Monday, October 13, 2008 - .... A Lot of Pricks |
Last Saturday, I got tattoed for the first time. It was not a spur of the moment decision. Since 2006, soon after I became a naturalized American, I wanted to get a tattoo (to reflect become a dual citizen). However, on Saturday, the tattoo I did get has nothing to do with being a dual citizen.
I didn't go to just any old tattoo shop. There are quite a few in the Durham-Chapel Hill area but I chose one that a coworker has been to and had at least one tattoo done. I went into the shop prior to making the appointment to check it out and most importantly look at the tattoists portfolios (they're just photos of tattoes they've done).
At the time of the preliminary visit, I didn't know that I met the owner, Glenn. He was helpful and recommended Paulie as the tattooist who should do my tattoo. The tattoo shop and the employees have non-typical business hours so I made note of Paulie's working hours.
Fast forward to October 11th and I'm probably the first customer in the shop. I know I'm Paulie's first appointment. Paulie introduces himself and he looks like a tattooist. He has many tattoos himself and his ears pierced. I don't find his appearance intimidating or odd.
We went over the design very carefully. It's my own design based on a picture of a penguin I have. Initially, I just wanted a very simple image with no color but I realize it'd look a lot better if the black areas were filled in.
Paulie brought back the final sketch and once I'm happy with that, he made a transfer that he applied to my skin. He basically tattooes along the lines and fills in the black areas.
I didn't ask about what it feels like when the needles are in action and he didn't offer a description. It wouldn't deter me from going ahead with getting the tattoo anyway.
While Paulie started working on the tattoo, I looked to my left and noticed a weird looking rat character on a skateboard, stil in its packaging. Paulie explained that it was "Rat Fink", a character created by a 60s artist who wanted to create a non-stereotypical animal character. Here's a picture taken of Rat Fink.
Listening to the story about Rat Fink and its creator kept me occupied for a few minutes but Paulie kept talking about this and that. In fact, he was a fan of pet rats himself and described the next tattoo he wanted for himself. It would be a rat tattooed on his ribs.
The question that most people ask about tattoes is, "does it hurt?" The answer to that question depends on a lot of factors. One is where the tattoo is being put. Mine was very high on my left arm. I don't think the tattooing procedure really hurt. The needles don't go in that deep anyway. I've had people attempt to and draw blood from me (for medical reasons) that have caused more pain (because I have deep veins apparently). The size of the piece might lead to varying degrees of pain. My tattoo is small. It's only about 2 inches tall and less than 1 inch across. If I'd asked for the penguin to be four times bigger, I probably would've have felt a little more pain.
Also, going the dentist is more noisy. When Paulie was using his tattoing equipment, it hardly made any sound. Neither Paulie or I had to raise our voices when speaking. Loud equipment can make for an unpleasant experience (like being inside an MRI machine).
About 25 minutes after Paulie began, he'd completed the penguin tattoo. He explained that the shading he'd done wouldn't really look as it should for a few days yet because my skin had to heal for the effect to become clear.
Otherwise, I could pretty much see how the penguin would appear. The entire area of the penguin was raised. That was just swelling which was natural. My arm wasn't bleeding and I wasn't feeling nauseous. I was just overjoyed that I'd finally got my tattoo and it was of my favorite animal. It was an obvious choice.
Here's the tattoo, fresh after Paulie finished.
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About Me
Former Londoner, now living in Durham, NC since 2002.
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