"WHY I PUT MY WORK ON A WALL TO BE CRITIQUED BY THE PROS"
A love story of continuing education in an ever evolving tattoo industry
18 YEARS AND I STAYED FOR CRITIQUES
Think it's intimidating getting critiqued as a new tattoo artist?
Try doing it nearly two decades into your career— in front of industry legends and your peers.
But here's the truth: Asking for feedback, no matter how long you've been at it, is one of the fastest ways to break through the walls you didn't even know you were building around your art.
I was nervous - FOR REAL
BUT I SHOWED UP ANYWAYS.
I get it, social situations can be overwhelming, it wasn't easy. My hands were sweating. But putting your art up for public review-by your peers AND the pros-is humbling. Leaving your artist ego at the door and showing up to learn, isn't just for you, it's for our clients.
Learning from fellow tattooers has been my greatest strength and to have access to 4 industry leaders in one day is something I wasn't going to pass up, and neither should you.
I went to
SHOULDERS OF GIANTS BECAUSE...
• Growth › ego
• Tattooing deserves lifelong students, and so do our clients
• Mastery is built in layers (like your best tattoos)
• Opportunities like this didn't exist when I started
• Artist-to-artist collaboration is one of the most powerful ways to evolve your craft
• Tattooing has evolved so rapidly in the last decade- it's only natural there are techniques I haven't picked up yet
WHAT HIT ME THE HARDEST
-Placement and style critiques I hadn't considered. Doug Finks body mapping and Japanese knowledge was next level.
-Colour and lighting knowledge that leveled up my perspective on choosing colour palettes that are as important as the composition from the mind of Derek Turcotte.
-Drawing and line weight techniques from Shae Motz, that I'll now bring into every single tattoo when thinking about how a tattoo will age on my client.
-The importance of drawing tattoo lettering on PAPER versus an iPad, in order to develop your calligraphy style without digital interference and emphasizing proper hand movement techniques from Mike Kenny.
The curve for
CREATIVE PLATEAU
If you've plateaued, or think you're "past the basics"- go anyway.
There's always something new to sharpen.
Your work (and your clients) deserve that evolution.
Being an industry leader doesn't mean you stop learning.
It means you care enough to keep improving-publicly, vulnerably, and with purpose.
COME LEARN.
BE HUMBLED.
COME SIT ON THE
SHOULDERS OF GIANTS.
Next time, I better see you there-front row, notebook out, ego checked, ready to grow.
If you care about your craft, you belong in rooms like that.
-Veronique Wiebe @Vonvibrance
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
I am so glad I attended the Shoulders of Giants seminar! It was such a cool experience to be able to sit and listen to these insanely talented artists speak on their craft and just inspire the way they did. They had phenomenal artists chosen for this event. The venue was great and close to the convention (that was super handy) . They fed us well and the goodie bags were so cute. Who doesn’t love a goodie bag lol. Thank you Shoulders of Giants, 100% worth it and would attend again
⚡️- Madeline @Madlemon.tattoos
Shoulders of Giants October 16th 2025
"The Shoulders of Giants Seminars was next level. 14 years into tattooing sometimes makes you feel too comfortable - I learned SO much and am feeling all sorts of inspired. This seminar was inspiring, educational and so fun to be a part of. We spent a lot of time going over composition, body flow, colour values/colour composition, and how to make tattoos last, as well as the structure of certain types of lettering. Thank you so much to Capital Tattoo for putting this together - by far this is the most valuable thing l've done for my career and I'm coming out of it a new artist and tattooer.
Thank you endlessly to @drkturcotte @horihyo @mikekennytattoos @shaemotztattoos for sharing your knowledge in a easily digestible way (and for giving me the best advice/critiques on my own work - this was so valuable to me). Also a big thanks to @devinboutcher @jackassica for their knowledge as well, and their incredible hosting of all of us. Thank you as well to the amazing @goodguysupply for the sponsorship of this event with so many goodies to go home with - the bags were filled with my absolute favourite Good Guy products which was such a nice bonus!
I am so infinitely lucky to be an artist/tattooer and I only want to improve and get better through my entire career. I hope to continue to expand my knowledge and understanding of the thing I love most - art.
Feeling grateful.
-Courtney Laura @LadyofLettering
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
"Reflecting this morning over the last little while.
Going to spew some feels on the ol'interent.
The support I have received from my industry has been so overwhelming. The love from my peers and friends in the tattoo world has shocked me. I'm floored.. I am in awe... as someone who doesn't know how to accept help, it's incredible to be vulnerable and be surrounded by amazing humans.
I give a shit about tattooing, I LOVE tattooing and I fucking love how we rally for our own. I watch as we all come together and we hold each other up. I sat in a room full of talent yesterday, full of artists who want to do better and want to educate.. and had a moment of "how is this my life? How is this where I am at"
And for a day I forgot about cancer. I forgot about the next little while. I simply thought of how incredibly lucky I am to tattoo people and have my artwork live on people.. and to be a part of this.. we have to protect it, carry on what the generations before us worked hard for and honor it.
Cool kid clubs are temporary, social media is temporary.... But do you know what isn't? Hard work, passion and wanting to be the best version of yourself.
I am so appreciative of every single person.
Life is crazy, you get thrown some curveballs.
Everything can change very quickly.
And someone pretty special to me said :
"Just remember on your tough days that you will always have tattooing.”
-Shae Motz (Presenter)
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
Sog was an incredible learning opportunity providing dedicated and curated interactions with some of the heavy hitters in our industry. Each presenter brings a unique spin to their presentation and goes above and beyond basic tattooing practice while using their time to inspire and motivate. Doug Fink showed the flow of a traditional Japanese bodysuit, Eckel taught his full process from conception to finished product in designing and painting his posters. Both are very different. Both absolutely insane to learn from.
- Conall Minter @Conall.Minter.Tattoos
Shoulders of Giants October 16th 2025
"EASILY SOME OF THE BEST TATTOO EDUCATION DAYS I'VE EXPERIENCED. GREAT VIBES, SOLID INFO,
WONDERFULLY METHODICAL SEMINARS"
-Andi Jane Monk @andi_the_pants
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
"I couldn't recommend Shoulders of Giants enough. This was a 10/10 experience, each seminar was so full of invaluable information and each presenter was super open to answering any questions we had.
The Capital tattoo crew made sure we were all comfortable and well fed for a long day of learning, and they were just all in all super welcoming and helpful. Im thankful for the opportunity this seminar gives us. The critique at the end was a great touch, it's not every day you get to pick the brain of your idols!"
- Mo Schae @Mozartdossier
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
" l wanted to reach out and thank absolutely everyone there.
Today was incredible and it was so much fun hearing everyone's stories, questions etc! You guys did an amazing job and I'm really grateful I got to be apart of today,
Can't wait for the next one!"
-Kira Smith @Baka_tattoos
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
"Thank you guys so much for having me, also thank you for the door prize I'm fucking stoked to try that machine! Can't wait for the next one."
-Jaymz Girardin Lavoie @Tattoos.by.jaymz
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
"I just wanted to say thank you so much for the seminar. I honestly felt so out of my league surrounded by the immense talent there tonight. I took away many valuable lessons and a few good ass kicking's that I desperately needed. Thank you for sharing with this old-pile-of-bones, your insight, fresh ideas and much needed reminders about why I wanted to do this in the first place."
-Lana Anderson @Lanabananderson
Shoulders of Giants April 3rd 2025
"Hi. My name is James Bird. I attended the 2025 shoulders of giants seminar event in Calgary. The event was extremely well organized, the venue was comfortable and there was an abundance of food and drink provided to keep us all going throughout the day. The presenters had lots of great insights into their approaches to different aspects of tattooing. The focus felt much deeper than simple tattoo techniques, but instead looked at topics like the differences in needles and ink (on a microscopic level!) and how it can affect the tattoo process, how to better communicate with clients to truly understand their wants and needs as well as different approaches to bringing an idea from loose concept to a finished piece of art. The Shoulders of Giants seminars are perfect for artists looking for new insights into tattooing that go beyond simply putting ink in skin."
-James Bird @Jamesbirdtattoo
Shoulders of Giants October 16th 2025
"I'd recommend this event to any artist that wants to take their craft seriously. The insights gained, especially from artists that do different styles than myself, have been invaluable. Whether you're a year in, or 10 years in, there's so many takeaways. There is opportunity to hone your own skills and approach, and there is opportunity to reinforce what you have already been doing well. I also know that the language and structure of everything taught will help build up my own communication skills and make me a better mentor and educator down the road. The investment in yourself is worth it."
- Christian Sanchez @Christian.sanchez.art
Shoulders of Giants October 16th 2025
Organized and informative. The content in these seminars have directly impacted my day-to-day operations as well as my long term growth and knowledge in tattooing. From art, designs, drawing and painting to set-up, materials, techniques and client relationships. The list goes on. I could not recommend Shoulders of Giants enough to the new tattooer AND the old heads that have been in the game for decades. Can’t wait for the next one!
Dean Messervey @fox.and.the.machine
Shoulders of Giants October 16th 2025