One of the most exciting things about being part of the tattoo community is how many cool projects there are to get involved with. More than any other art scene, tattooists tend to be very comfortable working together on collaborations, performances and other art projects, allowing them to explore a wider range of techniques and styles than an artist would just working by themselves. Over the past decade we have been involved in a number of such projects, all of them very different from each other but each exploring a different aspect of vision, creativity and collaborative energy. In The Tattoo Community Project Pack, we feature books and DVDs from four of these projects: The ArtFusion Experiment, Scratch Art, Innerstate and Pint Size Paintings.

The ArtFusion Experiment was started by renowned dark artist Paul Booth, working in conjunction with Filip Leu, Guy Aitchison and a host of other artists from around the world. The goal of this project was to put artists in situations where they were collaborating with other artists, both on skin and canvas, under pressure and with little chance to do any conventional planning. The results of these projects have been unpredictable, fun, frustrating and invigorating, giving the participants a unique look at a totally different approach to the creative process. Paul Booth produced the ArtFusion documentary based on these experiences, and it has become an important mainstay in many tattooists' video libraries.

The Scratch Art project is the brainchild of Hyperspace Studios' Michele Wortman, who noticed that the scratchboard medium had many interesting parallels to tattooing and wondered what would happen if a large group of tattooists had a chance to try it out. The result is a fantastic collection of different imagery, styles and techniques, all done in the scratchboard medium. This 272 page book is absolutely chock full of surprising, innovative imagery from hundreds of tattooists, including some of the industry's biggest names.

Innerstate was a 5 day gathering of 40 tattooists held in conjunction with the 2009 Hell City Tattoo Fest. The artists invited worked in many different styles, but all had one thing in common: Every one of them is not only an experienced tattooist but also a dedicated practitioner of some other artistic medium outside of skin art. After warming up for 2 days in private, the group completed their projects in a live public performance setting, all in the face of time and crowd pressure. It was very much in a similar spirit to the ArtFusion Experiment, but with a key difference: artists were encouraged to plan their projects ahead and spend the weekend bringing it to completion, as opposed to the ArtFusion goal, which was to mix and match different artists' visions in a random blend. After the Innerstate event, we produced a 100 page full-color book highlighting the event and featuring color plates of all the finished pieces in this surprising body of artwork; in addition, Guy Aitchison produced a 50 minute documentary about the experience.

Pint Size Paintings is the invention of Hell City's Durb Morrison, who began experimenting with very small paintings and decided to ask the entire community to submit work for the project. All pieces are 2x3 inches, but the similarity ends there; as with the Scratch Art book, every variety of vision is represented here in vivid colorful detail. And like Scratch Art, it is a small book that you will find yourself flipping through again and again, and finding surprises each time.

This collection of 3 books and 2 DVDs would normally retail for a total of $145, and if you already have any of these items, they are all available separately. However, we are now offering a special bundle price for the whole collection- only $130 for everything. Fatten up your tattoo library today with these essential inspirational items. Makes for a great gift too! Learn More

Scratchboard is not a medium that most artists think about much. Many of us played around with crude scratchboards in grade school and never picked up the medium again. However, it turns out to be a versatile fine art medium that has a number of interesting parallels with tattooing, including the need for planning and the lack of any way of erasing. In the new book Scratch Art, this medium is explored in depth by around 200 tattoo artists, using tools ranging from steel wool to tattoo needles. The rules: None. Any style, any subject. The result is a 272 page powerhouse of amazing art by a long list of today's leading tattoo visionaries including Aaron Cain, Bob Tyrrell, Nick Baxter, Jon Clue, Filip Leu, Timothy Hoyer, Michele Wortman, Guy Aitchison and many others. This book is a perfect addition to your home or studio art collection; with its pages representing over 2000 hours of work, it's a book worth picking up and flipping open again and again. $40
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Save money on your tattoo education! In this combination pack, you get Guy's new edition of Reinventing The Tattoo, normally $250, plus Standards Of Practice, a thorough and up-to-date DVD on sterilization and cleanliness practices, normally a $75 item, for $300 total. Save $25! In this long-awaited second edition to Guy’s educational book Reinventing The Tattoo, he has upgraded the format to a full-color, 368 page hardcover boxed edition, including a DVD with 40 detailed video clips that relate directly to material in the book. Rather than being a simple A-Z guide, Reinventing The Tattoo taps into Guy’s unique vision and his 20 years in the tattoo profession to provide an inside look into what it takes to improve your overall artistic ability and to put these skills to work on skin to get the results that you want. Although still following the same basic format as the first edition, the text has been trimmed down, cleaned up, expanded, illustrated and captioned to make for an educational experience unlike anything else available in the tattoo industry. Whether you’re an experienced professional or an apprentice working in a supervised setting, this book and DVD can provide you with valuable new tools for improving your work. Reinventing The Tattoo is for professional tattooists only! "Standards of Practice: Infection Control for the Modification Industry" This documentary is the first in a series of industry-specific DVD's developed to assist tattoo artists, body piercers, studio owners (also known as the "Modification Industry") and health officials gain a better understanding of proper infection control practices as they apply to the modification industry. The development and implementation of responsible infection control standards for the modification industry are essential in order to protect the health and safety of practitioners, the general public, and to preserve the ancient art forms of tattooing and body piercing. This DVD has been researched, produced and filmed BY members of the modification industry, FOR members of the modification industry. This DVD is a must-have for any tattoo or piercing studio, and especially essential in studios where apprentices are being taught. Even if you have many years in the industry, take this opportunity to review the latest cutting-edge methods in cross-contamination prevention.
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"Standards of Practice: Infection Control for the Modification Industry" This documentary is the first in a series of industry-specific DVD's developed to assist tattoo artists, body piercers, studio owners (also known as the "Modification Industry") and health officials gain a better understanding of proper infection control practices as they apply to the modification industry. The development and implementation of responsible infection control standards for the modification industry are essential in order to protect the health and safety of practitioners, the general public, and to preserve the ancient art forms of tattooing and body piercing. This DVD has been researched, produced and filmed BY members of the modification industry, FOR members of the modification industry. This DVD is a must-have for any tattoo or piercing studio, and especially essential in studios where apprentices are being taught. Even if you have many years in the industry, take this opportunity to review the latest cutting-edge methods in cross-contamination prevention. $75.00
Shipping = $5 US, $8 Canada, $12 Other Countries, Shipping for each additional item is half-price. Learn More

In the Budget Gift pack you will receive:
1. The Scratch Art book: a 272 page powerhouse of amazing art by a long list of today's leading tattoo visionaries including Aaron Cain, Bob Tyrrell, Nick Baxter, Jon Clue, Filip Leu, Timothy Hoyer, Michele Wortman, Guy Aitchison and many others. This book is a perfect addition to your home or studio art collection; with its pages representing over 2000 hours of work, it's a book worth picking up and flipping open again and again.
2. Guy's 6-piece postcard set featuring the following paintings: FlameCoil, BigCoil, PlantForm, Mechform, Aquatic Microscopic, and Solar Meditation. The 4.25" x 6" cards are printed on archival stock paper and individually protected by a plastic sleeve.
3. Michele's 3-piece postcard set featuring Wortman's: From Within, Cosmic Grid, and New Beginnings. The 4.25" x 6" cards are printed on archival stock paper and individually protected by a plastic sleeve.
4. Your choice of: Heron Tee Printed on a fitted 100% organic cotton T-shirt, this item is unique because of its blend of printing processes. On the right rib panel is a heron taking flight from a grassy shore, printed in extra-thin low-contrast inks. Then, across the left side of the chest is a heron in flight holding a golden key, this time printed in much higher contrast inks. This is a unique shirt and a strictly limited edition. or Women’s Rose Tee Printed on a 100% organic cotton fitted women’s T-shirt, this item is unique because of its blend of printing processes, On the left rib panel is a cluster of roses and rosebuds, printed in extra-thin low-contrast inks. Then on the right side of the chest is a single large rose and bud, this time printed in much higher contrast inks. This is a unique shirt and a strictly limited edition. $65 Retails for $80 (you save $15)
Shipping = $15 US, $30 Canada, $45 Other Countries, Shipping for each additional item is half-price. Learn More

The Book Jamboree Gift Pack Includes:
1. Guy Aitchison's book Organica covers the last 18 years of his career and focuses in particular on the abstract, free-form imagery that he is known for. Showing tattoos and paintings side by side, the book aims to emphasize the strong connection that Guy has experienced between these two very different art media, and the wide variety of mutant offspring that have resulted from this innovative artist working between these two classic art forms. Organica is a high-quality, large-format glossy hardcover art book that will entertain and inspire artists and art collectors from all walks of life. It is 160 pages in full color and will include a CD containing translations into Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Russian, Serbian, Polish, Chinese and Japanese.
2. Michele Wortman's book Moments of Epiphany showcases her personal favorite choices from her vast archive of abstract and nature photography that she has shot over the past decade. It is presented in a large-format, horizontal layout in an archival hardcover glossy volume. Every square inch of its full-color 160 pages is alive with color and texture. Although it features photos of some recognizeable subjects, the majority of the book leans toward a form of hallucinatory abstract realism that will bewilder and astonish the viewer. Moments of Epiphany includes a 74 minute CD soundtrack, from Michele's musical project Sunchannel, that was written specifically to accompany the imagery in the book.
3. In the new book Scratch Art, this medium is explored in depth by around 200 tattoo artists, using tools ranging from steel wool to tattoo needles. The rules: None. Any style, any subject. The result is a 272 page powerhouse of amazing art by a long list of today's leading tattoo visionaries including Aaron Cain, Bob Tyrrell, Nick Baxter, Jon Clue, Filip Leu, Timothy Hoyer, Michele Wortman, Guy Aitchison and many others. This book is a perfect addition to your home or studio art collection; with its pages representing over 2000 hours of work, it's a book worth picking up and flipping open again and again.
4. Guy's 6-piece postcard set featuring the following paintings: FlameCoil, BigCoil, PlantForm, Mechform, Aquatic Microscopic, and Solar Meditation. The 4.25" x 6" cards are printed on archival stock paper and individually protected by a plastic sleeve. And, Michele's 3-piece postcard set featuring Wortman's: From Within, Cosmic Grid, and New Beginnings. The 4.25" x 6" cards are printed on archival stock paper and individually protected by a plastic sleeve. $165 Retail price is $185 (you save $20)
Shipping = $15 US, $30 Canada, $45 Other Countries, Shipping for each additional item is half-price. Learn More