It's not bad, but it's not perfect. I guess if I took the time and used string to line everything up and all that, I could have gotten it perfect, but who has time for that? Saki seemed pretty happy about the new tank pad. Don't tell Saki, but I have a new surprise that should show up tomorrow. I probably won't get around to putting it on until the weekend though. I ordered a new set of clutch & brake levers, and also reflective rim tape. This is mostly about safety, but it's also about looking good while being safe. I was in for the night after that. I needed to be well rested for Saturday. It's not every day that you get stabbed with needles for several hours.
I woke up around 8:30 and felt pretty good, all I needed was a good breakfast, and then I was off to get new ink forced in to my skin. My appointment was at 11:30 and my artist told me that he woke up at 8 in the morning to create the stencil for it. I'll show you the stencil in a little while so you can see all the work he put into it. He used an old school method, where you take a picture of the image, and you use a stencil pen on the back of it, to create the stencil. He shot video for his Instagram that shows the reveal of the process. He hasn't put it up yet, but when he does, I'll put a link to it, so that you can see. Here is what the stencil looked like after he put it on my calf.
As you can see, there is a lot going on there. He has the basic lines as well as all the shading that was in solved in this portrait. He only had one shot at getting it on right. If it smeared or didn't land on the right spot, there was no reapplying the stencil. It was done after one application. He got it on perfectly. He breezed through the first hour and had almost all of the line work and shading done. I was figuring that this was going to take 5 hours at least, but it was looking like 3. Well, It didn't take only 3 hours, it took a little over 4 hours, but the finished product is amazing, and everything I had hoped for.
This shot was directly after it was done. I still haven't gotten a great shot after the fact yet, and I don't know if I will ever get one. It is in a tough spot to take a picture by ones self. Just to give you a side by side comparison. I created a side by side comparison.
You can see just how close he came to the original image. We even pulled up the original photograph that the image on the left is based on, just so he could get more detail in the hair.
Now that the needle stabbing is done, it is all about the healing process. The first thing I do, is let it set for an hour or so, and then I take a warm shower and wash it up with an anti-bacterial foaming soap, that is scentless. I have my own personal favorite which is Dial, and then I put a small amount of Aquaphor on it. Aquaphor is what I have found to be what works best for me, and it seems to work for just about everyone else that I have told about it as well. A friend turned me on to it, when I was having some trouble healing from one of my tattoos. I was getting some kind of reaction to the Lubriderm that I was using, and he told me about the Aquaphor. It worked instantly when I put it on, and I have used nothing else since.
There you have it. The two most important things for me when healing a tattoo. I have never lost color or had any weird scabbing as long as I've used those two things. I have told countless people about them, and they have had the same reaction to it, which is positive. Depending on the size of your tattoo, you really don't need much more than a pea sized amount of the Aquaphor when you put it on, and you only need to put it on after you wash it. For me, that is about twice a day. Now, there are a couple of other things that I do for work, that you may not have to do. For about a week, I keep it covered when I'm at work. For this one, I will have it wrapped in cling wrap, and then I have a compression leg sleeve that I will wear over top of that. When we did the work on my arm sleeve, I used a full arm compression sleeve to keep it covered. The only reason I wear those, is to keep dirt and oil off of it. Where I work, I get covered in dirt and grease, and this is what I've found to work best to combat that.
If you are planning on getting your first tattoo, or maybe adding to your art collection, and you have any questions, just ask. I'll be glad to share my knowledge with you. I already talked with my artist about making this a Star Wars lower leg sleeve, so there will be more to come. I already told you the 4 main characters that I will have on it, but after that, it's a playground of things we can do. Starships, droids, space scenes. The possibilities are endless.
I have one last thing for you tonight. I got a new Funko Pop Vinyl figure today. When I saw that this figure was coming out, I had to order it, and it arrived today from Amazon. Yes, on a Sunday. The finally released a Jessica Jones figure, and it is going to look great in my collection.
She wanted a ride on Saki, and who am i to argue. I still have other figures that I have forgotten to take pictures of for you. One day, I will set them all up and get a good picture of them. I'll have to find an interesting way to set them up. Just stacking them one on top of the other, seems rather boring. Let's have some fun with it. Until Tuesday, peace in and goodnight.
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