| At A Glance | |
| Author | Tim |
| Contact | Tim@bme.anon |
| When | A year ago |
| Artist | Neil |
| Studio | His living room |
A friend and I (Rob, who was also sitting the exam), decided to get tattoos as a way of marking the end of college, and that final exam. Rob had already received three tattoos, and suggested the guy that did his previous work (Neil) - based on the high quality of these, I said yes.
The design I used was a drawing I'd made several weeks before, with interlocking lines that form a (as far as I'm aware) unique pattern. I transferred the drawing to a computer where I printed off a few sizes. I was certain I wanted the design on the inside of my wrist - I'd seen one or two people with them there before and liked them.
The day we were set to get tattooed finally came, and we drove over to Neil's house - I brought my camera, wanting to catch some photos of the action. We sat about talking for a bit, until Neil got his tattoo gear out, and sorted out the flash for Rob's tattoo(s). He had decided to get L for left and R for right, on the according feet. I'd been told by someone beforehand that the top of the foot and the wrist are the most painful places to be tattooed - not sure if this is true, as I'd imagine any areas of thin skin above bone or muscle would hurt as much as another. Nonetheless, judging from the look on Rob's face, it wasn't too fun. That look quickly changed to elation once both were done - they were well placed, looked clean and in general, what he was after.
So it was finally my turn. I tried one or two different sizes and settled on one, just over two inches in length. The design was transferred to tracing paper, which was in turn coated using carbon paper. A stick of old spice deodorant was rubbed against the area of my wrist, then the tracing paper applied, once I'd decided what position to place my arm to keep the tattoo looking natural. It took me a while to realise that the placement wasn't quite right - it was ever so slightly too far to the left, to my eyes. I asked to try it again, which was no problem, though Neil did have to run and grab some surgical spirit to remove the guide. The second time, I was sure it was right. I was told to flex my arm about in various positions just to see what the tattoo would look like when moving. While it changed shape I was happy with how it looked.
So with a fresh needle dipped in black ink, the whine of the tattoo gun began, and I braced myself as Neil brought it to my skin, directly above the tendon running through my wrist. At the time, the one thought I had, related to the pain was that it was like a hot scalpel in my wrist. I've had a couple of piercings and scarifications, and I'd say the pain was roughly equal - if you're hyped up about getting a mod done, and ready for it then the pain feels very different.
The hot-knife feeling dissolved in about 30 seconds, and I'd even say it was replaced with pleasure - not in a kinky way, just that I was enjoying it. During a pause I grabbed my camera, a hefty SLR with a macro lens, and took some close ups of the work while it was happening. In hindsight this was quite a stupid idea but I got a couple of nice close-ups of the ink being driven in. Rob took the camera and took a couple of shots for me, as Neil finished up the tattoo.
He wiped down the excess ink, then applied some kind of cream which instantly cooled the area and took away the sting of it, which felt fantastic. A coating of vaseline followed, and I was ready to go. Except I wasn't. On the walk back to the car my head reeled, and I sat down on the grass with a bump. I'd experienced feeling woozy before, after a surface bar in my arm, but that time, I just sat down in a shoe-shop for a while. This time, I had to sit on the sofa back in Neil's, enduring the amused gazes of him, Rob and a friend of Neil's. Apparently I had turned the 'palest they'd ever seen', but half a bag of haribo and a glass of water later I was fine, apart from staring at my wrist intently the whole way back.
The healing was fairly uneventful. I kept the tattoo away from water as told, and applied savlon whenever it got dry or flaky. The mistake I did make was going on holiday to Italy a week or two later, where the heat and sweat caused the tattoo to prickle quite a bit. I also made the mistake of applying sunscreen to it, after being told to keep it out of the sun at all costs. After an hour or so the skin around the tattoo flared up and bubbled, and I was genuinely concerned that all the ink was being forced out. Once the stuff was washed off and I left it alone for a while, my tattoo came out fine.
It's a nice spot for one, easily concealable if needed but also a regular conversation-starter, usually about whether it hurt or what the design means. I did experience the urge to get more tattoos soon after, and it hasn't really gone away. I'm currently working on the design for a shoulder/chest piece, and I can't bloody wait.
