Kings Avenue NYC and Inked magazine present: Corey Miller and Face to Face album signing

I wish I could be in NYC for this event…would anyone like to fly me over…?

Kings Avenue tattoo and Inked magazine
Kings Avenue Tattoo and Inked magazine

On Wednesday 18 May, Kings Avenue Tattoo NYC and Inked magazine will be hosting seminal SoCal punk-rockers Face to Face and tattoo artist Corey Miller, of LA Ink fame, for an exclusive in-store event.

Corey Miller
Corey Miller

LaughNowLaughLaterThe band will be signing copies of their latest album Laugh Now, Laugh Later, with Corey Miller who designed the album’s artwork.

Meet the band and the artist, get your copy of the CD, vinyl and artwork signed, and enter a competition to win a pair of tickets to the FACE TO FACE show, on the same night at the Best Buy Theatre.

KINGS AVE TATTOO NYC is located at 188 Bowery (at Spring Street) in New York City.  The event starts at 5pm.

Do you think I can make it from London in time?

Pens and Needles.

A contemporary exhibition celebrating the realisation of tattoo art, culture, and lifestyle.

Pens and Needles

Forget everything you think you know about tattoo art. For the first UK art exhibition of its kind, London Miles invites a selection of the world’s top tattoo folk to finally liberate tattoo enthusiasts and artists from ingrained prejudice…their manifesto No more ‘I LOVE MUM’. It is time to redefine the stereotype.

As attitudes evolve, tattoo technique follows. Much of today’s fine art isn’t too disparate from that which tattoo artists create on bodies. The most accomplished and skilled of tattoo artists assign exacting precision to composition, tone, perspective, and conceptual design when producing their inimitable works of art.

London Miles is to take an in-depth look at all forms of tattoo art, lifestyle, and culture. Featuring original artwork, tattoo stencils and photographs, Pens and Needles brings together artists from across the tattoo and contemporary art sectors to shed light on the entire domain of tattoo art. It will document, discuss and celebrate one of contemporary art’s most burgeoning yet contentious art forms.

The opening night of Pens and Needles will be a fiesta of tattoo art with live music performances and live tattooing taking place in London Miles’s very own pop-up tattoo parlour on Friday, February 25th 2011, 7pm to 11pm.

As I can’t make the opening night Olivia and Keely (Th’ink feature girls) will be attending for me. My first contributing bloggers, I cannot wait for their feature post on this original exhibition.

London Miles address:
Westbourne Studios
242 Acklam Road, Studio 303
W10 5 JJ
London, UK

The day of the phantom tweet.

Dear Diary

It all began with one random tweet…

I have scoured the inner-most workings of my little ink-filled brain and I still cannot comprehend how it all happened. One sunny day in London, walking to Looby’s house, a beautiful sunny, if slightly chilly, day – one of those days that feels full to the brim of unlocked potential and wonder. My phone is happily tucked inside my handbag, my fur-coat is wrapped up around my earlobes and I am about to call on Looby, so that we can make our way to the Brighton Tattoo Convention (as I had informed you all I would).

I knocked on her door and made myself comfy on her couch waiting for her to finish preening herself in preparation for the day’s events. I got my phone out – as you do in Matt Lodderthese sort of situations. I gasped in horror as my – new still don’t know how to lock/work it – BlackBerry displays a tweet. One single tweet – a tweet that I did not write. The tweet in question had even managed to tag one man in it. One man – one man that I did not wish to mention in said single tweet. This man just happened to be the one tattooed art historian who I have previously described as my “ideal man”. I may have even swooned at some point in the sentence. Bloody twitter *swoons*.

@mattlodder Liv u by want do a bang thing

This is the tweet and how it tweeted I am quite certain I shall never be sure. So after this I thought the day could hold no more horrors. Things can only get better and all that. How wrong could I possibly be? Myself and Looby arrive at London Bridge station ready to board the high speed to Brighton, must point out that is already around 4pm by this point. So, we get in the queue for tickets only to be informed that we would have to catch a rail replacement bus, oh bugger! This just ain’t gonna work for us. After much deliberation, tears and tantrums (from me not Looby I hasten to add) we come to an *almost* unanimous decision to go to the pub instead. By this point I need wine (and cigs).

Alice
so upset that my arm gets inked with a grumpy face.

Off we trot with the waifs and strays we have managed to collect along the way (a boyfriend and his brother and his girlfriend). In the pub the drunken chat, as ever, turns to childhood dreams, jobs and tattoos we always wanted. It was revealed that one of us (I mention no names) wanted a snowflake and a ladder tattoo. We wittered on about best tattoos to symbolise our jobs, i.e. stock market numbers from the Financial Times, globes, books and trains (am sure you can pick out jobs to match). So the day didn’t quite pan out as I had initially hoped, however it was fun and it does provide me with another amusing anecdote in the days and life of Alice Th’ink.

But please, please, pretty please can someone fill me in on exactly what I missed? Thanks muchly.

And here are some of my fave photos from the day stolen from those of you who are more wise than I.

Photos: facebook

Photos: Tom Chambers

Lots of love
Alice Th’ink

Things for the weekend.

This weekend I shall be attending two very exciting events.

Tonight:

ACOFI-inviteThis event, at 123 Bethnal Green Road, will celebrate the launch of Amelia Gregory‘s Compendium of Fashion Illustration. I am particularly excited about the goodie bags as they look utterly splendid (let’s face it who doesn’t love  good tote?) I can’t wait to blog about this one, but in the meantime I must find something to wear…

Sunday:

Brighton Tattoo ConventionThe fourth annual tattoo convention in Brighton.
I attended the convention last year – I was a virgin convention goer back then – and I am a little more excited than apprehensive this time round. Some of the photos from last year are here, I will endeavor to get lots more photos, inspiration and artist info for you. As ever my trusty photographer Looby will be accompanying me, are you ready for this Loobs?

See you at the after party?

Extremely excited about both for very different reasons. Once the weekend has passed expect blogging, pictures and beauty of wondrous contrast.

Get your tat out – Brighton Tattoo Convention 2010

get-your-tat-out

Real people, real tattoos, realistic inspiration from the people I come across. Girls, boys, ladies, people, animals…anyone with art on their skin.

Location: Brighton Tattoo Convention 2010.

Just stumbled across these beautiful photos my friend took for me at the Brighton Tattoo Convention back in January. The tattoos are so soft and feminine, I love them. They very much suit this lady’s elegant look. Timeless and stylish.

Photos: Louise Hobin
Tattoo Artist: Unknown