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I hope the title of this experience doesn’t scare people who are planning a first tattoo. I want my experience to serve as a warning, so that other people don’t have to go through what I did.
- Bad Tattoo
At age 17 I had wanted a tattoo for a while. I had drawn various designs, usually while bored in class, but had no definite designs, or even basic ideas. All that really mattered was that I got a tattoo- the type, placement, and even artist was irellevant. I had a friend who shared my desire- she was a step closer than I was however, as her parents both had several tattoos, and her brother was the president of the local tattoo club. My unpierced, uninked parents had ignored my desires to be tattooed, and so there was no support there.
One day my friend was telling me about the upcoming Napier Tattoo Convention. Her parents were both entering, and she was going to help backstage. She then casually mentioned that her parents had said it was ok for her to get a tattoo done at the convention. I begged her to let me come to the convention too, so I could get a tattoo as well. She talked to her brother, who said I would be able to help out backstage as well, and that if we had some free time I could get tattooed. I was really excited and began gathering as much money as I could- washing windows, cars etc.
The night before the convention I stayed at my friend’s place. I looked at all the awards her parents had won for their tattoos. Not surprisingly, I got almost no sleep. I decided I wanted something relating to my star-sign- Pisces. I had a teeshirt with two little cartoon fish swimming in a circle, which I decided would be a good base. However, I wanted to fish to be celtic, as I have celtic blood and my name – Caitlin – is Celtic.
The next day was chaos. I spent hours running round after huge guys with full suits of tattoos, rubbing lotion into them to help accentuate their colours. I never through I would see men in G-strings, but soon I didn’t even blink. They were all lovely, and I learnt a lot about stereotyping that day. People who I would usually avoid were proving to be more friendly than people I ususally spend time with!
There were three artists working at the convention, set up opposite the stage with all their equipment. They were using regular school chairs for people to sit on, which looked pretty uncomfortable. I watched someone have work done on a huge leg-piece, and my friend’s brother got a head tattoo, which impressed me more than anything! My friend’s parents recommended a certain artist, who I won’t name, and as they were both tattooed I was happy to take their advice. I went up to him and asked for a quote for a small pisces tattoo. He said $60, which I was happy with.I paid cash, and there was never any mention of ID- lucky, since I was only 17.
I looked through the flash but didn’t see anything I wanted. I was scribbling on paper, trying to come up with something while he tattooed my friend, and settled on a design which had the ‘h’ shape of the pisces symbol with a fish between each of the two ‘arms’. I drew a sort of weaving on the fish, which satisfied my desire for a celtic look. When my friend was finished, I hopped on the chair, and lowered my jeans for the stencil, which was placed low on my belly, towards my hip. I had to sit very slouched on the chair for the artist to be at the right angle, and my butt went numb almost instantly. It was extremely uncomfortable, and that was before the tattooing begun.
I remember thinking ‘now I have marked skin’ as he made the first line. It STUNG. I was in so much pain that I twisted in my seat, and my skin began to spasm. I have never been in so much pain in my life. The tattoo took about an hour but it felt like hours. People were constantly watching me, since it was a very busy convention, and I was trying to hold back tears the whole time. The intensity of the pain was highest when the skin over my hipbone was tattooed, and when he went over the same spot. It was all I could do to not cry out, and as soon as he finished I was incredibly happy- not with the tattoo, but that the pain had stopped.
The rest of the convention went in a blur as I tried to stop my jeans rubbing on my raw oozing skin.
The thrill of being tattooed never hit me. I went from happiness when he finished to hatred of my new tattoo. It was a lot larger than I initially thought, and the fine design of the fish was ruined in places where my skin had twitched. Also, the artist was VERY heavy handed, which I discovered when the raised scarring wouldn’t go down- today, two years later, I can still feel the lines.
I have learnt a lot since that horrible experience. First of all, I wouldn’t recommend getting a tattoo when you’re seventeen. Simple, because if you can’t wait one year to get a tattoo, then chances are you won’t be able to wait to choose something which has meaning that will last forever. Second, a convention is great for ideas and meeting people, but I wouldn’t get a first tattoo there. Too many other people distract you from the experience, and you get sick of answering questions while you’re in agony. Third, research the artist. Prehaps mine was having an off day, but I now have a raised tattoo. Look through their portfolio, especially at their healed photos. Next, plan your design. Fortunately, my design was saved a year later by a much more talented artist, who had to go over every line of the tattoo, and added more to it so that it blended better with my body.
Finally, GO SOMEWHERE WITH COMFORTABLE CHAIRS! If you’re going to be in pain you might as well be comfortable.
My first tattoo was not a pleasant experience. I hope that by reading this, someone else will have an easier time. I have since learnt a lot about tattooing through BME, and I wish I had been wise enough to research properly before I marked my skin. Happy tattooing!
P.S. If you have made a thoughtful decision to get a tattoo, we have some recommendations: Best Tattoo Design Sites .
