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Elza’s Fairy Tattoo

This is my fourth tattoo. It is a fairy tattoo - I got it as a birthday present for myself. The original plan was to have it on my belly but since I wanted the details as much as possible, I decided to put her on my hip.

I always wanted a fairy tattoo. All my other tattoos have been about something symbolic and simple (an infinity symbol on my lower back and my initial on my right foot), and one was to cover a scar (a flower on my left leg above the ankle).

To have this piece of art work on my body strengthens my love for tattoos. The process took about four hours and yes, it was painful. I can’t stop admiring this one and it feels good knowing that I now have my own fairy to keep me safe.

-Elza

Tattoo artist: Clay McKay from Anonymous Tattoo, Savannah, GA

Christine’s Native American Turtle Tattoo

I lived in Florida for two years while I earned my associates degree. I am part Native American, and I have lived in five different cities. I always go to any pow wows held in the area. I loved living in Florida so much that when I saw the tattoo artist at the pow wow, I knew I wanted a tattoo to remember it by. I have only one other tattoo, and it’s from my home town.

I chose a Native turtle design because of the colors, because turtles live a long time (I would like to live over 100 years), and because turtles carry their homes with them, so they are always at home. I’ve lived all over, but I’ve always felt at home because I bring me with me.

- Christine

Becca’s Bike Lady Tattoo

Last year, after a lifetime of being non-athletic and just generally not taking very good care of myself, I started biking with some regularity. This May, I registered for a 2-day fundraising cycling event (www.rideforthefeast.org) that, if I completed it, would include my first century (i.e., 100 miles in a single day; a big deal to cyclists). I told myself that if I completed the century portion of the ride, I’d get a new tattoo to commemorate the achievement. Participating in the event symbolized my commitment to care for my community; completing the event symbolized my commitment to care for myself. Both of those commitments were so important to me that they needed to be marked and celebrated. One week after biking my first century, that celebration happened.

Many people have asked about the tattoo design. It’s original. I sent links to two images (www.melkadel.com/drawings/medium/wheel_shoe_in_garden.jpg and www.terrybicycles.com/product_images/display/7124000.gif) to a dear friend and fellow cyclist and told her I was hoping the tattoo artist could come up with something in between. She sent me back a rough drawing and said, “do you mean something like this?” In fact, I meant something exactly like that. (And no, she’s not a graphic artist. She’s an ER doctor. However, in addition to restarting hearts and soothing drunks, she also has a knack for realizing her friends’ vaguely stated tattoo concepts.)

The work was done by Bill, owner of the Baltimore Tattoo Museum (www.baltotat.com). He is also a cyclist, and he totally loved the design. In fact, he took one look at it and exclaimed, “wow, can I do this?” Bill is a great guy. He is one of those guys who you get the sense would give you his kidney if he thought you really needed it, even if he didn’t know you very well. But despite his obvious heart of gold, the thing that most endeared Bill to me was when, as he was working on the tattoo’s outline, he paused and said, “Heh, your bike lady has a boob.” He was goofy, fun, smart, and excited for me about what I had achieved athletically. Awesome.

-becca

Tattoo by: Bill at the Baltimore Tattoo Museum

The V tattoo is for my favorite nickname, Vieve. I’ve wanted to get a tattoo for a while, and I’m thinking about eventually getting a larger piece on my back of an ocean wave (my name means “white wave”), but I wanted something smaller for my first one.

A tattoo is something I never really thought I would get, I guess because it’s something I thought I shouldn’t want. Maybe I would regret it later. Maybe it would say something about me that I didn’t want other people to think. But I did want one, and so I decided, why not? If it’s something I want, I should do it. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and learning about myself lately. Instead of trying to figure out what other people want me to be or focusing on what I wish I were, I’m trying to figure out who I really am. Slowly getting there, and it turns out I like this real me a lot!

The V reminds me that I am me, if that makes any sense. I love it.

The left side is straight and strong, and the right side is delicate and whimsical. This represents me pretty well, I think. I got it in dark green ink because, well, I like the color green, and also because I love green living things.

I modified the Rossetti font a bit for the design, and Markus at Kaleidoscope (Cambridge, MA) cleaned up the drawing I doodled on the back of my cable bill and did the work.

- Genevieve

This tattoo is about my first heartbreak. When my first love and I permanently split I decided to get this tattoo, both the cleanse some of the pain, mark the time, and to make a promise to myself. I decided that no matter how much it hurt I wasn’t going to be bitter or give up my dream which is this tattoo. A complete circle created by two complimentary elements, that of the masculine and feminine.

I designed this one myself, but it was a combination of artists who created the final image you see here. First I described it to a friend named Bernie who drew it out. The first tatto artist to work on it was a guy named Kelly, a Mormon biker in Reno. He filled in the male side really well, but only traced out the female side minimally. I sat for him about 2 hours.

Years later in Seattle I went to see an artist named Magenta in a shop on Broadway and she put another 2.5 hours of ink into it. She basically did the female side herself - sort of freelance. I just let her go. I liked her work so well, I trusted her to do it right. She also put back in the yellow which had faded from the firey parts. The photo I have here is years after Magenta’s work, so a lot of the yellow has faded again.

I really enjoy this tattoo and I have absolutely no regrets about it.

-Daerice