My Tattoos.

I currently possess two tattoos.
Originally, tattoos were the hallmark of Sailors or the highly eccentric. Tattoos are becoming more common place,
Tattoos are something I have always been intrigued by the act of permanent decorative scaring
I had them done by two different artists (Carly & Jory) at the Thirteenth Gate Studio in Boscombe, Bournemouth whilst away at Uni.

The Process:

I had been hinting to my Mother that I desperately wanted to get a tattoo for several months, and eventually at the end of a phone call I eventually got up the courage and managed to tell her I had booked to get one.

There are a huge amount of tattoo studios in Bournemouth so it was essential to find a good one. I did this by reading copious reviews, and looking at online portfolios. I then found the Thirteenth Gate and in particular thought that Carly Pickard's work was great. I then sent her some questions via her Facebook page and sent my design to her. She seemed pretty keen to do it and I booked to have it done.

Before being finally happy with my own design it went through several phases. I etched out the design in pencil, using a ruler and compass. Later I went over with a fine liner pen.
If you are considering getting a tattoo I would recommend drawing upon yourself with an eye liner pen or pencil first to examine the exact size and placement you are looking for. I also experimented with Henna a lot. This is how I worked out that a tattoo of 10cm in height would work well on the Left Side of my rib cage, giving enough space above and finishing where the smallest part of my waist sits. In terms of colour I decided that I wanted it to have clean lines, with a small amount of red in the leaves. I realise that vivid colour in tattoos have a tendency to fade quite drastically, and I want my tattoos to look as fresh as possible for as long as possible.

Designed on the 3rd of January 2014.

This was the exact design that I sent to the artist. It is comprised of: an old fashion compass (the kind that you find on the corner of old maps), black feather and a piece of floral design inspired by Pre Raphaelite Artists that I adore. The reason that I decided to have a compass is primarily as a throwback to the original culture of sailor tattoos which I find particularly interesting. Moreover, not only was the act of getting the tattoo something psychological, you're taking control of your body in a a way. For me compasses symbolise the act of decision making, and with this I am making a statement to myself that I am taking control, which is quite empowering. The feather is mainly because I like their texture and think that they are pretty.

Tattooed on the 17th January 2014.

(The N&S are reflected in this image).

When I told my Mother that I was getting the tattoo she asked me about the placement, and I said that I was going to get it on the Left side of my ribcage. She advised me to think about getting it on my back. When the first line was done I realised why. The ribcage is a particularly sensitive area. It is near lots of nerve endings and bone. Before you have a tattoo you should have made sure that you have eaten. You will also find that once you get past the initial pain your body creates its own type of painkillers. About an hour in my fingertips become numb, (I'm not sure if that's normal). The tattoo took roughly 2 hours to do. (It cost £100 to do, usually the Artist charges £60/hour.) Afterwards, cling film was applied, and then I was advised to have a hot bath to take the sting out of it. I bought bepanthen on the way home, after I had the bath I applied a decent layer. (I went through many tubes).To look after your tattoo you should not immerse it in water until it is fully healed, (about a month). You should also avoiding touching it unless your hands are spotlessly clean.

As you might imagine, having tattoos done is slightly addictive. You go home with a bit of decoration on your body and an adrenaline rush.

This is my second tattoo:

Designed on the 14th April 2014.

I had played around with several ideas before setting my heart on this one. I got it as a birthday treat to myself. I like stick and poke tattoos in particular, with its doodle like style. I don't necessarily think that you need to have a meaning for a tattoo, if you like the look of it enough to have it permanently on your body, that's a good enough reason.

There are indeed lots of little symbols in this one. The tea cup represents a delft tea cup that my Mother collected. (My Family on my Mother's side The 'Popham's or 'De Popham's originally came to England from Holland in the 1700s and I have a strong interest in Vermeer and Delft in general. One day I would like a skirting board of delft tiles.)

The 28 is my favourite number, mainly because this was my Grandmother's birthday and her door number. The ribbon is because I enjoy sewing.

The arrows are simply because I like the look of them, and have lots of them pinned on pinterest. The pencil is loosely to do with Art and drawing.

This tattoo is about 12cm in height. It sits parallel to my spine on the right side of my back. In a kind of asymmetry to my first tattoo.

In comparison to my first tattoo the pain was negligible. It only took 35/40 minutes to do and cost £40.

Tattooed on the 18th April 2014.

In the future I will most likely be getting another tattoo. Despite the fact that I have been advised by my Mother to stop, she doesn't like the idea of me being covered, and I don't either particularly. I think, as long as you can easily cover your tattoos up for a professional scenario there is little issue with having them.

I also want to have a go at stick n poke tattoos.

This is my idea of a stick n poke on the inside of my right ankle. (I like Michael Craig Martin and Punk).