are just great people.  So I decided to start painting more vinyl and take them as gifts.  I started out with Karls and then did one for Tony, the owner, who is a master of black and dot work.  I wanted each one to be personal to them, so I started chatting to all of them more and found out what they like. 

Alan introduced me to the work of amazing artist Mike Giant  ( see his website here- http://www.mikegiant.com/index.php) and asked for a black and white piece based on his style.  Dean has a crazy imagination for characters and I also found his nickname is 'Shotgun', so that took care of that one! 

Michelle, like her boyfriend Karl, is also into the same kind of things as me, like Super Mario and Totoro, so I found painting her vinyl quite easy, as I've drawn and painted these characters before.  The concept for Sarah's vinyl came about after chatting to her about art and tattoos and she showed me some new styles where the ink looked like it had been painted on with a brush.  I knew she liked flamingoes too from seeing the work on her legs, so decided to incorporate one into the design. 

Finally, I painted one for Lisa. (Tony's wife and co owner/manager of DABS)  By this point, I'd run out of the pre-painted vinyls that Chinny had given me all that time ago at Al Fresco, but I'd been given some more unwanted records and decided to paint Lisa's directly onto the black.  This one is more in keeping with my Infected style and is one of my favourites. 

These vinyl pieces now hang on the studio walls at DABS, in each artist's own area.  Tony has also allowed me to take work in to hang and try and sell, much to my delight!

 They are an amazing bunch of people, the DABS Bears and their combined talent for tattooing is off the chain!  So if you're thinking of getting some ink, you should definitely go down to the woods today (well, Southport anyway!) and check them out.  

See the DABS website here- http://www.dabstattoo.com/

and follow them on Facebook here- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dabs-Tattoo/107458755109

  

Heads Pitta

'Heads Pitta'.  I just changed the name of this piece (originally 'Headspitter') for posting up on here, simply because when I looked at it again for the first time in a while, I noticed that there's more than one head and so my brain added the s, then when I said it over in my mind, it read 'heads. pitta' and I imagined an illustration of a pitta full of heads! I doodled this while I took a break from creating 'Brick Carnage' (see my first ever post).

I went through a phase of drawing heads and techy profiles! Original was done on A3 paper using a fine liner pen and my shwede! 

A Mini Infection

After the piano, I was hungry for more!  It had been a whole new experience Infecting something of that size and shape, but when summertime arrived, it brought with it my largest solo project to date- the fibreglass Mini! 

I'd worked with club promoter and dj Mark 'Chinny' Davis before, creating artwork for him when he ran the nightclub 'Blue' a few years back.  It had, without a doubt, the best music, people and vibes on offer in Blackpool at the time and in return for the work I did, I was taken to  Switzerland and then Barcelona for the Snow/Beachbombing festivals, where I had some of the best experiences of my life and met some amazing people.  

So when Chinny rang me up and said he was putting on an outdoor event sponsored by the BMW dealers Lloyds and there was the chance to Infect a full size fibre glass Mini, I jumped at the chance!

The plan was, for me to go down to the dealers a couple of weeks before and make a start on painting the car in the workshop, which had been masked off and sprayed for me.  The car would then be brought down to the event (called 'Al Fresco-presented by YoMoFo') on the day and I would finish it off as people watched. 

Unfortunately, in typical British fashion, the weather ruined the day and the event was cancelled.  I however, (also in typical fashion!), continued Infecting the car as though nothing had changed and finished it off in a week.

Using a couple of sizes of black Posca pens, it was an absolute joy to work on its shiny surface in my usual way- making it up as I went along, allowing the design to come naturally.  

I first worked on the right hand side, from back to front, going in all guns blazing with the techness, contained within big chunky lines. 

I then worked on the back, changing it up a bit with less detail and daintier  lines.  In parts, where the shape of the car curved the most, the paint would flick off a little as I blew the dust off it!  It never bothered me though, I was having way too much fun!  I just painted those bits back in and carried on. 

When I came to work on the left hand side, I was greeted with some different details, like the petrol tank cover.  It felt natural to paint within its round shape and turn it into a homage to pacman, much to the delight of one of the lads working there!  

I finished off the left side panels, then started on the roof.  I began with my signature black dripping ink, then got out the largest of the Poscas and made some huge, sweeping lines across its amazingly smooth surface.  (I think I was smiling the whole time I worked on this bit, as I was stood on two BMW X5 tyres stacked up, so I could reach!)

Easily the best surface I've worked on so far, or rather, my favourite!
Massive thanks to Chinny for getting me involved and to Michelle Walker at Lloyds BMW Dealers for making the project happen.  I'll be taking part in Chinny's next 'Al Fresco' event in Blackpool on June 3rd- for details, follow the facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/yomofo.alfresco

And for Lloyds BMW dealers click here
http://www.lloydblackpoolbmw.co.uk/

Everyone gets Infected sooner or later.com

In January last year, I was given the opportunity to Infect an upright piano, as part of a project with 'Everyonedoesit.com', the world's largest online headshop.

  The plan was to paint it, fix it onto a base with wheels, then take it into Manchester city centre and hand out promotional fliers while it was being played.

I found a young pianist who seemed keen to get involved, but unfortunately, due to money issues, the project dream was never realised and we didn't make it to Manchester. 

Still, it was a treat for me getting to Infect something so interesting and the smooth nature of the wood made it a joy to paint on with the ol' Posca pens!  Once the paint job was complete, Nidge, the project manager, coated it with yacht varnish to finish it off.  It now stands proudly in his living room along with his growing collection of Infected By Design artwork. 

Check out the online store here  http://www.everyonedoesit.com/