First tattoo

So last Monday I got my first tattoo at the age of 41. The eldest has a few tattoos now and he researches his artists with great diligence so when I said I’d get a tattoo and wanted it to be cats paws or something Irish.

Well the eldest vetoed most of my ideas and then I came up with my magpies. When I grew up they were all around. Usually in family groups as they chattered and flew around as acrobats and then when they sweet talked each other.

We had a superstitious rhyme that I learnt:
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told
Eight for a wish
Nine for a kiss
Ten for the one you must not miss

More often than not what I saw most were just one or two but once I saw over ten. Whenever I saw one I had to find the second. Call it OCD or paranoia. Whichever way you look at it magpies were a big part of my life and I miss the characters here in Australia.

So I looked up pictures of magpies. Selected a few and emailed them off to an artist the eldest recommended, Steve Cross of Korpus in Melbourne. My booking deposit was paid months in advance and our interstate trip to coincide with the Melbourne Marathon was booked. It seemed such a long way off!

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As time crept on though I looked up “first tattoo” on Google and watched some videos to see how they are done, the noise to expect, the cleanliness to expect and tattoo care and aftercare.

I went to a local chemist to buy the obligatory tube of Bepanthen in order to look after the tattoo best in the days after. As luck would have it I then went to my coffee shop and one of the guys said it was the wrong type so I went and changed to the nappy rash ointment – who knew there were so many different types of Bepanthen!!

When I showed the tube to the eldest he said it was different from his one, he gets the anti-bacterial one! Oiy vey!! Whatever it is, my stuff worked.

The morning of the tattoo we left M & R and were to make our way from Melboune CBD to Brunswick. The plan had been to eat brunch there. Well we didn’t have a Myki for the tram so we walked to the station and bought two of those ridiculous cards.

We got on the train in Flinders to be told that there was a fatality on our line and we’d need to get off and get a bus transfer. The time ticked on, the eldest was getting frantic on the phone and the bus hadn’t arrived.

Thankfully it finally did but sat there while the Maori driver had a cigarette and I tried to relax as having plenty of time. We eventually set off though and were amazed that the driver didn’t announce the stops.

We got to Sydney Road and I didn’t realise how long either it or Brunswick was but we eventually got to our stop and walked into find Sparta Place and Korpus.

I was glad hubby was with me as I sent him out for a coffee and to buy me some lollies while I waited. I had been disappointed not to see any test sketches by Steve beforehand but when he showed me what he had I was really pleased. There were a number of poses to choose from and we then worked on sizes and location.

Time for the entry into the dark world of tattooing and I was brought into Steve’s well lit area to work where he had all his equipment laid out in their sterile packaging.

I was washed and sterilised, my upper arm shaved (even though I have light fair hair) and the stencils transferred onto my right arm. It was really happening!

I lay down on the bench and Steve made two tiny lines on my arm with the outliner and I jokingly said “Ok, that’s enough!” Steve fortunately (or unfortunately) kept going.

As he was outlining my top magpie on my shoulder it was all good until he got around to the front of the shoulder bone, to the tail. Boy was that skin a bit tender.

What surprised me then was when he moved onto them shading needles (all 9 of the little bastards) was how different they felt getting done. Almost like going from a scalpel to a paint brush.

The top bird done we took a pic, had a bit of a stretch and then carried on. This time though the physical manipulation began as my second maggie went more around my bicep.

The outline began around the back of my arm. Oh Lordy! I felt every line and scrape of the outline. This was so uncomfortable. It felt like someone was repeatedly pitching the back of my arm hard. Try it!

What I then realised was that talking and laughing with Steve made the pain much more bearable to almost disappear.

Once the outline was done I was asked what bit I wanted done first – the back or the front. The back was the worst so I wanted that finished first. I’m a glutton for punishment.

I was therefore put lying down on my stomach with my arm hanging down off the bench and the bird was slowly painted.

By the time I had been lying for possibly 2 hours on my tummy my neck was stiff, my arm felt red raw and I was so ready to be finished with this ordeal.

The final flip though and the front wing took next to no time to finish. Soothing cream was put on the whole way through the process but now it was time for the finished pics and the tattoo goop to be lathered on and my arm to be wrapped up in plastic wrap. Ahhhh relief!

Next thing was to find my way from Brunswick to Box Hill where I was staying overnight. I’d been warned that I would feel wiped out by the day but I didn’t feel too bad. Maybe I’m made of sterner stuff than the eldest!

All up my tattoos took five hours but I was at the salon for six with the preparation work and all the positioning work.

Once I got to where I was staying and relaxed for a while it was time for a wash, lather with Bepanthen and re-dress with plastic wrap so I could get some sleep. It was the best sleep of all week!

As I washed off the tattoo goop all this colour that I had watched going into my skin came off. For a moment I worried that the tattoo would wash off and tried not to touch it much (apart from it being way too tender anyway).

The three or four times a day wash and re-Bepanthen happens daily and today I took my pyjama top off to find the full peel happening. It was quite yucky, dry and flaky.

A good wash, splashed, soaped, rinsed and re-soaped and my skin was feeling fresh again. Another layer of Bepanthen to moisturise it and taadaa… Two fresh looking birdies.

So there you go, the journey of a tattoo. It’s far from over now though! As I’ve heard from a few people, it’s addictive. I want to get some shading and maybe some leaves around the maggies and I’ve also planned my other upper arm – one that for me is all about depression and beating it.

As I’ve told the eldest… Think about your tattoo for at least a year and if you still want it after that then get it. I’m a mum with a family, job and mortgage. It’s going to take me about that long to save up for the next tattoo!

The journey continues!!

Pip

Sent from my iPad