Tattoo Pics (Rounds 2 and 3): Imported Blog from Tumblr

After two more tattoo sessions--five+ hours, an undisclosed amount of cash, a LOT of pain, and even more itchiness--my tattoo was completed in July.

The first shading session (second session overall) was done on July 3rd. The shading process is interesting because it is generally less painful than outlining. If you compare each pass with the needle (say one stroke outlining versus the shading of one area), outlining is more painful than shading. I think this is because the needle does not go as deeply into your skin when shading. However when comparing the total pain felt per sitting, the shading does ends up being HELLA-painful because the artist keeps going over the same area--the same traumatized and eventually inflamed area.

We shaded in the body of the phoenix on the first day. (Ha! I wrote "we" like I did something other than lay there and be very still.) It took a little more than two hours to complete. I tried to take a picture during a break (like I did for the outlining session), but was unsuccessful because I was bleeding, A LOT. The first three photos were taken on July 4th. Just to be clear, the Phoenix is not actually red. The entire tattoo will eventually be grey-scale. The red is the color of pain. It's red from bruising and the shading process. (That should give you a data point for the amount of pain I endured.)
The healing process after getting shading done is a lot different compared to outlining. Mainly because it itches SO much more (maybe because of the larger surface area that is healing?) AND I can't scratch the itch or else it will ruin the tattoo. I would rather have the pain than the itching.

(As a tangent, this just reminded me of the "would you rather game" that was popular in college...how else were we suppose to pass the time on long road trips to away games? Reading? No. Studying? Not a chance. Instead, we played would you rather. So, for old times sake: "would you rather be in constant pain or have a constant itch that you cannot scratch?")

OK. Back to your regular scheduled programming: while getting tattooed there was a loud explosion outside the shop. It was so loud, I could feel the shock and it set off car alarms. I think someone set off a M-80 firecracker. My immediate thoughts after hearing (and feeling) the sound were car bombing and gun shots. I think my thought process has changed after working at SNL for about 2 years and living so closely to Oakland. Perhaps, it wasn't the best idea to get tattooed the day before the fourth of July. It's a good thing Luke wasn't tattooing me at the instant of the explosion. Or else I would, likely, have a misplaced line down my calf.

I went back to seventh sons tattoo for my final session this past Saturday (July 31). The Phoenix's tail feather's were shaded in. Luke did an amazing job! Judge for yourself: the last three photos posted were taken on Sunday. He added in patterns/textures into the feathers. All of the dots in the tail feathers hurt a lot. It was worth the pain because it looks amazing. I'll post more photos when it heals. Hopefully it will heal fast because this itchiness is almost intolerable.

It's been a long process but the tattoo is finally finished. I couldn't be happier with the final piece. It truly is a work of art. What do you guys think?

Tattoo Pics (Round 1): Imported Posting from Tumblr

I had a tattoo of a small rose on my right ankle. I got it while I was in high school. Although I do not hate it, nor do I regret getting it, I was also not in love with it either. I thought about getting the tattoo redone or covered up periodically over the last few years. I never went through with it (prior to this year) because I didn’t find the right artist, or the time, or the money to get it (re)done properly.
I have always liked Chinese dragons and phoenixes. I think they are beautiful and I like what the images represent. Well, as you can see by the photos, I decided to get my little rose covered up with a phoenix. It took a bit of research to find the right artist. I found a group of artists at “Seventh Sons Tattoo” in SOMA (it’s on Howard St. between 6th and 7th).

I had my first consultation with Gordon Combs. His portfolio is amazing. Check it out for yourself: http://www.seventhsontattoo.com/gordon_combs.php. You can hardly tell that the canvas is in fact skin in some of his pieces because they look like paintings. I emailed Gordon an image of a Phoenix that I liked so that he can use it as a starting point for his drawing. After meeting Gordon, he informed me that in order to do a good cover up the tattoo will end up being “a large piece”. Of course being a little shocked I replied, “how large is large?” Gordon then motioned to my leg and traced out my entire calf. Needless to say, I was very reluctant to get a piece that large.

Gordon then referred me to another artist, Luke Stewert, who does a lot of Asian inspired tattoos. Luke is an equally talented and amazing artist. (Check out his portfolio here: http://www.seventhsontattoo.com/luke_stewart.php). He’s also a real street fighter. He competes in MMA or UFC style fighting. Badass! Gordon thought that because Luke has more experience in this style of art, that he would know how to best cover it up in the amount of space i was willing to tattoo (notionally mid-calf at the time).

It was settled. Luke was going to do my tattoo and my first session was on Cinco de Mayo. I emailed him the same Phoenix image that I sent Gordon. I told him that although I really liked the image, I wanted the tail feathers to be “fuller” and to extend down onto the top of my foot. I also expressed to him that I wanted him to put his touch into the design as well. He is, after all, the artist and professional here.

Fast forward to May 5, 2010. I worked a half day so that I could get the tattoo started (Luke was booked through the end of May with the exception of this day). When I walked into the shop, Luke showed me his sketch. It was amazing! I loved everything about it. However, the design was large. It was the size of my entire calf. I asked Luke if he can make the design a little smaller, and he informed me that if we made the design smaller we would lose a lot of detail. It would also look funny because we would only be using half of the space. The body is segmented, so it’s natural to use the whole space.

As a “dry run”, Luke transferred his drawing onto my right calf. I’m not really sure how this process works, but it involved a special printer (he xeroxed his sketch with this printer) and some kind of solvent to transfer the ink from the paper to my skin. After he transferred his drawing, he then drew free hand the tail feathers onto my foot and calf using a Sharpie. He told me to walk over to the mirror and check it out. While the design was large, it was also pretty incredible. I was sold and wanted it done.

We got set up to do all of the outlining during this first sitting. It lasted a little over 3 hours. Most of which was painful. If you never got a tattoo before it feels like a bee sting…only dragged across your skin. Over and over again. It’s a good thing I have a high pain tolerance.

I took the second picture half way through this first sitting. The front of the calf and the top of the foot were the worst in terms of pain. I had to put on my ipod, focus on my breathing (isn’t that what they tell mothers in labor?), and zone out. My assessment is tattooing anywhere with bone right beneath the skin hurts like a bitch. The back of my calf (i.e., the meaty side) wasn’t too bad. I was able to text and gchat while he tattooed that section. The final two photos that I posted were taken a few days after my tattoo session.

I thought I was going to be able to write about the entire process in this post, but I’m losing stamina. I’m not used to writing this much.
To be continued….
On deck: Pictures from the second and third tattoo sessions.