A New Tattoo | Dancer

I've been wanting a new tattoo since getting my first one a year and a half ago. I can totally see why people can get so many! It's been a month since my appointment and the tattoo has healed up quite nicely.

Initially I wanted a tattoo for my birthday present this year. I made an appointment for the end of May at King St Collective with Beynur. Unfortunately, there was a mix up with the timings with another client so I decided to rebook for July just after the Skomer Island trip. Just before we left for Wales, I found out that there was a chance that I might not make it back to Cambridge in time if the weather was bad as there was only one boat that leaves the island each morning. Not wanting to screw the guys around, I rescheduled to August. Due to the late change, Beynur was not available however, there was a guest tattoo artist that would be working at his studio that could do the design I wanted. 

I spent quite a long time at the beginning of the year sourcing out ideas for this tattoo. I knew a wanted a watercolour ballet dancer on my inner ankle. I found most of the inspiration through Pinterest and added my favourite ones to a document which I would send to the artist.  

I rocked up to my appointment at Beynur's Tattoos Studio in Littleport, just outside Ely and met with my tattoo artist, Amy from Fat Fugu Tattoo Collective, Northampton. We sat down together and I showed her my ideas and the document put together. Then she went to sketch the design. I wanted something 'sketchy' yet fine and whimsical. The final design ended up bigger than I anticipated however I warmed up to it and went ahead with the ink. I gave Amy full control of the colours used and the placement of them.

The whole tattoo process took about an hour and a half which surprised me. Did the process hurt? It did at certain times. The black outlining was alright, just a little stinging here and there. The parts where solid block colour was done hurt more and when the needle went near or on the ankle bone hurt heapppppssss! I had music playing and was browsing social media to keep my mind off things and also chatted to Amy to get to know her. Probably the hardest part was sitting on my side for the duration of the tattooing as I kept getting numb and sore but so worth it.

The end result was so lovely! Better than I had imagined! Kind of rough yet graceful at the same time. Amy's watercolour skills is wonderful and I would highly recommend her. Her portfolio is extensive and varied and I would totally go back to her again. 

Mmmmm peely

Healing time took about 2 weeks I think. The first week came the tightness of the skin and some peeling. I used Sorry Mom Tattoo Balm every time I felt the skin getting dry. For my first tattoo I used Bepenthen but Sorry Mom was sold at the studio so I went with that. It was really difficult not to bump it as I had circus training on the hoop but I managed to keep it safe with cling film wrapped around it. My skin also itchy as the peeling continued and trying not to scratch it was hard but the balm helped. It was fully healed after a couple of weeks. I haven't noticed much colour fading in that area.

Why this design?

The dancer symbolises my love of dance. As a very shy child, dancing was a way for me to express myself through movement instead of speaking. Dance brings me joy and gives me release. It challenges my mind, my body and creativity. Performing allows me to be someone or something else and I am so grateful to have it in my life. I picked the tattoo to be on my inner ankle as it is slightly hidden (like my cat tattoo) most of the time, unlike if I were to get it on my calf. 

If you are considering getting a tattoo, make sure you are happy with what you want to get (whether it has a meaning or even if you just like it) and make sure you do your research on your tattoo artist. Even though I didn't meet mine until the day, I did check out her previous work. Make sure you follow their tattoo post care to ensure your tattoo heals correctly. 

Any more tattoos?

Why yes! I have my next one already drawn up, just waiting for the right time to get it done :)

Do you have any tattoos? What would you like for a tattoo?