It seems like people like to ask how much money you’ve spent on your tattoos, and occasionally how many hours, but people generally like to quantify other’s tattoos on a dollar amount. To be perfectly honest, I never really considered how much money I have spent on my tattoos, or how many hours I have been under the needle. I just get them done and that’s that. However, after being asked how much my tattoos have cost me, I decided to attempt to figure it out. Since I’ve been being inked since I turned 18, I had to guess. Like I said, I never really logged all of that information. I did figure out that I have spent about $1850 on my ink thus far (this includes tattoos that have been covered up), but as I keep saying, all of it is part of your journey, so I’d of course have to include that amount in my total. As for hours, I estimate around 21.5 hours have been spent on my tattoos to date. It’s interesting when I start analyzing the hours portion of it, because people generally think that the more elaborate tattoos I have (Cherry Blossom Tree, Dragon, and Skeletons). People are usually surprised by the amount of time that has gone into the tattoos I have; they’re always expecting them to be more. I’m not really sure what to say about that; my tattoo artist doesn’t mess around and gets down to business? To be fair, I have had 5 hours on just the dragon, which actually is quite a bit. I’m actually estimating that this leg piece will be around 15 hours when it’s all said and done (I may have already mentioned that, but meh). However, I do believe that the most detailed portion of the tattoo is finishing, which is the dragon.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Time and Cost
It seems like people like to ask how much money you’ve spent on your tattoos, and occasionally how many hours, but people generally like to quantify other’s tattoos on a dollar amount. To be perfectly honest, I never really considered how much money I have spent on my tattoos, or how many hours I have been under the needle. I just get them done and that’s that. However, after being asked how much my tattoos have cost me, I decided to attempt to figure it out. Since I’ve been being inked since I turned 18, I had to guess. Like I said, I never really logged all of that information. I did figure out that I have spent about $1850 on my ink thus far (this includes tattoos that have been covered up), but as I keep saying, all of it is part of your journey, so I’d of course have to include that amount in my total. As for hours, I estimate around 21.5 hours have been spent on my tattoos to date. It’s interesting when I start analyzing the hours portion of it, because people generally think that the more elaborate tattoos I have (Cherry Blossom Tree, Dragon, and Skeletons). People are usually surprised by the amount of time that has gone into the tattoos I have; they’re always expecting them to be more. I’m not really sure what to say about that; my tattoo artist doesn’t mess around and gets down to business? To be fair, I have had 5 hours on just the dragon, which actually is quite a bit. I’m actually estimating that this leg piece will be around 15 hours when it’s all said and done (I may have already mentioned that, but meh). However, I do believe that the most detailed portion of the tattoo is finishing, which is the dragon.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
A Little Break
Alright, since we’re all caught up to where I’m at currently at within my tattooing journey, I figure I’ll start sharing some stories here and there, because it will be a month or so before I schedule another session for my thigh piece (this one is being done slowly so that I can afford it).
Speaking of being able to afford tattoos (I know I’m rambling a bit; you’ll have to forgive me, because I just have the tendency to do that), Spike and I have had quite a few conversations on how many people go about getting tattoos. So many people will go in and say they want this awesome tattoo, but will only spend “x” amount of dollars on it. Many times the amount of money they say they’re willing to spend won’t get them anywhere near what it is they’re wanting, but they go ahead get the subpar tattoo. Not that the work isn’t good, but the tattoo ends up being half-assed because they won’t take it in sessions, or something. I could never afford most of the tattoos I’ve gotten if I didn’t split them up into sessions. This tattoo on my thigh has only been done in hour, or hour and a half, sessions because that’s what I can afford. I think it’s important to think of a tattoo as an investment and not to put a dollar amount on something you’re wanting, especially if there’s going to be any kind of detail. Chances are it’s going to cost more than you anticipate, and may take longer than you initially thought, but ask yourself this question - Do I want a good tattoo that has been done well, with detail and effort, or do I just want what $100 will get me? Asking yourself that question could save you the trouble of hating something down the road.
Anyway, I’m finished with my rant.
Back to “stories” - I think I’ll start with this last weekend at Crescent Moon’s 7th Annual Sunfest!!! First of all, craft beer - Can I get an amen? Aaaaaahhhhhhhh yes, I would like to start by saying that craft beer drinkers are generally the nicest and coolest people you can ever meet. They’re so friendly and open; it’s great. My friend Tyler and I went to Sunfest together and we got to meet some kick ass people, while sampling some kick ass beer created by some rather talented people. He used to work for Thunderhead, so that was his conversation starter (wearing a Thunderhead shirt, just as he should have) and mine are my tattoos. I had a few random strangers come up and ask to see my thigh and my back. I love the great conversations that ensue over passions like tattoos and craft beer. I’ve never been one to have conversations with strangers, and generally try to avoid such interactions, but ever since I have gotten these large and very noticeable tattoos, I’m a lot more open to random conversations. I think it’s because starting off by discussing one another’s tattoo pieces, where you got them done, how much time went into them and whatnot, is very non-threatening and thoroughly enjoyable conversation starter! Of course, there’s the other side of the coin where someone deliberately comes up to insult you because of your tattoos - fortunately, I have not had to encounter this. I don’t know if it’s because people haven’t had the gumption to come up to me and say such things, or if it’s because I haven’t actually encountered anyone who has thought my tattoos were trashy, or horrible, or whatever people sometimes think. It’s impossible to know what people are thinking when they don’t speak up; I did start to notice that ever since I have gotten the tattoos on my thigh, that whenever I’m wearing something that shows them off, I do get stared at quite a bit. Maybe that’s just curiosity - or maybe that’s people judging me and not speaking up. Honestly, I could care less. I think there’s an e-card that says it perfectly, and it’s along the lines of - I don’t care what you think of my tattoos, your opinion never crossed my mind when I was getting them.
Until next time,
Cheers
It Has Been a Long Time Coming, a Childhood Dream - Number 8
*Here we come to present day - and what is in progress*
Session 1 -
Here we just got the dragon started (sorry for the less than visible photo of the dragon, but I got a new phone and for whatever reason, the other photo didn't get transferred - see Instagram for more)
Session 2 -
Now the dragon has started to take on some definition, starting to look pretty awesome
Session 3 -
Now we’ve gotten to work on the flowers and butterflies, still a lot of work ahead
Middle of Session 4 -
End of Session 4 -
This is the dragon all finished 5 hours later! Spike said no one has ever let him spend 5 hours on a dragon before (or anything like that, I think), but I knew I wanted this dragon to have a lot of detail and really stand out. The orchids and the butterflies are just the accent pieces. We also discussed the full extent of where this tattoo is going. It has actually taken on more than I had ever anticipated when I started this process. I think we’re looking at a good 10-12 hours before it’s all done. Possibly more; it just depends on the detail put into the rest of it.
And just a little Collage of the process thus far :)
It Came Out of Nowhere - Number 7
So, it had been a little while since my Cherry Blossom Tree back tattoo and I was itching to get another tattoo (this seems to happen more and more for me), so my brain had been busy at work trying to come up with something to get. Since the point of this blog was to illustrate my journey and the meaning behind the tattoos I’ve chosen to get (or at least the lessons I’ve learned as to why that’s important and why I incorporate that philosophy now), you can guess that I couldn’t just get any ol’ tattoo. Certainly not. It’s easy to see something and think, now that’s cool, that could make a good tattoo, but it’s another to conjure up something that will look good and have true meaning (in my opinion anyway - you may have a different experience). I’ll cut to the chase on how I came to devise this next tattoo and save the detail for below - I like to peruse Google+ and I had come across a quote by a poet, which I loved, so I saved it for future reference (I also write poetry and I am sometimes inspired by the words of others. Many of my poems started with a line, or a few words that had initially be written by someone else). Then a few weeks later, or so, I came across a photo that, to put it simply, just spoke to me. Then out of nowhere I devised a way to combine the two into a meaningful tattoo.
December 22, 2012/January 18, 2013 - Authentic Ink (Omaha, NE)
_____________________________________________________________________
Session 1 -
Session 2 -
Death does not necessarily mean the end, but rather the beginning of something else. Making room for something new to grow.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
And so it Grows - Number 6
As I mentioned in my first post, I desperately wanted to cover up my lower back tattoo, most colorfully known as a “tramp stamp,” and I had been racking my brain to come up with a solution. Well, I finally had, and since I had met Spike and loved the work he had done for my Crest of Hyrule tattoo; I knew just where to go. I first scoured the internet for photos to come up with some kind of idea as to what I wanted. I didn’t want to walk in there half cocked and not know what I wanted *hehe, half cocked* (sorry, that was terrible and juvenile - moving on). I saved a few photos on my phone so that I would have a general guideline, if you will, to show him. I didn’t want some carbon copy of someone else’s tattoo, or of some photo I found, but needed something. You should recall the Japanese Cherry Blossom on my shoulder? Well, that tattoo was about to expand into an entire back piece! AND cover up my blunder of a first tattoo. It was perfect because I absolutely loved my Japanese Cherry Blossom tattoo and I received compliments on it regularly. Also, one of the reasons I love the Japanese Cherry Blossom so much is because it is in fact a tree.
March 31, 2012 / April 13, 2012 - Authentic Ink Tattoo & Piercing (Omaha, NE) by Spike
_________________________________________________________________
As you can see the lower back tattoo is still visible, and he’s mainly done work on the tree and outlining (he drew this tattoo directly on my body without a stencil, as well)
_________________________________________________________________
Ah, almost finished! I think this tattoo (including the time spent blending the shoulder portion) took around 6 hours. I can safely say that this was one of the more enjoyable tattoos I’ve gotten. Please understand that I emphasized enjoyable for a reason - I genuinely liked the feeling. The cover up on the lower back was probably the best part. I got those little tingles going down my bottom and my legs (maybe you know what I’m talking about). Suffice to say, this was a solid tattoo choice.
_________________________________________________________________
I decided the best way to showcase this part of the Cherry Blossom Tree was to put together a Pic-Stitch of the original piece (pictured earlier in my blog) and what it looks like now. I didn’t actually take a picture right after since it was just the blending, but it’s an interesting contrast. This also showcases how good Spike is at what he does.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Na Na Na Na Na Na Na - Post Inking and a Little Drinking
Maybe you remember my mention of Kimber and I purchasing Batman and Robin shirts that had capes in an earlier post? I know it was brief, but I promised that I was mentioning it for a reason and that it would come into play later, well here it is: we’re complete dorks and completely crazy. I may have eluded to my tendency for shenanigans and that I’m a little crazy sometimes in other places, well here it shall be -
- Kimber and I stop in there for a drink (I think I had a Tequila Sunrise, and she had.....something sweet). We sat at a table and chatted for a bit, drank our drinks, then decided we’d head over to Eat the Worm (we knew a bartender there rather well). On our way out, however, a group of guys stops us to complement us on our Batman and Robin shirts and proceeded ask what the occasion was -
- No occasion, it’s just Wednesday! And I’m freshly inked and in need of a drink!!
- Cue lifting of shirt, and pulling skirt halfway down to show off said fresh ink -
Us: No.... Have you been talking with us for the last 45 minutes thinking we were lesbians?
Guy: Yeah...
Us: Uh....yeah, we’re not... Why would you think that?
Guy: The Batman and Robin shirts....
Us: .......
Guy: I really did think you were lesbians
It's Dangerous to Go Alone...
- This isn’t a photo of what I saw in the shop or anything. I just felt like posting a photo of the original Crest of Hyrule so that there would be a reference point (for those of you who aren’t complete nerds and don’t know what the Crest of Hyrule is) -
_________________________________________________________________
The Precursor to Number 5
The story behind how I ended up getting this tattoo is just as interesting as the true reason I wanted it. I think it’s rare to hear stories like this. You might be thinking I’m full of it and it’s just because it’s my story that I think that - well, maybe. You can judge that for yourself after I’ve told you everything.
Spike: Yeah, that was actually one of the pieces for Free Tattoo Day
Me: Are you freaking kidding me?! That’s so damn unfair.
Spike: Really? Do it! This guy had come in to get that tattoo about a year ago, paid his deposit, then never came back to get it. I’ve been trying to find someone to get it forever.
Me: I totally would. I freaking love Legend of Zelda. I’m seriously bummed I didn’t get a free tattoo.
Spike: You can still get it. I give you a killer deal on it.
Me: Really....? Hmmmm maybe I should.
Kimber: DO IT!!!
Me: Okay, I’m doing it.
Spike: Sweet (or something like that)
Tattoos with Friends - Number 4
A couple years ago my friend Dre and I went out to California to visit a mutual friend of ours. We were notorious for randomness and shenanigans when the three of us would get together - Hell Dre and I are prone to that ourselves when he and I get together, but all of that aside, we ended up getting tattoos. Dre had always been fond of a tattoo shop back here in Omaha called American Tattoo, and we happened to come across an American Tattoo shop there in California. If I remember correctly, IF, we kind of came across it by accident. Either that, or Dre looked for American Tattoo specifically, which I suppose sounds more plausible, but it was more fun to say we had come across it by accident, but anyway - we went to American Tattoo.
Me: ......
Tattoo Guy: Seriously, you’re burnt (hands released from chest, then placed them back)
Me: ..... *stares down at his hands that are so clearly fondling my boobs*
Tattoo Guy: So, you want this on your shoulder, huh?
Me: .....Yeah......
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AMERICAN-TATTOO-Bonsall/285957426609
There it is - It’s small, isn’t it? Yeah, I didn’t have much money to drop on a tattoo, so that’s what I got. It was still a good piece for how much I spent, and honestly, the guy only charged me $75 for that tattoo. If you remember, the guy in Wichita wanted to charge me $150 for that tiny one on the back of my neck! Crazy, right?! I ended up paying $100 (tipped him $25), despite the fact that he was most definitely fondling my boobs the whole time he was tattooing me. Meh, whatever right? I eventually just brushed it off and didn’t care.
You may still be wondering if it was a mistake to get a tattoo with my sunburn... You know what? I almost fell asleep!!! I tell you what, I throughly enjoyed getting this tattoo; and it turned out very well. This is where I learned how to impulsively get a tattoo and have it turn out well. Here’s the secret ----- GO TO A REPUTABLE TATTOO SHOP!!! That may sound like a “DUH,” but so many people make the same mistakes I used to by just going in to a random shop, taking the first artist available, not looking at his portfolio (which I didn’t do with this guy, but I trust Dre’s judgement on pretty much everything, so I just went with it), and end up with something that needs to be fixed later. No tattoo artist likes fixing another tattoo artist’s fuck up. I’m sure my current tattoo artist will be ever so pleased when he goes in to touch up my dragonfly tattoo (this statement comes heavily laden with sarcasm).
Aaaaaaaand back to the tattoo experience - You know how they always say not to immerse yourself in water, go swimming, or anything like that after a tattoo? Well, all three of us ignored that rule and went splashing around in the ocean the next day. I didn’t even think about it at first; I just went right in (and by went right in, I really mean walked carefully - it was holy shit cold - then was jumped from behind and dunked), and it wasn’t until after leaving the water ever so suddenly that I realized I was swimming with a fresh tattoo!!! We all kind of paused for a moment, contemplated what we were doing, and continued to play in the water and the sand. Nothing bad came of playing in the water, getting buried in the sand, and hanging out in the sun.
My Japanese Cherry Blossom continued to look magnificent
Until.....
--More on that later.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Tattoo Number 3 - Another Mild Mistake
It turned out I hadn't completely learned my lesson from my 18 year old naive, impulsive, impatient mistake that was my lower back tattoo - more commonly known as a "Tramp Stamp." I again found myself being impatient and getting a tattoo from someone against my better judgement. I did this simply because I wanted it, and I wanted it right then and right there. My friend Morgan and I were visiting Kansas; she had decided that she wanted to get her nose pierced, so we went into a shop that her friend knew. I had been wanting these stars trailing up to a dragonfly, so I figured I'd get it since we were going and it would likely be a fairly cheap tattoo (I was thinking $50 to $75 tops, as it was going to be very small, not incredibly detailed, and not take very long - likely 45 minutes). Well, we go into the shop and I talk with an artist that had time to tattoo me at that time. I explain what I wanted and he quotes me $150! I about lost my mind; my response was that my tattoo on my upper back (the Mom tattoo from my previous post) only cost me $300 (It was $350 with tip) and took 3 hours. I then continued with the fact that this tattoo was very small and should take under an hour, 45 minutes tops. The most I'd pay would be $100, but even that seemed overpriced to me. He takes a look at it and tells me it's a very good tattoo, and asks where I got it done, so I told him. His bullshit response was, "All tattoo shops charge differently." I looked him square in the face and said, "I won't pay over $100 for this tattoo." He kind of stares at me for a few moments, then reluctantly says "okay." I should have known that having this argument with a tattoo artist about a tattoo was a HUGE RED FLAG and to just wait, or find another tattoo shop in the area, but no, I got the tattoo anyway.
January 2, 2010 - Artist at Large (Wichita, KS)
https://www.facebook.com/artistatlargetattoo
_________________________________________________________________________________
January 2, 2010 - Artist at Large (Wichita, KS)
https://www.facebook.com/artistatlargetattoo
_________________________________________________________________________________
- Location: Back of Neck
- Tattoo: Large star with a trailing of stars up to a dragonfly
- Story: First of all, I wanted stars because my middle name is "Starr," so I felt justified in getting stars unlike everyone else who got them, but that is but is beside the point. For me this tattoo symbolized freedom and always following your dreams no matter where you are in life. The large star on the bottom (which was supposed to look shaded - he did it horribly. I do plan to have this one fixed at some point) is supposed to symbolize "home" or "family"- basically your starting point and somewhere you may always return to, but it isn't where you'll permanently stay. I was at that point in my life where I was trying to convince myself to move away from home and live on my own, but I had a lot of anxiety about leaving my dad after my mom dying. It wasn't that I couldn't live on my own, or that I depended on my dad, but that I had always wanted to live with him since I was a child. After finally being able to be with him, only to lose my mother shortly after - I had some anxiety about it, to say the least.
I think that at some point I will have someone fill in the base star (since the shading won't be able to be done as I had originally intended), add some kind of design around the trail of stars, fix those stars up a bit, and possible do a small touch up on the dragonfly to make it a little more impressive than it is at the moment. I may even add some wording if something strikes me as meaningful for it. I write a lot of poetry, so this may be one of the opportunities I take to write something up to tattoo on myself. It's something I've always wanted to do, but had never quite envisioned something that would be appropriate. This tattoo has a symbol that no one would really ever guess by looking at it, but I think that's something I like about this tattoo. It's complete and utter simplicity - but that doesn't mean I don't want it to be done better.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The Second Tattoo - and the Beginning of True Meaning
I'll be honest, my first tattoo was completely impulsive and done without too much thought, which I know I eluded to in my first post, but the lack of thought behind it was simply ridiculous. I was in such a hurry to get a tattoo that my first one was a horrid mistake (it has since been covered up, but more on that later). So, this second tattoo is where I really started to do it right. There's quite the emotional, and deep story behind this second one. It isn't my most impressive tattoo, but it will likely always be the one that means the most to me.
April 26, 2009 - Iron Brush Tattoo and Body Piercing (Lincoln, NE)
https://www.facebook.com/ironbrushtattoo
_________________________________________________________________________________
There were a lot of mistakes with my first tattoo including the tattoo artist. Fortunately, I managed to find myself in a reputable tattoo shop with a very good artist for this tattoo. He spent 3 hours drawing a stencil (drawing, not tracing) the drawing my friend had created for me. He informed me that he was doing this, because while the drawing was very good, it wasn't a "tattoo" drawing. He maintained the original idea while making it more appropriate for a tattoo. This tattoo overall took about 3 hours to ink. This is where I truly fell in love with tattoos. I fancied the whole process: choosing a tattoo, meeting with the artist, picking a location for the tattoo, how it felt and the experience as a whole. I knew I would be getting more in the near future.
*This is also where I learned the importance of the healing process and choosing the right products*
April 26, 2009 - Iron Brush Tattoo and Body Piercing (Lincoln, NE)
https://www.facebook.com/ironbrushtattoo
_________________________________________________________________________________
- Location: Upper Back
- Tattoo: Angel wings, Roses, "Mom - 1970 - 2005" lettering
- Story: As I said, I put a lot more thought into this tattoo and had one of my best childhood friends draw up the tattoo for me. I wanted this one to be unique and meaningful (as tattoos should be). Each part of the tattoo was chosen very carefully. I just so happened to have gotten my love for tattoos from my mom, and she committed suicide when I was 15. I knew I had to honor her memory by getting a beautiful tattoo. The angel wings were chosen to signify her everlasting freedom, no matter where she may be. The roses were chosen because they had always been her favorite flower.
There were a lot of mistakes with my first tattoo including the tattoo artist. Fortunately, I managed to find myself in a reputable tattoo shop with a very good artist for this tattoo. He spent 3 hours drawing a stencil (drawing, not tracing) the drawing my friend had created for me. He informed me that he was doing this, because while the drawing was very good, it wasn't a "tattoo" drawing. He maintained the original idea while making it more appropriate for a tattoo. This tattoo overall took about 3 hours to ink. This is where I truly fell in love with tattoos. I fancied the whole process: choosing a tattoo, meeting with the artist, picking a location for the tattoo, how it felt and the experience as a whole. I knew I would be getting more in the near future.
*This is also where I learned the importance of the healing process and choosing the right products*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)