I have just got back from being home for my sisters 21st birthhday and here is a picture of the cake i made her. I used a block of icing and made litle things to put onto of a chocolate mud. Not bad for my frist real attempt at cake decorating. It was just lots of fun little objects that remind me of my sister and everyone was a fan of the cake.

So think my hands are going to forever smell of rubber gloves and disinfectant! Which i love so it is all good. Day two of my tattoo apprenticship and it really gets better and better, now i know how to clean everything i can just concerntrate on learning how to tattoo, i just have to speak up more about wanting to know things but i will get there. I was able to take some pictures this time on both my digital and on black and white film (for another project) so i am excited to see if they worked or not. The 3 pictures above are of Grub, his machine, his work bench and one of him tattooing a young guy. Grub is the tattooist who has been doing my left arm sleeve and even though we started it in April, it is still not finished yet and to be honest i really don't mind, i think thats how a sleeve should be, a working progress so that by the end it is exactly what you want. So Saturday was quite a busy day, Grub had client after client all day and Jay managed to get a really difficult tattoo that tooka couple of hours to just get ready and it was a great learning day, seeing how Jay was able to over come a difficult body shape to place a tattoo on and what size linner you need to use on the ribs and how us apprentices seem to have this obsession with Frosty Jacks White Cider! Was a nother great day!! Can't wait til the next!

Title- Portrait of the artist, Nick
By- Alyce Burton
On my first day of my tattoo apprentiship i took some inspiration from my favorite artist Shawn Baber and decided to draw Nick's hand and machine while he was tattooing and this is what i got. Not bad for the first time and i think i am going to take the opportunity to draw alot at the tattoo studio because people have to stay still and it gives me good practice in life drawing. Nick was tattooing this guy that was only told by his wife 15 minutes before his appointment that this was his fathers day present! AWWWW, i thought that was so sweet! He had his kids and wifes name put on his back, it's going to look great when it is finished! This is going to be the first of many tattoo protraits of the guys at Industrail Tattoo.

So yestrerday was the first day of my tattoo apprenticship at Industrial Tattoo in Diamond Creek Vic and it was a great first day! I think what made it easier was that i know the guys there cause i have been going there since April for my sleeve. There is alot more to tattooing then most people think, all the cleaning and tools of the trade really supprised me and the systems they put in place to make sure everything is sanitized. I spent most of the day learning how to clean the tubes, take apart the machines after a tattoo is finished and just watching and asking questions. I did manage to draw a little picture of Nick while he was tattooing. If every day is going to be like that then i am going to be one happy little apprentice. Over and out!

Here are two drawing that i have just finished, one quite obviously done with lead pencil. The top image i painted using my own blood! Before jumping to any freakish conclusions this was just an experinment that was good timing. I cut myself while making dinner and because i have been looking at alot of Dr Rev's work i thought why not give it a go!!! You only live once! To be honest, i love the look of the blood painting, there is alot of tonal value there and it is easy to use. You kind of have to layer it a little to build the tone but overall i think it looks great.