So I got my second tattoo on Wednesday, two days ago. I wanted to get an Evenstar on the right side of my rib cage. If you don't know what an Evenstar is, it's basically like a symbol of love and promise from the Lord of the Rings, the necklace that Arwen gives to Aragorn. Ever since I was little I've always been a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings and I really wanted to not only show my love for the amazing story, but also get something that I thought was beautiful and had some meaning to me. Originally I was supposed to get a quote from the book in Tengwar font, but unfortunately I didn't have enough money when I went to the studio to book my appointment in July. So we decided to do the Evenstar first, and then maybe at some point when I've saved up enough money, I'll get the text under the Evenstar. Here are some of the reference pictures that I showed to my tattoo artist:
I decided to get the tattoo on my ribs for two reasons: the text that I originally was supposed to get would sit nicely on there, and also just because I've always wanted a tattoo on my ribs :D Yes, I've heard that it's one of the most painful places to get tattooed, but I didn't really care too much - the outcome of the tattoo was more important. If you really want something on there, you're just going to have to deal with the pain. Remember: the pain is only temporary.
So I went back to the studio with my sister (I needed some mental support ) on Wednesday, the 19th of August. The whole process of going in and leaving with the finished tattoo took about two hours in total. First we waited for the artist to draw the design, put the stencil on me and get everything ready to go.
After we got the stencil on perfectly, it was time to start tattooing. I was quite nervous and had been panicking about the tattoo for almost 24 hours so I was ready to get going.
Me right before starting, looking terrified
I laid on my side, a little on my back for the process. It was comfortable except for the moment that my left foot fell asleep :D Luckily it went away when I wiggled my toes for a bit.
The number one question that I've been getting now for the past two days is: Did it hurt?
Well, yes it did. But: for most part it was really quite okay, and for the lower parts of the tattoo, like the last loop, I couldn't really feel anything at all! The parts that hurt the most were obviously the upper loop and the wing-like shapes on the sides. When it really hurt, I got the feeling you get when you get shivers and goosebumps, going from the ribs towards my arms and legs, it was quite strange, like mini-electric shocks :D So I'd say that the hour that I spent laying on my side was 70% fine and 30% ouch. Luckily my tattoo artist was extremely nice and we talked a lot during the session, which really helped me relax. I would do it again if I had to, I didn't get any traumas and will most likely get more tattoos in the future. Since the Evenstar only took an hour to do and it doesn't have any shading, the pain was tolerable. But I could imagine it being horrible if you're getting tattooed for multiple hours with shading and different colors and all that fun stuff. But here's the end result:
I'm so happy about how it came out! Definitely worth the pain. I took some more photos when I got home, washed and moisturized it:
Here's how my tattoo looks today, two days after I got it:
It hasn't really started peeling of itching yet, but I expect that to start happening in a few days. The skin is still sore and I try to avoid touching it if I'm not washing or moisturizing it.
For aftercare I use these two products: Bepanthen and Lactoline. Lactoline is a mild, unscented and uncolored soap. I wash my tattoo three times a day and moisturize afterwards with Bepanthen. The cream is quite thick, so you don't need a lot of it, just keep the tattoo nice and moist. I put a little bit more on before going to bed, just in case my sheets touch the tattoo it won't pull out any ink.
If you have any more questions about my tattoo or aftercare, let me know! Have a great weekend :)
