I’ve wanted a tattoo for absolutely ages and a few Wednesdays ago I finally took the plunge and got inked!
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| Photo credits to: Sarah Herzdame |
I’ve followed Sarah Herzdame (@tilldthtattoo) on Instagram for about a year and absolutely loved her style of work but I sort of accepted that I was never going to get tattooed by her (especially for my first time) as she is based in Berlin. HOWEVER she made a guest appearance at the The Circle in Soho London for one week only so it was literally a ‘now or never’ situation for me.
I had a rough idea of the design I wanted, but I thought it would be better to let the tattoo artist have more freedom to be creative so I left my design as just a guideline- but this did mean that I didn’t know what I was exactly getting done until the day before my appointment- and even then the design wasn’t final!
THE APPOINTMENT DAY
My outfit:
Sweater- Adidas, Joggers- American Apparel, Trainers- Adidas
I thought I’d wear something comfortable since I was going to be sitting down for so long, but I also wanted to still look a bit fancy seeing as I was going into central London.
12pm- My day started off with a big pub lunch with my brother to make sure my energy/sugar levels were high! I had the classic steak, chips and salad which was really good- but (sadly!) had to stay away from alcohol to avoid excess bleeding!
2pm- We then began our journey to The Circle Tattoo Studio in Noel Street (off oxford street). I’ll be honest the nerves had definitely settled in by this point and I was slightly anxious since I still didn’t know what I was getting exactly lol!
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| Waiting area |
3pm- Sarah (the tattoo artist) showed me a print out of the most up to date design to check if I wanted any changes to be made- I absolutely loved the design so was happy to get started!
4pm-
Template
1 hour in- Shading/dot work to go!
2 hours later- finished!
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| Picture from Sarah’s instagram (Tilldthtattoo) |
7pm- Went for a drink with my bro before catching my train back to Leeds!
2 weeks later:
Did it hurt?
-YES!! Some bits were super painful (imagine a really sharp pencil being continuously scrapped along your skin with high pressure!), but then other parts were bearable with meditation lol. Each person has their own pain threshold and I do think the level of pain depends on the area you get tattooed. My back is quite bony so didn’t have much protection from the needle! Also my design has a lot of shading which is also quite painful.
Does the tattoo have a meaning?
I personally don’t think all tattoos need to have a huge background story to them, mine doesn’t really however the 3 flowers are a little symbol of me, my brother and sister.
How long did it take to heal?
I’d say about 1-2 weeks for basic healing but will take a couple of more weeks to heal fully depending on the style and size of the tattoo.
Do I plan on getting more?
100% – just not right now, maybe in about a year’s time – so watch this space!