My aquitaine buddy is finally done! After a long road of consulting, drawing, colouring and healing, this is where I’m at. He isn’t generally on display, but has given rise to numerous questions which I’ll attempt to answer for you here.

Why? I always loved the film images of the Samurai’s wife, or Geisha, who when disrobing, revealed an astonishing artwork on her back. This image never left me, but for many years I thought it would be too extreme and only an option I would consider were I incarcerated for life. (For what I’m not sure, my imagination hadn’t run that far.) But as I got older, I realised that I wasn’t concerned with any connotations that having a piece like this might infer. Contrary to the popular getting a tattoo in a moment of teenage conformism, I’ve actually now chosen to have this done at a time in my life when so many people seem to regret their body art choices – after I had my children.

But won’t you regret it one day? I guess there is always that possibility, but I doubt it. If I lived my life with the view that I may regret some of my choices in the future, I would feel that it was a life only half lived. I’d much rather be an octogenarian with a colourful past to look back on, than living to regret not having followed some of my more nontraditional ideas.

How did you choose the image? I worked hand in hand with my artist to develop this image, which leads me to a point I must make when posting this on the internet. Please people, do not steal other people’s artwork. Admire and be inspired – then create your own version of wonderful. While the image itself has some significance for me, it is more overly that I consider it a beautiful image.

How much did it cost? Short answer – a lot. Let’s just say that I was prepared to pay as much as was needed to to achieve what I wanted. Getting a tattoo is not an exercise in budgeting, and certainly not something you want to scrimp on.

Did it hurt? Yes, it does. It’s not something unbearable and most of the time you are so used to it that you don’t pay attention. The areas that are close to the bone, like my ribcage, did hurt quite a lot as I also had to hold my breath; and breathing is crucial to pain management. Most of the time, however, I spent chatting incessantly to Rob (my artist) about fashion, Japan, travel and Indiana Jones!

Who did this gorgeous piece? My wonderful artist is Rob Abell at Dynamic Tattoo in Richmond, Melbourne. These are not the kind of guys you get to tattoo you on a whim, (not that you should EVER do that!) as they have a very long waiting list. The studio is a lovely, relaxing and beautifully decorated place that speaks to the quality of work that they do.

So, I think that just about covers it, but I’m sure there will still be questions. Don’t be afraid to ask and I’ll see if I can help. If you are thinking of getting a tattoo, read this excellent precursor by Gala Darling on How to get a Great Tattoo.

For those of you keeping up with the progress of my tattoo, I now only have one session left to go. After another 3 1/2 hours, my Koi fish now has some colour to him. There is pretty much only the peony and cherry blossoms to finish off. When choosing the colour for the blossoms, my artist brought me lots of lovely soft pink inks, very feminine. I, of course, have chosen to go with the hot pink and magenta instead.

Answers to the questions I have been asked so far are:

Yes, I spent ages researching just what I wanted.
I worked with the artist to custom design the image.
Yes, it is expensive.
Yes, it hurt but it has nothing on childbirth twice over – (and they weren’t even natural births!) So no bitching from me.

On another note, I have a little housekeeping to do. Firstly, I have been having a problem with my emails where some have been indiscriminately sent to a junk folder I rarely check. If you have sent me mail and not heard back, I am sorry. Please don’t think me rude. If you would like to send me a message, all mail should now be received.

Secondly, I have lots of new links to add, and many to tidy up. If I haven’t linked to you and you would like your blog to appear here, drop me a line so I can check you out. I can’t promise to add everyone, but if your site tickles my fancy and is relevant to my readers, I’ll see what I can do.

There will be some new features and surprise’s coming in June, and I can hardly wait to get started!

On Friday I went in to Rob at Dynamic for my first colouring session on the Koi tattoo. After a marathon five hours session, this is how far we got. All the black is now done and the colour on one flower, so there is still a fair bit to go. I have another session in a month and hopefully should be able to have the work finished then. The black shading wasn’t as painful as the outline, but the flower was a bi*ch!
If you’re in Melbourne and looking for an excellent tattooist, Rob has a real talent for traditional Japanese style work. He is also an entertaining conversationalist, keeping my mind off the process by discussing the merits of various Dr. Who episodes.
So for the next few days at least, my fashion options are somewhat limited, as I handle this with care.

Todays post will be a short one as, after todays activity, I just feel like kicking back a bit. After a couple of years of planning and then waiting till baby was seven months old and my body has sprung back to some semblance of normality, I had my first ink session with my tattoo artist today. Rob Abell at Dynamic Tattoo in Richmond, Melbourne; is the talented individual creating this masterpiece. As you can see, I had an older (teenage years) tattoo to cover up too. Pretty good for three hours work. Now I have a two week window of healing before we can add the colour. I can’t wait to see the final product!