1. Did I cry? - No, I can very proudly say that the big wussy usual crybaby girl did not cry! AND I have video evidence to prove it :)
2. Did it hurt? - Hmm, now this one is a little more complicated than just yes or no, so I'm going to take you through my journey and answer it at each of the stages.
So here we go, Diary of a Clean Skin Part II - Losing my ink virginity.
Knowing me as he does, my man was pretty confident that a couple of things were going to happen on Saturday the 11th August 2012, and the eve of. Firstly was that I would be excited, and absolutely I was. Second that I would most likely cry during my tattoo experience as my pain threshold is pretty low and I have a propensity to burst into tears at the smallest signs of pain, stress, happiness or PMT. I am incredibly proud to announce that although it was tempting at times, it was a different kind of pain and didn't warrant tears. Thirdly, that although I was excited, I was also incredibly anxious about how well I was going to handle the experience, so he expected me to have a terrible restless sleep Friday night filled with panic attacks or just no sleep at all. To be honest I was totally with him on that point too, but I surprised both of us when I actually slept really soundly.
Knowing me as he does, my man was pretty confident that a couple of things were going to happen on Saturday the 11th August 2012, and the eve of. Firstly was that I would be excited, and absolutely I was. Second that I would most likely cry during my tattoo experience as my pain threshold is pretty low and I have a propensity to burst into tears at the smallest signs of pain, stress, happiness or PMT. I am incredibly proud to announce that although it was tempting at times, it was a different kind of pain and didn't warrant tears. Thirdly, that although I was excited, I was also incredibly anxious about how well I was going to handle the experience, so he expected me to have a terrible restless sleep Friday night filled with panic attacks or just no sleep at all. To be honest I was totally with him on that point too, but I surprised both of us when I actually slept really soundly.
So far then, so good, I'd managed to fulfil one of the cardinal rules of inking that had been passed down to me from those in the know - don't drink any alcohol and get a good night sleep the night before. I successfully obeyed Rule number 1.
Rule number 2 was to make sure I ate before I got tattooed. I did manage to eat a little bit, I would have liked to have managed more but I do have the complication of a gastric band that inhibits my ability to swallow food when anxious, so I did my best on this point.
So we arrived at Platinum Ink just before the appointed time of 11:00am, and as Jane had me filling out the paperwork, a strange thing happened. As we walked in I seriously in the back of my mind began to question about whether I was going to be capable of going through with 3 or more hours of goodness knows what pain. But as soon as she showed me the drawing again and put it against my arm to ensure the sizing was right, an incredible calm came over me, which quickly turned to incredible excitement, and I couldn't wait to be sitting in that chair and get going.
Ready to go - paper work is done :)
So as Jane got me prepped, I talked to the other artists and of course had my darling man with me making sure I was ok, and I think even he was shocked at how relaxed I was at this point. When the other artists discovered it was my first, they couldn't wait to see how I was going to react to that first scrape of the needle against my skin as Jane began the outline.
Fortunately, I've been seen enough tattoos done to not be freaked out by the noise of the machines. I knew the machine used for the outline was going to be loud, but I liked that, it was kind of like a warning that we were about to commence as it made it's first contact with my skin.
I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that it tickled, because that is definitely not the case! But it also wasn't the shock to my system that I was expecting it to be either, and as such I have a classic comment from one of the other tattooists and Darrin as Darrin has the camera trained on my face waiting for my reaction. If you listen closely you can hear their disappointment!
And so it begins!
So what did it feel like? Well you know what it is like when you accidentally scrape a safety pin across your skin? Well imagine doing that over and over until you just about can't take another stroke of it, and then it stops, or when a cat gets you with it's claws! Jane knew just the right moment to take the needle off my skin and I was fine. The outline took around 45 minutes and it actually went quicker than I thought it would. Of course there were a few moments when my facial expressions would have been classics, especially when she was working down on my wrist. That damn bird's tail caused lots of burning!
Outline completed
Outline and black completed
Rule number 3 was to make sure that I kept hydrated with whatever my beverage of choice may be. A lot of people tend to drink energy drinks, which unfortunately my body can't tolerate, so I alternated between Mizone water and diet coke and sipped whenever I felt I needed it.
I waited until all the black outline and shading was completed before taking my first real break, which at this point was 90 mins in. By this point I was really relaxed with what was being done, and had gone from talking my head off as my method of distraction, to being totally fascinated in watching Jane work.
After we had commenced 2 guys came in to be tattooed. One guy was having a rib piece worked on which from all accounts was beyond painful. The guy next to me they kept teasing because although he already had a full sleeve completed, and the outline of half the next one done, he lasted about 10 mins sitting in the chair before he needed to lay down and they kept telling him to grow a pair as I was doing brilliantly on my first piece!
Black and shading completed - time now for the colour!
As the colour was pushed into my skin, the burn didn't really start until we got to the highlighting. When Jane coloured in the word Eternal I barely felt a thing, but by the time she was adding the white into the banner, which was the very last thing I was ready to give it up!
3hrs and feeling the burn!
So as we started the colour, I was relaxed enough that I needed Rule number 4 - make sure you have sugar with you. When we stopped at the servo to get my drinks I also grabbed some mixed lollies. Now I know this is so your body gets some sugar kicks and keeps you regulated, but to be honest, now that I was feeling good I was starving! So being able to pop a few lollies as we progressed was a good thing, and just a tip - when they hit a not so ticklish spot, if you can bite down on a jelly baby it helps take the focus off the pain too!
Does the colour hurt more than the outline?
So many people ask this question, myself included and everyone has a different answer! The 2 machines are very different, and different tattooists have their favourite brands and types. There are different needle groupings and machinery. The outline is done in single lines, where the machinery for colour allows them to work in circles. Some artists have bigger equipment, with more needles for the colour which allows them to work faster, pushing more ink into the skin at one time. This will of course hurt more than an artist who prefers to work slower, lifting the needle from the skin more regularly. But at the end of the day, whichever you prefer, or the way your artist works it is still going hurt. How much you let it hurt is probably more the point!
Anything that is constant, on the same spot or interlinked nerve endings is going to hurt after a time. No matter what Jane did on my wrist it was more extreme than working on the fleshier part of my forearm. And by the time we got to that last bit of highlighting, anywhere she touched hurt like a bitch as every nerve ending by this point on that part of my arm had inadvertently or intentionally been worked on somewhere in the last 3 hours, so the burn was more intense by this point in time.
But I got myself really early on into a breathing pattern that I could sustain, and when the pain was more 'bitey' I closed my eyes and breathed deeply through it, kind of like I guess how you see them do it in the movies when they are giving birth! Did I look silly? Yep I did, but it worked for me, so I don't particularly care!
No tears - but you'll get the idea lol
When the final touches were made and Jane cleaned off my arm I was in a state somewhere between relief and excitement still. I was so happy with the job she did that I almost could have cried then from happiness! But I was also relieved that the actual work was completed. I know now that at around 2hrs 50mins to 3hrs I tap out and am ready to stop. This is good to know for future sessions (and yes, the experience was a positive one and I'm ready to get more!).
All done - still bleeding a little at this point, but man it looks good!
Rule number 5 then is about the after care of your tattoo. It seems everyone has their own stories and advice here too, but the most common advice is this: Leave it wrapped for about 2hrs after the tattoo is finished then have a shower. Wash it really gently with a non perfumed liquid soap, or if you prefer Protat Cleanser, put a thin layer of bepanthan or tattoo specialist cream on it to keep it moist and help it heal, and repeat this morning and night for about 2 weeks. This will help to keep the tattoo moist and free from infection to allow the top layer to peel off.
Some artists recommend Paw Paw ointment, but unless you have used it on your un-inked skin before I would not recommend it as I have had numerous friends who have had bad experience with it on freshly inked skin.
Now your tattoo will look manky as the tattoo peels, but it is all a natural part of the healing process.
It will also get itchy as it heals so Rule number 6 is DO NOT SCRATCH! If it gets itchy you can slap it, but don't scratch - you could pull out the ink or get it infected. The peeling will usually start after about 3 or 4 days and your tattoo will start to look a little dull as those deep saturated top layers of skin begin to come off, but the new skin underneath will be beautiful and soft and representative of the real colour that it will be. This peeling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
I'm now just over 3 weeks in and I'm done with that, although I'm told it will take a few months for the colour to really settle into my skin.
Healed - so happy with it!
So what don't they tell you???
Maybe I just never though to ask, but what I wasn't prepared for was the next few days and how it would feel.
I think the post inking 'burn' was in fact worse sometimes than the actual experience as my arm began to heal. The first time I put my arm under the water to wash it as instructed I nearly hit the roof when the warm water touched me! Nobody had thought to tell me about that one! It feels like a really severe sunburn and of course my arm was swollen for a day or 2 which made it sensitive to touch. But after that initial shock it only took a couple of days for the swelling to go down and for it to feel fine in the water. It also felt a little stretched with the ink on the swollen skin, so keeping it creamed up help keep in the moisture and it has healed beautifully! Clothing aggravated it a little bit too as it healed, but again it didn't take long for that to stop happening either once that layer of skin had peeled.
So now that I have lost my ink virginity, felt the pain and know what to expect, will I do it again??
In fact I've already spoken to Jane about a piece for my leg and I've got ideas ready to chat to Toby about the other side of my left arm! But both of those won't be until the new year, getting tattooed is a rather expensive hobby!
So now that I have lost my ink virginity, felt the pain and know what to expect, will I do it again??
HELL YES!
In fact I've already spoken to Jane about a piece for my leg and I've got ideas ready to chat to Toby about the other side of my left arm! But both of those won't be until the new year, getting tattooed is a rather expensive hobby!
A huge thank you to Jane Stuart from Platinum Ink Tattoo for my amazing piece of artwork and for making my first experience such a good one.
Danielle xxx
