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My
first tattoo experience totally rocked! My dad (a former Marine with
plenty of ink himself) knew what to look for an approved a studio for
me to be tattooed at. He said he would sign for it since I was only 17,
all I had to do was save up the money to get it. Seemed almost too good
to be true. I saved the money for the quoted cost of the tattoo, and
went to my dad all excited. He frowned at me. He said I had to tip the
tattoo artist too. He didn't previously inform me of this. I was
irritated. I asked him how much more I had to save. He told me. I was
bummed, as I had blown the rest of the money from my paycheck. A slow
two weeks passed before I had the rest of the money needed in hand. I
gave it to my dad for safe keeping. He made my appointment. I was
excited, I thought the appointed day would never arrive. I could barely
sleep the night before, I was filled with excitement and nervous
anticipation.
On the appointed day, my dad and I left the house early. We stopped at
the local grocery store. My dad handed me a five dollar bill and told
me to get a package of jolly rancher hard candies and a bottle of
sprite. I looked confused and asked why I needed to purchase these
items. He said since I was a diabetic, it was to help with the blood
sugar spikes and that I should just shut my mouth and get my butt into
gear. I frowned at him, but went to purchase the aforementioned items.
We arrived at the tattoo studio approximately fifteen minutes before my
appointment time. I looked at my dad. He said it was better manners to
arrive early as tattoo artists only make money when they have clients
in the chair, and being late could hurt the artists income flow. My dad
talked to the receptionist and filled out the needed paperwork to have
his minor child tattooed. I didn't realize he had brought my school id
and birth certificate with us, along with my drivers license.
So I sat in the waiting room for what felt like an eternity. Finally my
name was called, and I walked to the back of the studio with my dad and
Mark the tattoo artist. He pulled out the stencil for my tattoo and
asked if it was what I had hoped for. I told him it was more than I had
hoped for. He was pleased. He sprayed cold stuff on my leg, then shaved
it. I said I had shaved it just that morning. He said he wasn't trying
to insult the shave job I had done that morning, but the skin had to be
absolutely hair free for the tattoo to be perfect. I said he would know
he was the professional. He smiled again. He then placed the stencil on
my leg and asked me too look in the mirror to approve its location. I
said it was perfect. He smiled again. He put on latex free gloves and
started to put ink in the itty bitty individual cups. One cup for every
color and there was going to be a good deal of color in my tattoo. The
he started opening the needle packets. I looked at my dad for a split
second. He said this was normal, and that I should relax.
Finally after Mark had made all of his preparations he said we were
ready to begin. I held my dad's hand as Mark began the outline. We
talked about everything from how cool my dad was to sign for me, to
music, books, and other artists we both admired. I was so into the
conversation I barely felt a thing. When the outline was finished my
dad made me drink a little of the sprite since he said I turned a nice
shade of pale. Thanks dad. After my dad finished his fussing, Mark
began to fill the tattoo outline in with color. The whole tattoo took
about an hour and ten minutes. Finally it was done. Mark sprayed more
cold stuff on me, wiped my new tattoo clean and told me to check it out
in the mirror. I did. I was so psyched. I was so thrilled I have him a
hug. My dad said it was really nice work and shook Mark's hand. Mark
bandaged me up, and gave me a list of aftercare instructions. My dad
and I gathered up all of our stuff, paid the receptionist and tipped
Mark and we were on our way.
After we left the tattoo studio, my dad kissed me on the forehead and
said a first tattoo was a rite of passage, and he was glad he could
help his little girl with hers.
Looking back on it now, I'm so unbelievably lucky and happy my dad went
with me. My dad knew the signs of a good studio, and took the time to
research the studios in the area. My dad rocks, and so did my first
tattoo experience because of him!!!! ...
Killer Tattoo Designs, Art, Photos and more can be found at Tattoo Design Central by visiting
http://tattoodesign.90percentattitude.com. Bethie Santry is the author of Your First Tattoo --
http://tattoodesign.90percentattitude.com/firsttattoo.html -- a top selling tell-all, 12 step guide for everything you need to know BEFORE getting your first tattoo.
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