Tattoo Talk Thursday: The Rat & The Rose
Holy shit, he's back with another Tattoo Talk Thursday!
Yes, I'm keeping my promise and keeping the series going on time. Like I said in the last TTT blog, I'm not sure if it will last, so don't hold me to it.
Since I missed my fucking birthday tattoo last Tuesday, I had to reschedule getting tattooed. Of course, I couldn’t get tattooed at the place that I wanted to, but a friend was happy to squeeze me in this week. I wasn’t planning on finishing my neck, but I thought, "You know what? Fuck it." I’ve been wanting to get it done, I’ve been playing around with ideas for a while and I finally sketched up something that I knew was perfect. I gave Scott the rough artwork I'd done and we talked about size and how it would fit on my neck. I knew it was going to fill up the entire piece of real estate that I had on the right side of my neck, but I wasn't worried.
I didn't expect to get in so soon. I'd gone into the shop looking to book for Halloween, but Scott had time a day later so I took it. I was anxious about the tattoo. I was allowing him to do a bit of editing on the artwork that I gave him and I hate giving up control, especially when it comes to something I'm going to have on my body-my neck-forever. ((I guess tattoos aren't forever these days what with laser removal and all that, but those don't always work. I'll see for myself when I finally get time and extra cash together to try laser removal on that horrible tattoo near my left knee.))
I loved the re-draw that he'd done. He'd cleaned it up and went with a single rose. Simplistic. Beautiful. Like with getting the other side of my neck tattooed, I sat up for it. I find it easier than being laid on a body table. I feel the artist has more access to the area and I'm able to make adjustments they might need with how I'm holding myself much quicker. We didn't even have to try another placement for the piece or even re-size. It was perfect on the first go. We took out seats and I tilted my head all the way to the left and we began. You can't really talk when getting your neck tattooed, especially if you're like me who often talks with his hands. I don't know why I feel the need to do this.
We only did the outline because I didn't have much time and I also wasn't sure on the colours that I wanted for it. The outline was painless, the only real discomfort I had was a bit of a stiff neck afterwards. When I straightened my head back up my entire neck cracked. God, I love that sound.
It was nice in the shop with the lads. We had some good banter going and we talked ink, projects we want to do and tonnes of other shit. I did laugh when it was mentioned that I was the youngest in the shop (26) but had the most tattoos out of the entire lot. It was nice being with my people. All of us are sleeved, arms, hands, some legs, chest work. Living canvases just sitting there. I didn't know just how much I needed that kind of time off.
I didn't expect to get in so soon. I'd gone into the shop looking to book for Halloween, but Scott had time a day later so I took it. I was anxious about the tattoo. I was allowing him to do a bit of editing on the artwork that I gave him and I hate giving up control, especially when it comes to something I'm going to have on my body-my neck-forever. ((I guess tattoos aren't forever these days what with laser removal and all that, but those don't always work. I'll see for myself when I finally get time and extra cash together to try laser removal on that horrible tattoo near my left knee.))
I loved the re-draw that he'd done. He'd cleaned it up and went with a single rose. Simplistic. Beautiful. Like with getting the other side of my neck tattooed, I sat up for it. I find it easier than being laid on a body table. I feel the artist has more access to the area and I'm able to make adjustments they might need with how I'm holding myself much quicker. We didn't even have to try another placement for the piece or even re-size. It was perfect on the first go. We took out seats and I tilted my head all the way to the left and we began. You can't really talk when getting your neck tattooed, especially if you're like me who often talks with his hands. I don't know why I feel the need to do this.
We only did the outline because I didn't have much time and I also wasn't sure on the colours that I wanted for it. The outline was painless, the only real discomfort I had was a bit of a stiff neck afterwards. When I straightened my head back up my entire neck cracked. God, I love that sound.
It was nice in the shop with the lads. We had some good banter going and we talked ink, projects we want to do and tonnes of other shit. I did laugh when it was mentioned that I was the youngest in the shop (26) but had the most tattoos out of the entire lot. It was nice being with my people. All of us are sleeved, arms, hands, some legs, chest work. Living canvases just sitting there. I didn't know just how much I needed that kind of time off.
Why a rat and a rose? Don’t you already have enough roses tattooed? No. Never. One can never have too many rose tattoos. They’re beautiful, timeless and can express so much through their double sided beauty. They represent love and death. Perfect. Everything in balance. Why would you want a rat tattooed on the side of your neck?
I got it just to make people ask stupid questions.
I got it just to make people ask stupid questions.
Ha, no. I got the rat because of Dan Howell. Youtuber, Vlogger, Author, Wonderboy extraordinaire. Over the past year, he's been a true inspiration to me, both personally and professionally. His charisma and words have brought a comfort to me that I'm unable to describe. Meeting him this year allowed me to connect to humanity. He was the first person I'd allowed to touch me after I'd been molested. Normally, I freak out and panic but when he reached out and pulled me into him I didn't feel alarm. It was like a warm oasis. It was comforting and safe as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled my chest into his. It was the first step in starting to heal old wounds. And he didn't even know it. He doesn't know it. I wanted a way to always remember what he did for me. In many ways, he gave me my life back. His kindness to me was something I'd never really experienced and it was an entirely new sensation for me. It's allowed me to form a real friendship. It's given me the ability to be apart of something I've always been an outsider of. There are no words or ways I could ever thank him for what he did that afternoon.
So why a rat? He's jokingly called rat or refers to himself as a rat and I thought that was perfect. I had been playing with the idea of an animal on my neck, so that worked out perfectly. I got the rose because I love roses and they're also the June birth flower. It just looked so lovely together and I knew it would look wonderful next to the brilliant blue lotus on my throat. Did you get that tattoo just because of him? 90% of the tattoo is yes indeed dedicated to Dan, but the other 10% is for my love of the black plague. It's one of my favourite times in history; the art and literature out of that period are dark, macabre and so captivating. And who spread the plague across Europe? You got it. Rats. Nice little dovetail there I think; putting together two great inspirations to create one wonderful tattoo.
So why a rat? He's jokingly called rat or refers to himself as a rat and I thought that was perfect. I had been playing with the idea of an animal on my neck, so that worked out perfectly. I got the rose because I love roses and they're also the June birth flower. It just looked so lovely together and I knew it would look wonderful next to the brilliant blue lotus on my throat. Did you get that tattoo just because of him? 90% of the tattoo is yes indeed dedicated to Dan, but the other 10% is for my love of the black plague. It's one of my favourite times in history; the art and literature out of that period are dark, macabre and so captivating. And who spread the plague across Europe? You got it. Rats. Nice little dovetail there I think; putting together two great inspirations to create one wonderful tattoo.
I've not chosen the colours for the piece and I don't want to. I decided that I want him to choose the colour for the rose and until I meet him again or he sees the tweet or Instagram post about it, the tattoo will remain unfinished. I think that it's only fair that the person who inspired the piece should be able to pick the colours for it. If you guys could please RT this blog or tag him in the posts to help me get him to see it, that would be amazing for me.
LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anjathesickboy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/darkdreamingdan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkdreamingdaniel/
LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anjathesickboy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/darkdreamingdan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkdreamingdaniel/
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