Âé¶čAV tattoo artist Dustin Ward didnât let the pandemic stop him from getting creative.
After Donât Look Down Tattoos was forced to temporarily close due to COVID-19 restrictions by the province, Ward started drawing pictures for a colouring book.
He has always been an illustrator, but being a tattoo artist for the last 16 years, he said it felt a little strange to draw intricate images only in black.
âThat was kind of hard, but thatâs why Iâm definitely going to go back and (colour) the whole book myself once I get it in my hands, for sure,â he said.
Carla Campbell, the shopâs store manager, runs the social media channels for the colouring book, as well as their colouring contests.
â(Ward) started illustrating for the colouring book at the start of April. Instead of doing commissions and prints like everyone else, we thought weâd do something a little different that everyone can get involved in,â she said.
âWe started posting the illustrations on Instagram and Facebook, and we got a huge response so due to that, we decided weâd publish it and do a Kickstarter.â
Campbell said within eight hours of their crowdfunding page going live, they were able to meet their goal thanks to the communityâs support.
She added that people are still backing the project, which she said will help them publish more books with better quality paper, as well as a hardcover.
âWe wouldnât be able to do this without the community. Without this funding, we wouldnât be able to publish it. So weâre very grateful that everyone has been able to support us this way.â
Even though the book is just waiting to be published, Ward and Campbell said theyâre already planning for more editions.
âI already want to start on the next one. We have a theme picked out for that one. But definitely, we want to keep this going. Volume one is done, but we want to go from there,â Ward said.
âHopefully, we can do more volumes with more themes, even different seasons.â
If you want to back Ward and Campbellâs project, check their .
READ: UBCO fine arts students take year-end exhibit online
READ: Local tattoo parlour hosts toy drive
Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation
