Tattoo round three…
The time has come for my dragon to be brought to life with some color. I have gotten so used to seeing the outline perched on my shoulder, but I just knew it would be completely transformed once the color was added. Heidi and I were making our way from PA to the city and were sitting in traffic in the Holland Tunnel just 10 minutes before we were supposed to be at the shop. After what felt like hours of traffic, we finally arrived just barely 10 minutes late and it was time to begin again.
After some setup time, the buzz of the machine started up. How quickly we forget what the needles feel like. Multiple needles piercing my skin, hundreds, if not thousands of times per minute. It hurts, but that’s why I’m in the shop. The pain is all part of the process and in reality isn’t that bad at all. The color process for me is far less painful than the outline. It is not a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination, and of course the are a few very sensitive spots. The area around the armpit and the breastbone seem to be my most painful areas. It is only fitting that my dragon happens to be gripping into my flesh with it’s claws in those exact areas.
He began on my back, in an area that I couldn’t see. I tried to turn and look, but my head just doesn’t turn that far. I knew what colors he was using, but could not see anything but Heidi’s reaction. Her eyes would light up and she would grab the camera and shoot as Darren worked on me.
Slowly but surely, the dragon was taking form. The colors were amazing, but we were heading towards our time limit quickly. We won’t have time to finish today, but Darren wants me to leave the shop with a piece that looks balanced. He’s going to finish the green all the way through to the head. Then we had some time for a few accent colors. The red of the mouth, white of the teeth, pinks and yellows and oranges. Every addition of a new color would elicit a new reaction from Heidi. I couldn’t wait to see what she was seeing and capturing on camera.
Finally, after nearly 5 more hours, we were done for the night. My dragon was coming to life, but is not quite finished. One more session should do it. For now…
I am hooked on this process, the addiction has hit me like I never thought it could. I have not even finished my first piece and I am already looking for ways to expand it. The empty space around my Koi is calling for more ink, it feels and looks empty. The open space that I wanted on my skin not too long ago is now begging to be covered. What have I gotten myself into?
