tattoos numbers 9 and 10

Yesterday I met with Stephanie Tamez, the woman whom I refer to as my tattoo artist, to consult about my new tattoos. Stephanie is a tiny, quick person with the affect of a highly tattooed sparrow, if sparrows were themselves tattooed and rather than more often being tattoos themselves. I walked into the studio with a general feeling of befuddlement tinged with resentment that I had to have a consult at all, but Stephanie, it turns out, is a much wiser woman than I when it comes to the decoration of dermis. She quickly talked me out of my initial concept and she, being both an artiste and a merchant, convinced me to get a completely new design around my existing, raw, and kind of ugly tribute tattoo and to put the two textual tattoos elsewhere.

So I've now an appointment on 4 May for the work around the existing tattoo, a frame that will take the form of some Victorian filigree, which will be, according to the infinitely more expert Stephanie, both "organic" and "visual." I'm on stand-by for the two textual tattoos. The Addams Family quote will go on the inside of my forearm right under my inner elbow so that it is balanced against my Joyce quote on the inside of my wrist. The Buffy quote will be placed between the already existing Joyce quote and the to-be-added Addams Family quote so that it wraps around my forearm, more or less bisecting my forearm horizontally, and such that the phrase "love's bitch" features on my forearm. If you can picture that, which I can because I spent a good forty-five minutes taping paper to my arm, you're doing better than I suspect. Pictured below are the graphics of the two textual tattoos. I'll post pictures when I get them done.

Who doesn't love new skin art? No one I want to have lunch with. I'll make an exception for my parents because, you know, they raised me and all.

For no reason that I can think of, the Addams Family quote (it translates to "we gladly feed on those who would subdue us," not just pretty words) is the actual size, but the Buffy isn't. I guess you can click to embiggen it.

Comments

[Karl Elvis]

So fucking cool. These will rule.

And Stephanie's advice is right; people so often want to add on to an existing tattoo, but it rarely works as they imagine and it winds up a poor artistic compromise. Better to 'decorate' your existing ink than to cram another concept onto it.

[drea]

im just enjoying all of your posts and am soooo glad that you are back in print...drea

[Cosmic Dan]

So how about a picture of you old "raw, and kind of ugly tribute tattoo." I've been reading your blog for years and haven't yet seen it.
Glad to see you back in print, by the way.

[chelsea g.]

Dan,

There's a not very good picture of the raw, emotional dead dog tattoo in my earlier tattoo post. It's the semi-circle visible on my shoulder in the photo of me on the beach with large dark sunglasses. I must hide from my fans, you know. Cultivate that air of mystery and all that.

kissykiss,
chelsea g.

[Curvaceous Dee]

It pleases me immensely that the Spike quote is done in Buffy script. Very freaking cool!

(Incidentally, Apollo spoke that line at our civil union ceremony. Lovely!)

xx Dee