my new tattoo

take a look at my new tattoo. i think he's awesome. this picture was taken minutes after i got it. this peacock is called a "cailech" peacock. it's celtic but to me looks a little like a rooster. but it's not. notice the weaving of the tail. you'll notice that the greens and yellow look a little muddy but that's because there is blood underneath the skin. it will take several days for that to go away but then the color will pop out. it might not look big but in reality it's a big piece for me. the stencil was about 4"x6" but gets bigger when i stretch out my back.

brad's sister anna came down this weekend and brought her tatto equipment with her. months ago i had mentioned that i wanted another tattoo. and i finally decided on this one. after coloring in the picture hundreds of different ways, brad, anna and i came up with this coloring. and i am very pleased by the look. it reminds me of a rainbow.

so on thursday night i went over to brads. brad was gone golfing and it was only anna and i. i'm glad that this experience started with only her and i. i was nervous and scared. nervous because it was permanent and scared because i knew it was going to hurt and i didn't know if i would be able to stand the pain.

so we start. the black lines come first. and the pain started. for those who have never received a tattoo, to me it feels like someone is dragging a needle deep into your skin. and that is what is happening. 5 needles are used to draw the black lines, which hurts more than the shading that uses 15 needles. it's important to stay very still for the black lines, which anna said i did very well. but for those who know me i am very figgetty and can't stay still for very long. the outline took an hour to do. by that time my endorphins had kicked in but didn't take away the pain. after the black lines came the shading. anna used 12 colors in this tattoo, which i understand to be alot of color. the shading took about 2 1/2 hours to complete. after about 3 hours your body has stopped producing endorphins and for me that last 1/2 hour felt like it was never going to end. but it did end. and i am very pleased with it. now comes the healing. and right now it feels like someone has burned my back. but i know that will go away soon and i will be left with a piece of art that will always be with me to the day i die.

this tattoo marks my 40 years of living. it was painful but life can be painful. no pain no gain-right? there are also a lot of symbolisms with the peacock but too many to mention here. my other tattoo is of a peacock feather that i got in my 30's. i find peacocks to be beautiful and after years of reading about them i have found that almost every culture has a legend or reverence of peacocks. i find my self fortunate to have had anna do my tattoo. i love her a lot and find her very talented. she was patient with me and allowed me to be myself during the process. something that a person at a tattoo parlor would have never allowed. and in turn the pain became more tolerable.

so after 3 1/2 hours of pain and probably days of discomfort the question arises, "will i get another one?" you bet your ass i will.