So yesterday was the day. I got there 15 minutes late and Mark wasn't there yet (big shocker). It gave me time to eat since I hadn't eaten anything yet. I had several fonts picked out and I decided on the one that was still pretty, but would be legible for the future.
We got the placement on the first try and it doesn't look stupid when I have my arms down by my sides. It really wasn't that painful, but at this point, it takes a good bit to get my attention. Plus, we were done in all of about 35 minutes. Yet another reason to feel the love for text tattoos. I was wrapped up and out of the chair less than an hour after I got there. It was good to see Mark again. I forget how much I miss the cranky bugger's commentary. Hilarious.
I don't feel too bad about breaking my "promise". Most people haven't even noticed them yet. The ones who've asked are the ones who knew I was getting them in the first place. I feel like it was the right time to do it. I'm happy with them and they mean a lot to me and will very likely take on a deeper meaning in the next few months. If I'm gonna eventually have a full sleeve, everyone's going to have to get used to it.
A huge shout out to Russ and the Ink & Dagger crew, Beth (Russ' wife), Melissa (one of Russ' clients and helper for the day), and Muriel (the adopted I&D artist). They were all amazing and not just because I was stuck with them for 10 hours yesterday. The arena was FREEZING and Beth went out and got me a heating pad and Melissa let me borrow her sweater. The heating pad was really the lifesaver. I was to the point where I was shivering so badly it was affecting the tattoo process. Not good.
Instead of both working on me at the same time, Russ and Muriel switched off for the first 5 hours. So it wasn't any quicker than if I were just being tattooed by one of them. They would pow wow when they switched, so it was interesting insight into how a tattooist's mind works. As Russ said, this is normally stuff inside their heads but they have to communicate it to each other. The toughest part was in hour 6 when they both started working on me. That was definitely a sensory overload experience. For the first time ever, I cried while being tattooed. We took a break around 6.5 hours so I could get it together, eat something, and just power through the end.
They were actually holding the tattoo of the day competition until we were done. I jokingly said it when they pushed it back by an hour the first time, but then the organizer came over and asked when we'd be done so we could enter. I thought that was pretty nice. Of course, from what I heard, there wasn't really much other competition and everyone had taken an interest in the piece. So it would've been silly to hold a tattoo of the day competition without the Russ Abbott and Muriel Zao collaborative piece entered.
As for the convention itself, it wasn't much to write home about. We had a little time to kill before I got tattooed, so we walked around, but there wasn't much of interest. The sound system also wasn't that good, so it was hard to tell what they were saying sometimes. I think at one point they were having $25 piercings and $40 something involving acetate, or at least, that's what we thought we heard. They had food, but it was pretty bad. The pretzels that were supposed to be soft were ridiculously salty and on the hard side. There's a distinct possibility they were left over from the last event.
Overall it took 8.5 hours of tattooing time, we won tattoo of the day, and I will have no problems taking a break after this. It was definitely one of the toughest things I've gone through. It was worth it, as the piece is amazing, and the crown jewel of my collection. Muriel suggested doing a full "sleeve" on my thigh that has a macabre circus theme. Hmmm.
Pictures will appear in Skin & Ink magazine, or so I heard. I'll have to confirm with Sylvia. She got a couple pictures of all of us and then one for winning tattoo of the day. After a good night's sleep and some real food, I'm really glad I did it. The experience was tough, that's for sure, but I made it. I think when I get back into it, short tattoos are in my future. ;)
In all the shuffle, somehow writing the experience of getting my new foot piece has gotten lost. Clearly this must be remedied.
After donuts next door I shuffled over to the shop. Mark was late, so I offered donuts to Jevin and Andrew. When Mark did arrive, he came storming in complaining about some woman in the parking lot. The mullet and aviators were what really made the visual. I wish I'd gotten a picture.
We opted for 3 roses instead of 4. Originally I'd wanted 4, but he just couldn't get them to fit in a way that would heal well. Fair enough. So we went with red, purple, and blue which are the colors of the birthstones of the women in my immediate family. So now I have a grand total of one tattoo with "meaning". Go me.
It hurt, but nothing that made me want to start crawling away. I was hanging off the edge of the massage table and Mark had my foot on his knee. He commented at one point that his leg had gone to sleep. That was met with a glare. Silly man. The worst part was right near my ankle bone. It's also where the swelling has been the worst. I started to feel a little out of it in the last 20 minutes or so. I think I've gotten to the point where I know there's only a little bit left and my body starts to let itself go a bit. The three donuts I had earlier did me right and I was fine. I may have discovered the secret to keeping one's blood sugar up during a tattoo. Donuts!
He bandaged me up and I was on my way as he had another appointment after me. As it turns out she's not from Atlanta and I was thrilled to shop at H&M over at Atlantic Station while she waited. Nice to know I helped a fellow fashionista out. :) I really like it. The color is great, I love the old school twist he put on it, and it looks much, much better than what I had. It totally accomplished the task of covering up the old piece. You can't even tell anything else was there.
It's day two of healing and other than some swelling, it seems to be doing alright. I've got some light scabbing, none of this scaly business, and it hurts to stand for prolonged periods, but other than that it seems to be doing okay. Hopefully this means I can avoid a touch up. I'm supposed to check in with Mark in about a week, so maybe I'll pick up donuts for the fam as well. Might as well combine trips, right?
The first stop on my body mod tour was Holy Mother. It had fairly positive reviews, though not many, and I'd never heard anything negative about it. After stopping by Ink & Dagger to get pictures of Lucius, I headed over to Little 5. I was expecting to wait as it was a Friday night after work.
I walked in and it was dead. Good for me, bad for them. The shop girl (didn't catch her name) helped me immediately and was quite the character. Jett was next up in the rotation and he whipped up my design in about two minutes. I had barely finished my paperwork and he was ready for me. I did get my ID back this time, which was good.
Jett went out for a smoke while my stencil was drying. It's been so long since I've dealt with a habitual smoker, I forgot they need their fix. ;) He was still really cool though. The conversation was easy and he worked quickly. I think from start to finish, it took 25 minutes. That was probably the best part when I was used to sitting for several hours.
I had a little chat with a couple of the other guys after I was done. The vibe was good and I'd feel comfortable sending someone in there. I'm happy with my piece. Jett was happy that I picked the color I did because he had a huge bottle of it and had only ever used it for one tattoo. I love the color and I think the blue really makes it pop. Now for the list:
Friendly staff: Check Parking/Easy to find: Parking sucks because it's Little 5, but the shop itself is easy to find. Reasonable prices: Check Private tattooing areas: Nope, open air
Some people go on quests to visit every baseball stadium or every sushi restaurant, I've decided to get tattooed at every (reputable) tattoo shop in the city. Yeah, it's nutty, but it's something that I know I'll enjoy doing. So here's the list as it stands now.
Done: Overlord (duh) Ink & Dagger Only You Black Cat Holy Mother
In the queue: 13 Roses Memorial 2 Sacred Heart (original location only) All or Nothing Psycho 2 Liberty
Some of them are harder to get walk ins with, especially All or Nothing. Plus, they're all the way in Smyrna. That will probably be one of the last I go to. I'll Yelp about it and post my experiences here. I'll judge them on the following criteria:
*Friendliness of the staff *Private tattooing areas *Reasonable prices *Parking/Easy to find
Those are the basics and I may decide to add more later. There are of course the intangibles like the vibe I get from the shop, the general talent of the staff, and whatnot. The shops I listed are all fairly well known and not full of scratchers.
As you can see, this not the tattoo I described. However, I love it. Even when it's swollen and still a bit bloody. It's also rather difficult to take a picture of your own ankle.
My original appointment was schedule for 9:30 last night. I get a call around 6:30 from Kevin saying he finished up his previous appointment early and could I come in earlier. So I pull myself together and head out the door. When Kevin showed me the sketch, my first thought was "Where's the lock?". I didn't say anything because I did like the sketch and it had the feel I was going for. It took forever for us to decide on colors. It's supposed to look like a white rose, which will be more apparent when my leg isn't red and swollen. I already have red and pink roses, so I wanted a different color. So we decided to fake the white by just using my skin tone.
It really wasn't that painful. We took two breaks, one for me to stretch and Kevin to smoke and another because my skin got really red all of a sudden. I think the whole thing took about an hour and a half but I have no idea what time we got started. It's a great looking piece and I love it. It's a lovely addition to my collection.
The true highlight of the evening though was watching an 18 year old get his first tattoo. He wasn't taking it well. One of his friends had come with him and it soon became a communal effort to keep him from freaking out, passing out, or some other equally unpleasant option. He got it on his upper back right below his neck. I don't have one there (yet) so I can't speak to the pain factor, but I would guess it's on par with an ankle depending on how bony you are. He was amazed at how I was just chilling while Kevin worked. His friend pointed this out and he was like "But she's got it in places that don't hurt!" and I was like "Oh honey, you have no idea". He survived, though, and swore up and down he'll never be getting another one. They're not for everyone.
Mark and I worked out a final plan for my foot cover up. He told me the cupcake idea just wasn't going to work. We decided that while roses seem a bit uninspired, they're really the best option for covering up black work. We're gonna do several different colors and pretty it up a bit. I'm sure it'll look infinitely better than what I have. And really, who can argue with roses? I know I can't. So that's set for May 24. Then I'll be getting my other foot done 3 days later by Danielle. My poor feet are going to hate me for about a week. Oops. On the up side, it's an excuse to buy more pants and shoes. ;)
I'd definitely like to get more work done by Kevin. He's really nice and obviously very talented. He's not as much of a smartass as Kurt or a misanthropist as Mark, but definitely a cool dude. So I guess we'll see.
My lovely Lucius is finished. He looks fantastic. Kurt spent a lot of time working on details and making him the best he could look. I'm so thrilled. No pictures yet as I forgot my camera (again) and Kurt didn't want to take any until he's healed. I'll try to get something in the next few days, though.
The experience itself was fine. I hadn't eaten in almost 7 hours by the time he tattooed me, which is a huge no-no. I never felt dizzy or nauseous, but I'm an old pro. I wouldn't recommend it as a good idea at all. I didn't actually end up getting food until almost 11 because I got pulled over, but that's another story for another time. Fact was, I didn't pass out or even so much as feel unsteady. I kept having to change positions because my butt kept falling asleep. That was probably the only irritating part of it. That and he stuck to the inside of my cardigan so now I'm going to have to wash it. Fortunately, he didn't stick to my friend's sheets or futon last night.
No more plans in the pipeline until May 16. Then I think I'll go to Mark and we'll get serious about covering up my foot. The warmer the weather gets, the better it is to get a foot piece. I'm also considering taking a few days off anyway as a mini vacation, so perhaps I'll work that into my time off. That's assuming I don't get a new job that doesn't give a happy rat's ass if I have tattoos or not.
So now for the real post that everyone has been waiting for.
Tuesday night was the drop dead date for Lucy's second session. I called Mark the night before to remind him that I was going to be there and he should show up. I got there right at 7 and Russ was setting up for me. There was another chick getting tattooed on her hip and she went way overboard with privacy IMO. They had the room sealed off and a screen up inside the room. Seriously? Honey it's not like your cooter is hanging out. But whatever. Maybe I'm just immodest.
We got to tattooing around 7:40 and I was starting to get a bit miffed that Mark hadn't showed up yet. Of course, I forgot that his concept of time is very different from most peoples'. He's on tattooist time, which I think is somewhat like being on GMT or something. Russ wasn't happy that I "ratted him out" for his singing/humming/making noise along with the music last time. We bickered about that all night it seems. Every time he would hum/sing/make noise along with music he'd go "Not singing!". (Sorry Russ, the story was just too good not to share!).
Mark rolled in about 8:30 when Russ was bantering with a flash seller. I admit, I was glad to see the cranky Brit. He kept me distracted for a good hour. I'd forgotten how nice it is to have someone there to distract you. Russ had a lot of work left to do all over my arm, so I was getting work done in some pretty tender places. Him laughing at me or observing habits he's never noticed before were a welcome distraction. It was at some point during this time that we were introduced to the "tittie skull". I remember Mark was still there because he was laughing along with the rest of us. He ran off before Russ finished, so he hasn't gotten to see what she looks like in all her glory.
After a little under 2.5 hours of tattooing and almost 3 hours of being there, Lucy was done. He bandaged me up and then we launched into the antics mentioned in the previous entry. For those waiting with bated breath, he is 100% real. I call him "Ol' Blue Balls" for short, like a pirate. I actually want to see if Russ will give him a pirate hat. I mean, how much more ridiculous can you get than a dick skull? Not much, methinks.
Oh and Mommums said that Lucy looked creepy. I was like "That's the point" and she was like "I didn't think she'd be that creepy". Score!
And for fun, a few quotes taken out of context that made me laugh:
Me-"As you can see, my legs are wide open" (I was wearing a skirt)
Russ-"It's like tattooing on a Goddamn trampoline!"
Mark-"You need to stop wiggling" Me-"He's fine" Mark-"Yeah, because he's leaning on you"
So after some cold feet, I almost canceled my peacock appointment. Then I split the difference and decided to move it to my thigh. When I got there and saw the sketch, I knew he was meant for my arm. We tried both places and really, it just looked better on my arm. So Kurt went back to get everything ready. We didn't get started until almost 1 even though my appointment was for noon.
I got to meet Russ' younger son. He definitely takes after his daddy. He was fascinated by Kurt tattooing me. I'm not normally one who enjoys kids, but Cody was pretty cute. He was a happy baby. He said he's looking forward to tattooing me especially after seeing how well I sat.
Kurt has his girlfriend with him, so we talked some. Kurt wasn't much of a talker, but apparently he concentrates very deeply. I gave them some advice about places to eat and things to do in town since they're moving down here. Laura (the girlfriend) was looking through listings of rentals and I'd chime in with my opinion. They're looking to live somewhere close to the shop. I'm jealous. I miss living in Decatur.
We didn't finish all of him, but we got the bulk done. Kurt had someone coming in at 4, who he had to bump to 6, and obviously had to take him. He's got to finish filling in part of the tail feathers and wants to do more detail in the tail in general. He can also touch up anything that doesn't heal properly. Whenever they move down here is around the time we'll finish it. It's going to be at least a month though. I'm not too worried, he looks pretty good as he is now.
I'm really glad I went through with it. I'm incredibly happy with the result. He looks amazing. Now he just needs a name. Without further ado...pictures! Click on them to see the full view if they don't look right.
Picture posted with all the usual disclaimers. She's fresh, bloody, and no comments about my poodge. Anyway...on to the experience.
This was a tough sitting. It may actually have been my toughest sitting to date. I had a tension headache going in and I made the mistake of not doing anything to remedy it prior to getting inked. I figured I didn't want to make myself bleed more, so I'd just tough it out. Worst idea ever, kids. If you're already in pain prior to the tattooing process, do something about it. It will just make the whole process 3 times worse. The pain was easily at an 8-9 for the first hour. Then I gave up and took some Advil. Just knowing I'd taken it automatically dropped it to a 6-7. Then the actual effects kicked in and I could handle the rest of it. The end is always the worst part because my skin gets super sensitive. I was jumping even when he would just touch me to wipe me off or something. The last 10 minutes was rough. I think there was more he wanted to do, but he knew I couldn't take it. I'm a great sitter but I have my limits.
I confessed to him about going to Dustin. He was very supportive and complimentary of the work. I told him about Kurt, Russ, and Phil. He said he worked with Phil years ago and got into their fair share of trouble. He also knew of Kurt. Depending on when I get Russ to actually tattoo me, Mark might tag along. Apparently he lives very close to there and his days off are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I think that would be pretty cool, so I may try to schedule it that way and warn him about a week in advance.
As for the job situation, he has to "get rid" of his current girl first. Allegedly, she's moving soon and this is just a temp thing. I mean, he hasn't had one for months, so it stands to reason she won't be around long. He asked if it was something I really wanted to do and I said "Let me put it to you this way. It's like my dad telling me he's going to buy me the pony I always wanted". So I think that got the point across in an amusing and not too "OMG hire me now!" sort of way. He wants me back in in 2 weeks to check on her, so maybe I'll ask when Carly will be leaving then. I also haven't heard from Shane if he wants any help when Mark isn't there, so who knows? I figure he'll get around to it when he gets around to it. Mark also confirmed payment is in the form of the "family discount" on any work you get done and volunteers is about the only way you get anyone to work the counter. I told him that was totally fine with me and any excuse to hang around and call it a job was enough of one for me. So it wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no. At least the possibility is still out there and something to keep me going over the next few weeks.
There's another tattoo shop that I've been stalking for a while. I believe I've mentioned them in here before. I found them on Yelp and they had tons of really positive reviews. They're the shop that does the Tribute to Tradition on the 4th of July among other things. Russ (the owner) opened the shop about 2 years ago. I figured it couldn't have been long because I went to college less than a mile away and if there was a tattoo shop within walking distance, I would've known about it. Anyway, Russ' big thing is to cater to the "collectors" in the tattoo world. As a result, he has a ton of visiting artists come through the shop. I browsed their portfolios and never really connected to any of them except Russ. Finally, I found one I liked. On impulse, I called the shop the day he arrived for a consult. I wasn't really sure what I wanted, but I knew I wanted to be tattooed by Dustin. I decided on something simple that suited my tastes, an old school inspired rose on the back of my left upper arm right above my elbow. Dustin was up for it and we set the time for yesterday (Saturday) afternoon.
I arrived at about 1:30 and the shop was pretty quiet. Dustin came out and introduced himself. He was sporting a handlebar mustache and a prominent Wisconsin accent. I knew things were going to work out just fine. He showed me the sketch, matched it to my arm, and went back to get started. I went through the usual ritual of paperwork and checking ID. We went back to the tattooing room and he put the stencil on. It was bigger than I'd envisioned but still great placement. Jason (one of the other tattooists) called it weird, but it suits me just fine. Once he got started, I was glad I'd decided against a matching set. He was incredibly meticulous and it took a total of 2.5 hours for just the one. I even impressed the two other guys being tattooed. In the time it took Dustin just to work on me, they were both almost done.
We talked about all manner of things including the differences between weather in Georgia and Wisconsin, our families, rednecks, and various trends in the tattooing world. He was a really cool guy and I liked him a lot. It almost makes me a bit sad that he'll be headed back north and I may or may not see him again. I think I'm going to swing by on Thursday and let him check up on me which brings me to...
My antibiotics are attacking the new tattoo. As Shane predicted, they're pretty vicious. My left upper arm is swollen and sore. I've been taking Advil like it's my job and I'm in the process of icing it to take away some of the heat and swelling. It's already trying to scab. I'm upset, but not hugely concerned. I've had tattoos scab really badly before and turn out just fine. Britney and Christina were scabby as hell and turned out totally fine. They're maybe not as vibrant as I'd like, but still look good. So I figure if I keep the rose moist and clean, it should be okay. I've come out on top of scabbing before and I can do it again.
I do have a picture, but I'm afraid it's not a very good one. Dustin took several for his portfolio (yay!) and I had his permission to take them when he posted them. So for those who are curious, here's the one I do have:
Today's session went quite well. Pat wasn't there, which was a huge relief. I was about 10 minutes late, but that ended up not being a big deal. They'd had time to do the opening odds and ends so when I got there, we could just get started. Of course, with Mark, nothing is ever done quickly.
He showed me the sketch (posted at the end of the entry) and I loved it. She even had eyelashes! It's details like that which really make a piece, in my opinion. It took a while to fiddle with the size and placement, then figure out a way to make sure they were even. Mark put together a method that I think worked quite well. He taped the stencils to a strip of paper, then lined it up on my chest. The first time I didn't think they were even, but the second time worked out just fine. There's also a chance that I'm uneven. Also what slowed us down was this group of girls coming in. One of them had called ahead, but Mark wasn't too thrilled with the idea of tattooing her because she wouldn't say what she wanted. Once she showed us what she wanted, it made total sense. It was a stick person with a square head, holding a shamrock and a sign that read "NKOTB 4-Eva". Oh. My. Lord. We all looked at each other and started cracking up. Then another one of her friends wanted a heart with "NKOTB" in it and a third wanted your generic, boring butterfly. He told them he still had to work on me and they'd have to wait. He was definitely hoping they wouldn't come back. Sadly, they did and I'll have to find out what actually became of that situation.
As for me, we didn't start the actual tattooing until 1:30. My appointment was for noon. He decided to completely finish one and then start on the other one. The first one (Christina) only took about an hour. It hurt, but nothing totally unbearable. Of course, I'm comparing it to my last experience which was probably the most pain I'll experience being tattooed until I get my other side done. There were some parts that were more painful than others. Closer to my armpits and near my collarbone were tougher than closer to my sternum and near my boobs. As usual, color was worse than the outline. We took a break after he finished the first one and then moved on to Britney. Britney took about 20 minutes longer because he wanted to make sure the shading and whatnot was all the same. The only current difference between the two is the blue background. He did Christina's last and did Britney's somewhere in the middle. He'll probably darken up Christina's at some point.
I wanted to hang out for a bit, but I had to run off to work. Somewhere along the way, I manged to leave my debit card there. *facepalm* Now I have to go back tomorrow. Mark also gave me the original sketch so that no one would ask for them. He said they're for me and me alone and he won't do them on anyone else. I was flattered. It's also helpful because it saves me taking pictures of two bloody and swollen birdies.
I've been thinking about getting a VCH for about a year. Of course, I always thought about something I wanted more, so the VCH always took a back seat. When I started working in a pretty conservative office at the beginning of the year, the VCH started to look more appealing. It would be concealed at all times and still keep the piercing bug in me happy. I decided I was going to go through with it. As if the anticipation wasn't bad enough, I ended up having to reschedule twice. I finally got an appointment set and was ready to take the plunge. I went to see Christina, who'd done my nipples back in February. I knew she was good and was much more comfortable with the fact she was female. I figure it's a good idea to have the parts if you're going to pierce them.
I arrived a bit early and Christina was busy with another client. I chatted with Ben who was working the counter and decided on what jewelry I wanted. I decided I could go really crazy with the color since no one is ever going to see it. I decided on a really pretty teal. I was surprised to find that the barbell would be straight. Apparently curved barbells are suited for people with a different anatomy than mine. After I filled out paperwork, picked my color, and everything was sterilized, we went back to the piercing room.
I was really glad I wore a skirt so I could just hike it up and take my panties off rather than having to totally strip down. It was a bit awkward laying there spread eagle and having a fairly normal conversation. Somewhat like being at the gynecologist without the stirrups and paper gown. Part of what I love about Christina, and for that matter the rest of the staff at PE, is they have an excellent bedside manner. You feel totally at ease even when they're about to poke a needle in you. She had me laughing pretty much the whole time. I was having my right anti helix done at the same time, so she did that one first. Then it was time for the big one. She placed the jewelry under my hood and determined which spot hurt the least. I flinched the first time and the third time, but the second one didn't seem to bother me as much. So I decided on that one. She had me do the breathing exercises. I ended up taking more like 5 deep breaths before she tried to pierce me.
When the needle finally went through, I jumped about 3 inches back. I started profusely apologizing and she assured me she knew I was going to react like that. She actually just poked me enough to get the reaction and then actually fully pierced me. I was impressed and amused by the whole thing. I was convinced I'd screwed it up, but she's good at what she does. It was probably my second most painful piercing after my nipples. My hip actually cramped and I had to hobble and limp my way out. At least I didn't waddle, which is largely a psychological reaction to getting pierced in that area. Christina said I looked like a person who's hip cramped rather than someone with a new VCH. Since I've been pierced a total of 15 times with 11 to actually show for it, she just refreshed my memory on aftercare rather than going through the whole process.
The drive home was tough. It was almost impossible to find a comfortable position. I was seriously regretting going by myself and not getting someone to drive me. However, I made it and promptly laid spread eagle on the couch. It's been about 7 hours and I can't really feel it at all. I did bleed a good bit, but I think that's stopped as well. It was probably due in part to the fact I'd taken Tylenol earlier in the day and my blood might have been a bit thinner. There's a reason they recommend against taking any kind of pain medication before getting pierced. My anti helix is actually bothering me more than the VCH at this point.
If you're thinking about this piercing, go for it. Never be afraid of the pain. Get it because you want it. Even though I said it was painful, don't let that stop you. It is a needle going through your skin. I can’t speak to its potential sexually as I’m currently single, but perhaps I’ll discover those alleged benefits sometime in the future. The upside is this is a very fast healing piercing in a self cleaning area, so aftercare is pretty much a non issue. Keep it clean, don't touch it, and your body will do the rest.
As another story of a cover up, I have to tell one story in order to tell the actual story. For my 22nd birthday, I got a shooting star in blue and yellow on my left side. Mark decided to get a little creative and didn’t outline it. It also healed very, very poorly. When all was said and done, there was almost no color in the star itself and the trails behind it were virtually invisible. I kept meaning to get it touched up and just never got around to it. Then I lost track of Mark and when I found him again, we decided it might be better just to cover it altogether. I wasn’t that wedded to it and he felt bad that it turned out so poorly. We decided that a pin up girl would be something really nice to cover it with. It was something that got us both excited, so it had to be the right choice. Fortunately, he had a book full of pin up girls that I could go through and pick from. I decided on one of a girl sitting in a chair in a pink nightgown. The nightgown would be changed to blue to cover up the star underneath along with a few minor changes to make her more personal. It would also have to be done in two sittings. This would be the first time in ten times of sitting for tattoos that it would take two sessions.
The first session was the first Sunday in November. I was the first appointment of the day and got there right when they opened. It took a few tries to place the stencil because it had to be aligned just right with the star to cover it. As a result, her head was almost in my arm pit and the whole thing extended the entirety of my left side. I was momentarily intimidated by the size, but I knew it was the right choice. Finally, it was time to put needle to skin. Mark gave me the usual “stop me anytime” speech, which I never listen to. I’m extremely stubborn when it comes to sitting. I want to get as much of it done as possible and take as few breaks as possible. Of course, with something this size, breaks are necessary. The line work wasn’t so bad, though it did hurt a good bit near my waist. I was surprised that it hurt more there than on thinner skin over my ribs. We took one break after the line work and then it was time for her hair and face. Her face would probably take the same amount of time as the whole rest of her body or so I was warned. Mark explained to their apprentice, he liked to work the skin lightly for the face to which I replied “Couldn’t tell it by me!”. In actuality, the face was probably the least painful part of the process because he was working the skin so lightly. Her hair was the toughest part. By this point we were going on three hours and I was starting to hit the wall. Did I listen to my body? Of course not. I toughed it out for another twenty or thirty minutes. By the time Mark called it quits, the line work, her face, hair, arm, neck, and shoulders were completely colored. It was more than originally planned, but I’m grateful for that. It meant less would have to be done in the second session.
The second session was two weeks later. I actually had to change the appointment to work around covering for a co-worker. He had someone coming in at 8, so I booked the slot before at 5. He seemed skeptical that it could be done in three hours. I was undeterred. On the day of the appointment, I arrived right at 5. We didn’t get started until almost 6 for various reasons, but by that point I was more than ready to get going. The first hour wasn’t so bad. The second hour started to get to me. I was starting to feel dizzy, having trouble focusing on a fixed point, and just generally hurting really badly. I fought against it for about half an hour. Bucking my own stubbornness, I finally asked for a break. Of course, he was almost done with what he was going to do. I was annoyed with myself for needing a break with so little left. I took a breather and he finished off the color in one of her shoes. After we called it quits for the day, it wasn’t complete. Her body was done, but the chair she was sitting in still needed to be done. That meant another session to drag out the whole experience. I also started to get a migraine. Fortunately, they had some ibuprofen and I’d brought a Coke Zero with me. I took the pills, sipped my soda, and started to feel better after about half an hour. Because I’m extremely impatient, I opted to come in after a week rather than waiting two weeks for her to heal. The bulk of the healing would be done after a week, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
The third session, as promised, was a week after the second. I still had some scabbing, but Mark was just going to work around it. I doubt I’d even notice if he accidentally knocked one off. I’d decided gold would be a good choice for the chair and it harkened back to the colors of the original tattoo. In the source material, the chair was gold and black, but I thought that might end up being too dark. Once that was all said and done, it was time to finally start. I didn’t get the usual speech this time about asking for breaks. It hurt, but not as bad as the last one. It hurt the most near my waist and where there was still a little bit of scabbing. I made a few faces, but generally took it pretty well. Before I knew it, he said we were done. I couldn’t believe it. It had taken less than an hour. I hopped up and took a look. Everyone else who was around also oohed and ahhed over her. She will need some touching up, which is scheduled to happen in 4 weeks. That shouldn’t be nearly as traumatic.
She’s totally gorgeous I’m glad I decided to take a risk and go big. It did take a while and it was a lot of pain, but I’ll be so proud to show her off for as long as it’s appropriate for me to lift my shirt up for people.
