well another year has come and gone...going on 9 years of tattooing this year...crazy how time flies!! seems like yesterday i was working 40+ hours painting auto/computer parts 7am-4pm...then going down to the shop from 5pm-12pm to apprentice..repeat 6 days a week...good times....

this year has been a challenge...started at a new shop right before 2009...wife started a new job where she works 8-5..so my hours were cut back drastically at the shop...kind of a mr. mom now...which is cool..get to spend time with my kids more and have alot more time to paint and draw...not have to worry so much about the money making aspect of tattooing, which is nice...this year also brought a new addition to my family...ezra phillip federico rosario hamblin...aka..MR. CHEEKS...what a good lil baby he is...always smiling...always pooping...

didn't make it to the san jose convention like i wanted..but i think the tattoo gods were telling me something....unexpected bills...both cars breaking down in 2 weeks...other stuff happening...one sign after the other was telling me not to go...oh well there is always next year...i did get the bloodwork:sleeves book though...another amazing book project by the analog collective...i hope to one day be apart of a project like that...all in all this year is looking up..got a few top secret projects in the works...should be fun and challenging..and i wanna do a few guest spots this year..even if its just over to the seattle area...well enough rambling...off to paint...

again not much new in my exciting life...should be finishing up my split set of flash with javier this week...this one has been a tuff one...not too inspired lately and have been influenced by some art i can't quite grasp...kinda pisses me off...not enough time in the day to do what i want/need to do...between drawing for clients..tattooing...taking care of the family..and trying to seek out new references for art....little overwhelming at times....fell like i need a few clones...and there will still probably be not enough time in the day....

one of my new favorite artists right now is thomas hooper http://thomashooper.wordpress.com/
dude works in new york at new york adorned...seriously some crazy shit he does...its all mainly black n gray...with heavy on the black side...love this stuff..very powerful...he lists his references on his website..there within lies my downfall....this shit just sucks me in...before i know it its 2-3 hours later and i still haven't drawn a damn thing!!! oh well what can ya do...i want to start doing some more stuff along the lines of this but more in my style...so i will be working on that in the days/weeks/months to come...should be a fun study....well off to paint some flash to trade at the san jose convention....HAMBONE

not too much going on this week..kinda in a slump...did start the preliminary sketches for a flash sheet i will finish up for the san jose convention...hopefully that'll be the kick in the pants i need for some huge inspiration...i know last time i went it was pretty much life changing...kinda corny sounding...it was the 2006 san jose convention in league with the new skool book release of FULL COVERAGE....pretty much flipped my shit inside out...everyone that i look up to in the industry was there...so it was cool...this year's should be nothing more than spectacular...hoping to get a few pieces while i'm there as well...we'll see...
on a good note..i should be finishing up my 1st backpiece today..probably have 1 touch up session to do, but it will be all finished...been less than a year since i started it..went fast...i will be posting progress pics on here of it...1 back down 3 to go.....

well another week has come and gone...did some tattoos and paintings this week..will post pics later...i think i over did it though...feel sick as hell today...mainly sinuses...oh well.
this past saturday i went and tattooed at the spokane scoot 2009 scooter rally...it was pretty fun, wierd crowd for me though...on one side of the spectrum you had the minions sc...seemed like your 40yr old and up crowd with money and good jobs...nice scooters...many dressed up like mods out of the 70s...on the other side you had your 2% ers...dirty drunk blue collar workers..dickies...tshirts..pabst in hand...vespas ratty and loud as hell...all in all..both clubs were cool as hell...its funny how in life with every little clique or genre you will have this...the have and the have-nots..the trailer queens with the $100k cars and the dirty greasers/rat rodders with their badass cars that go fast as hell..but look as though about to fall apart....your rockstars whose parents bought them everthing they needed for their next new band...and ya dirty little punkers that play whatever they can get their hands on and kick ass...its always funny to sit back and watch these groups interact with each other...both love the same thing..just different ways to go about them.
well got a pretty full week ahead of me, starting my homie kris' backpiece today...japanes crane with a cherry blossom tree and wind...super simple and bold...should be fun..once again..pics to come later....HAMBONE

so here is some of the newer work i've been doing lately...pretty stoked on it...been trying to fuse the cholo style with the traditional style...also have 4 backpieces in progress..will post pics of them later...

so last sunday the wifey and me finally got a night out from the kids...first time in a looooonng time...we went and watched inglorius basterds...good flick...well feeling a little fiesty the next day at the shop i went upstairs to cook my lunch...from the balcony i started banging my fist on the ledge and yelling something resembling german at the top of my lungs..like a certain dumbass german dictator...looking down i realized that a co-worker was stenciling some hebrew font and a star of david on a youngster's back...first tattoo...everyone looked up in shock including his very jewish friend wearing an israeli air force shirt...probably all their first time in a tattoo shop....well let's just say i felt like a dick...didn't see them at all...they must have came in while i was cooking....funny...very funny...yet dickheadish...oh well what do ya do...it's a tattoo shop...haha

hopefully i'll figure out how to post some pics on here soon...

well this is a new thing for me...kinda getting tired of the whole myspace thing...i'll still use it to make connections and to do scheduling. but i wanted something a little more private and personal i guess...i will hopefully keep up on this and turn it into something useful. i am not a writer in anyway so keep that in mind. i want to post tattoo pics, art pics, as well as funny and odd shit i see going on in my world. also this winter i am wanting to start a little project about the history of tattooing in spokane and the surrounding area. ok well my new son is crying...so i'm out for now.