Uncategorized Archives - Matt Hodel Tattoo

The 50% Cut.

The common business model for tattooing is the Street Shop. It was originally an Apprentice based program for all new hires. The single new hire relied on the mentorship of the owner to be trained from the ground up. In return, the novice artist paid him back with a 50 percent stake of all labor…

New Episode!! Bastards of Art Podcast

Episode 25 starts a new chapter for the Bastrards of Art PODCAST! I’m back with some short and sweet episodes! Miss me? I know you did!! -Matt Hodel

BLURB’s Online Portfolio Maker

www.blurb.com I love Blurb. I just got done making another portfolio. In the past I have used Adobe InDesign to layout my books. Doing it this way gives me a lot of control of the layout. Today I decided to use their HTML book making option. I was surprised at how much control I really…

Wanna see some of my older tattoos?

It’s Throw Back Thursday! I found a memory card from 2008. I guess I didn’t like taking straight photos in back then.

Wish it was Warmer.

Man, its cold out! I can’t believe summer went by so fast. Here are some pics from our last campout to get me through this damn cold weather. [Not a valid template]

Be Successful, Damn It!

Being successful isn’t out of your reach. I use an app called flip book. It searches the internet for me and brings back topics I’m interested in. Today, the blog I reposted below came across my feed. I was thinking, “I wish I would have read stuff like this years ago!” Instantly I realized I…

Don’t be a Dick.

My second year of tattooing, I was working long hours at Iron Age. It was the original location that was upstairs next to Vintage Vinyl. I’d had a trying week of crazy customers. It was not abnormal to tattoo 10 people a day. At the end of a shift I would pray that a tribal…

Kelsey’s Photo Shoot

www.matthodeltattoo.com

Winter Ride.

First camping trip of the year. A 250 mile loop to Giant City State Park. We found a cemetery for old heavy equipment. Went on some hikes. I think April and I have figure out the motorcycle camping. Rule one: Less is More. We do not take much. I could do this forever.

You will Quit Tattooing

You Will Quit Tattooing Why you will quit tattooing. I used to say “Tattoo artist don’t retire, they just die.” Thats not a true statement anymore. It is no secret that a rising amount of ambitious practitioners are rushing to the industry. With the excitement comes disappointment as announcements of earlier retirement become common on…

Mark Your Tribe

This is Tom. Guess what Tom does? Mechanics and Gearheads will recognize his tattoos instantly. That’s Tom’s tribe. If Tom got stuck in some shitty dinner party with a bunch of stuck up assholes, he would stick out like a sore thumb. But if another guest recognized Tom’s tattoos and showed him his arms…

Five Programs you will need to learn.

Sketch Book Pro https://www.sketchbook.com/ This is the starter kit drawing program for the intimidated and computer inept artist. I have shown this program to tattoo artists around the country. Artists that had never drawn digitally took to Sketchbook very quickly. Sketchbook is a stripped down drawing program. It is very intuitive for a traditional artist…

Sketchbook 2011

Sketches from old conventions.

I want to be a Tattoo Artist!!

Why I don’t want my kids to tattoo. Tattooing is not for everyone. I get asked about letting my kids get tattooed or what if my kids want to tattoo for a living. The answer is No. As long as my kids are kids, they are not getting tattooed. The state says 18, so I’m…

Discover Missouri: Arrow Head

April and I have been doing these camping trips on the motorcycle. We pack light and ride across the back roads of Missouri to discover the people and places that get lost on the insular interstates. This trip we will be out for four nights. Our destination is to find the small historic town of…

Draw. Tattoo. Draw.

The first years of tattooing are tricky. Your focus should be on technical ability. Can you make the machines do what you want them to do? The first few years are just a challenge to figure out why what worked on Monday will not work on Wednesday. Consider the novice tattooist. There is an urgency…

…Seriously.

by Mark DeNicola at collective-evolution.com In a world where people are regularly commended for things such as hard work, dedication and focus, the idea of not taking life seriously can sound preposterous. But is a serious mentality really at the core of the previously mentioned good habits? Or is it what’s potentially getting in the…

Sick of Losing Your DRAWINGS?

Comparing Digital Drawing to Traditional Drawing is like comparing a Car to a Horse. If you still have doubt or are scared of the learning curve, it is time to make the plunge. The time saved drawing digital is worth every penny of the initial investment. You could be up and running for about a…

FBF My first 5k.

This is me in April of 2014. This was my first 5k. I started walking. January 1st of 2014 I started walking on a treadmill in my basement. I walked 1 mile in 22 minutes. It was hard and I was worn out and winded. I was also embarrassed and empowered at the same time.…

Done Vs. Perfect

It’s easy to forget how much time has passed by while an idea has remained hidden from the world, locked in your brain. Something that you’ve been telling yourself you’ll “get to at some point,” or that “will be really great one day.” [wr_divider div_margin_top=”0″ div_margin_left=”0″ div_margin_bottom=”25″ div_margin_right=”0″ div_border_width=”2″ div_border_style=”solid” div_border_color=”#E0DEDE” divider_width=”100″ disabled_el=”no” ][/wr_divider] Knock…

Brain Mush

Ever feel like you can’t fucking think? Matt Hodel

Tick Tock Boom

Eventually the shit is gonna hit the fan. I drew a candle because I didn’t actually want to draw shit and a fan. www.matthodeltattoo.com

Getting Motivated, and How it Really Works.

Sometimes that spark for a creative burst isn’t just about randomly happening upon the right material or artist or film, etc. at just the right moment. Productive AND creative people (yes, those can exist simultaneously) usually have a formula. A method to their madness. The key is tapping the right kind of schedule to allow…

Flash Back Friday of a Sexy Matt Hodel

This Friday I give you a few flashbacks!! Here is me in all my sexy. The 90’s were my heyday, as you can see. If you remember me then, can you fill in the gaps for me? #fbf

Pages from my Sketchbooks

Here are a few pages out of some older sketchbooks. I use sketchbooks for character and composition development. What does a bunny look like? How does it look from every angle? These drawings are the character development. You must know how a character is constructed before you can put it into dynamic compositions. This is…