Some people might say I'm getting slightly obsessed with tattoos and piercings but that doesn't stop me thinking what I can get next. Before I got my new piece I had 5 tattoos and 11 piercings but I constantly craved a new piece of art to adorn my body.
At A Glance Author ELo When A week ago Artist Sean Studio Steel Beauty Location Ilford I searched the internet for weeks trying to first figure out the position of the tattoo. I currently have my left wrist, right ankle, back of my neck, right hip and just above my bum. Due to the placements of my current tattoos I really had to think about where the new one would fit in. I didn't want to end up looking like I had loads of little doodles on me. I wanted my new piece to be fairly visible and I finally narrowed my choice down to two areas; my foot and my lower back.
Now where I come from lower back tattoos are referred to as 'tramp stamps' and are very common so this really put me off, even though the design I had in mind went up the back rather than the more common way of it going across. I started researching more and more about foot tattoos and was put off with the idea that they are very painful and fade loads. In the end this didn't push me away, it just made me more anxious to get one as I don't know anyone who has a foot tattoo and I knew I would be individual with it.
I spent weeks thinking up different designs and drawing things on my foot, until one boring day sitting at work I had a sudden image pop into my mind. After some googling and various goes at using paint I had the design I wanted. I had always been interested in stars and I already had stars incorporated into my hip and wrist tattoos (I designed these also) so I knew my new design wouldn't be as common as everyone else's star tattoos. The idea was to have a big star in the background with lots of swirls and smaller stars over the top of it, kind of a layered effect.
After printing out my design I went straight to the tattooist. I had had one of my tattoos redone here and I had also seen lots of my friends get things done there so I was really pleased with his work. I got a quote from him of £70 (about $100) which I thought was fairly reasonable seeing as though I wanted the design to cover the whole of the top of my foot. Unfortunately I had to wait 3 weeks until an appointment came up and I really didn't want to have to wait this long! But I took it as I trusted the artist and it was lucky as my foot would have just over 3 weeks to heal until I went on holiday.
I didn't change my mind once during the 3 weeks I was waiting for my appointment which I knew was a good sign as it was definitely the right tattoo for me.
Finally the Monday came by and at 4pm I drove the short way to the tattooists. I stopped to get some juice and sweets as I was slightly hung over and needed a quick sugar fix! I was getting really nervous at this point which is weird as I never get nervous before being tattooed. I think I had read too many stories of the pain I was about to feel!
I arrived at the tattoo shop and filled out a consent form; doctor's details, past illnesses, my personal details, the usual. The tattooist, Sean, was just finishing up a client but he didn't keep me waiting too long until he came upstairs to get me. He put my design on the top of my left foot and asked me if I thought it was ok. I asked him if he could make it a little bigger and he enlarged it by 20% for me. He put the design on my foot and I checked the placement and got it double checked by my boyfriend who was in the room with me. He then asked me about colours and shading and set about putting the ink in the little cups.
I watched as Sean sterilised the foot stool I would be using and pretty much everything else in the room. He then changed his gloves and opened all new packets to get the needles out of. I don't like watching this bit as it brings it back to reality that I am actually getting a needle in me! I got comfortable and gripped on to my boyfriends hand. Sean told me I had to keep very still as there was lots of fiddly lines in my designs and I told him I would try as best as I could.
The needle then went onto my skin, near the middle part of my foot and Sean asked me if it felt ok. Now I'm not going to lie, it hurt more than my other tattoos had but not nearly as much as some people had made out! However as the needle moved around the different parts of my foot, I felt varying degrees of pain. Near my toes the tattoo tickled and I had the urge to flinch all of the time which I really had to try not too as I didn't want a smudged tattoo! Around the inner side of my foot possibly hurt the most. I can't really describe the feeling but it was quite sharp and stingy. Luckily I had a very good grip on my boyfriends hand so he could experience some pain too!
Surprisingly my tattoo only took around 35-40minutes and I was expecting to be in the chair for over an hour! After he put the colour on (which, by the way hurt just as much in this instance) he asked me to have a look in the mirror. Now when I tell you it hurt to put my foot to the floor I mean it hurt! It felt very tender and delicate, although there was no blood or really any redness. I was really pleased with what he had done and he wrapped it up in some cling film for me. I have read a lot of mixed views on what a tattoo should be covered up with but I was happy for Sean to do whatever as he is the professional. I was given an aftercare sheet and sent on my way. I was really pleased that I'd sat through it, and whilst it had hurt it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting and I'd definitely do it again, only this time I'd be more prepared!
I hobbled up the stairs and paid my money. Once home, I waited just over 2 hours before I took the wrap off. This was quite painful as my foot was still felt very sensitive. I bathed it using some clean kitchen paper and some warm soapy water (using non-perfumed soap of course) and I applied a small amount of Savlon cream. I have used this with all my tattoos and they've turned out great. My foot was slightly swollen and read but not as bad as I thought it would be. I was apprehensive about sleeping that night as I thought the covers might irritate it, but it was actually fine.
The next day I was expecting to wake up with a huge, swollen foot but it was fine and the tattoo wasn't even very scabby. I continued to regularly wash and cream it and I made sure that I didn't wear any shoes that would rub it. I took the day after I'd had it done off of work just to be sure that it wouldn't be irritated in anyway and I'd advise others to do this as you just don't know how you'll react to it.
All-in-all my experience was a great one and I recommend anyone who wants a foot tattoo to just go for it! They look great and if you're like me and heal pretty well, you shouldn't encounter any problems. The only problem I've now got is wanting to buy new shoes to show it off!