A trip to the sign writers

Yesterday I went to get the header panel for my penny arcade machine painted up so it would say 'The Tattooed Lady'. I knew I wanted it to have a classic style font and have a vintage look but I was less than confident that I could pull off the execution myself. I've used text in my work many times before but I knew that there was no way I could fake years of training and expertise to give my machine an authentic look. Here you can see the where the panel will be on The Tattooed Lady. Once fitted it will be surrounded by lights:

This is Damian of Damian Whyatt Signwriting who talked me through the process as he worked on my panel.

I had prepared the MDF panel the day before by priming it several times and sanding it down between coats to make it a smooth as possible then painting it with a sumptuous red acrylic. Damian began by using a template he had already drawn out and covering the back in chalk. He than traced over the original lines to transfer the design.

Next he taped up the lines of the decorative border and top and bottom of the letters. Then he began to paint them in using enamel paint with a special long flat bristled brush. It was magical to watch the paint glide on so perfectly!

Once the lower case letters had been completed the tape was pulled away from them to reveal a clean crisp edge. Next the larger letters with flourishes were painted in and the boarder filled in using the same process.

Damian then began to paint in the shadow in a dark red enamel paint. This small additionn made a huge difference and made the letters pop! The gap between the yellow and the dark red created a more dramatic look than if they had simply been painted to touch.

The whole process took about an hour and a half and was a real insight into the sign writing art form. I am really pleased with the finsihed piece and can't wait to see how it will look when it sits atop my penny arcade machine.

Shopping for The Tattooed Lady

 

A few weeks ago myself and Tom the carpenter (the maker of my wonderful Pre Raphaelite frame last year) went shopping for second hand furniture with which to make my tattoo transfer dispencer, The Tattooed Lady.

My design is inspired by the sort of penny arcade machines found in the early 1900's - 1930's, so we were looking for items with a vintage finish ideally with Queen Anne style legs.

 

We scoured every charity shop and even the posh antiques markets in Manchester looking for the right piece, but it was in a drafty second hand warehouse that we spotted a small non descript wardrobe that had potential.

 

At first glance it doesn't look like much, but I thought its wood had the perfect look plus it had some great details that could be utilized for my design.

We didin't find anything with lthe right legs but Tom reassured me he could pick some up new and stain them the right colour. 

With the materials ready, I mocked up a flat plan of my machine to scale. The fridge freezer came in very handy that day as I covered it in newspaper and drew all over it. It just happend to be the right height.

You can see how the decorative details of the wardrobe will be used for the top of the machine and the wood for the main body. The design also features bulbs which will light up as a transfer is dispenced.

I will be getting help from Tom and Steve Symons of The Owl Project for  the internal mechanism which will also feature a bell! I'm looking forward to seeing how this all comes together.

Did you get your name on a brick?

In a little diversion from my Tattooed Lady project #TheTattooedLady, I have also recently been setting up some work for the final ever Cornerhouse Projects.

Photo by Ben Page

Most people will know by now that Manchester's beloved Cornerhouse will soon be closing its doors for the last time in March. However that's not the end of the story... In the Spring HOME will be opening as a new hub of art and culture in the city. HOME is the merger of both Cornerhouse and The Library Theatre Company, so rather than Cornerhouse ceasing to exist, it's easier to say it will live on in a different form.

As a farewell to the building we have all come to know and love the gallery staff at Cornerhouse have been given the opportunity to put on the last Cornerhouse Projects exhibition. As we are all artists, performers and actors this was a great chance to do something where we could combine our talents. So, using our unique knowledge of the building we decided to explore behind the scenes, delve into Cornerhouse history as well as some urban legends surrounding the place and Full Stop, the final Cornerhouse Projects will be the result.

For my piece I wanted to say my own farewell to the building and leave a lasting mark. In a 'backstage' mini tour where we took a camera around to expose the unseen Cornerhouse, I was struck by how much I liked the exposed bricks on the back stairs. What kind of secret conversations, blistering arguments and friendly banter had those bricks witnessed over the past 30 years? (For a secret peek of what else we found on our tour read to the end)

 

Cornerhouse would be nothing without the staff and punters who make it what it is, and this made me want to extend the opportunity to say goodbye to all those with memories of the Cornerhouse. Doing a call out on Facebook, Twitter and an inhouse call out to staff, I collected over 200 names of people to be written onto those exposed bricks as a lasting tribute so that when we leave and the Cornerhouse is no more, our names will remain a part of the building's fabric.

Lots of people left messages about their love for Cornerhouse and I recognised and know so many of you! It was quite a memory filled day as I wrote out all the names onto the bricks...

It took me five hours and 10 paint pens to achieve as the fabulous Chris Payne documented the process in photographs. Some of the photos will be on display as part of the show, while the full set will be available to view during the exhibition on Flickr. Throughout the run anyone interested will be able to go into the 'Staff only' area at set times to find their name and maybe find a few other familiar ones too!

Full Stop: informal launch in the Cafe-bar Thursday 19th Feb 5.30-7pm

Exhibition runs until Thursday 2nd April

...and for those of you nosey people who want to know, here's the Cornerhouse the public don't usually get to see photographed as research for the Full Stop exhibition...

Pretty grotty huh? Check out Full Stop for more Cornerhouse inspired art works by talented artists ;)

What I'm doing for the show!

So, you know those tattoo stories I've been collecting from you about your love tattoos you now regret? I've been turning those stories into new tattoo designs:

These designs will go on to be made into tattoo transfers which will be available via a vintage fairground style dispensary machine called 'The Tattooed Lady' for a new group show in the spring at HOME.

 

It's a funny thing doing art. Sometimes you have a brilliant idea and you know exactly what it is you're going to do. Other times you have a hazy feeling and follow that until something gels and somewhere down the line the work emerges.

This project is definatley the latter. 

For this work I knew I wanted to do something based around the tattooed performers of the travelling fair but I wasn't 100% sure what. So I began the work regardless and over Christmas the ideas took a more definative shape.

'The Tattooed Lady' machine will be based on a vintage penny arcade machine/ candy dispencer prominant during the early 20th Century to tie in with the vintage fairground theme.

It will be decorated and feature a lovely tattooed lady in the design. I want it to be highly attractive and fun to use. Here's my rough ideas for the piece:

As I mentioned above the machine will dispence tattoo transfers. I've been collecting your stories of love tattoos you now regret; tattoos that have become outdated declarations of love, to inspire these transfer designs, but I still need more!

So if you would like to have your story turned into a piece of art work to feature in an exhibition this spring please get in touch! I am after stories of true love, teenage impulse, blind fanatacism and passion. Your love could be for anybody or anything but the tattoo must be something you now feel differently for.

There will be a cut off point for sharing your stories soon so please get in touch now! You can share anonymously through my website if you would rather stay private, or you can contact me directly via twitter, facebook or email.

Get in touch and have your story turned into new art!

Oh, and a big thank you to those who have already taken part!

Some good reads

Since I've been focusing on vintage fairgrounds/travelling fairs and sideshows as inspiration for my tattooed lady project, I've been reading some great books to get me in the mood!

There's nothing I like more than being transported to another time and place through a good book, here's some of the best ones I've read so far...

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, has been a bestseller for some time now, and there's plans to make it into a film. The story is about a magical circus that only opens between dusk and dawn and is filled with fantastical characters and settings; the audience are treated to many tents instead of just the one and each tent houses an individual fabulous spectacle. The novel is filled with beautiful descriptions of decadent costumes colours and ornament which I really enjoyed and the imaginative ideas behind each entertainment was impressive. I found the love story a bit tepid and the fact there was no real threat meant the story lacked any bite or danger, but it did conjour up the theatrical world of the circus and that was what I wanted!

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury was a different kettle of fish entirely. A book of short science fiction stories held together by the idea that each one appears as a tattoo which comes to life at night and all reside upon the body of the Illustrated Man. I found this one pretty hard going, I'm not used to sci fi books but I was willing to give it a go, however after the sixth story featuring a rocket, a human settlement on a different planet and the pervading feeling that we're all doomed by our own evolution I'd had enough. What I did like was the premise; that the man had been working in a sideshow and decided to earn his keep as a tattooed exhibit. Unknown to him, he was illustrated on by a witch, who marked him with tattoos which told tales of the future and cursed him to never settle in one place too long so unnerving is the art work once witnessed. I really liked how the tattoos equated to stories as that is something I am investigating in my own project, and it is an imaginative take on the traditional story telling of the tattooed man or woman.

 

The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall is a book I read years ago but decided to re-examine due to it's perfectly suited subject matter: This novel follows young Cyril Parks as he evolves from awkward adolescent to apprentice of Morcambe's formiddalbe yet hugley talented tattoo artist Elliot Riley. Beginning in the 1900's during the travelling fair's golden age this story focuses on the Cyril's relationship with a mysterious young woman who commissions him to tattoo her entire body with eyes. The morbid thrill of following his progression with both relationship and needle is fascinating. Plus the gritty and realistic depiction of both the magic of the sideshow and the darkness behind the scenes is powerfully evocative. It is a real inspirational read and well researched. Perfect for the vintage tattoo inspired project I am working on!

Do you have a tattoo tale to tell? Share your stories of outdated love tattoos on the facebook page or anonymously on my website. All stories go on to inspire my work for the project The Tattooed Lady: Tales of Love and Regret to be exhibited in Manchester in the Spring.

Being on the radio

So last night I appeared on the Alison Butterworth late night radio show on BBC Radio Lancashire to talk tattoos for my project The Tattooed Lady. It was a great experience; I met Laura another guest and tattoo fan who has roses and cupcakes decorating her skin, and had a real knowledge on contemporary body modification thanks to her job as a professional body piercer.

The show also featured some fantastic callers who rang in to discuss their tattoos. There was Pete, the man who you don't know whether to speak to or read, so covered is he in body art, who got his first tattoo in his 20's and is now hooked. Then there was Paul who was proud of his tattoos and after suffering a bad house fire was considering getting some flames tattooed to commemorate getting through the ordeal.

We covered everything from when is the right age to get your first tattoo through to fads and fashions which dictate tattoo styles, we talked cover ups and bad decisions not to mention wrinkley tattoos of the older generation. It was all fascinating and so great to hear real people share their opinions and personal stories about the controversial art form. Oh, and I got to read the weather! It was all pretty cool!

I have to say a big thank you to presenter Alison and producer Helen for being so welcoming and helpful and making the whole experience fun and interesting.

Remember, you can still get in touch with your ex love tattoo tales to take part in the work I'm doing for HOME in the Spring. Just add your picture to the facebook page The Tattooed Lady: Tales of Love and Regret with a description. Or if you'd like to stay anonymous you can post your story on my website in secret using the form provided. If your tattoo is an outdated declaration of love, be that for man or beast, film star or football team, whatever your past passion, I want to hear from you!

Outdated declarations of love

 

I'll be travelling to Blackburn this Thursday to take part in BBC Radio Lancashire's night time phone in show as a guest talking about tattoos and tattoo regrets. This is part of the work I'm doing for the opening exhibition at the new multi disciplinary arts venue HOME, next Spring.

Up until recently I wasn't able to say exactly where the theme for this group show came from as the programme hadn't been announced, but now I can reveal that the idea for the show is based around the play Kasimir and Karoline which will be showing at HOME in a new version called The Funfair.

Taking the themes of the play into the galleries, the opening exhibition explores heart break and the dark side of the funfair and this is where I decided to concentrate on the concept of the freakshow and specifically The Tattooed Lady.

People love an oddity, but as one sideshow manager put it, 'it was not the show, it was the tale you told' which brought in the crowds. The tattooed exhibits of the travelling fairs, circuses and side shows were no different; as well as giving the public a chance to see naked flesh (always a draw!) they also treated  them to  a story or two about the pictures adorning their skin.

I have always been drawn to the vintage aesthetic of tattoos and this mixed with the fact that currently one fifth of the British public is tattooed seemed a great subject to explore. With the idea in mind that many people get tattooed for love; be it true love or a personal passion like a sport, film star or band, it isn't unusual for the passion to subside, the relationship to move on, but the bearer be left with an outdated declaration of love on their skin for the rest of their life. 

Not to mention that emotional scars can run as deep as phyiscal ones; a tattoo is a scar that can act as a lasting reminder of love, impetuousness, naivety, and also sadness.

I want to collect people's stories about their ex love tattoos as part of this project with the aim to create a tattood lady based on modern tales of love gone wrong and this Thursday you can share your own tales on the Alison Butterworth show 10pm-1am on BBC Radio Lancashire.

It promises to be an interesting night with tattooed guests and tattoo artists included. I look forward to hearing your stories and opinions!