First tattoo at 53 years of age!
My niece and I have talked…read moreabout getting tattoos for a long time now. But I couldn't commit to an image or a place to put it, until a couple of days ago. She has had tattoos for a dozen years or more, and wanted to get matching ones for us. What clicked with me was her saying: find an image that represents you (me), and let's do that. So..... I said to myself, ' what's me'? A paintbrush.....painting a rainbow! Googled it and off we went. Now, I lived in California for 10 years, so I have experienced weird, unusual, and unorthodox, and she didn't know it, but I visited a tattoo parlor in Napa, CA. Enough back story. And I did check out his facebook page, too.
So off we went to Rose City, where he is a big supporter of the community there (unofficial mayor). Very cool. The place is like you would expect: red and black, lots of black, and every square inch of wall space is covered with tattoo designs. He is a collector. All kinds of stuff to look at and lots of books and magazines, too. We got in at the right time, late afternoon, no waiting! We talked about what we wanted, he gave us a price, paid cash, filled out paperwork (very professional), he has shop rules clearly posted in several places: No one under 18, cash only, etc.... and then he started drawing..... I would describe his artistic style as vintage. Dark outlines and bold colors. Very much a 1950's vibe. What I liked best was he talked with you about the design and how to place it. You trust his judgement. He's been doing this for 24 years!
There is a whole ritual in how he sets up his tools. Fascinating..... just watching him prep your skin, the little ink cups, the needles.... After he creates the design he presses the rendering to your skin and he begins. The sound the needle gun makes is soothing. On, off, wipe. On, off, wipe. He if fast! Not nearly as painful as I thought, not like a bee sting. More of an abrasion or a sun burn. When he is done, he covers it with plastic wrap, give you some A&D ointment, and a card with aftercare instructions and you are done! So great! Love it. Thanks, Scott! Now maybe another one......?
