Balancing practice with play—because progress is way more fun when you don’t take yourself too seriously.
It’s only Tuesday, but it has already been an eventful week. I looked at the calendar this morning and realized that it was the last day of September. Wait, what happened to the other 29 days?? Can you believe it’s already the end of September? I can happily say that I learned a lot this past month (some things with a little more pain than others). My Blog and webpage are coming along nicely, and I even seem to have a few people following me now (I will try not to disappoint).
Tomorrow we’re staring October straight in the face, and instead of pumpkin spice lattes (okay, maybe with pumpkin spice lattes), my focus is on shading.
Lately, I’ve been diving deep into improving my shading techniques through Tattooing 101’s Artist Hour program. It’s like going back to basics but with a sharper eye and steadier hand. Shading is where a tattoo really breathes—it’s the difference between a flat sketch and art that looks like it could crawl off the skin. And let me tell you, mastering it is no small feat. But every practice stroke is one step closer to leveling up. My latest sketch is the traditional style snake head flash. Let me know what you think.
October also kicks off Inktober, Tattooing 101’s drawing challenge. I’m throwing myself into it because it’s the perfect chance to push my creativity, build consistency, and just plain have fun. A month of daily drawing? That’s like gym training for tattoo artists—minus the sore muscles and plus a lot more ink stains.
Speaking of fun, my daughter recently sent me a video of my grandson riding his new birthday scooter. Sounds normal, right? Well, not when you’re cruising the neighborhood in a full inflatable T-Rex suit. Watching him speed along with tiny arms flailing and tail dragging had me rolling, but it also hit me: this kid is definitely related to me. He’s fearless, creative, and a little ridiculous—and that’s exactly the energy I want to carry into my art, and my life.
Because here’s the truth: improving your craft doesn’t mean losing your spark. It’s about balancing the grind with the grin. Shading drills, drawing challenges, and technical practice all matter, but so does remembering why you started in the first place. If my grandson can be a scooter-riding dinosaur, I can certainly push myself to keep growing as an artist as I become as old as a dinosaur while keeping it lighthearted.
Shading. Inktober. Scooter-riding T-Rexs. Let’s do this!
John