Pink: Inked

Well, this week I finally joined the ranks of the inked! I’ve wanted a tattoo since the late ‘90s (the era of those ubiquitous tribal arm bands), but never found the perfect artwork to be indelibly displayed on my skin.

Three years ago, my best friend got matching tattoos on the backs of both arms, beautiful black mandalas that span several inches from the middle of her forearm to the middle of her tricep. They’re like permanent jewelry, abstract and ornamental, ideally suited to her body and personality… a high bar indeed.

She’s my rolling partner (she has rollerblades and I have old school quad skates), and every time she skates ahead of me, I find myself staring at her arms, thinking that mine feel so naked. This is how it starts.

So I began researching tattoo artists, eventually zeroing in on a neo-Japanese style that I love. I saved dozens of screenshots and probably drove my partner crazy asking, do you like this one? What about this one?

Peonies

I started following a local artist named Chris Blanco a little over two years ago. He does tons of full sleeves and back pieces, massive projects that use the whole body as a canvas. I was in awe, but also certain I didn’t want to commit to something that overwhelming.

Then about a year ago, he posted this design concept with matching peonies on both upper arms. It quickly became my front runner.

I liked the way they wrapped around the arm, accentuating the shape of the musculature while also covering up what is generally not the most attractive body part.

Also appealing was the fact that from the front you can just see the edges of it, a bit of intrigue, with the partial image revealed in profile.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend asked me what I was waiting for. You know what you want, just send him a message! So I did. He responded immediately, how about this Sunday?

This is Happening

When I arrived for the appointment, we talked for an hour and a half, fine-tuning the design to be semi-symmetrical, incorporating two different flowers but with matching leaves. I decided one flower should be a peony (Scorpio) and one should be a chrysanthemum (Virgo), with just a hint of color.

Needle Time

Chris was fantastic; friendly and welcoming, accommodating my perfectionism and altering his original drawing directly on my arm by tiny increments until it was exactly what I wanted. Once we had worked out the design and got down to the actual needle work, the first session took three hours.

His office is on the 7th floor of a beautiful historic building in Gastown. It’s flooded with natural light and adorned with plants and Japanese prints.

The pain was the last thing I was worried about, a distant consideration after finding the perfect image, ideal placement, size, shape, and color. After doing the entire black outline, Chris made us some French press coffee.

After a 15-minute break, he added shading, which was less painful than the black outline. Finally, he went back over the shaded parts with a lush rosy pink. He smiled when he noticed that it was the exact same shade as my lipstick. The final pass with the color was the most painful part, but totally worth it.

Afterwards, I studied my left arm in the mirror and felt elated. It already seemed like a part of me, like it was always meant to be. My right arm looked naked by comparison, but there was no way we could do both in one session.

I made an appointment to come back on Friday, the 4th of July, since I had the U.S. holiday off work. After a Canada Day road trip to play disc golf in Squamish and stay overnight in Whistler, I was back for round two.

Chrysanthemum

I had decided more or less at the last minute that I wanted two different flowers, but the chrysanthemum was actually one of the first designs I had researched when I began this quest. It’s associated with Virgo (my sun, moon and mercury sign), and it’s a symbol of the imperial family of Japan, so it figures prominently in Japanese tattoo art.

Its other meanings include longevity, fidelity, joy, and optimism. Over the course of the week, as I thought about the design, I kept seeing it in orange. I had originally planned on using the same pink as an accent color for both flowers, but it was like my future self was sending a message back to me.

When I mentioned it to Chris, he suggested a soft peachy orange instead of the bright, flashy shade he would usually use for a full color tattoo, and I agreed it was perfect. Apparently, orange symbolizes excitement, creativity and happiness.

In addition to being associated with Scorpio (I have Scorpio rising and my partner Rodger is a Scorpio), pink peonies represent affection, romance, prosperity, and a happy marriage.

After Care

It was a great experience, in every way. I couldn’t be happier with the design. Some of my friends were shocked that I didn’t start with something smaller for my first tattoo, but I’m not really a dip your toe in the pool kind of gal! lol

It’s been less than a full week and my left arm is almost completely healed. I was prepared for it to itch like crazy as the top layer of skin dried out and began to slough off, but that phase was mercifully short-lived. It’s still peeling a bit but not as much as a couple of days ago.

The right side is still tender (it was just done yesterday after all) but it’s no longer swollen, and the bleeding was very mild, since I dutifully kept it covered in plastic wrap for the first four hours.

Besties

The lighting and focus in this picture are terrible but I wanted to show you what it looks like from the side. Very subtle! You can just see a bit of it from the front.

In other news, this coming week I’ll be starting a memoir writing course with the inimitable Cintra Wilson, one of my original writing idols since the 90s! I’m nervous and excited, and I’m sure I’ll be sharing more about the whole adventure as it unfolds.

Until next week, thanks for reading!

Art & Astrology

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