At A Glance
Author	newaddict
Contact	inked@tpg.com.au
IAM	newaddict
When	Three months ago
Artist	Paul Braniff
Studio	Crossfire Tattoos (gold Coast Tattoos)
Location	Surfers Paradise, Queensland AUSTRALIA

I can recall even at a small boy admiring the tattoos that I saw on others and despite my very conservative family always dreamt that I too could lose my virgin skin. Like many I drew all sorts of designs all over my body in the hope that one-day I could turn them into tattoos. My family had tried hard to brainwash me that tattoos were nasty, evil and corrupt.

When I turned 18 I visited a number of tattoo studios. This was in the 1980's and they predominantly were less than the professional studios of today. They usually had boarded up fronts and inside was often a smoke stained shop with a cigarette smoking tattooist (I won't use the word artist) with a row of beer cans on the bench. And this was whilst working on a customer. Somehow the time wasn't right.

My passion for tattoos did not go away, but life somehow became side tracked – well until recently. A change in life meant no longer did I have neither a girlfriend who didn't approve nor an employer that banned body modification. But, I could feel a newly found freedom coming on.

So here I was, in need for a way to move forward in life. In need for some definition and a way to mark a new beginning. I had made the decision. I still was unsure of what and by whom. I started doing my research simply by visiting as many studios in my area as I could. I soon made a decision that Paul Braniff was going to be my starting point. Paul owns Gold Coast Tattoos, which include four shops on the Gold Coast and two of those being in Surfers Paradise – Skin FX and Crossfire Tattoos. I had seen art of Paul's in various magazines and knew that it was of a high standard, his premises were always spotlessly clean and he and his staff answered correctly to all my sterilisation and hygiene questions.

I had tried making an appointment but the bookings were always weeks ahead. Luckily one Sunday I called in and there had been a no show so I was able to make the step without the anxiety of waiting two or so weeks. I was impressed by some of the tribal designs I had seen but could easily see that a big tribal band around my arm was probably going to limit any possible future plans. I had decided on a piece of flash, only because I wasn't confident enough to attempt my own design – I felt it was a safe bet for my first tattoo. Paul had told me it would take about four hours, so I went and got a drink and a quick snack whilst he finalised the artwork. The design is a tiger incorporating some tribal work – at least I thought if this was going to be my only tattoo I would at least combine my interest in colour work with some tribal.

So the time had come and I took my seat. The adrenaline was pumping – Oh what a feeling! I took off my T-shirt and Paul proceeded to shave my arm. I was already comforted by the fact that his workstation was neat, tidy, professional and there was new plastic covering the spray bottles, etc. Paul applied the stencil and then allowed me to check in the mirror for correct placement. It was perfectly placed from the top of my arm and still not too low so that I couldn't keep it under a T-shirt. I knew now I was already in love with the tattoo process.

Back in the chair and the sound of the buzzing had started. Naturally I was apprehensive when the outlining needle hit my skin and it took a few seconds for my brain to compute a response. I was pleasantly surprised the pain was far from what I had been lead to believe. In time the sensation of slight discomfort even subsided as the brain's endorphin's kicked in. I almost found it therapeutic, being able to sit there and chill out – all other thoughts and worries were out of my mind as I finally realised that I was getting tattooed. Before long Paul changed over to doing the colouring and for me this was a little more intense, but I took a break after about two hours. As much as anything my backside was now hurting from sitting in the one place for so long. I went and stood outside with my half-completed artwork and had a cigarette and a drink of water.

The second half of the tattoo soon continued and as my arm was starting to become slightly sore it felt like a slight burning sensation and I was appreciative of the cool spray and washdown to soothe my skin. Paul made a couple of colour enhancements to the original design and finished up doing the black tribal work. I felt the black tribal work hurt less than the colour work, mainly because the colour work involved slightly more detailing and probably going over some already completed areas.

So before long I was all done and I took a last look at it before the application of vaseline and the bandage. I was pretty elated at this point and already felt that this would not be my last tattoo. I paid for my work and proudly walked out of the shop and back to my car. It was a feeling of being ten foot tall, a feeling very much about empowerment, and a sense of really identifying myself and taking control of my physical being.

The healing process was all pretty simple. I think it is for most as long as you follow your artist's instructions, which in my case was bepanthen cream and of course cleanliness being next to godliness. There was a slight burning sensation for a short while as the excess ink peeled itself away from my skin. I thought about what I had achieved for many days and it wasn't long before I was so happy with my decision to wait until the right time in my life to start my tattoo journey. I was back within a month finalising my design for my next tattoo so I have definitely become a newaddict.