broken streak (which is a good thing)

so, for the first time since october of 2023 i’ve been tattooed…

…and while i was nervous as fuck, since we went with my original location idea, which i was afraid would be pretty painful (inside left thigh just above the knee) i have to say that if all tattoos felt this way i’d be covered head to toe because that was the least painful tattoo i’ve ever had – which is impressive being done by the only artist to ever make me pass out while i was getting tattooed.

but that wasn’t his fault.

i was young and stupid and hadn’t slept or ate and went in for my first tattoo, couldn’t deal well with the pain, held my breath, my blood sugar dropped, and so did i. it’s a scenario i’ve seen played out dozens of times working in the industry since and i have put more than one client at ease after picking em up off the floor, getting them some water and something sugary, and saying the truthful four words that immediately alleviates their embarrassment – “i did that, too”.

kristian was my first artist and i was his first regular. he did most of the work on my upper arms in 1994-96 and then herald recolored it in 2002. we lost track of each other for around twenty-five years or so, but we found our way back via the tattoo supply route i started doing a couple years back and it was like no time had left, which to me is the sign of a good friendship.

in case i hadn’t explained it here, i figured out the emotional block that kept me from getting tattooed a few years – i had this plan to have an artist that did excellent illustrative pet portraits to do a mixed media style piece of budnik on my arm so he could see his face on his dad as he was getting older and having some health issues. the artist worked with me at atomic at the time, and we made a plan whereby i would procure a firearm for her as payment. i found the piece, picked it up, and got her all the imaging to get things going, but while that process was going she left atomic. her new shop wasn’t kosher with the trade, and said firearm wouldn’t sell for enough to cover what the new spot wanted for payment for the tattoo, and while all this was being hashed out budnik died.

so we did the thing. i’d post a pic at this point but, for the first time, i’m healing with a “second skin” bandage so it’s on a four day hiatus from the real world while it marinates in its own filth. it’s how it’s done nowadays. i was always afraid i’d inherited my mom’s adhesive allergy (masking tape sets my skin off in a bad way) so i was wary of this stuff but after having used it to protect blisters and cuts i decided to take the plunge and try it on a tattoo. so far, so good. we’ll do a follow up bit in a week or two when the hair has started to grow back…who knew my leg underneath that summer coat was so fuckin’ pale?