Nerdy Ravings: Labyrinth Tattoo

I finally got another tattoo! Just like I said I would!

I call this one my "nerd stamp." It ended up being sort of a tramp stamp, which was not the original goal, but it's fine. My artist, Sherely, suggested the placement in order to make it flow with the curves of my body. Coincidentally, I have gotten compliments to that effect.

This one got me really nervous because it is my largest one and because its on my trunk instead of my ankle and wrist. Those ones were small and easy to deal with. In addition, I hadn't seen the design until I showed up for the outline.

When she showed it to me, that helped. I loved it. Then I was excited.

It hurt, however. That part wasn't so fun and exciting. And she knew it would be 2+ hours and I knew I couldn't sit that long. So we did the outline in the first sitting.

Working away!

And tada!

The finished outline! I'm sitting so it looks stretched...

Nice right?! Then I had to wait for it to heal, and then I ended up waiting way longer than I needed to. But it healed perfectly.

It took a nearly four months to schedule the sitting for the shading with school and all, but I finally made it.

The finished clock! This was right after the sitting, so it looks dark, but it isn't all black-there is a lot of brown.

After another sitting of over an hour, the clock was done and I was in plenty of pain, so we stopped. AGAIN. I really wanted it finished, but I could not sit long enough to finish the owl. At this point, my lovely tattoo was turning into a longer (and perhaps a little more expensive) than I was originally hoping. I was actually really tender for two or three days after this part was finished.

Despite that, having the clock done made it feel so much more finished. I never would have designed it like this, but I love it. And that is why I am not an artist and I hired a tattooist who is! I never could have thought up something so very pretty! I knew that I wanted the clock, the quote, and the owl. She was the one who thought of putting the quote in the clock. She designed the clock itself. When she asked if I wanted it shaded or colored, I didn't know. She was the one who suggested doing browns, since the owl is usually browns. Brilliant suggestion. See? That's why she's the artist, and I'm not.

To avoid waiting, I made an appointment immediately. I had to wait at least three weeks, so it was perfectly timed to finish it right before I had to return to school. And, just a couple days ago, I had my last sitting.

The finished owl! With "grapefruit" skin, as my artist said.

Here it is a day later when my skin is looking a little less aggravated.

Sorry about the shadow. But my skin is less angry.

I love it! Beautiful, right?!

So why a Labyrinth tattoo?

Well, I am a nerd. And Labyrinth is my favorite movie. I love it so much and I love, love, love David Bowie. I'm sure that knowledge comes as a shock to anyone who has met me... Not...

No matter how many times I watch Labyrinth, I never tire of it. It still holds so much magic for me and so much of it is open to interpretation. There are always new little things to find and notice. I get so happy and giddy when the opening credits roll with that song... And that is kind of magical, right?

I always love movies, shows, books, etc that mess around with time (Doctor Who anyone? That's why "Don't Blink" was one of the best episodes, in my opinion. Or the book "Time Like A River"). In this case, Sarah is in a land where time is different. I have always loved the 13 hour clocks. It seems to embody time oddities. Plus the quote on the inside of the clock says, "It's only forever, not long at all..." which is a song lyric in the opening that always jumped out at me. It goes nicely with the clock. Just hearing that line makes me smile. More magic, I think.

Side note: the time is not directly significant. It is a very rough (and probably very early) estimate of the time that Sarah entered the ballroom. Which is my favorite scene. I thought about the time when she exits the ballroom, which is shown in the movie, but it would have been at 12 o'clock and I didn't want a clock hand to end up covering the 13 at all. I also didn't want to necessarily draw attention to the fact that it is 13 hours. I want it to seem more common place, if that makes sense. Maybe some people with have to look twice to see that it is 13 hours.

The owl is because I happen to love barn owls and Jareth turns into a barn owl. I am too chicken to have a portrait tattoo of Jareth, so the owl is my way of representing him.

So there is my (latest) nerdy tattoo! And I LOVE it! And maybe one day, I will have a whole Labyrinth piece on my back. Who knows? I don't have such plans at this time, but I like having the option.

Also, the gal who designed and did the tattoo is Sherely from Fallen Owl Tattoo. The studio is owned by Adam, the guy who did my first two tattoos. They have earned my loyalty! Very happy with both of my artists! I recommend them to anyone in the Denver area! Thanks Sherely!