anca pora

Starting to learn a new skill - tattooing

If you guys follow me on my socials you might have noticed a bit of a shift in my content. I recently decided to invest in some tattoo supplies and start learning everything I can about the art of tattooing. I am in week 4 of my practice and let me tell you it has not been easy. It’s been so long since I actually learned a new skill I almost forgot all the challenges and self doubts you go through. That being said I am really enjoying the process of working in such a different way and not relying on color and paint washes.


so i just wanted to share some of my best tries in this short blog post. I know I haven’t been active on my blog in like two years but I think i will try to revive it and post at least twice a month.

This cat flash sheet is probably one of my favorite ones so far. I really like how simple they came out and readable as cats. also i know that some of the paws don’t really look perfect but hey line work can be pretty difficult to make and i am happy with my progress considering that this was done in week 2

cat tattoo ideas

i also attempted a few traditional desings and i found these a bit easier to work on. However the thing about traditional tattoos is that you cannot fuck up the line work. Because the shapes are so simple any mistake will show instantly.

i also attempted a little bit of shading with this moth tattoo. I think I might have overworked the skin in some areas but I am so thankful i have this fake skin to work on. Overall i don’t think this moth tattoo came out bad , i just wished i would have made the wings symmetrical from the sketch stage.

moth tattoo shading

one of my most recent attempts was this traditional flash sheet. The designs are taken from freepik so they are not made by me but i thought that they would be perfect for practicing straight lines and being consistent with my line work.

i have started documenting my progress on youtube and i will be posting weekly or biweekly videos showing you pieces i am working on and hopefully this way i will be able to see personally my evolution in time and maybe also get some advice from other tattoo artists. i have made a playlist over on youtube called my tattoo journey


as for my shop and other illustration adventures i will be continuing to update my shop with products as i go along and i will also be posting exclusive behind the scenes over on patreon. it would help me a lot if you guys could support me over there as tattoo supplies are not cheap and taking on this new skill has definitely been an extra expense. oh and don’t forget there is a washi tape deal happening in the shop now and prints and sticker sheets are on sale!


I LAUNCHED MY PATREON PAGE!!!

I finally did what i have been wanting to do for such a long time. I launched my patreon!!! Yay. I’ve been wanting to find an additional income for my illustrations where i can paint what i love and share everything i discover and know with you guys. I also want to send gifts such as prints, postcards, notebooks and stickers to my supporters and i think this is pretty much the perfect way to do it.

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If you don’t know Patreon is a platform which allows artists to receive funding directly from their fans, or patrons, on a recurring basis or per work of art. So you can basically pledge however much you want starting from 1$ and you receive exclusive content.

For more information check out this studio vlog where i talk more about the tiers i set up and the awards for my patrons.

But to have an overall idea of what i am giving as awards here are my current tiers

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I hope you guys find my Patreon interesting and if you do decide to become a patron I will be forever grateful and will do my best to give you guys loads of goodies and behind the scenes <3

HOW TO BALANCE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH A FULL TIME JOB

IN THIS VIDEO: I AM DRAWING A MUSHROOM PATTERN USING POSCA MARKERS AND I AM ALSO TALKING ABOUT SOME TIPS I HAVE GATHERED THIS PAST YEAR ON HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OUT OF HAVING A FULL TIME JOB AND ALSO HAVING A YOUTUBE CHANNEL

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I THINK EVERYONE STARTING A YOUTUBE CHANNEL WILL STRUGGLE AT FIRST BECAUSE MOST OF US EITHER HAVE A 9 TO 5 JOB OR ARE ATTENDING UNIVERSITY. HOWEVER THE MORE YOU POST THE MORE YOU WILL GET THE HANG OF WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOES NOT. I HAVE SOME TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT AND MAKE THE BEST OUT OF BOTH WORLDS.

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PLAN AHEAD . BY THIS I MEAN ALWAYS BE ONE STEP AHEAD OF YOURSELF. YES I KNOW THAT SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE BUT IT’S REALLY EASY. I LIKE TO ALWAYS HAVE A LIST OF IDEAS FOR VIDEOS. THAT WAY I CAN START FILMING RIGHT AWAY WHEN I HAVE THE TIME TO DO SO. ANOTHER WAY YOU CAN PLAN AHEAD IS BY FILMING A WEEK AHEAD. THAT WAY YOU HAVE A FULL WEEK TO EDIT YOUR VIDEO AND ALSO YOU WILL PROBABLY BE LESS STRESSED.

MAKE A SCHEDULE THAT FITS YOUR NEEDS. WE ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT LIFESTYLE SO MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT. FIGURE OUT WHEN IS THE BEST DAY FOR YOU TO FILM IN PERFECT CIRCUMSTANCES AND MAKE THAT YOUR FILMING DAY. FOR ME THE BEST DAY TO FILM IS SUNDAY. IT’S THE ONLY DAY WHEN I DON’T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING PLANNED AND I CAN JUST CHILL AT HOME PAINTING WITH NO TIME PRESSURE.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE THINGS UP. WE ALL TRAVEL FROM TIME TO TIME OR HAVE SOME THINGS THAT NEED YOUR FULL TIME AND ATTENTION. SO THAT MIGHT MEAN THAT YOUR FILMING SCHEDULE MIGHT SUFFER FROM TIME TO TIME. SO DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT OR EVEN FILM TWO VIDEOS IN A DAY. MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR NEEDS.

YOUTUBE IS TIME CONSUMING. THAT’S JUST HOW IT IS. THERE’S NO GOING AROUND IT. IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON STARTING A YOUTUBE CHANNEL YOU WILL NEED TO SOMETIMES SACRIFICE OTHER THINGS IN YOUR LIFE. MAKING A DRAWING, FILMING IT, EDITIING THE VIDEO, TAKING PICTURES, POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. IT’S ALL TIME CONSUMING. SO MAKE SURE IT’S SOMETHING YOU ARE WILLING TO DO AND COMMIT TO ASIDE FROM YOUR OTHER JOB

HAVE FUN WITH IT. REMEMBER YOU’RE DOING YOUTUBE BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD GIVE YOU A SATISFACTION AND IT’S A WAY OF LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND HOW CREATIVE YOU ARE. SO DON’T PRESSURE YOURSELF TOO HARD AND JUST ENJOY THE PROCESS.

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MAKING TRINKET TRAYS OUT OF AIR DRY CLAY

In this video : I have been feeling the need to do something a bit different with my illustrations so i decided to try making some products out of clay. Now this is by far not a pottery how to video. I would say it’s more of a first attempt at making pins and some cute jewelry dishes. Since i love painting so much i decided to decorate this little experiment in a botanical pattern using gouache and some white ink. You might be wondering what i used for the glaze?? Well i kind of improvised and used a gouache varnish which makes this bowl/dish not really suitable for food . Still i think it’s a good first attempt and i like the direction my illustrations has taken.


sketchbook
clay jewellery dish
pins and jewelry dish

MATERIALS USED IN THE VIDEO

HOPEFULLY YOU WILL FIND THIS VIDEO SOMEWHAT USEFUL AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE TRIED WORKING WITH AIR DRY CLAY AND IF YOU HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS.




PAINTING WATER SPLASHES AND SPLATTERS

IN THIS VIDEO: IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SOME ILLUSTRATIONS IN SUPPORT OF A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROJECT FOR THE MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. THIS HAS A BEEN A VERY CHALLENGING YET FUN PROJECT BECAUSE PAINTING WATER CAN BE TRICKY. I HAVE MAINLY USED THE KURETAKE GANSAI TAMBI WATERCOLOR PALETTE FOR DOING THESE TYPES OF PAINTINGS.


FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT CHECK OUT THIS LINK: https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/node/30300

OR THIS VIDEO :


Water Splash
high speed jet

HIGH SPEED JET

ILLUSTRATION DONE WITH THE KURETAKE

WATERCOLOR PALETTE