Saturday, March 28, 2009

unveiling


Surprise!

I've wanted a tattoo of my namesake, Daphne, since I was 14.

After thinking about this image for so many years, and how I wanted it to appear on my body, I'd finally settled on a Neo Classical etching-like tattoo with color and fine line shading. One of the most important elements for the image was that Daphne needed to be in contrapposto -- I didn't want her to appear static, and I didn't want a symmetrical tattoo. The one thing I struggled with over the years was the placement. I knew I wanted it fairly large-scale, but I didn't like the idea of an asymmetrical tattoo on a flat surface of my body, so when the idea for a ribcage tattoo finally came to me, I knew I was finally ready to treat myself!

Last month I went to Saved in Brooklyn and met with Dan. Dan's a super nice guy, and loved the story, and got excited to collaborate with me. He drew up a sketch based on my requests and the images I provided, and added his own twists too. Yesterday I went in for my first session, to complete the outline of my tattoo! I had no idea what to expect, pain wise, since this was my first tattoo, though everyone who heard about the rib placement told me I was in for some hurtin'. Surprisingly though, I felt fine! Actually, I almost fell asleep at one point, I went into a completely relaxed state. Not gonna lie, though, the lines over my kidney, hip bone and a few on the ribs kinda sucked. I'll go back for another two sessions -- one for the shading and one for the color.

I cannot express how happy I am with my decision to finally get this done! I've wanted it for so long, and it really felt right for me at this point.

9 comments:

megan said...

It looks AMAZING! I'm excited to see the final result. And I have a tiny tattoo on my ribcage and it hurt like a mother, so I think you're quite brave.

malcomama said...

I'm loving the design: it true to your vision, don't you think? So glad that it didn't hurt much!

malcomama said...

PS: Who took the pictures?

Audrie said...

That's so beautiful! And for a 1st tattoo, that's a painful place to get it! Hehe I always fall asleep when getting tattoos lol Annoys my tattoo artist cos he'll realise he's talking to himself!

aberjona said...

A tree grows in Brooklyn. Daph, this is gorgeous. And I'm so proud of you.

melanie said...

what a stunning tattoo!! gorgeous. i've always loved that particular myth as well, ever since i first read it in d'aulaire's. it's such a sad but beautiful story...

Bingopajama said...

absolutely gorgeous! I've always thought of trees as symbols of growth and change but also deep wisdom. It is perfect for you!

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

Totally stunning!

Anonymous said...

Damn! That's a big tattoo! Haha how much did it hurt? It looks like it didn't bother u too much cuz you still managed to do some texting! Haha, looks pretty awesome though! Can't wait to see it with the shading and color added! -Bro