So...
I was at a faculty gathering,
and was telling a story about how one time
back in Kentucky, I had been taking "entrance"
money at a keg party, and putting an "X" on people's
hands once they paid. At some point, some girl
said, "I don't want an "X". I wanna kitty-cat".
I drew a cat.
The next guy in line - "I want a snake!", and so on.
(((Recently I found out that the person
who didn't want an "X" on her hand, is now
married to a friend of mine, and that it was probably
a rabbit...not a kitty-cat. But back to
this night in Redlands)))
A woman asked me to re-tell the story,
then asked, "Would you like to draw on me?
Would that be fun for you?" OH yeah. I agreed,
but didn't have a pen on me. She ran away, and came
back shortly with a sharpie -- the thicker,
laundry marker size.
We didn't know what to draw. It was all very impromptu.
And she didn't care. So...I just started.
She also didn't care how much ROOM I might take up.
Good thing, turns out.
Whatever it was that I started began to take form.
A person?
Oh. THE person.
Then it was a matter of detail.
I mean, ya can't have the Alpha without the Omega.
Right?
Then I was done...but decided it wasn't enough (I do this). Back IN to it then.
Fifteen minutes later, viola. When she flexed, his little hips shook. a Funny accident.
A few months later...the story continues.
We had just finished making costumes for a
short film by Lydia Hicks. It was a cool mix of some
tie-dye and some paint. Thankfully, there were
no set "rules" on what the designs
had to look like...
...they turned out well, and some of my art ended up
being used for a "gallery" scene in the film.
So we turned our attention to the human canvas.
We had talked about a shoulder piece, something around
the belly button...or this.
The original idea was to have a woman,
shirtless, covering her breasts with her hands. I
would then draw the straps back in - including
something going over one finger...as
if the finger were just
under the strap.
This was the third or fourth layer of color...
...and zoomed out, for effect.
Tired and (more importantly) out of ink,
this is where we stopped.
I'll have another go at this...next
time I find a willing (or asleep) participant.
For a project like this though, I may have to graduate
to body-paint. We'll see.
Soon after, I just started carrying Sharpies with me wherever I went. Quick sessions at faculty gatherings in Redlands...
(This was on an astronomy professor. I wasn't quite happy with the whole "Earth crumbling thing I was trying to accomplish, but hey.)
A quick tag at a picnic just outside of Boulder...
Even in the middle of a disco at a Doctor Who Convention.
Meet Liz. I did.
Also at the Dr. Who Convention, Erin.
Another kind of abstract - based off of a heart or two.
I didn't know any picures of this one even existed.
Erin sent this to me a few years after the fact.
And I'm SO thankful.
Then one night - off to Lil' Dave's.
We were both at KVCR at the same point,
so I was Dave - or David, and he was Lil' Dave.
Every Thursday, between roller derby matches - and
the subsequent healing of fractures, he goes to a
San Bernardino bar with some friends.
One night he wanted to
show off just a bit.
So this allowed ME to show off just a bit.
One of Dave's next tats may be some sort of Alice in Wonderland design - wrapping around his leg.
This was to be shown off at a bar that night, so we stuck with making it a shoulder piece.
I was having major camera difficulties that day...but you get the idea.
In retrospect, I had really intended to
have the "hole into wonderland" just in front of Alice.
Also - the Cheshire Cat doesn't show up until later.
I always mess this up. I need to work on
remembering that rabbit.
Other problem was...after finishing his left shoulder,
the
REAL tattoo on his right shoulder
looked a bit washed out.
So...I added a border...
A really quick "framing job" - just to make both shoulders more even.
The folks at the bar were happy - as was Dave.
The next step is gonna be to get ALL of his friends
lined for ink. Then lined up for a
photo.
We'll see.
So...December 2010.
I was about to go to Kentucky,
and planning ahead on a large back-piece
I'd do while there. Really, this ended up being
the first piece I had actually planned/practiced ahead
of time (to a certain extent). All the other sessions
had been impromptu - spur of the moment.
I had settled on a traditional Japanese
design, but had never tried to
draw a koi before.
So this was my first attempt.
(((this was at work...at KVCR...between giving forecasts, news reports, and traffic updates)))
The one below would be the 2nd...
...and this pink one, the third.
These two were done with
fluorescent markers - which just happened
to be laying around KVCR, then finished off with a
sharpie (which I just happened to have in my coat pocket). They turned out looking kinda kick-ass under
black-light. And yes, I had to
look up how to spell
fluorescent.
A few days before starting the
afore-mentioned back-piece, I was telling
the story of this "me drawing on people - thing",
and instantly had a volunteer for a practice session.
Well, two actually. New Year's Eve,
at The Big Apple Cafe in
Murray, Kentucky.
Meet Bree.
Well, the beginning of the koi, anyway.
(((Suddenly remembering that these things have "whiskers"...and fins...drop the black, and pick up the pink again.)))
Later, when I did Marci's back-piece, and showed her these pics, I told her I felt like had cheated on her - in doing the koi drawing on another woman!!!
But still...I had to flesh out (as it were) what I'd be attempting on a much larger, more detailed piece.
NOW meet Bree...AND the koi.
Bree came back for several hugs,
telling me of the compliments she'd gotten,
and that this may be her next tattoo - with
Art By David Fleming on it! I thought
that part may be a bit much.
Maybe just my initials.
Right after Bree told me she'd be
a canvas, another person at the table volunteered
as well. I'm always thankful when someone is willing
to be a part of this, but when I have two?
In one night? One waiting for me to
be done with the other? This has
happened just twice before.
So...Meet Melissa.
This was another case of the model
not caring (so much) what went onto her.
So...what to do?
I started laying down an Ankh...
...which ended up being not very Ankh-like...
...But again - it's ink, it's there - trudge on forward...
...Try to make it a successful drawing...even
though it wasn't what I had
in mind initially.
So we ended up with some kinda Ankh-like,
female symbol-like piece...
female symbol-like piece...
It seemed appropriate...
...And we were smiling.
This was the last piece for 2010.
Truly. Done at 11:59, New Year's Eve, 2010.
The adventures do continue
however.
Please...
Check near the top of the page for the tab -
"The Human Canvas II - 2011"
And make time for me to draw on you!
