This has not exactly been the best day as I am going through a lot of anxiety and I am stuck in semi-lockdown London while all my friends are on holiday together, SO I thought I'd conclude it by talking about something that I love and which was the first-ever reason why I fell in love with the SuicideGirls back in 2008 (long time, I know).
Tattoos!
I've wanted tattoos for a long time before I was actually legally allowed to get them (in France it's when you're 18), and I knew that I wanted to be more or less heavily tattooed since... a really long time. I actually started a tattoo apprenticeship when I was 18 but never actually got to finish it (due to the shop owner & shop going through some hardship), and then I moved to the UK and my life took another turn. No regrets though, maybe it will start again one day. This is partly what I dream about, but I've evolved a fair amount in ... almost 10 years.
Anyway (I won't be adding pics of all of them, it's late and some are at weird angles. Later maybe)
My first tattoo was designed by me (!!) and it is an umbrella, with a background of a wave and sakura petals in a Japanese tattoos-inspired style. There is no deep meaning other than 'I had been dreaming about this for so long and polished the design for a while so this needed to be my first tattoo because it was so pretty and so much hard work' haha. It's on my right shoulder and you can see some of it on my PP. My only regret is that it wasn't tattooed deep enough in my skin so it is fading a lot (but not spreading which is nice). I am considering having it reworked at some point. I will likely keep the umbrella and cover up the rest but this project will be clearer with time.
The second tattoo I had was more of a hard one for me. It's on my left calf and it is the silhouette of a carrousel, actually tattooed by a SG (or former SG, I need to figure this out actually)! The difficulty was that it was a very 'spontaneous' tattoo and that I regretted having it done after about a year, as my relationship with my body became more complicated. I think at that point I just wanted tattoo-free legs and this was not a tiny tattoo that one can ignore. But with the years I've just learnt to love my body as it is and that includes my tattoos. I was smart enough to choose a really good artist and a location where the design wouldn't move too much, and that is something I am grateful about, really. Now it's just a memory of whoever I was when I was 19, and this tells me "spontaneous, but not reckless", and I'm fine with that.
The tattoo that followed was a tattoo I had in mind for ages without knowing exactly what it would be. Clarification: I had been wanting a tattoo from Mafalda (some of you guys may know who she is) for really long as she has been a part of my life since childhood and has actually a decent spot in why I am who I am today, but I didn't know what design of her I wanted. So I bought the big book with all the comics and started my research. In the end, my dad helped me chose this frame, and I had it done by a wonderful artist called Mo_Lee_Tattoo (on Instagram). I was super anxious getting it done because I had a conflicted relationship with the previous one, and this one would also be on a spot of my body where I could see it all the time.
But I am in love with it. It's a frame from Mafalda where she is surrounded by butterflies and flowers, on my left forearm (you can see it on the picture).
The fourth tattoo I had done was a ride too, It's a chanterelle (mushroom) outline, with some branches. It was made by a friend, and it was his first-ever tattoo on real skin. I chose to have it done on the inner right biceps (which was a ride pain-wise too). It's far from perfect but I like it and it's flexible enough to be reworked when my friend comes back to the UK. I am keen.
The last tattoo I had done, and the fifth one is a frame from Corto Maltese (some of you might know that too), that has a great signification for me as it is something that basically means home. This picture is related to my childhood home, to my family, to a lot of things that I can hold responsible for my personality now. It's as the back of my left arm, just above the elbow and was done at Matière Noire by TrickyTattoo (who is a fab artist and you should definitely check his work).
I still have a lot of projects tattoo wise, so I'll give you a little list of what is to come (but it is a non-exhaustive list because I loke flashes too) and what you can keep a look for!
- The first project I'd like to finish is my left arm. It's my identity sleeve. I would like to surround the two frames with flowers (peonies, forget-me-nots, carnations) and birds (heron, tit, sparrow) all in black linework. These flowers and birds all have a signification in who I am.
- A thistle on my right external forearm.
- Mushrooms. I am a big fan of mushrooms. Expect mushrooms everywhere.
- A Gorgon's head on my left tibia (this one is going to sting!)
- A quote from Andrea Gibson "Our hearts beat so loud the neighbors think we're fucking"
And I think that is all for now actually. I am a big supporter of young artists too, so I have a project to pick up a new flash everywhere I travel to (when I can afford it), so that opens a lot of possibilities.
Anyway.
Felt like sharing a little bit more about me!
Have a sweet night ♥
