piccalilli

5 days straight about 40 hours give or take, this is as far as we got, about 1.5 - 2 sessions left. done by dan molloy. these 5 days on my back was easier than my 3 days b2b on my arm. kinda regretting not booking 6 or 7 sessions instead to get it done. 

Further on this girl. Today was pretty rough for me. Shading is harder than the outline. More tomorrow.

Ass shot? Check
Lower back painful? Check
Omg, the flames and scales on the claw directly above the ass crack...
But we're getting there! Probably one more session to finish the back... and then start on my right cheek/leg

Henning requested pics of my healed back with a black background. Believe it or not, it was tough finding large enough black material like a curtain or spool of cloth but luckily my local dry cleaner had something I could borrow. I had to email him LARGE files because he may publish the photos in something. Fun looking at all the details. Maximize your browser!

Hey Folks-
I am a filmmaker and tattoo enthusiast. I've been going to the Greenpoint Tattoo Company in Brooklyn, New York for five years now and the owner (John Reardon) and I have always joked about Parks and Rec set in a tattoo shop. Well, we made it- albeit in web series form. It can be seen here for free: 
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
There is a bit more information and a binge watch version on www.inkincshow.com. It stars a few other tattooers and plenty of weird clients. We really wanted to stay true to tattooing and expose some of the more annoying things artists deal with on a day to day basis. I hope you enjoy it. 

I wanted to share this sad but informative long-form piece from Jezebel called "The Tattoo Industry Is Having Its Own Wrenching, Revelatory 'Me Too' Moment."
Personally, I (a woman) have been tattooed by three different men, and all of them were nothing but professional. I cannot imagine the horror and helplessness I would feel if a tattooer decided to sexually assault me while I was being tattooed! Talk about a vulnerable position! On the other side of the coin, it is disgusting to think that some female tattooers have had to put up with sexually suggestive comments/actions/pictures/etc. from clients while attempting to provide them with professional service.
I hope no one here has a story like that.
It is mentioned in the article as "an old cliché," but I think one of the more dangerous and harmful myths out there about women with tattoos is that we are "sexually available, and that [our] tattoos are there for men's pleasure." I am ready for that twisted belief to die a cold, hard death. Forever.

https://m.imgur.com/a/y19vdiz
Got the one arm done now (pictures won't attach for some reason)

My tiger half sleeve was finished on Tuesday.  Super happy with it and how well it's healing.  Work by Kevin Stress at Enso Tattoo in Columbus, OH.  Great artist and shop, would recommend to anyone.  Let me know what you think!
 

An action shot with me on the near table.

<<<Photos borrowed from the artist's IG>>>

So, I recall being asked if I was going to do the other side after I posted my left side's tattoo here some months ago... yes, yes yes, fine, you win; you were right. I couldn't leave it unbalanced.
Discussed it with Horifuji after my last appointment for the left side and I asked him what he would suggest. He suggested Sojobo on the right shoulder to keep the theme consistent. The karasu tengu on the left shoulder would need to be supervised, anyway.
Horifuji at State of Grace in San Jose USA. Outline and details machine, almost all colour tebori. 
Great shop, great people, great experience, great artist. Links to his Instagram posts as the photos are much clearer than what I can do.
And both sides from the front...
 
 

Would it surprise you if I said I have pondered that, @scottyg?

Would it surprise you if I said I have pondered that, @scottyg?

time for the backpiece....

So, I recall being asked if I was going to do the other side after I posted my left side's tattoo here some months ago... yes, yes yes, fine, you win; you were right. I couldn't leave it unbalanced.
Discussed it with Horifuji after my last appointment for the left side and I asked him what he would suggest. He suggested Sojobo on the right shoulder to keep the theme consistent. The karasu tengu on the left shoulder would need to be supervised, anyway.
Horifuji at State of Grace in San Jose USA. Outline and details machine, almost all colour tebori. 
Great shop, great people, great experience, great artist. Links to his Instagram posts as the photos are much clearer than what I can do.
And both sides from the front...
 
 

Yep. Now you just need to continue on down the torso . . . both sides! ;)

Wow, @piccalillithose are outstanding! They fit together beautifully.

So, I recall being asked if I was going to do the other side after I posted my left side's tattoo here some months ago... yes, yes yes, fine, you win; you were right. I couldn't leave it unbalanced.
Discussed it with Horifuji after my last appointment for the left side and I asked him what he would suggest. He suggested Sojobo on the right shoulder to keep the theme consistent. The karasu tengu on the left shoulder would need to be supervised, anyway.
Horifuji at State of Grace in San Jose USA. Outline and details machine, almost all colour tebori. 
Great shop, great people, great experience, great artist. Links to his Instagram posts as the photos are much clearer than what I can do.
And both sides from the front...
 
 

So, I recall being asked if I was going to do the other side after I posted my left side's tattoo here some months ago... yes, yes yes, fine, you win; you were right. I couldn't leave it unbalanced.
Discussed it with Horifuji after my last appointment for the left side and I asked him what he would suggest. He suggested Sojobo on the right shoulder to keep the theme consistent. The karasu tengu on the left shoulder would need to be supervised, anyway.
Horifuji at State of Grace in San Jose USA. Outline and details machine, almost all colour tebori. 
Great shop, great people, great experience, great artist. Links to his Instagram posts as the photos are much clearer than what I can do.
And both sides from the front...
 
 

Finally got to visit State of Grace and get my Molly Monmon Cat from Horitomo!
He did an amazing job. Just spectacular. I sent several pictures of her and some descriptions of her favorite things, her personality and her character. She *loved* shrimp sushi and got an entire order for her 16th birthday, right before we lost her to cancer. Horitomo created a picture of her in heaven with a halo and surrounded by her favorite things - including that she is surrounded by catnip! The face is perfect. I gave him a decent size square footage and told him he could expand beyond the cat and add other elements. Her face is perfect. When he showed me the sketch, my eyes just teared up.
It was neat to be tattooed on the platform in the shop. It is a little sanctuary with neat drawings, books and items on shelves. He is a quiet gentle soul.
I tried tebori for the whites and I probably would not do it again. For many areas, I didn't even feel the first 4-5 pokes. It just felt like a shoving pressure but there was *no* pain. Then the last several shoves were painful. But around my hip was bad all around. I'm glad I did it, though.
Crashing out now holed up in the hotel with mom. <3 <3 <3

more black!
 

coming together great!!!

So, I recall being asked if I was going to do the other side after I posted my left side's tattoo here some months ago... yes, yes yes, fine, you win; you were right. I couldn't leave it unbalanced.
Discussed it with Horifuji after my last appointment for the left side and I asked him what he would suggest. He suggested Sojobo on the right shoulder to keep the theme consistent. The karasu tengu on the left shoulder would need to be supervised, anyway.
Horifuji at State of Grace in San Jose USA. Outline and details machine, almost all colour tebori. 
Great shop, great people, great experience, great artist. Links to his Instagram posts as the photos are much clearer than what I can do.
And both sides from the front...
 
 

Saniderm typically doesn't hold up when the body heats up and sweats and will soon peel off after some time. Different people will react differently to Saniderm and some people will have different experiences themselves on separate tattoos. I've noticed that on certain parts of the body where the saniderm may stretch or shrink depending on the movement of your body that there can be irritation under and/or around the film. Depending on the level of pain you're experiencing and the visible irritation, that will most likely be your call to make on removal. I have also experienced some mild discomfort the first day I apply saniderm. I will wait around 24-36 hours(depending on the size of the tattoo and amount of tattooing) after getting tattooed to clean the tattoo and let it air out and dry a bit then apply a layer of saniderm as to avoid the build-up of plasma and other fluids. Hope this helps!

<10 days until I finally get back to Horitomo! Happy but nervous about pain tolerance, hopefully we'll make some good progress!

We're done! The previous two day session didnt' go as well as the few before it had, I ended up having a pretty bad case of hitting the wall hard enough to lump my noggin. So I was concerned about the final session... but I did much better during those 5 or so hours a few days ago and here we are! Total I think ~35 hours, maybe deduct one or two total for breaks etc. That tengu has the exasperated smarmy expression I would expect it to have having had a teenage Yoshitsune (nee Ushiwakamaru) thwack it with a wooden sword.
Horifuji's instagram has some clearer pictures from before we applied the film on it (as you can tell it was a bit ticked off and seepy by that point).
(by Horifuji @ State of Grace, San Jose , CA, USA)
Feels a bit weird plopping this on teh intertoobz but I am so pleased with my experience* that I wanted give him and the whole shop a shout-out.
 
 
*minus the hurty being- poked-with-needles part.

Best Instagram Feed: How Not To Get Tattooed.