Jennifer Stell

One other thing, Richard read you entry... He said FUCK EM.
He has an amazing portrait tattoo of his son on his leg, the tattoo is 20 years old, looks amazing, and done by an ELITE European tattooer, and even though it still looks great. He really doesn't like the tattoo, due to the experience... Just his two cents.

One other thing, Richard read you entry... He said FUCK EM.
He has an amazing portrait tattoo of his son on his leg, the tattoo is 20 years old, looks amazing, and done by an ELITE European tattooer, and even though it still looks great. He really doesn't like the tattoo, due to the experience... Just his two cents.

A little humility goes a long way. . . Sounds like a rough experience.
The "vibe" an artist has essentially ends up in you, from just sitting and getting tattooed, the "experience" is important, it should be a comfortable, and pleasant one, "a good time", cause shit hurts...
There are plenty of tattooers out there, it's hard finding good ones, just go with what your gut says, because it would suck to hate yourself, if the artwork is just as unpleasant as the artist.

A little humility goes a long way. . . Sounds like a rough experience.
The "vibe" an artist has essentially ends up in you, from just sitting and getting tattooed, the "experience" is important, it should be a comfortable, and pleasant one, "a good time", cause shit hurts...
There are plenty of tattooers out there, it's hard finding good ones, just go with what your gut says, because it would suck to hate yourself, if the artwork is just as unpleasant as the artist.

I think that Nunez made an absolute ass out of himself on the finale.

Joshua Hibbard = STANKMADE
y'all will figure that one out...

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

A few pics of Richards. . .

Richard and Clay Decker are who I have to thank for what I know so far... And Bob Roberts, "it's not painting if it's not outlined with a brush", he told Richard when he was using a marker to use for some fine outlining stuff... We no longer use sharpies for paintings... Um...and I have been using Oil Colors and doing landscape paintings since I was 8 years old... My Uncle taught me he was amazing...
I just recently started learning to use Water Color...
Transferring images some use: graphite, others colored paper, I won't say what we have found to work best b/c that's us, everyone is different: graphite is harder to erase from paper, and you only have to lightly trace over with a ball point pen, but once it's down, it's down... I like colored tranfers, easier to correct, and they don't bleed...Saral Wax Free Transfer Paper - BLICK art materials
As far as laying down outlines: some like speedballs, nibs, or quills, but we use brushes, and it's a learning process.
Paints, try EVERYTHING it's fun, and no pressure like skin... but tubes are the way to go as you aren't writing down paint recipes for drops of dr.martins, or other liquids, they may dry out but you still have that one color you need to finish an old project you left on the table 4 months ago, and can't remember what you used to mix it... I can't get the knack of liquids still... I am a "watch your dap" and make sure your brush is lubed type, so water into liquid freaks me out... (still learning).
Blick is the best for finding paper... Rolls are awesome, but we have been finding good deals on big sheets, and as far as blocks are concerned, I always keep a block around for Richard, Arches... Usually Clay has a dude that comes by the shop selling blocks at like 20.00 instead of the 60.oo they run at a chain store... So he's been stocking up and I buy em off him. We travel so much, guerilla paint sessions usually happen on a block.
The last time I painted anything seriously it was helping out Richard with the signs at Spotlight... We painted until 30 mins prior to getting in a cab and heading to LAX to catch a flight, Steve stayed all nite to lend a hand too... It's still not done but attached are pics.
Being around the Man, and Decker are really huge gifts, they have soo much talent, and know soo much, I'd be using tempera and being lame if it weren't for them.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

Or you could talk Bob or Richard into doing it, it's a mix of each one of their panthers... It was funny to watch them actually, they were kinda grabbing the red sharpie from one another like siblings... But it ended up cool, I saw Richard half the two correction lines, and meet in the middle and make something a bit different so it wasn't one or the others panther...
Blackheart is prolly a better option though, both Bob and Ricardo are working on a new set of flash together with Aaron Coleman... So it's crunch time. Okay, non sequitor. I need to be packing boxes or something.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

In our household... we like our Battle Royals with cheese and no whine, in one shot... Preferably in one sitting. I'll post a couple pics...
It was his kids first tattoo, one sitting, like 8 hours...

Apparently the answer is a lot. They barely showed him and I was looking forward to a epic smack down. Those tattoos were awful. Not one of the contestants in the last two years could pull off a Japanese tattoo. I always assumed it was a fairly popular style, but none of these people seem to have any interest.
When Made Rich or what ever his dumbass name is insulted Japanese tattooing as simple and I attractive, I was waiting for Denning to come over the desk and smack him.
Everyone on the show is a "portrait specialist" or into photo realism. I don't get it.

A friend of mine got in touch and said he's considering being on the show. He knows how much I hate it, so he thought I'd be the perfect person to talk to about doing it. We talked for a few hours via text and I couldn't, at the end, tell him NOT to do it.
I was going to go with 'no one will take you seriously if you go on it' then I realized the we as a community/industry/whatever seem to make exception for the the judges, Shane O'neill, Jime Litwalk and whoever else we decide is 'ok' but the rest of them are a joke.
I was going to go with 'they're going to make you look like a jerk' because it's easy for me to say that, since my livelihood doesn't depend on tattooing. Lalo said that after being on S2 he had a significant increase in interest for appointments, which Im sure is true for even the worst of the bunch. So internet commentators (like me. Just like me) can comment on you looking silly, but you're going to be too busy tattooing and making a little bit of coin while it's there to be made.
I dunno. I think the show is a joke and I hate it, but I couldn't think of a reason for a young tattooer who wants a little adventure and some extra coin NOT to be on it other than for selfish, shallow reasons. So when someone who hates it says 'why not'... I'm curious to what he'll do.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

Ed Hardy on Richard Stell.... I begged for a picture. Worth it.

im going to be the grumpy old curmudgeon who offers nothing to the thread on topic save for mentioning my absolute hatred of the term plainskin. My friend Shannon tried to start that as a phrase years ago, not sure if this is the ripple from that, but its like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.
Sorry for interrupting.

I'm an apprentice...
I started to learn from Richard in 2002, then we all got a long so much I bought his partner Stace out of his partnership, which was Skin & Bones, a completely different business in the same building... As a business minded person I had to set down the apprenticeship, and focus on the piercing business, but knew I would get to be around and maybe get to have time enough to pick up a few things... It never happened, we maintained a partner relationship from then on...
In 2009, we were reunited somewhat... after about 6 months, I was his apprentice again, and still am...
What I have gathered from my 13 plus years in the body art profession is this, Tattooers or some of them, are a lot like teenage couples that don't think about the big picture, they get all hot and heavy and forget to take that pill or wear a condom, and oops a baby is born, and they themselves are still children... Babies having Babies is not an ideal situation in population or profession control.... Especially if you care about people and people getting good work.
And Richard has always ALWAYS said... Taking an apprentice is like getting married and someone taking your last name as theirs.... And there is no divorce, that's forever. Hence even too risky for him to teach or just trust even a friend to tattoo... They are bound to you for the rest of their career, and you want to teach good tattooing, and it's hard to teach something that we should constantly be learning about... especially if you love it.

Just a quickie note. . .
We'll be attending Oliver Pecks Convention in Deep Ellum, (Dallas, TX) September 13-15... and We are confirmed for the Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts in San Fran. this October... So far time is completely open, so get at me if you want to get tattooed by Richard...

Just a quickie note. . .
We'll be attending Oliver Pecks Convention in Deep Ellum, (Dallas, TX) September 13-15... and We are confirmed for the Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts in San Fran. this October... So far time is completely open, so get at me if you want to get tattooed by Richard...