CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 10

Firstly, I want to reflect on the aims and objectives that I set for myself at the beginning of this module. The first one being to "communicate with an industry professional"; this one, I know that I have definitely achieved as I had continuous contact with my mentor both in person and online. Our communication …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 9

Going into designing my final tattoos, I picked out my favourite thumbnails and decided to go with dotwork style. As I had mentioned, I have done dotwork in the past and I loved how it turned out so I wanted to try it again. I started with the sun design, and I was thinking of …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 8

Considering the fact that many participants in my survey claimed that they would prefer a tattoo design with a more subliminal message, I thought it would be a good idea to explore some symbolism. I already owned a book that specialised in this area so I took to the pages to investigate signs and symbols …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 7

"The European conquest and spread of white, puritanical Christian ideologies deemed tattoos to be unholy and savage. The Christian woman has expectations to be pure, modest and subservient to men. Thus, all others were not pure or modest so racism and sexism grew roots into tattoo culture" (Lynn, n.d.). I want to return to my …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 6

Despite the title of "ignorant" tattoos, as Brownholtz (n.d.) explains, the style has more to do with irony and humour rather than a lack of knowledge as the literal definition of ignorant suggests. Ignorant style tattoos are usually minimalistic, made up of linework with no shading, and have a doodle-like aesthetic. They are also often …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 5

I recently visited my mentor’s tattoo studio to observe her process and chat to her about it. First of all, she designs her tattoos for the next day's clients, and uses Procreate to do so. Procreate is a digital graphics app much like Photoshop however it is only available to use on an iPhone or …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 4

Before delving into any concept research, I want to review my survey responses; I had 97 responders in total and this is a brief thematic analysis of their answers. According to Braun & Clarke (2006) “Thematic analysis is a method for identifying and reporting patterns (themes) within data. It minimally organises and describes your data …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 3

My continuing theme throughout this year has been exploring equality, representation and intersectionality. At first I thought this would be difficult to pursue in regards to creating a tattoo portfolio; but after consulting with my mentor, as well as collecting some research, I see that it is not only possible but very significant. After conducting …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 2

"The tattooist has gone from a tradesman selling flash, to an artist producing custom, fine art" (Tabassum, 2013, p. 12-13). Throughout the years, tattoos have had a turbulent reputation, going from tribal rituals and circus attractions to symbols of criminality and artistic self-expression. One aspect that has stayed consistent, however, is the criticism towards tattooed …

CPP104: Practitioner Enquiry – Entry 1

The Practitioner Enquiry module is all about the student taking control of their professional activities; I will need to demonstrate self-direction and problem-solving, gain experience in a professional setting, and develop my reflective in-action skills. The learning outcomes for this module are as follows: Propose and plan a negotiated industry project/placement to develop enterprising, entrepreneurial …