Great Tattoo Quest '09

Some people go on quests to visit every baseball stadium or every sushi restaurant, I've decided to get tattooed at every (reputable) tattoo shop in the city. Yeah, it's nutty, but it's something that I know I'll enjoy doing. So here's the list as it stands now.

Done:
Overlord (duh)
Ink & Dagger
Only You
Black Cat
Holy Mother

In the queue:
13 Roses
Memorial 2
Sacred Heart (original location only)
All or Nothing
Psycho 2
Liberty

Some of them are harder to get walk ins with, especially All or Nothing. Plus, they're all the way in Smyrna. That will probably be one of the last I go to. I'll Yelp about it and post my experiences here. I'll judge them on the following criteria:

*Friendliness of the staff
*Private tattooing areas
*Reasonable prices
*Parking/Easy to find

Those are the basics and I may decide to add more later. There are of course the intangibles like the vibe I get from the shop, the general talent of the staff, and whatnot. The shops I listed are all fairly well known and not full of scratchers.

Let's begin!

Atlanta Convention and the Final Lineup

The picture is from last night's Yelp event. Jason (the piercer at Overlord) works for the donut guy, so we showed our donut love for the cameras. Yum! I think he did better with a goofy face than I did.

I'm now going to the convention here. I'd pretty much scrapped the idea because getting information was like pulling teeth. However, Aileen expressed an interest in going and Jason confirmed that good artists would be there. So I figured what the hell? It's a few more days to hang around "my people". I'll also be getting tattooed, but we'll get to that in a minute.

I had a super embarrassing moment today. My phone rang and it was a number I didn't recognize so I figured it was one of the tattooists calling me. I thought he said "Zack" and for about 5 minutes, I thought I was talking to a totally different person. Turns out it was Thad, who I contacted early on and then never heard from. He took it in stride, though, which made me feel a bit better. Still embarrassing, though. So I sent him a few ideas to see what he thought. No one has been giving my cupcake any love, so maybe he will.

That finalizes the line up for Hell City:
Friday first thing-Geisha bust on my left shin by Tim Beck
Saturday first thing-Lock and ribbons on my right foot or ankle by Thad Ritchey
Saturday night-Pirate pin up bust on my lower stomach by Scott Ellis
Sunday first thing-Dragon back piece by Matt "Skinny" Bagwell

I'm probably insane and the plane trip back is going to suck, but I'll have some awesome new art to show off. I'll probably load myself full of Advil and Benadryl and just sleep. The best part? In normal clothes, it'll only look like I have one new one.

As for the convention here, another guy from Ace Custom where Matt works will be coming down. His work was really solid, so I decided to see if he still had time to tattoo. He did so he's going to my magnolia blossom and peach on my right hip under and slightly behind Lola. I called a shop in Savannah, but the guy who will be coming is off today. He'll be in tomorrow, so I intend on calling him first thing about some small work I've had in mind. So it could look something like:

Friday evening-Bumblebee and ladybug on my feet by Clay McCay (in theory)
Sunday afternoon-Magnolia blossom and peach on my right hip by "Lil" Tommy McCarter

Now I just need to get a money order so I can pay for my pass to the convention. It's a bit of a pisser that they don't have an online option to order because money orders are a pain in the ass to get. Why can't I just send cash? Or better yet, drop by in person and give them the money.

Now back to Bones and relaxing. Or trying to...

Everything in Life is Location, Location, Location

Okay, I think I've got this figured out.

Firstly, I'm moving my Picasso dove from my right foot to the outside of my right thigh. As I thought about it, I realized that it doesn't go with the rest of what I want down there. Also, it's such a delicate piece, I think my thigh would be a better canvas. Plus, I have a bird on the outside of my left thigh, so there's symmetry. Woohoo! So that's step one...

Doves are often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit and I want the angel pin up girl on the inside of my right thigh. So not only would I have an angel, but a dove as well. So that's cohesive. A cardinal doesn't exactly stand for evil, but he's red and the devil pin up's dress will be red. Again, we have some form of cohesion.

Then there's the matter of my back and the potential quarter sleeve/shoulder piece I want Muriel to do. I still haven't heard back from her, so I figure I'll just drop by the shop the day she comes in. I've tweaked my design a bit so it'll fit with both my left arm (home to Lucy and 2 roses) and the idea I have for my back. I still want the filigree work, but instead of ivy, I could incorporate cherry blossoms. Then the filigree almost fades into just the flowers on the back of my left shoulder. The would keep the Japanese theme that would fit with my dragon.

Thanks to my friend Sara, I now have new ideas on placement for my cupcake and peach. Both she and another friend have tattoos on the outer fleshy part of their hips, but still near the bone. If that makes any sense at all. I wouldn't have to deal with cohesion issues as much, either. It also has an added bonus of not being visible on a daily basis so I wouldn't have to explain it to my parents. I also want a bell tattoo that has a banner (can you tell I'm obsessed with banners right now? LOL) that reads "Southern". Southern belle, haha, get it?

So in summary:
*Dove on thigh
*Saint & Sinner pin up girls on thighs
*Geisha bust on lower shin
*Dragon going up the center of my spine
*Peach on right hip
*Southern bell(e) on left hip
*Filigree and cherry blossom quarter sleeve/shoulder piece
*Cupcake on upper part of right calf

New Plans, Yet Again

So time for a totally new plan on the tattoo front. I discovered yesterday that my tax refund won't be here until much later. So the new plan is to cancel my appointment with Phil so I can still afford to go to Roanoke. I also want to go ahead and get my foot cover up started. Since Mark doesn't charge nearly as much as Russ or Phil, I can afford to get that moving at least. I also have to get Kurt to finish Lucius. I'll know more about that tomorrow. I don't think there's really that much work left, which is fortunate.

Ideally, I'll get Lucius finished in the next few weeks, then start on my foot cover up, then get tattooed at the convention in Roanoke. Then I'll see if I have the money to pay Phil to work on Alice. I definitely don't want to miss out on my trip to Roanoke, not just because of the convention, but because I haven't seen my BFF since last June.

Lucy is peeling like crazy. She looks pretty gross. I hope she'll look better tomorrow when I go to show her off to everyone.



Yay pictures!!

More Ideas, Just What I Need...

Currently I'm getting more ideas than I have skin for. Just for sheer visual effect (and the amusement of my beloved readers) here's a compilation of ideas I've had over the past few months.

Definite:
Finishing Lola (Feb. 1)
Peacock faux half sleeve on right arm (Feb. 21)
Mucha girls (Mar. 22, Apr.5, and possibly Apr. 19)

Ideas:
*Another pin up on my right thigh
*Flowers representing the month each of my immediate family members was born on my left ankle
*The Cheshire Cat on my left ankle
*Somehow adding to my left foot probably in the form of flowers and maybe a ladybug
*Nautical stars on my right foot or my left hip
*Old school cherries behind my right ear
*An old school diamond on my left hand between my thumb and index finger (aka the "ballsy" tat)
*"Tough bitch" on my right lower back when I reach my weight loss goal (maybe?)
*A gothic style female puppet on the inside of my left arm

The last idea, the puppet, is the point of the post. I've been interested in puppets and puppetry for a long time. Hell, half the things I learned when I was a kid was from the Muppets. One of my friends, who's in the process of shopping for an artist for her second tat, mentioned that she wanted something "creepy" as well. I'd never really thought about having a "creepy" tattoo, though I've seen more than my fair share browsing through portfolios. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. All my tattoos are pretty and girly, which is very much who I am. However, there's also a part of me that isn't so pretty and girly. I don't feed gerbils through salad shooters for fun, but like all people, there's more to me than just fancy purses, waxing, and reading Go Fug Yourself religiously.

My current vision for this piece would be somewhat of a hybrid between the Corpse Bride, who is also apparently named Emily, and Emily the Strange. I don't want her too creepy or I'll freak myself out. I want more of a gothic feel than a gross feel. Obviously she still has to look like a puppet. I want her to still be aesthetically pleasing, just in a more dark way. I've done a preliminary search for artists and the two I think would be best suited for the job are both women, interestingly enough. I really liked Malia at Memorial and Danielle at 13 Roses. Malia also used to work at Ink & Dagger, so I know I can trust the quality of her work. A co-worker of mine from BBW recently had work done at 13 Roses and seemed satisfied, though she didn't have it done by Danielle. I would definitely want to meet both of them and see what kind of vibes I get. Currently, I'm leaning toward Malia because I feel her portfolio is a little stronger and I've already visited the shop once.

I could scrap the idea in a month and call myself crazy or I could stick with it. As I was writing down the list of ideas I've had over the past few months, I found myself going "eh" to several of them. It's going to be put on hold at least until after I'm done with the Muchas. Both financially and physically, I'm going to need a bit of a break. And I may not even have a job after late May, so who knows?

Weddings and other Inkless Social Events

It had to happen eventually. It would appear that 2009 is the year of the marriage for my circle of friends. I'm in 3 and attending a 4th. For me, that means figuring out a way to cover my ink. I already have some makeup on hand, but for something the size of my peacock or the rose, I think it's going to end up being airbrushing. Fortunately one of my fellow bridesmaids is a model and has a visible tattoo, so she recommended a product to me. Once everything is healed, I'm going to have to start practicing covering it up. In my mind (though my brides may disagree) it really only needs to be covered for the pictures and ceremony itself. If I suffer makeup meltdown during the reception, it's no big. At least not to me. I love my friends and respect their wishes for their vision of their wedding days and photos for years to come.

Of course, it also makes me think about how there's still a long way to go before tattoos are a non-issue. It's pretty much expected that my tattoos be covered in a lot of situations. Work, weddings, and really any event that may result in my grandparents giving my parents hell about the fact I'm a walking art gallery. I'd like to think I'm slowly changing peoples' minds about what it means to be modded. I'm definitely not the kind of person to stand out on the street corner with a sign saying "Modded People are People, Too". I'm the kind of person who goes through life being confident and capable. I'll always be intimidating, but I was intimidating before I had any ink at all. ;) I like to spread the gospel of ink in my own way. I answer most questions people ask me, even if it's the dumbest thing I've heard all day. I make sure people know what they're getting into if they ask me for advice.

I was brought up to look past superficial differences among people. If I don't like you, odds are I don't like you because of who you are as a person, not because of your ethnicity or the fact you had a nose job. It becomes even more acute when you're on the receiving end of people judging you based solely on your looks. Most of the people I deal with on a daily basis either don't care or are supportive. I don't usually get people who are outright rude or judgmental. When it happens, I simply shame them on a public forum such as this one.

Lastly, a list of stupid questions that you shouldn't ask a modded person:

*Why would you do that to yourself?
This is probably the fastest way to get yourself slapped. It's implying the person is engaging in some sort of bizarre self mutilation.

*What do they mean?
Usually nothing. You're either going to be ignored or you're going to get some cock & bull story. I prefer the latter myself.

*Did it hurt?
Umm, yeah. There were needles involved.

*And for the love of God, DO NOT touch them without their permission.
I can't tell you how many times someone has grabbed me, poked me, or moved my clothing to get a better look at my ink. I don't care if you're my best friend or someone I just met. HANDS OFF! This is my biggest pet peeve. Unless I tell you it's okay to touch me, don't do it.

And that's all for my waxing philosophical and trying to help all the little people out there.