My new Tattoo

So yesterday I went to Liverpool Tattoo Convention as I was booked for a full day's sitting with Mark Poole - Custom Tattoo Artist from Stoke on Trent.

Mark is pretty unique as he sketches is design idea, (which he produces based on the inspiration you give him), directly onto your skin, no transfers.  I got there at 11am and it took an hour for the sketching process ....

Mark sketching the design onto my arm

After a quick toilet break, he started tattooing the outline just after noon.  Here is the outline finished

Finished outline

I got another break to have a quick wander round the convention whilst Mark set up all the colours to use.

The shading on the Dodo was first... I love the eyes so much, she looks, shy and bashful

Dodo shading

At this point, it was 4pm and we broke for lunch/dinner for 30 minutes.  The pain had been very bearable all the way through so far, however after this break the first 5 minutes when he re-starts is a bit sore..... so we never stopped again until it was done....

The finished tattoo.....

All in all it took 8.5 hours.. during which time the main pain was my arse going to sleep!  7.5 of those hours was the actual tattoo, and the last 30 minutes was very painful when he did the shading on the top of the carousel and around the outside of the Dodo, he changed to six needles at this point and they were brutal!

I'm so very happy with it, he is an amazing artist.