I'm still here, and I drew something cute.

This whole blog thing is new. And, not gonna lie - it’s the same stuff I send in my newsletter except on my website. Why? Well because website SEO is a thing, and as a website dedicated to art, I don’t have a lot of searchable text on here. So, here’s some cute stuff I shared in my February newsletter.

Soooooo what have I been up to? Well I’ve been drawing a lot more. I’m challenging myself to draw new tattoos every week. Not necessarily to sell them. But just to keep myself in the habit of making stuff. Sort of like “morning pages” for drawing, you know? (Any Artist Way fans out there?)

Here are some cuties I drew last month:

(details and pricing for these are here on my website)

I ended up tattooing the middle design on myself. Yup. I did that. It isn’t perfect (turns out tattooing yourself is, like, a lot harder than tattooing someone else?) but it’s pretty damn good and I’m happy with it. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to take that leap, so, dare I say, I’m proud of myself.

In case you’re wondering,”wtf, why would you do that?” it’s because you learn a lot by tattooing yourself. Strangely, tattooing is a time-sensitive medium? The lines get bigger and the color fades over the years. Tattoos can also change after a few weeks of healing. As an artist, watching these changes happen in real time teaches you a lot about your tattoo technique and design quality.

As I continue learning new tattoo techniques, I’ve been designing more tattoos with big filled in areas. I think there’s a fun contrast in working with bold heavy shapes paired with dainty, “feminine” imagery. Coincidently, I started designing this big rose-heart design at the beginning of February. I challenged myself to fill the rest of my notebook page with other designs, just to see what would happen.

Using limited space pushed me to design tattoos in different shapes than I normally would. I also feel like each design expanded on a feeling of tender defiance that was coming through in the drawings. If any of these designs speak to you, you can find details and pricing here on my website.

Aaannd I think that’s about all for now. I’ll leave you with this quick little love note: Thank you to all the people who’ve loved my artwork enough to put it on their bodies. Thank you to all the people who love my artwork enough to tell their friends. And thank you to all the people who don’t love my artwork, but love me enough to be a listening ear and kind friend. You’re all an essential puzzle piece that makes this whole dream of mine real.

Happy (almost) Valentines babes!