Hi, so no prizes today for guessing todays Blog topic ! I thought as we know each other quite well now, we could get a little more personal, and I’d share my tattoo’s with you, you lucky lot !
Tattoo’s are something ive always wanted, and as soon as I was old enough, off I went ! I remember the day very clearly. I was in college, had finished my lectures for the day, (I think !) Id been chatting with a good friend of mine in the local student coffee house, deliberated for a bit, then took the sod it approach and off to the local tattoist I hot footed.
Now the choice is agonising. keep in mind I was a student, my budget would have been small, so that ruled out a fair few. Ink isnt a cheap hobby,this is probably a good thing, as it probably stops a lot of on a whim tattoos !
I flicked through the pages of tattoos ready to choose from, animals, symbols, flowers, tribal, fantasy, i loved them all. I selected, felt happy and my name was called. Now it must have been a quiet day, as now a days its unheard of just to be able to walk in without an appointment.
I sat down, gave my choice, selected its position and away the tattooist went. Yeah it was painful, but its a strange pain. you feel it in different places around your body. the outline is the hardest bit, it kind of has a cutting sensation. When filling in the colour, its more buzzy and prickly. BUT it kinda feels good ! don’t ask me why, but it does, any of you who have tattoo’s will probably concur ! speak up now, don’t make me look like a freak !!
so hers the result…. and yeah I had a Rose, when leaving my friend in the coffee-house, she made me promise I wouldn’t get a rose, but it was just so delicate, I loved it !You’re the one who has to live with it.. and please choose wisely, they dont rub off !my kids have tried washing mine off plenty of times !
Sorry its a little dark, its faded a little, well it was nearly 20 yrs ago !I had to edit it !
So we move on a year on, and I’m a the bath and west bike rally, with the biker boyfriend, and in one of the shed thingy, the tantalising buzz of the tattooist needle can be heard. I wont tell you what i had done, because it was so bad, I had it covered up a few years later. It bloody hurt that night though, sleeping in a tent on hard ground, not advisable ! I did flash it around that night though by the camp fire, I thought the raised eyebrows were from me flashing my thigh, it didn’t take me long to realise it was the crap tattoo raising eyebrows !
insert time warp noise and sequence here and take us another year on, id decided to have more ink now every birthday! I’m now living in London and for the love of me I can’t remember where i had the next tattoo done !! I wasnt drunk,( I don’t know of any tattooist that will ink you when drunk) I just can’t remember ! No recollection, of when, how or why I chose the next one! I guess this tells you as much as you need to know about my wonderful few years in London!!
This Is it…. if anyone remembers tattooing this on a 20yr old in the Croydon area id be really grateful !! It’s not the most inventive or outrageous, but I like it! Having your thigh tattooed is quite pleasant, when the top of it was being done, I felt it in my lower back !
Step into our phone box again, and fast forward another year. This time im 21 and I can remember get this one done. It was in the centre of Croydon, just down from BEANOS music store. I wanted some thing big, but that coordinated with the other leg, as this time I wanted my left thigh done. This one was a biggy, and I was lucky to get it done it just one sitting. I fell asleep whilst having the colours done, it’s the whole pleasure-pain thing(who’s raising eyes now !) I find it both invigorating and relaxing all at the same time. And I guess im comfortable at having my arse out too ! well it’s not a bad one, especially when I was 21 ! After a few drinks, I have been known to get my arse out again..purley for art so people can appreciate the beauty and needle strokes of my inked thighs !
So for your eyes only… here’s the last one I had done for MY 21ST..hope you like it. I’m hoping to have another done soon. I hope to design my own, any ideas people ?
I’m not going to talk about people’s attitudes towards Tattoo’s but, please don’t judge people by what they’ve done to their skin. I’ve had surprised looks when people find out ive been inked, and once when staying in a posh hotel, I was using the Spa, a women come up to me, saying ” are staff allowed to use the pool !” when I explained I wasnt staff, and a guest, she flustered her way out by saying, I must understand the mix up, it’s not the sort of hotel I would expect to see people with tattoo’s. Surely its whats on the inside of us that counts?
Any one spot the cover up yet !!
Are you inked,how many and what do you have ? I’ve shown you mine …. will you show me yours !! xx
till next time lovelies xx Jo xxx
I bloody love tattoos! Took me until my 1/2 century to get my first one though! (Its has references to my Grandad, my marraige and my Mum)
I guess I have less time to get bored with it!
As you say it feels kind of good and is very addictive. My next one is happening at the end of October, its my own design n(with help from the artists here http://www.skingraphics.co.uk/ ) refecting on my Mum’s life.
I’m now fascinated by others tattoos 🙂
I feel mine are a little dull now ! Would love to be a little more creative and design my own. I admire you Steve not going for the mainstream, and having a tattoo that means a lot to you x it’s so addictive, if we had more spare money floating about, I’m certain I’d have many more !! X thanks for always reading Steve x
You know I am inked!
I’ve got a delicate dandelion clock on my left ribcage, an owl in a monocle and fez on my right forearm and a bright, carnival of colour tattooed on my right foot. And I have to say, my experience of the pain thing is the opposite to yours. I find the outlining the easy bit and the colouring in more intense. Whilst it is beautiful, I don’t think the top of your foot for a 5/6 hour tattoo is one for the faint hearted either.
So, what are you having for your 22nd birthday then? ;D
WOW ! Your ink sounds amazing ! Million time more interesting than mine !! Pic please !! I like to think as the body as a bit of a blank canvas ! X Thanks for reading and commenting lovely xxxx
This was my latest one: http://wp.me/p120HN-sK
And my post on being an ‘Inked’ Mum: http://theinexpert.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/inked-mums/
Well, you showed us yours, it’s only fair that you get to see mine. 😀
Absolutely beautiful and so colourful ! I love it !! Thanks for sharing !! Xxxx
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Had my first done this week, turning 40, getting divorced… but the inspiration for my design is my 1yo Pickle – it’s a mother-goddess spiral topped with an E for his name… http://t.co/aPkyMasr
(Ooh, think there’s a blog post of my own in this!)