New Ink
I've been looking at a specific style of tattoos for the last 10 years or so and have been amazed by some of the designs that people have put to skin. When I find a good tattoo online or in a magazine that I like I'll show my wife and tell her what I like about it. I guess that after hearing about tattoos for a few years she got fed up with it. She was in line at the grocery store back in September and the guy in line behind her had both arms covered with Biomechanical tattoos. She asked him about them and where he had them done. He (Ron) said that a guy named Aaron Cain (who I'd heard of) inked them and that Ron was also a tattoo artist. My wife explained that I really liked them and wanted one myself so Ron gave her his contact information at the studio where he works.
She came home really excited for me that she'd found someone who specialized in Biomechanical tattoos. I called the shop the next week and set up an appointment to talk to Ron. I looked up his online portfolio (as well as Aarons) and was very impressed with the quality, color, and flow of the pieces he had done. I met with Ron at his shop in October and to talk about what I was looking for and what kind of tattoos he liked to do and was good at. I wanted to get a piece that went around my right leg from my ankle to my knee. I currently have a 15 year old row of footprints that go around my right shin that were poorly done (by a hack tattoo artist) and are subsequently turning into blobs as the toes migrate into the feet. I talked to Ron about covering these up with the new design and he thought he could do a good job of it. I was impressed with him after meeting him so I put down a deposit and made an appointment for January.
Friday afternoon was that appointment. It's been over 10 years since I got my last Tattoo (the Escher piece around my left shin) and I was a tad nervous. After setting up his workspace, Ron shaved one side of my leg and started drawing a design free-hand. It took him a little over an hour to draw the design on my leg as I lay there on the table. Because of the way I was positioned, it was hard to see what he was drawing. My wife watched him and said that it was fascinating to see him come up with the design. When he was done drawing I got up and looked at it in the mirror. I was very impressed at what he'd done and was excited about the design.
We took a break for a few minutes so that I could stretch out and so that he could get ready to trace the drawings with the tattoo machine. When we started up again I got a quick reminder of how much tattoos hurt. I did my best to be tough but I was really just laying there on my side trying to focus on breathing deeply and staying calm as he inked the design. Certain parts hurt more than others. Any time he got close to my knee or ankle I stopped talking and just concentrated on breathing through the pain. It was bearable most other places. I guess you're supposed to be all macho like it doesn't hurt when you're getting a tattoo or something.
It took about an hour for him to ink the outline of the design, which is only one side of my leg. I have another appointment to go back in two weeks for the other half to be drawn / outlined. After that I estimate that I'll have 3 or 4 more sessions of 2.5 - 3 hours each to have the color and shading done. After he was done with the outline and I paid and left, I was flooded with endorphins. I was extremely jittery as if I'd just drank several shots of espresso. My wife and I went across the street to get some pizza and calm down a bit.
Looking at the design, I'm surprised with how big it is. When I was first thinking about what I'd get, I didn't think that I'd go this big with it. I'm glad that I did though. So far my tattoos have all been small separate pieces that don't go together at all. I feel like I'm finally getting a piece that I'll be very happy with and proud of.
Now the part you've kept reading this far for... Pictures!
Top view
Side view
Front view
You can see the footprints that I'll be covering up in the photos as well as the lovely Neapolitan rug in front of my bathroom sink. I'll update after each appointment.
She came home really excited for me that she'd found someone who specialized in Biomechanical tattoos. I called the shop the next week and set up an appointment to talk to Ron. I looked up his online portfolio (as well as Aarons) and was very impressed with the quality, color, and flow of the pieces he had done. I met with Ron at his shop in October and to talk about what I was looking for and what kind of tattoos he liked to do and was good at. I wanted to get a piece that went around my right leg from my ankle to my knee. I currently have a 15 year old row of footprints that go around my right shin that were poorly done (by a hack tattoo artist) and are subsequently turning into blobs as the toes migrate into the feet. I talked to Ron about covering these up with the new design and he thought he could do a good job of it. I was impressed with him after meeting him so I put down a deposit and made an appointment for January.
Friday afternoon was that appointment. It's been over 10 years since I got my last Tattoo (the Escher piece around my left shin) and I was a tad nervous. After setting up his workspace, Ron shaved one side of my leg and started drawing a design free-hand. It took him a little over an hour to draw the design on my leg as I lay there on the table. Because of the way I was positioned, it was hard to see what he was drawing. My wife watched him and said that it was fascinating to see him come up with the design. When he was done drawing I got up and looked at it in the mirror. I was very impressed at what he'd done and was excited about the design.
We took a break for a few minutes so that I could stretch out and so that he could get ready to trace the drawings with the tattoo machine. When we started up again I got a quick reminder of how much tattoos hurt. I did my best to be tough but I was really just laying there on my side trying to focus on breathing deeply and staying calm as he inked the design. Certain parts hurt more than others. Any time he got close to my knee or ankle I stopped talking and just concentrated on breathing through the pain. It was bearable most other places. I guess you're supposed to be all macho like it doesn't hurt when you're getting a tattoo or something.
It took about an hour for him to ink the outline of the design, which is only one side of my leg. I have another appointment to go back in two weeks for the other half to be drawn / outlined. After that I estimate that I'll have 3 or 4 more sessions of 2.5 - 3 hours each to have the color and shading done. After he was done with the outline and I paid and left, I was flooded with endorphins. I was extremely jittery as if I'd just drank several shots of espresso. My wife and I went across the street to get some pizza and calm down a bit.
Looking at the design, I'm surprised with how big it is. When I was first thinking about what I'd get, I didn't think that I'd go this big with it. I'm glad that I did though. So far my tattoos have all been small separate pieces that don't go together at all. I feel like I'm finally getting a piece that I'll be very happy with and proud of.
Now the part you've kept reading this far for... Pictures!
Top view
Side view
Front view
You can see the footprints that I'll be covering up in the photos as well as the lovely Neapolitan rug in front of my bathroom sink. I'll update after each appointment.