BLACK DOG INK - "INK TIL YA STINK"
Three mates, a shed, a laundry full of dirty clothes and the need for a clean shirt to wear to the pub was essentially the beginnings of BlackDog Ink, a screen printing, design and merchandise company with a keen interest in supporting local artists and music.
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Rewind 18 years to the afternoon at what became known as the ‘beachpad’, throw in a few beers, some inspiration from ‘It’ and a pennywise track and the Psycho Clown was born.
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With just shy of a decade of experience under his belt Mez brought the skills, equipment and tools to the [print] table. The first line of Psycho Clown went to press, a few mates supported the cause and sticker slapping ensued - some of which have stood the test of time and can still be seen around our local LHB.
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Over a few years Mez built a reputation for undeniable quality and we began printing for a local label and picked up a regular stream of work. Humble beginnings soon grew into something more than a hobby and the time had come for the Psycho Clown to mature.
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We turned to the little black shadow, shed companion and silent business partner ‘Tiger’ for inspiration – BlackDog Ink was V2.0.
With in-house design services and a growing network of local Artists and Designers, all with varying styles we cater for a diverse clientele ranging from band merch through to Yogi’s.
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The process of transferring an artist’s work to an alternate medium can be an art in itself. Picking apart the intricate layers and separating the colours in the design to be screen ready involves digitising the artwork and visualising each element, then determining the best way to recreate the design onto a t-shirt.
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We love the hands on factor of our work and having physical control of each layer of ink that goes down. It still gives us a buzz every time we lift the screen and see the image come to life!
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What does the future hold for BlackDog Ink? An expanding art scene and music hub in our community has fired up our passion for pushing the boundaries and experimenting with new techniques, speciality inks and live printing whilst maintaining a respect for the traditional art of manual silk screening.
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We pride ourselves on quality work and over 20 years into the industry we continue to learn, refine and hone our skills as master printers.
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Our motto ‘Ink till ya stink’ stands strong and we’ll keep pushing the squeegee till the end.
If you need us we’ll be in the print shop.
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Cheers,
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BLACK DOG INK
