TATTOO TALK THURSDAY: WHAT'S IT LIKE HAVING YOUR NECK TATTOOED?

Hey guys, welcome back to another Tattoo Talk Thursday with your favourite inky lad, Danny. This week I'm going to be answering a few questions that I got regarding my throat & neck tattoos. 

What's it like having your throat tattooed?
I don't know if she means the actual process of having my throat tattooed or living with having a throat tattoo so I'm going to answer both. I think I covered most of the stuff about the feeling of getting my throat tattooed a year ago when I got my giant blue peony on my throat, so sorry if some of the things are repeated here. Picking out a design wasn't hard at all, but I wanted to make sure that the design that I got really sat well on the throat; that's important for tattoos. You want it to enhance the body, not look like it doesn't belong there. Making sure the stencil was straight and perfectly aligned on my throat was no big deal either. For the most part, the tattoo wasn't that painful. Actually, my throat is pretty flexible and I can pull my oesophagus out and move it with my hands, making it crunch, but it's completely painless. It's pretty cool to watch. Maybe I'll show you guys sometime. HAHA. The only part that was really painful was the upper part of the peony toward where the lymph nodes are. That was pretty painful. It felt like they were getting probed even though I knew they weren't. Having the lettering done on the base of my throat hurt a lot more than the peony, probably because it was right over my trachea. I'm looking forward to getting it covered up with a better tattoo. If it was executed the way I envisioned it, I'd not be wanting to cover it! I think I might just get the word tattooed somewhere else. Dunno yet. Keep an eye out on my Twitter or Instagram for any drawings relating to that.

What's it like having your neck tattooed?
Again, pretty sure I answered this but here we go; Both sides of my neck weren't a problem at all. I sat up for both of them. Yep. I wasn't laid down on a body table. I'm glad that I'm able to sit up for these kinds of tattoos, I think it allows the artist better access to the area they're working on. I know I had some rather harsh words about my moon and I still want a few little bits reworked but I've grown to really love it and you all know how much I love my fucking rat! I can't wait until that's finished. I'll update that eventually, just waiting for a few decisions to be made. There were a few painful bits, the closer they get to my neck-shoulder area the more uncomfortable it gets. I'd never say its unbearable, but there are at least 400 other things I'd rather be doing when the needle hits that area.

Do you regret tattooing your neck? 
Noooo. I love having my neck tattooed. I love some of the funny looks I get from older people in shops when I pull my hood off and they see my neck covered in ink. I'm always friendly about it. I've never really had any negative reactions to my neck or throat ink. Most people compliment the designs, ask me if it hurt or where I got tattooed. That happened the other day at the bank, one of the employees was asking me all about my peony and where I got it done because he was interested in getting that style of work done. I love my neck tattoos because they're great conversation pieces; You never know what kind of walks of life will be drawn to you because of the ink. I suppose it may be odd to some that I have two giant flowers, script, a chubby moon and a rat holding my head up, but they don't have to look if they don't want to.

Are you worried you'll outgrow these tattoos and you'll have to live with them or try to have them removed/covered up? 
No, not really. I mean the reason I got the peony has changed but its also a memory and lesson that I treasure. Its the same with my rat and moon; those are monumental moments from my life and the person that inspired them/ is a part of them will forever be a part of me, no matter what may happen. He's given me an unspeakable strength and gift and I never want to be ungrateful for it. There are so many people in this world who've looked down on me or never gave me the time or the day, but he did. He inspired so much and still continues to. I think that everyone needs someone like that in their life. I was lucky to meet mine. So, no, I don't think that I could ever bring myself to regret the tattoos and what they represent. They represent a sense of self, the courage to be oneself and the strength to endure some of the hardest testaments that life has to offer. I've got a few tattoos that I got, that are a part of my past and I've sort of outgrown them but I don't want to cover them because I like that I can look down and see the reminders of where I've been, who I was then, what I believed in and how much I've changed. Fundamentally over the past 10 years, I've not changed all that much, but in the areas that I have the contrast is rather striking.

Are you looking to fill in the free space that you have on your neck soon?
Actually, yes! I've got a plan to get right under my jaw tattooed above my peony on either side! I'm wanting to get two new school style strawberries there. I want something to really pop and create a nice contrast between the current work I've gotten done. I might get them down below but that depends on how I want to do the re-work/cover-up of the lettering. I might want to do that before I decide on the strawberries. We'll see, but I have other tattoo plans in the works for this year! Stay tuned!

If you have tattoo questions or would like to see something talked about on Tattoo Talk Thursdays, leave a comment on the blog or write me at daninterviews@gmail.com. I'm hoping to hit more tattoo conventions this year, but that depends on a tonne of things! I'm looking forward to the London one this upcoming Septemeber and I'm thinking I'll try to get to the Baltimore one this year; I've heard that one is amazing. Have any shops you want me to check out? Interview me! The same goes for artists who want to showcase their work! Send in a note to the email above and some samples of your work fresh and healed and if I'm into it, I'll write you back ASAP! Until next week fellow ink addicts.

Comments

Popular Posts