Tonight, Baby Tattoo President Bob Self attended a monthly networking dinner orchestrated by David Seidman for comic book professionals. This was Bob's first time participating in the dinner, and he found the social interaction to be much better than the uninspiring Fuddrucker's food. Bob was particularly impressed with the number of librarians in attendance. This month's iteration of the roving event was at the Sherman Oaks Galleria; next month's will be somewhere new. If you're an industry pro, contact davidseidman@earthlink.net to be in the loop.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Los Angeles Comic Pro Dinner
Tonight, Baby Tattoo President Bob Self attended a monthly networking dinner orchestrated by David Seidman for comic book professionals. This was Bob's first time participating in the dinner, and he found the social interaction to be much better than the uninspiring Fuddrucker's food. Bob was particularly impressed with the number of librarians in attendance. This month's iteration of the roving event was at the Sherman Oaks Galleria; next month's will be somewhere new. If you're an industry pro, contact davidseidman@earthlink.net to be in the loop.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Baby Tattooville News
G.B., J.L., M.W.
Any guesses?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Event Appreciation Day
Looking toward the future, Baby Tattoo and a number of the company's artist friends will be exhibiting at the following events.
February 22-24 - WonderCon - San Francisco, California
March 14-16 - Wizard World - Los Angeles, California
April 18-20 - New York Comic Con - New York, New York
Baby Tattoo is planning to participate in a number of other spring happenings. Watch this blog for event info every Tuesday.
Labels:
art,
gallery 1988,
joe ledbetter,
strangeco,
urban vinyl,
vivisect playset
Monday, January 28, 2008
On My Mind
The art of Travis Louie is on my mind today. I can't really share why I'm thinking about his paintings, but I can share links to his web site and his blog.
-Bob Self
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Shameless Plug Sunday #4
Ragnar's fab little kids' book Got Your Nose is a steal. It's a fun story with magnificent art, and the cover price is only 9 dollars. Cory Doctorow wrote at Boing Boing, "This is the kind of book that's naughty enough to get a million laughs... and handsome enough to want to cut up and frame."
Labels:
art,
boing boing,
books,
cory doctorow,
got your nose,
ragnar
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Yes It's Cool
It's no secret that Baby Tattoo founder Bob Self is a big fan of Ain't It Cool News, so you can imagine his glee upon discovering that Harry Knowles just posted a glowing review of Christy Kane's work on aintitcool.com. We already think Christy's work is great (which is why we published Tales of the Sisters Kane), but don't take our word for it. Click over to Harry's site and read what he has to say.
Labels:
ain't it cool,
art,
books,
christy kane,
dolls,
harry knowles,
photography
Friday, January 25, 2008
Fantastic
The deadline for submissions to Spectrum 15 is today. As usual, Baby Tattoo is sending in some great work by a few of our artist associates. Baby Tattoo has an impressive record for having art voted into the Annual, and hopefully this year's submissions will fare well. If you are not familiar with Spectrum, click on the name to go to the web site. For "Fantastic Art" fans, Spectrum is an unbeatable collectible. For "Fantastic Art" creators, Spectrum is an unparalleled marketing tool. For anyone who is both a fan and a creator, Spectrum is a dream come true. The Call For Entries image reproduced above is by the mad man Marc Gabbana.
Labels:
art,
contest,
marc gabbana,
science fiction,
spectrum
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Event Appreciation - Urgent Update
If you're in the Los Angeles area this weekend, don't miss the Vivisect Playset Release and Party presented by STRANGEco, Gallery 1988 and Luke Chueh. Curator Luke Chueh and participating artist Amanda Visell were both Featured Artists at the 2007 Baby Tattooville Limited Edition Retreat, and STRANGEco was an event sponsor. In fact, STRANGEco's contribution to the Baby Tattooville goodie bag was a special edition of Amanda Visell's Baby-Eating Crocodile. This is a great set of collectibles created by talented artists and a top-notch company. Gallery 1988 is a good friend to Baby Tattoo, and never fails to put on a fabulous show.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Food As Art
By the way, my friend Fred Eric is a chef/restauranteur/artist who has greatly influenced my enthusiasm for food. If your travels lead you to downtown Los Angeles, be sure to experience his Tiara Cafe. Better yet, make a special trip.
-Bob Self
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Event Appreciation Day
February 22-24 - WonderCon - San Francisco, California
March 14-16 - Wizard World - Los Angeles, California
April 18-20 - New York Comic Con - New York, New York
Baby Tattoo is currently considering participation in a number of other spring events. Watch this blog for new additions every Tuesday.
Austin Road Trip - Day #7
John hopped a plane home from Phoenix while Bob made the drive back to Los Angeles. Hugs and kisses were traded with family members.
Was the trip worth the time and expense? Financially, probably not; strategically, almost certainly. The convention was modest but some good connections were made, and one should never underestimate the importance of good connections.
See you next time.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Austin Road Trip - Day #6
Bob and John made today's long trek west looking forward to The Thing?. Both Bob and John have visited the underwhelming roadside attraction before, but stopping there is virtually a requirement for anyone in a Baby Tattoo state of mind. Although the gift store was open, the attraction itself had just closed, leaving Bob and John to try and satisfy themselves by browsing the wimpy selection of branded souvenirs. The Thing? is a terrific concept with terrible execution, so stop by some time to see what happens when a creative idea manifests only 6 percent of its potential.
The Thing > Tucson
Dinner was at Great American Cattle Co. where Bob had a burger and John had a steak. Bob rated it a 7. John gave it a 5.
Tucson > Phoenix
After a long day of driving, the Scottsdale Resort provided a welcome place to relax.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Shameless Plug Sunday #3
Here's a no-brainer... If you love Gris Grimly's Wicked Nursery Rhymes, then you'll love Gris Grimly's Wicked Nursery Rhymes II. At the time of this post, the follow-up to Gris' dark take on childhood is almost sold out of its first printing. If you're a serious collector of Gris Grimly items, Baby Tattoo books or first editions of modern illustrated books, the time to buy is now.
Austin Road Trip - Day #5 (Uploaded From Limbo)
Bob and John stopped for dinner on the way out of Austin. Service at the 24 hour Magnolia Cafe was fast and friendly. Bob ate breakfast food and peanut butter pie; he gave the meal a perfect 10 out of 10. John ate a burger with a side of potatoes and gave it an 8. Great food that is available anytime is a real find, so make a note that Magnolia Cafe is always there for you.
The wind was howling like something out of a horror movie as Bob and John settled into the Best Western Don Rios in Junction, Texas. How appropriate for a late night screening of Goregasm, an unapologetically offensive-looking movie (which we won't be linking to here) produced by Terror Optics who was one of Baby Tattoo's neighbors at the horror con.
Austin Road Trip - Day #5 (Fangoria - Day #3)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Austin Road Trip - Day #4 (Fangoria - Day #2)
Dinner was at Iron Works BBQ. Bob gave it a 9 out of 10, but only because the corn was tepid. He thought the BBQ itself was a straight-up 10. John gave his dinner an 8.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Austin Road Trip - Day #3 (Fangoria - Day #1)
It was a cold and rainy day in Austin, but the temperature inside the convention's vendor area was as room-temperature as can be. Crowds were light, and Christy Kane's doll's got a little bored, but the overall vibe was good. Bob had a face-to-face with Harry Knowles of Aint It Cool News, and John got to meet Richard "Jaws" Kiel.
Speaking of Ain't It Cool, someone named gruntybear posted a talkback stating, "Horror cons make Trekkies look cool." He claims to speak from experience with both types of fans, but I think the pics below pretty much destroy that ridiculous claim.
Dinner was at the Alamo Draft House - South Lamar (the movie was No Country For Old Men). Bob rated his pizza a 7 out of 10. John gave his steak, potatoes and asparagus a 7 as well. Without a doubt, the overall Alamo Draft House experience was a 10.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Austin Road Trip - Day #2
Tucson, AZ > Nipple Mountain > Austin, TX
After nearly 14 hours covering 900+ miles with 3 brief pit stops, Bob and John found themselves safely in Austin. Imagine their sense of sophistication upon discovering they each took only one photo during the entire journey... and that they both photographed the same boob-shaped hill.
Dinner was at Guero's Taco Bar. Bob rated it an 8 out of 10. John gave it a 7.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Austin Road Trip - Day #1
Baby Tattoo's first odyssey for 2008 began today. Destination: Fangoria's Weekend of Horror in Austin, Texas. Bob Self drove solo from LA to Phoenix to pick up John "Special Needs" Simone who was arriving from Portland at Sky Harbor Airport. Why fly John from his home in Oregon to a point partway between Southern California and Texas? Because John wasn't sure if he wanted to fly or drive, so Bob wanted to make sure that he got to do both.
Phoenix, AZ > Tucson, AZ
The first overnight stop was at the Omni Resort in Tucson. The room was great. The sunset was great. The in-room WiFi wasn't so hot, so this post was uploaded from somewhere on the expansive grounds.
Dinner was at La Parrilla Suiza. Bob and John both rated it a 5 out of 10.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Event Appreciation Day
Tuesday's regular Upcoming Events post has been cutely renamed Event Appreciation Day. You'll be able to use the information here to daydream about events to come or bask in the magnificence of events gone by.
January 18-20 - Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors - Austin, Texas
(The Austin Road Trip begins tomorrow. Watch for updates)
February 22-24 - WonderCon - San Francisco, California
March 14-16 - Wizard World - Los Angeles, California
Last weekend, Baby Tattoo's Bob and Rani Self attended the Pervasive Persuasion event at MOCA LA. Baby Tattooville '07 big shots Gary Baseman and Tim Biskup joined Simone Legno and Giant Robot's Eric Nakamura to present an evening of art and interaction. There are many great photos of the event out there on the internet, so we've decided to post two crappy pics of the crowd and the floor that you aren't going to find anywhere else.
The first person to use this post's comments to correctly identify the black circle in the photo above wins a free autographed copy of My Hunger for Venison by Gary Baseman. (Employees and associates of Baby Tattoo are not eligible.)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Origin
I need to say a special thank you to artist/kook extraordinaire Miss Mindy for setting up this blog. I probably never would have gotten around to it, so she took charge. The really embarrassing part of this story is that she set it up over a year and a half ago, and it's taken me this long to do anything about it. Mindy's other contributions to Baby Tattoo include illustrating our fantastic 2006/2007 catalog (which, like all of our catalogs, is a spiffy collectible), and allowing us to publish her Teenie Weenie Tales as part of the Artist Sisters: Box of Stories. Watch for her sexsational paper doll book later this year. Thanks for everything, Mindy.
-Bob Self
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Shameless Plug Sunday #2
Every Sunday, the Baby Tattoo Blog spotlights a product we think is worth your attention (and your money). We'll definitely be pushing our own stuff, but we'll also be featuring outstanding products from other companies. This week it's The Museum of Lost Wonder by Jeff Hoke. This book is a genuine genre-bender (which means Weiser Books took a real risk in publishing it), and it is so much more than just a book. It's an art object and an interactive adventure. "Discover forgotten things in the world around us. Recover forgotten things in the world within you. Uncover forgotten things not in this world at all." Truly inspired inspiration.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Happy/Sad
The Paper Forest Blog makes me very happy. The fact that I never take action and construct anything I see on the Paper Forest Blog makes me a little sad. I like to think that I am proactive about embracing things that interest me, but my voyeuristic relationship with Paper Forest forces me to face the fact that I sometimes remain passive even in the presence of great inspiration. The situation is indicative of a number of areas where my laziness wins out over my sense of motivation. For example, I love to discover new restaurants, but I usually choose to eat at some convenient place. Artistic expression and entrepreneurship (both of which are components of my work with Baby Tattoo) require an individual to take action on his or her interests rather than just contemplating them. Here's a thought if you are an artist or an entrepreneur reading this...
Do as I say; don't do as I do. Visit the Paper Forest Blog and find something to make, and then go eat something new.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Oops
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Upcoming Events - Urgent Update
Tuesday's post missed this one...
January 12 - 6:00 PM - Pervasive Persuasion - Los Angeles, California
Baby Tattoo is not involved in producing the event, but you can bet company ringleaders Bob and Rani Self wouldn't think of missing it. If you don't make it in person, look for photos here next Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Justin Space
One of Baby Tattoo's first publications was Obscene Interiors by Justin Jorgensen. The project began as a feature on the artist's website JustinSpace.com which Baby Tattoo's fearless leader Bob Self stumbled across while looking for who-knows-what online. Even though the Obscene Interiors section is what was developed into a book, there are other laugh-out-loud sections that are well worth taking the time to visit. The eBay Conceptual Art Gallery is Bob's favorite.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Upcoming Events
January 18-20 - Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors - Austin, Texas
February 22-24 - WonderCon - San Francisco, California
March 14-16 - Wizard World - Los Angeles, California
Stop by and say, "Hi."
Monday, January 07, 2008
I'll Take a Dozen
From time to time I'm asked how I decide what books Baby Tattoo is going to publish. Since part of the decision is instinctual, I'm not sure I can provide a complete answer. At some point, I'll do my best to write an in-depth analysis of the various deciding factors; but, for now, I'm going to post a response that sounds like a joke but is the honest truth...
I can't publish a book unless I'm willing to buy 5000 copies of it.
A publisher buys thousands of copies of each book it publishes. The intent, of course, is to sell those copies. If the books don't sell, guess who owns them? And you thought you were running out of room on your bookshelves.
-Bob Self
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Shameless Plug Sunday #1
Every Sunday, the Baby Tattoo blog will spotlight a product we think is worth your attention (and your money). This week it's the very first book we ever published Gris Grimly's Wicked Nursery Rhymes (In the spirit of the previous post, clicking on the title will let you buy the book from Last Gasp). Trivia Fact: The image of Jill standing on the hill in the first and second printings of the book is different than it is in subsequent printings. Gris noticed a continuity error on the character after the second printing went to press, but he was able to correct and replace the art before the third printing. What's the mistake? We're not telling.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
First Stop: Last Gasp
Baby Tattoo Books exists because of a series of unlikely events. (Actually, most things and most people exist because of a series of unlikely events... so maybe unlikely events aren't all that special.) While Baby Tattoo's history is a likely topic for future posts, there are a number of interesting and significant histories to explore first: histories that define the culture in which Baby Tattoo originated. One such history is that of Ron Turner who is a major architect of the alternative paradise we live in today. There's a big internet out there, so dive right in and do your homework on Ron and his company Last Gasp. And while you're at it, buy something! You can buy one of Baby Tattoo's books from them, but an actual Last Gasp publication is what you really want. If you're sill reading, you missed the instruction... go to Last Gasp and buy something! Really. It's part of a series of unlikely events that brought you here and is sending you there. Who knows what might happen next?
Friday, January 04, 2008
Mind Bloggering
I've been a big fan of James Gurney's Dinotopia since its earliest recorded history, and I have an impressive collection of Greenwich Workshop prints to prove it. It's common knowledge that Mr. Gurney is a world-class visual storyteller, but who knew he was one of the most dedicated and generous bloggers in all of the art community? If you enjoy the Baby Tattoo blog as it evolves, you can thank James Gurney for providing the inspiration through his GurneyJourney blog. As for me, "Thanks, Jim."
-Bob Self
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Collectors Rule!
I recently had dinner with Gris Grimly. The conversation turned to dark times for tactile media sales in our digital age. Records, CDs, tapes, DVDs, comics, magazines, books, paper photographs and hand-written notes are less convenient in almost every way than simple electronic transfers. So who will keep buying physical stuff when the rest of the masses have turned entirely to electronic diversions? Gris said it simply, "Collectors will keep things alive." Indeed, collectors may be the best hope for keeping classic media moving across our modern landscape... like the living dead. Good thing Baby Tattoo loves collectors (and zombies).
-Bob Self
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
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