Social Medias. We has them.

We've had a FaceBook profile for ages, and our MySpace is ancient... but we've just added a couple more, so here's how to track us down on all the various places we're at on the intarwebs.

Facebook
MySpace
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest

Isn't envy one of the 7 deadly sins?

Yeah. So I pay attention to what's going on in tattooing, I look through blogs and facebook groups and such, I see the heavy-hitter artists, I know the standard that tattoo art is now set at.

I always feel like I'm really, REALLY far behind the curve.

There are local studios that have some mind-blowing artists. I look at their work and in fits of purest jealousy I feel horrid about my own little zappers. I see their bold lines, deeply saturated colours, and clever little flash designs, and I just feel like I'm running in place.

Now some of these artists, I'm not personally on the best of terms with them- and part of that is surely rooted in jealousy.

For the most part though, the only genuine criticism I could ever aim at them is that they're all basically doing the same thing. They're all kinda just scamming on styles like that of Derek Noble, Uncle Allan, and Myke Chambers. Sure, these locals artists are just -killing- at what they do, but really it's just incredibly polished imitation.

Cold comfort for my delicate ego though. I still look at their imitations and think, "fuck, I can't even copy as well as these guys."

Then every so often one of them will try to do something outside their comfort zone, and botch it so badly it becomes laughable.

That is when I feel the warm glow of a little schadenfreude.

"See?" I smugly say to myself, "THAT is why all they do is rip off the innovators- it's all they CAN do!"

Then I remind myself that it doesn't matter- they're still absolutely killing the one style they've adopted.

And you know what? Good for them. I can be, and will be, jealous until the day I'm put in wormy earth- but in the end, what's most important is that I tattoo in a city drenched in talent, and so long as I'm perpetually playing catch up with all these locals, it means I'll be perpetually getting a little better with each piece.

So keep blowing me out of the water you little fuckers.

HA!

Some of Tangles tattoo work

Effervescent Ennui

Sheesh, we just do NOT update this thing as often as we should. I blame FaceBook- it's too easy to be lazy when one is suckling on Zuckerbergs teat.

So yes, here's an update for those of you paying attention.

We have some staffing changes. Matt has left (for reasons we still don't entirely understand- so far as I'm concerned, if you're going to quit a job, at least have the decency to be able to explain why), but we've regained Charlotte. This makes us giddy, as no other artist we've ever had work with us so perfectly exemplifies the spirit of PennyBlack.

We've also picked up an apprentice, one Alex Cardosa. Keep an eye out for this one- I have a feeling he's going to excel at this medium.

Looks like we're doing this years West Coast Tattoo Culture show. Seems like only yesterday I was standing on a soapbox, raving about why we wouldn't support this convention. Amazing what a new promoter can do, isn't it?

We're hoping to have as much fun as we possibly can, so we call on you all to come out and help. You don't need to do much- just come by our booth and fuel our general lunacy.

We want YOU (if you're awesome)

So we're down to just three artists here now. We'd like to get more staff, but honestly- good help is nigh-impossible to find.

What's most amusing is that, no matter how detailed our 'looking for artist' ads are, we keep getting inundated with scratchers, hacks, wanna-be's, and art students who think tattoo is an easy-money solution.

ALL of the above are specifically mentioned as what we DON'T WANT, yet repeatedly these are the types who respond to our ads, as though miraculously we'll just forget our standards entirely.

For the record, this is our actual ad- and yes, it's technically still active.

===============================================


We are looking for a quality artist, with good energy and enthusiasm. 


Our goal here is to craft a tight-knit crew, a small family with the common goal of furthering the development of fantastic tattoo art.


Our --preference- is for an artist who is established, but it isn't a prerequisite. Our concern is more for the art than our bottom line.


As well, we feel it important to point out that, to us, how long you've been tattooing isn't as important as the quality of your work. 
Your portfolio is more important than the time spent developing it. 
That said, we aren't looking to train someone- if you don't know anything about tattooing, then we have no place for you here.


What we want:


-Excellent drawing skills.
-The drive to continue developing those skills.
-Enthusiasm about TATTOO- the culture, the history, and the current state of the business. 
When asked, "Who are your favorite tattoo artists?" a blank stare will not serve. Nor will the inability to back up why any named artists are your favorite.
-Strength of character, and strong convictions.
-The flexibility to lead AND follow, as the situation requires.
-Excellent customer service and the ability to sell yourself. 
Tattoo artists are their own commodity, and so we need artists who can do more than just create pretty pictures- marketing of yourself and the studio are critical qualities.
-A superlative grasp on aseptic procedure, cross-contamination prevention, and blood-bourne pathogen control.
-Preference will also be given to women- we want to maintain the level of Sister representation on our crew.


What we DON'T want:


-People who see tattoo as just a way to make easy money.
-People who don't know or care about our history and culture. If you don't know who Stoney St. Clair is, you're not going to fit in here.
-Casual arrogance- people who think that just because they're in a tattoo studio, that somehow that makes them better than anyone else.
-Homophobia, racism, or any other form of bigotry. We are queer-friendly and intolerant of intolerance.


Do be advised that the interview process will be brutally honest. Do NOT apply if you don't have thick skin. 
We won't be needlessly cruel, but if we don't feel your art is up to our standards (Meaning if you're not as good or better than us) 
we're not going to hire you. Our goal is to develop a crew of talented and creative individuals who will inspire us as much as we (hopefully) inspire them. 


Please submit at least 5 examples of your work, in web-ready format, to pennyblacktattoo (at) gmail.com 
We would like to see examples of custom, reproduction, colour, b&g, and script tattooing. 
If your material looks promising, we will contact you to arrange a casual interview somewhere downtown. 


WE DO NOT require apprentices OR SHOP MANAGERS/COUNTERSTAFF. Not yet.


PennyBlack Tattoo & Art is an award-winning studio that crowns Vancouver's historic Gastown district. 
Located at 321 Cambie street (between Hastings and Cordova), we offer only the best to our clients- art, design, comfort, and atmosphere. 


Look us up: 
Facebook (search PennyBlack Tattoo & Art)
Blog ( www.pennyblacktattoo.com )


See you soon!
-The PennyBlack family of artists.