Year in

2011! What a year! Things have happened. That I can say with confidence. Work, my apprenticeship and my art work outside of tattooing. I have been busy needless to say.

I've been pulling 60+ hours a week not including just plain old painting, Since march. I'm used to it at this point but I'm starting to lose steam. I would like to make the transition to tattooing and painting full time and quit my job at the coop but thats a scary prospect to me. So 2012 is all about that. I have a few plans in the pipeline so please check in here once in a while and I promise I will to. In the mean time check out my tumblr page for day to day stuff mostly related to tattooing. I don't always have much to say but I always have new things to show. and thanks to folks who have been showing me love and getting work done and supporting me! You rule!

BLAM!

im starting to feel more settled in my new place. my art space is coming together and i got some sweet prints (pictured sitting on my lightbox) from the steakmob boys to hang up on my walls.

nate of the deth crew set us up a little show at moxy in MPLS under uptown tattoo and next door to bobs java hut. he just keeps putting new shows together which means i never sleep. just work. luckily i have no life to speak of anyway.

goodbye for now.

prints

these are some left over prints i did with my buddy eric gorvin of steak mob fame. we put these together for the gods and monsters III show last month. i will be putting these up for sale here on my blog along with some much nicer pictures. anyone interested in picking one of these up should email me at chriskrapohl@gmail.com for info.

sketch.

i watched natural born killers the other day and this is supposed to be Mallory. i didn't quite turn out so i just colored her hair blonde and changed it. but that was pretty much the inspiration

new TATTOO page

i have decided to create a new separate page devoted exclusively to tattoos that i have done. i hope to post here often so check back often. find the link to this page under "pages" to the right. the total depravity page will be more general and feature my art and sketchbook and any up and coming advancements in my world. i hope to be making some shirts and prints in the relatively near future and that sort of stuff will be here as well. tanks folks!

i had a pretty productive day at the shop today. i worked on my exorcist drawing for gods and monsters III. im hoping to do screen printed posters but im worried i wont have enough time for it. fingers crossed. i have been really digging this brush pen i bought. im having more fun drawing than i have for some time. im like a kid.

i started a pretty cool green lantern chest piece. the guy came in with a sketch he did and wanted me to rework it i guess so i busted about my trusty new brush pen yet again and whipped this drawing up pretty quick. i was pretty happy with it and so was he. we got as far as coloring the lantern part before dude had to call it a day. i didnt get much of a pic so obviously i didnt post one.

i did some cool sketches in my new sketchbook which i love. markers are a new and wonderful world to me. and i like them. tattooing has been a little slow lately so being at the shop sometimes means finding other non tattooing ways to be productive. success!

!ZOMBOID!

sketchbook. im revisiting some old character stuff i used to do. it's a good thing.

well i went out and got a sketchbook for myself a few days ago. i was inspired by a fella i met a couple weeks ago. andres guzman. he is a member of the steakmob which is a super awesome and talented art crew out of minneapolis. he draws tons of cool shit in his moleskin and posts it on his blog. he does amazing work and i was really inspired by how much energy he can create just in a sketch book. i like the idea of having an outlet for art that is more flowing and i guess more expressive. i draw a lot of tattoo related stuff which i really love but i dont do a lot for myself. so maybe i will be posting some of these sketches granted i keep up with it. i will be updating this blog with some tattoo pics soon enough so please continue to be patient and check back once and a while.

peace.

it has been like... forever

i have been very tied up what with the the art show and vacation and the moving that i have not been very on top of some other things in my life. this blog for example. but i guess its good to be busy if its stuff that matters. and it does, let me tell you. i have some new art to post soon. now that sons of northern darkness has passed i can finally reveal my newer work. once i get some pics that is. till then...

well, it has been a grip since i have posted anything here. i have been very busy in a very good way. last night sons of northern darkness went down. and it rocked. a year of planning paid off. tomorrow, off to phoenix to visit my old friend dave for a week. then i move back to MPLS and get settled and back into a normal routine. i am looking forward to this most of all. just in time for winter.

goodnight.

SONS OF NORTHERN DARKNESS

SONS OF NORTHERN DARKNESS is upon us. the MPLS DETH CREW is putting the finishing touches on SONS and it is looking good. for those interested the show is at CULT STATUS GALLERY on friday september 23rd at 8pm. no cover. please come and hang out. its going to be killer.

sons of northern darkness

its been a busy last few weeks. but things are good overall and im feeling optimistic about my art and the direction its starting to go in. i am trying to get my shit straight for sons of northern darkness cuz time is running out. today i worked on a t shirt idea i have. i hope to get some stuff printed in time for the show. here it be.

transition

i have been very busy lately at the tattoo shop and trying to stay on track with work for the art show coming up in september while working full time at my day job. it has been hectic to say the least. but im in relatively good spirits none the less. i have a couple new pieces in the works and im feeling good about what im producing.



so, to book a tattoo, call MONSTER INK TATTOO at 651 488 3323 and ask for chris. and keep your eyes peeled for more info on SONS OF NORTHERN DARKNESS in september.

total insanity

i have a stress filled week. my brain is fried. im tired. and i have a lot of planning to do. i need a car and i'm moving in september. plus i am still pulling 70 hours a week at work and the tattoo shop(MONSTER INK TATTOO 651 488 3323). plus i have an art show to prepare for which i am a little behind on. this sucks.

to day i work. art, tattoo drawings, laundry, and promo stuff for the art show coming up.

tattooing is super stressful and i have been extra on edge so keeping positive and productive is hard but i need to regain my self and stay focused on my goals. i have some cool stuff coming up next week but a ton of prep to do.

anyway, this post really had no point, its more of a rant or something.

harry potter

goodbye

energized

after a couple days of post-vacation depression i am feeling much better about things and very energized. i talked to my good friend chance and my mom and they both helped me put things back into perspective. i feel ready for the challenge and im hoping to get back on track with some other things in my life that i have sort of ignored due mostly to business like biking and better eating habits and, probably most importantly, a social life.

good times with old friends are, well... good. it sucks that i don't get to see them more often but it makes those visits that much sweeter. it gives me something to reflect back on and something to look forward to. so goodbye post-vacation blues and hello 70 hour work week.

bitter sweet return

i am back from my vacation from work/tattooing. i hooked up with my best old friend Dave and we took off to Wisconsin to take in the scenery and visit my mother and brother. then back to Minneapolis where we did a little tattooing and then up north to thief river falls where i spent the better part of my pre-adult life and then left as soon as i graduated high school.

its funny because i usually feel very anxious to come back to Minneapolis when i am there and i usually just chill with my family the whole time. but this time was different, i went to a friends wedding and got a chance to be with all my close old friends all at once for the fist time in a very long time. a couple years at least. i got to hang out in the country and watch the fireflies. it felt good. it was the first time that i didn't want to leave when i had to leave. that was a strange feeling.

i had a chance to reflect on my life and my ambitions and frankly it scared the shit out of me. it was the first break from my 70hour/week schedule that i had in a few months and the first chance i had to look at it from the outside. i realized again just how much of a struggle it will be to continue to put off all the things in life i want to do until i get settled in to a new career hopefully as a full time tattooer. i miss my family and friends a lot. i miss the complete darkness at night and i miss the silence.

tattoin'

just a quick update on the apprenticeship. i dont have really any good stuff to talk about but i ahve been busy lately. im still taking appointments and i welcome people who come and visit me so so please do get a hold of me if you want to talk tattoo.

MONSTER INK TATTOO 651 488 3323

1088 rice street saint paul MN

busy time

i have finished my first week of tattoo work. it has been one of the busiest weeks in such a long time for me. it was rough. i went in to the shop an extra day so i could tattoo a guy who works at the bar across the street from the shop and i think that extra day put me over the edge. it was his first tattoo so i was a little extra scared.

i have tasted what it will be like to do this for a living and i realize how much of a juggling act it will be. especially untill i go full time and quit my other job.

luckily i have a few friends who have a lot of trust in me and my art. i got to do a few pieces that i drew myself with a lot of freedom design-wise.

www.monsterinktattoo.com

hours

for those who want work done, the best way to do this is for you to call the shop i work at while im there and we can work out dates and times.

my hours are as follows...

mondays noon to 9pm
tuesdays 4pm to 9pm
fridays 5pm to 10pm
saturdays noon to 10pm

i am normally off wednesdays and thursdays but i can easily make arrangements to be there those days for folks who can't come any other times. we can figure that out.

so please call me at MONSTER INK TATTOO 651-488-3323!

i look forward to hearing from you!!

tattooing

well, i have the go ahead to start bringing people in to the shop to get tattooed by me. this is a big step for me. im anxious to see what i can do with that. taking requests and dealing with people in that context can be taxing. but i think i can make it work for me. i just gotta keep pushing. it's hard to stay motivated to continue to evolve as an artist and be an apprentice and work full time. im trying to draw a lot and stay on track for the art show this fall, so hopefully things will work out. and hopefully all my friends who say they have been waiting for me to start won't flake out (hint hint).

and speaking of art show http://mplsdethcrew.tumblr.com/. check it out.

busy time

well im still pluggin' away at the monster ink in saint paul trying to work my way into the rotation there. things are going very well. i ill have my temporary tattoo license soon which means i can start tattooing myself and others soon. very excited to get started on that.

i've finally gotten back on pace for the big art show this year. details TBA. i did three pieces in the last three days. i was told i should try doing smaller stuff and thats what i have been trying to do. doing smaller pieces is really cool cuz i can knock them out in a short time and see the result right away. it really builds momentum quickly. i can do one piece and take what i may have messed up or did really well on it and apply it to another piece right there.

the weather has been a drag this spring. i only have one day off and i usually would have softball practice (yes i play softball) but it has been rainy every sunday. so my one recreational/social activity of the week has been dampened by the slow start of spring this year. im feeling very drained lately but i have my eye on the prize. i feel very motivated for the future. i have never dedicated myself to a cause as much i have to becoming a tattooer. it feels good already.

may day

well i havent bot much to show off right now but this guy is really really close to finished. its a poster/print idea i have. hopefully i will have prints for sale soon. hopefully. well see.

art has slowed down since i started my tattoo apprenticeship (which is going well) but i have a few pieces in the work on their way up from the depths. now that i have sundays free i should be able to devote more time to art. look forward to that for me.

its may day

things have been moving a little slow for me lately. i have been working on art but nothing new completed. or at least nothing worth showing. between the apprenticeship and work i have little energy for art. but i am shifting some things around to make more time for myself and hopefully my art.

i am also working on a piece that i hope to make prints from. if this does happen they will be for sale. check back for that.

till next time...

work work work

my life is officially over for the next 6 to 12 months. i work full time, apprentice and do art with all my free time. its a good thing. im getting used to working constantly and staying home all the time. camping, road trips, fun in the sun. who needs 'em?!









there is an up side though. im getting better and faster at painting. this is sort of turning into a sort of experiment for me. or a competition against myself. how much art can i do before i go fucking nuts and kill myself? a lot!

















here i have a few teaser pics of the stuff i have been doing lately. i have a bunch of stuff on my plate that i am putting off to do fun stuff now. i will regret that later.

every single moment in my life has lead up to this moment. me writing this blog is a result of the accumulation of my experiences. from the biggest mistake my mother ever made to the biggest mistakes i have ever made. my strengths and my faults. every thing i do in life is my subconscious response to every single tiny insignificant passing moment. it really amazes me some days. i consider myself really lucky to be who i am. my life is really very good. i love my life. i love my family and i love my past. i have nothing to be angry over or sad over. sure, i have my hangups but those things are just part of the bigger picture anyway, and i feel very strongly that if it weren't for those hangups i wouldn't have the strengths in the other areas of my life that i do.

i have spent a long time being uncomfortable with myself and my choices. i have spent plenty of time being angry at my circumstances and my place in the world. and i have felt guilty for being the white male American i am because of things that people did long ago that have nothing to do with me. and i have always been the type to lay down for others to feel more comfortable.

but now i feel ready to be selfish.

being a human being is a really amazing thing. we have made so much from the earth around us. some would argue that humans have screwed things up for the rest of the world. or that we don't live a natural symbiotic life with nature. well that is bullshit. we are just animals after all and we do what is in our nature to do. and our nature is to shoot for the stars at whatever cost. when we are gone from this planet we will have been but a sore throat in the history of the earth. the 70 or 80 years that i will have spent here will add up to nothing when the sun explodes and the earth melts and humanity is no more. so im gonna watch my tv and eat my cheeseburger and draw my pictures and drive my car.

F**K S**T UP

new piece im working on. this is just part of it. i can't show the whole thing cuz that would ruin the surprise.

i feel pretty happy with myself for working so hard all the time and getting so much better at this. i haven't felt this good about my art in my whole life. and i always new that i could do better and i still do.

i read somewhere that talent and skill are not the same thing. you can be born with an aptitude toward something and that's called raw talent. skill is talent that has been developed and hopefully one day perfected.

i have always been talented and i have always known it but i always expected more from myself than i ever could do. people that know me well know how insecure i used to be about my art. i got a lot of attention for it when i was a kid cuz i was from a small town and that sort of thing was uncommon. i went through a period of time after i left home where i didn't do any art for a couple years. it has taken me a long time to get my shit straight and get serious and focused about this stuff and i am pleased as punch that i am in a place where i am comfortable with my work.

this sort of art is very specific in it's appeal. my stuff is based on traditional american and japanese tattoo styles. the traditional american style tattoo aesthetic was born out of a lack of ability on the part of the tattoo artists at the time. it wasn't fine art done by trained artists. it was folk art. and it's funny that i always could draw realistic stuff but it took me a while to get a grasp on this style because it breaks all the rules of realism and enters the realm of design more. it's more about using space well and composition than mimicking reality.

so there you go

total motherf**ker

sometimes you need to drink a beer in the shower.

i have been really busy lately with workin', painting and going to the shop and hangin out till my official apprentice start date on march 15th. so far things are good there. the people are cool and i feel pretty welcome.

in spite of being very busy i am still getting art done on a regular basis. here is a sneak peek at a new thing im workin on.

the human animal

the perpetual god.

the survival instinct drives the ego. the ego turns to arrogance. the arrogance convinces the self that it is an all powerful god among animals. this god has the power to shake the earth from its orbit and wipe every animal from its surface. this god feels pity for the earth and its animals. this god hates itself... demeans itself. this god lives a life of shamefully secret self worship separate from the earth and nature for it has left the earth and nature behind.

monster ink

my tattoo apprenticeship at monster ink doesn't start for about a month but i was invited to hang out before to get acquainted with everyone better and get a feel for things i suppose. and today i stopped by to do just that. i spent some time drawing, got a little tour and just hung out. i made my first attempt at doing script and i feel with a bit of practice i could get it down pretty good. i also did a couple sketches while i was there. overall a nice easy going evening.

garrett showed me this cool set of drawing books done by an artist who's name i cannot recall. its a series of drawings spanning an entire year. one drawing per day. pretty much just sketches and studies. and its pretty rad. i like the idea of developing a routine about drawing tattoo art. a project like that will change an artist. so i got the idea of doing something along the same lines but way less intense. im going to try to post every week or so some sketches that i do. i figure it could be a good way to track my progress.

working on valentines day

well another quiet day. went to work, came home did a load of laundry, washed the dishes and painted all in time to go out with my lovely Emily for v-day. technically i haven't gone out with Emily yet but for the sake of this blog post i did that.



these took me longer than i had hoped but i finally finished them and I'm happy with them both.



good day

one day weekend

well i realized that if im going to get all the shit that i have obligated myself to done, i will need to speed it up a bit. unfortunately this revelation came on the warmest day this year so far which made it a little bit of a challenge for me to stay indoors and work. i went for a nice walk but managed to get plenty of stuff done.

this is a piece for a band of a coworker. pennyroyal. i would make a link but at no fault to shawn hebrank, who taught me to make links, i don't remember how.

but here is the piece.

it begins

well i landed a tattoo apprenticeship in st paul MN at Monster Ink. i start in march and from there i work my ass off in order to get things rolling as fast as possible. im more than ready to begin the transition into a career in tattooing. i feel pretty good, like i have taken a step. but being me i can't really let my guard down with myself and my work ethic till it is final and im licensed.

it is good on one hand to know that the hard work i have been putting in with art and developing a strong work ethic about art are starting to pay off, but i still feel like i have so much more to do that i cant help but feel like its just the beginning. which it is.

so 2011 is going to be the year of reckoning for me. i have already pretty much booked myself solid through the end of the year. i have the apprenticeship, full time job, BIG art show in the works and i have been commissioned to do work for a band. and the kicker is i wont make much money at any of this stuff. but i guess this is the sort of thing i have to do if im ever going to be a professional artist. its an eye opener already and i haven't even begun. i just hope im up for it.

ruff love

this is a portion of the piece i did for a benefit showing/ silent auction show for an animal foster program called second hand hounds. it will be held at cult status gallery this friday. so if your reading this and you live in MPLS, be there!

anyway, i havent been posting much as of late because i havent been finishing much. i have been doing several pieces at once one stage at a time. this piece is up first because i had to hurry up and finish it for the show but the rest will probably all show up here around the same time in a few weeks hopefully.

p.s. sorry for the low quality picture.

progress

hard at it...

snake vs bird

this is a piece i started for a band that a friend of mine is in. they are called pennyroyal from MPLS and i hear they like crows. posters and fliers for bands is something im interested in doing so i guess this is sort of the my first and i think my best attempt at that in a while. so here is what i did with my evening...

on second thought...

well as it turns out i was pretty productive today after all. i busted out this outline in just a matter of a few hours. pretty straight forward traditional skull and snake dealy. i got the idea when i was at uptown tattoo today visiting matt and jon. i saw a sketch of a skull with a snake all in it and thought maybe i would try something like that. i think it looks pretty good so far.


on a side note, i have been feeling some major cabin fever lately. im trying to get a lot of art work done pretty much all the time and that combined with a cold and dark minnesota winter have left me pretty drained. winters past i would have probably drank a lot more beer to sooth the pain but im just sort of broke. plus beer doesn't exactly make me energetic and inspired so i think i should just stick to my new routine for now.



also i recently acquired this picture of my great great grandparents. i just wanted to share it because i find it incredibly fascinating. plus it looks cold in the photo which is something i can totally relate to... so, yeah, i guess we have a ton in common.

good night for real this time.

well these are a few older pieces i did maybe 6 months ago or maybe a little more recent than that. anyway, i've nothing new to add really so i just thought i would post these just in case anyone actually read this thing and was wondering where i have been.

the oldest would be the owl. it's done in chalk pastel, sharpie and colored pencil. that one is actually like a year old by now. the crows are just black ink on watercolor paper. the polo zombie was done for a friend who lives in AZ and plays bike polo. its supposed to be like a logo or t shirt design or something but i haven't gotten it to him yet.

anyway, this is a totally lame post but i have nothing less lame to say for now. so keep up the hard work.

good night.

very quiet sunday

well this is the piece i have been working on for the last few days now. i actually did the line work a while back and then it kind of sat around till i decided to revisit it. now i need to take a step back from it for a bit. if i work on one piece for a long time in one session sometimes i lose the sense for the whole piece.

im still on a deer kick a little bit but i think this will be the last one for a while. im planning to do some art for a couple bands pretty soon. so look for that soon.

until then, thank you for reading.

...

well, i had a little time off from art for the holidays and it really is hard to get back in the groove. i spent a couple of hours today working on a new piece and just lost control of it. i ended up tossing it. i learned that i really can't take for the granted the skills of patients and concentration. if i let the outside world seep in to my brain while i work i sometimes lose my perspective. before my break this was not a problem but because i lost that momentum i forgot how to control myself. it's too bad but i try to learn from my mistakes. oh well. just try again...

2011

well its a new year. though it was a productive year, 2010 flew by for me. these days i feel like i spend almost all of my time preparing for the future. i spent the last year building my art portfolio in an attempt to earn myself a tattoo apprenticeship, bought a car, learned to make a risotto and i have payed off my last credit card debt (only a student loan and car to pay off now!). but for all the things i have been doing to prepare for my future the most rewarding thing i have achieved in 2010 has been to reconnect and build upon my relationship with my family up in northern minnesota and with my mother and brother who live in wisconsin. having a car has allowed me to travel and visit my family more often and in doing so i have learned a lot about my family history and therefor myself. it makes me want to start my own family and build my own history... something i never thought i would say.

one thing i regret that i have done for the last few years is really isolate myself from my past. i barely keep in touch with my old friends back home and hardly see the ones that live in minneapolis. i have a brother that i have only seen maybe 6 times in the last 7 years. i have old friends that have moved on and begun to build their own lives. there is no reason why i cant persue my interests and stay close to them at the same time.

so, i dont know, i guess we all get a little thoughtful and introspective as time passes. im very young but i wont be forever and i dont want to realize im too old to do all the things i always thought i was too young to do.

now watch this crazy music video