New Acquisition

My new tattoos. Finally got them, a couple of months back.  I had been wanting them for the longest time, and I finally got round to it.  I am SO happy!

I knew I wanted old skool swallows with Them Two's names on, but I was waiting for the right time, the right artist, and the right "Go on! You know you want to!". So I scouted around a bit online for London artists' portfolios, saw Jaclyn Rehe's work and was immediately smitten. And then I decided this was the perfect way and time to collect some super lovely art as a souvenir (of sort) of my stay in London.

The great Jaclyn Rehe working on me.  2 hours of whirring, buzzing, bleeding and idle chit-chat...

This is Jaclyn Rehe.  She hails from Australia and currently works out of Good Times Tattoo up in Shoreditch, fronted by Nikole Lowe of Discovery Channel's London Ink fame.

Jaclyn is the cutest little button in the entire button shop, but is one mean old skool tattoo artist.  Her work is curiously timeless, because the theme, subjects and form are so traditional, yet her slight cubist lean gives her art that little handsome quirk and a modern edge.  I mean, how cool is it that my traditional swallows match-but-don't-match?!  Check.  It.  Out!

Fresh from the shop...

... and, some days later, in full scabby glory.

It was a tad tricky, and  bit of a pain (to say the least), that these had to heal under full sleeves (this was February/March), and through days of school runs, cooking and cleaning.  But look at them now, and you know it was all worth it. *happy sigh* :)

New Acquisition

Stunningly similar to the one on my Lust List, no?

These are from ZARA. I was thinking of getting the dove-grey version, but I thought the brown looked nicer with my tattoo. :)

Healing, peeling and itchin' like hell

Here it is, "in full technicolor". The other day, I had another "Why such a scary-looking tattoo?" query. I said, "Coz it's a very traditional tattoo. It's like when you get married, you want to wear white right?" Now, how did I come up with THAT one? (Pat on the back. :D)

Last night, I had a dream, and it involved a very itchy arm. I woke up to myself scratching at my tattoo. And after that it was so painful I had to get out of bed, put some aloe vera gel on it, wait for it to dry up, then lie in bed with my eyes wide open 'coz now it was impossible to go back to sleep. This was 4am.

In any case, isn't it gorgeous?... Oh, the things we'll do to look pretty...

My tattoo

This is my tattoo. It's an age-old Japanese tattoo image, of a hanya mask, used in traditional Japanese Noh theatre. Masks with different expressions are used in Noh theatre to depict various characters and emotions, while the actors/dancers play out their roles.

The hanya mask is specifically used to represent a woman incensed with jealousy, all out to seek revenge. The bulging eyes, the exposed fangs, the straggly hair, all point to a woman who has clearly lost her mind. And is all out to make sure "somebody gonna get a hurt real bad."

So in essence, it's a fierce tattoo. Since getting it done, I have had countless queries "Why a demon??", "Why so scary??". Really, I just like the art. The detail of facts, like the bulging eyes and the straggly hair, and the how the emotion is depicted graphically.

When Maya's friends ask, I say "I think it's pretty to decorate my body with art. Your mummy wears mascara and blush, I wear my tattoos. :)". When Ruhi's friends ask, those whose parents allow them to ask (some actually get shushed and quickly escorted away, like I have a contagious disease or something), I say, "This is to scare away the bad guys and monsters who want to disturb me. :)". I always do it with a big smile, to try and take away the stigma of only prisoners, killers and mad people have tattoos. I hope it makes a difference to young impressionable minds... :D

Tonight, I have another appointment to get it coloured. I am not looking forward to the pain. 2-3 hours of sitting there, having my armed scratched over repeatedly with a little needle. The blood, the scabbing... hmmm. And the next five days of healing, of having to sleep in a single position so as not to roll onto this giant wound, of having searing pain with every accidental touch and every time I take a shower.

But I love it, really. At the end of it all, I get to walk around with this gorgeous, gorgeous piece of art on me. :D

I can't wait!!