TATTOO TALK

 TATTOO TALK

How I got into tattoos

I've always been obsessed with tattoos even from a young age. I have two older brothers, Gareth who is 33 and Anthony who is 30, and they've always been interested in and got tattoos so it made sense for me to follow suit. We always used to watch the programmes like Miami Ink and London Ink but the best one was definitely LA ink. The talent they had in that studio was insane, I mean Kat Von D, need I say more?! I think I was about 14 when I started planning out my tattoos and sleeve that I wanted, making Pinterest boards and looking at thousands of tattoo Instagram accounts to find out what style of tattoo I really wanted. Now I was lucky, my brother Anthony had half a sleeve done by an incredible artist Hannah Calavera, and once I saw her work, I KNEW she was the one I wanted to do my sleeve. As soon as I turned 18, I got my first tattoo. I wanted to test the waters to see if I could handle a big tattoo so I got a little rocket ship on my ankle and I've been in love with it ever since.

The experience

Don't get me wrong, everyone handles tattoos and the pain/feelings that come with them differently and you might think I'm weird for this but I really don't feel the pain in them. From my very first one, the feeling has never really fussed me, I just put some tunes on and know that I'm going to have a sick piece of artwork on me forever afterwards, it gets you through! Of course there has been some tattoos I've had where the best way to describe it was they felt niggley like the tattoo gun was more annoying than anything. The inside of my elbow was a prime example of that feeling! I give it the biggun' but there was one tattoo that hurt so bad, I've never felt anything like it. I have a some writing on my ribs and I must say I will never get my ribs tattooed again. It may be small but my god did that one hurt! 

But the experience of getting a tattoo isn't just the actual tattooing, it's everything! The smell of the tattoo studio when you walk in (mainly smells like cling film and the wipe solution they use but it's very distinct), the artists and the people that you meet and if you travel to get a tattoo, exploring the city or place that you're in! Matt and I go to Bristol because that's where Hannah is but the best part is when we can chill with Hannah, try out new restaurants and see new places.

My Do's and Don'ts

Everyone reacts and gets tattoos differently so please don't take my word as gospel but here are some do's and don'ts that I personally follow when I get a tattoo:

DO's - 

• DO YOUR RESEARCH! Never just pick a random artist, book and go, always look up different artists, they're styles, where they're located and other pieces they've done. Make sure you find the right artist for your piece and for you.
• BE PREPARED! Make sure to eat and drink before your appointment, the adrenaline you get when having a tattoo is real and you don't want to crash because that feels AWFUL. Have a big brekkie or lunch, pack some high sugar snacks and drinks and drink plenty of water.
• GIVE YOURSELF TIME! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to your appointment, I've had a couple of instances where busses have been late or your train gets delayed and it's so stressful. You want to have fun in your appointment so don't start it off by stressing. 
• REMEMBER SUN CREAM! Factor 50 is your best friend with tattoos. You don't want to get it in the sun whilst it's healing, for one it stings like hell but it also can affect the ink. The colours in the ink will fade if you don't protect the area in the future so make sure to keep it protected forever against sun damage.

DON'TS - 

• DON'T BE NERVOUS! This one is easier said than done, I get that, but try not to be nervous! 9 times out of 10, the artist will make you feel so comfortable and at ease to make everything enjoyable. You want to be relaxed for the tattoo not on edge. Listen to some music, read if possible, anything to make you more comfortable. 
• DON'T SOAK YOUR TATTOO! Do not, PLEASE, soak your tattoo for the first couple of weeks after getting it done. Don't have a long bath and soak it, don't go swimming and don't keep it continuously wet in the shower or anything. It really messes up the healing process and your tattoo won't look as fresh or half as good if you do this.
• DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL! Try not to plan any nights out or big drinking sessions for a couple of days after your tattoo because this will also mess up the healing process. One or two drinks is OK but if you're body is trying to process the all the alcohol, then it won't be working to heal your tattoo as best it can.

Our tattoos

I have a lot of random things tattooed one me, like my rocket and I have a tea pot incorporated into my sleeve but I think out of the two of us, Matt definitely wins for the most random. He has two goats riding a tandem bicycle on his thigh! It's all done in colour and when it's finished one goat will be wearing a tweed suit and the other will be wearing a Nike tracksuit which will look amazing! When Matt was at school, if something was random, him and his friends would say 'two goats on a tandem'. Hannah does a lot of weird and wacky tattoos so she was over the moon when Matt pitched her the idea and gave her free reign on the colours for it. He's got another session or two to go but we're both gassed to see how it comes out.

Whispering Weeds

I've always been really close with my tattoo artist, Hannah, so when she was looking for someone to run her Instagram account for the studio, I snapped that right up. I manage and create all the posts and stories in exchange for free tattooing sessions which has worked out great because both Matt and I now get to take advantage of that! The studio itself is beautiful and Hannah has really outdone herself by making it how she wanted. It's located in Clifton, Bristol so if you're ever in the area and want a tattoo, check out the Instagram page (Whispering Weeds) and get in touch!