Permabee!

[beetiger]

After many many years of fussing about it, I finally decided that my body is at the stage where all kinds of permanent changes are happening to her, whether I like it or not, so I might as well go ahead and make a change that I liked.

So I finally went ahead and had a tattoo done. I went to Craig Cooley, who was recommended to me by redbird on the basis of some detailed naturalistic work that she'd had done by him.

It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, and I found it significantly less unpleasant than the dental work I had had done the same week. I was surprised to find that the pain felt more like hot cutting than like repeated stabbity. And Craig was very friendly and sweet. We talked about bees a lot while he did the work. I'm really happy with both the whole experience and the actual tattoo.

I didn't want to post for a few days because the white part of the flowers was a little bloody and brown, but even though things are not totally healed, it's clear enough to take a decent picture. Obviously there's a skill to tattoo photography that I don't have, but you should be able to get the idea. It's on the outer side of my right calf, and it's about 4 inches tall.

(p.s. Just in case it's not obvious, if you have something negative to say about the image, please keep it to yourself. I'm going to be wearing this for the rest of my life, and I'm the kind of insecure that doesn't let stray comments let go easily.)

Bee on Apple Blossom on Calf

Comments

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

I think it's amazing! I love the detail on the wings and the little hairs on the body. The apple blossom is really sweet, too.

[e-phemera.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to see your pretty bee ink!

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

It must seem like a tiny thing to you, but to me it is a HUGE deal. Thanks!

[perlandria.livejournal.com]

Apple blossoms! I love it!

[redbird]

Ooooh!

That is a really good green. And yes, the white seems to have worked nicely.

You also, unsurprisingly, have a much more naturalistic bee than I do.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

Most excellent. That's a very good bee.

[circuit-four.livejournal.com]

If I had anything negative to say about it, you know I'd find a way to tell you tactfully and discreetly. :) But I really have nothing negative to say whatsoever -- it really is quite gorgeous.

Makes me wish I weren't so damn hairy. :)

[sandramort.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Can you create a tatto that will incorporate the hair into the pattern when it grows back?

[circuit-four.livejournal.com]

Interesting idea, but as Bee will vouch, "hairy" is generally off-theme for my symbolic world. *grin*

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's so pretty! I love how naturalistic the bee is.

I must be kind of dumb about blossoming trees, because my first thought was "dogwood," but now I can see that it hasn't got the notches.

Pretty!

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Lovely!

Your reasons for getting ink is one of the things that's starting to edge me that way. Akycha has been talking about ink for a long time, and it's starting to get to me. :)

[bookwurm.livejournal.com]

That is beautiful! Both the colors and the level of detail are amazing.

[maeveenroute.livejournal.com]

Dumb question - how is it that the white looks white? Is there such a thing as white ink? Like, it actually looks whiter than your calf.

(In other words, this looks super cool.)

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's actually white ink. They only use it on really pale people like me. It tends to fade or yellow a bit with age, so we'll see how it holds up on me.

[asqmh.livejournal.com]

Oh! I love it! The bee wings look so delicate. Gorgeous!

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

wow, that's really pretty! congratulations!

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Very nice!

[kwaller.livejournal.com]

Lovely bee for a lovely lady. (And the blossoms are gorgeous.)

Congratulations!

[atroposnomore.livejournal.com]

I think it's beautiful. :)

[mmsword.livejournal.com]

That's very cute and very you, dear.

[sandramort.livejournal.com]

Heh. I can't manage to decide what I want to eat for dinner for more than a few minutes if food gets delayed, so I consider that very brave! In any case, I'm not a big tattoo person (something to do with the needle phobia maybe?) but I really like that bee!

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

I think the biggest part of Good Tattoo Photography is making someone else take the photo. *grin*

Looks cute!

[liminalia.livejournal.com]

Pretty!