My next tattoo., I've been waiting a long time for this. Options

[Mata]

I've only got as far as the first part of the outlines at the moment - that took nearly an hour to do. That's the hexagonal shapes done, so next up will be the swirly shapes in the background, then we can move on to the colouring.

It did hurt, quite a lot in places, but it was bearable too. I'm looking forward to getting it finished. It's probably going to cost something like $1000/£700 in the end! Eek!

I'll post a photo as soon as I can. I've not taken one yet.

[Mata]

Here you go:



Like I say, this is only half the design, thre's lots of swirly stuff in the background to come yet

[Mr Fuzzy]

Can't go getting swirly with things until the geometry is in place.

Looks very neatly done.

[Lurker in the Pa...]

You've missed the dialling code off.

In seriousness, I like that pretty much as is, bung a few colours in and I'd be sorted. However I trust in your good taste so am looking forward to the swirls.

[Mata]

I'm booked for another three hours on Friday - we'll be finishing the outline and starting up on the shading. I'm very excited to get it done

[Cath Sparrow]

I'm guessing a lot less nervous this time as well.

[Mata]

Weirdly, when I got in there and was getting the tattoo done I didn't feel at all nervous. That's pretty strange really, considering that I am in the process of getting myself marked for life - even thinking in those terms about it makes me feel odd, but the actuality of getting it done didn't bother me.

I tend to get fairly jittery when I'm getting new piercings (adrenaline), and those can be removed, so really I should be a lot more dubious about a tattoo... Most peculiar.

(I have also used the words: weird, strange, odd, and peculiar in this post. I am a rampaging thesaurus.)

[Hobbes]

Ah, the wonders of adrenaline. You can work yourself up towards something, with nerves or fear or excitement but, when the pinnacle moment arrives, your body pumps about some wonderful chemicals and suddenly it it's not all as bad as you thought.

...Or else you leg it.

[Mata]

Fight or flight (or lay still for three hours). I'm getting the rest of the design done today and we'll be starting on the shading. Wheeee!

[Lurker in the Pa...]

So, how did it go? Next picture please

[CrazyFooIAintGet...]

^ seconded!

[Yannick]

^+2

[voices_in_my_hea...]

I don't remember how to count so...just post the picture, mata!

Also, a friend of mine (friend is a loose word here, I suppose) recently got a very detailed tatoo of a cross on his shoulder blade. According to him, the outline bit didn't hurt at all, but once they went in to do the shading, he was close to tears. (The idea of which made me smile.)

Any similar experiences for you, sir?

[Mata]

I'm going for the third session today. This is the first colouring session, so it will be interesting to see how that compares. Both my friends and the tattooist tell me that the outline is more painful, so the odds are that this won't be quite as bad as previous weeks (not that they have been terrible, but it was pretty sore over the lower ribs and on my hip bone).

Can non-friends on Facebook see this? http://www.facebook.com/Matazone?v=wall&am...mp;id=649810540

[LoLo]

I'm going for the third session today. This is the first colouring session, so it will be interesting to see how that compares. Both my friends and the tattooist tell me that the outline is more painful, so the odds are that this won't be quite as bad as previous weeks (not that they have been terrible, but it was pretty sore over the lower ribs and on my hip bone).

Can non-friends on Facebook see this? http://www.facebook.com/Matazone?v=wall&am...mp;id=649810540

I found the outlines on mine more painful and the fill kind of tickled.

I had to log into facebook to see the pic, so I'm guessing most non-facebookians would not be able to see it.

[Mata]

Okay, I'll get a photo on here when I've taken a new one so you all can see.

Yesterday wasn't too bad - the shading hardly hurt at all, but we've only got a few weeks to finish the whole tattoo so she had to go over the shading with the colouring immediately afterwards. She would usually leave several weeks between the shading and colouring, and I can understand why: it was really pretty sore when she was going over areas for the second time, especially on my ribs.

Next Saturday I've got a four hour colouring session and we hope to get all of the blue swirls done in that time. We've started on them this week but there's a lot to go. I think four hours of shading/colouring will be okay - it only really hurts when she's redoing bits and then she moves on, so it's tolerable. The issue is more about the tattooist finding the time than me tolerating the pain!

[Mata]

The four hour session last Saturday was called off due to the tattooist being ill, so to try and catch up I've got five hours booked this Saturday. Five hours! Ouch! I doubt I'll be able to move much on Sunday...

[Faerieryn]

Incidentally, I have made official plans to have my tattoo (you know the one I have been planning since, like, forever!) by my 30th, which is in March (make sure you are back in the country Mata, I intend to see you folk dance! Mwa hah hah!) This means that due to the position of it and schools having problems about showing things like tattoos I need it done by Christmas. I am consequentially looking for colourists still. Erin/ Wyvern said she would have a look at it for me but I am open to all suggestions as I am an equal opportunities faerie. You may even tell me it looks better without colour- I don't know! Please take a look back as this thread and if you fancy a go at colouring it give it a shot and let me know. I kinda like the idea of being able to say "My friend Mata designed it for me and my friend <insert YOUR name here> sorted the colouring!

[Mata]

I might have another go at the drawing to see if I can do more with it these days.

Where is it going and how large will it be?

I've had more work done on mine this weekend just gone (four and a half hours colouring is very sore, especially if a lot of it is on the waistband of your underwear/trousers!). I've got another four hours lined up on Friday, then probably another three or four next Wednesday, by which point I really hope it will be done because it will have cost an absolute fortune! I'll put up more photos soon

[Faerieryn]

Cheers Mata!
It is going on the small of my back and will be no bigger than 15cm. I hope you aren't too sore for too long. I has been so long since I had my last tat that I can't remember the pain. I think it felt like a large amount of stings all at once but that was 9 years ago!

[Mata]

I'm finding it mostly feels like someone pushing really hard with a biro rather than actual pain - although the bit on my hip was very painful towards the end of my last session (she'd already shaded it that day so it was effectively the second time that bit of skin was being tattooed in four hours, and it was a very long session).

I still think you should go bigger - 15cm is very small! When I saw the design held up to my skin I made the whole thing much bigger - mine's now about twice the size it was originally going to be, but it looks a huge amount better for it.

[Faerieryn]

I probably will if I'm honest it all depends- the small of my back isn't exactly massive!

[voices_in_my_hea...]

I've always thought that larger tatoos were much better than small ones. If you're going to get something put on your body permanently, why not make it to where it's the first thing people see?

I've been throwing around a few ideas for a tatoo lately, I have several ideas but nothing solid yet...

[Daria]

I've always thought that larger tatoos were much better than small ones. If you're going to get something put on your body permanently, why not make it to where it's the first thing people see?

Because maybe you don't want it to be for everyone else- you want it to be for yourself.

[Faerieryn]

My main reason for wanting it small is because I'm small. I'm a size 8- 10 (US 2 or 4 I think) so where I want it done isn't that big a space in the first place. I also need to cover it up when at work. I'm a teacher and for some reason they frown on teachers showing body art (can't think why- everytime a kid sees my tattoo by accident they always ask whether it hurt. I tell them the painful truth!)

Still hoping for colouring ideas BTW! I've worked out that in order to get it done by my 30th and give it time to heal before going back to work I'm gonna need it doing over the christmas holidays