Angela's Ambivalence About a Rose

Angela, a video editor, wanted a rose tattoo that would match her eyes and serve as a "permanent necklace". This was the result:


Looks pretty good, right? Not so fast. It is not often that I get someone sharing a tattoo with which they're not completely happy. This is one of those cases.

Angela had an issue with the artist, Jon Comstock at Skin City Tattoos, in New Windsor, New York, and felt that his vision, ultimately, differed from hers. Too much neon-like color, less realism in matching her eyes, Angela said. The end result, a fairly visible tattoo that has an ambivalent host. "I wouldn't go back to him," Angela said.

I have decided to include his credit, however, as I don't think it's so bad. Of course, I don't have to live with the end result, Angela does. In a slight reversal, however, when I showed her one of the pictures I took,


she admitted it looked better than she remembered.

Despite the mixed feelings about the piece, I would like to thank Angela for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoorism 101: Another Form of Tattoo Regret

The other day while walking near Madison Square Garden, I stopped to talk to a woman about the tattoo on her foot. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hey, can I ask you about your tattoo?

She: Ugh, that thing? I hate it. I got it when I was younger and wish I hadn't.

Me: Well, I write a tattoo appreciation blog, and would love to tell the story behind it anyway. Would you be interested?

She: Nah. I have three tattoos and I am so over them.

Me: [Thinking I spot an interesting tattoo on her ear] Well, would you talk to me about any of them?

She: Nah. Not interested.

Me: Well, thank you anyway. Have a nice day.

So, did she really hate her tattoos, or was she just saying it to make me go away? I'd like to think the former.

Anyway, this is a segue to the Mickey Mouse Fantasia tattoo above.

This was e-mailed to me back in July under the subject heading "Horrible Tattoo".

Here's what the sender said:

Hi Bill,

Stumbled upon your site and thought I'd share the dark side of tattoos. I was young, roughly seventeen or eighteen. Not sure which, as its been almost fifteen years now. I had been plied with beer from my high school girlfriend's brother, and the next thing I knew I was in a tattoo artist's chair. Now, I know that most tattoo artists are of the highest degree of honor, and that I have had the worst luck. Apparently a drunken teenagers wasn't much of an alarm for this fellow. The next thing I knew... I was heading home with the attached image on my arm.

I'm currently searching for a good cover-up. Contrary to a post on your blog, I was raised Christian and now try to follow more Buddhist philosophies. I debated an Aum symbol, a tree of life, a koi fish... none have really struck me as something possible for a coverup. Its quite a depressing thing to hate wearing short-sleeves or taking off one's shirt in the summer. Please pass my warning to the young readers, REALLY THINK about what you want, and never make any decisions while under the influence (which you shouldn't be anyway)! Make sure that it will have a meaning which will stick with you for years, for it shall.

By the by, if you or anyone has any ideas of coverups, please feel free to pass them my way!

-Keith

Thanks to Keith for sharing this tattoo and his story. If anyone has ideas for a cover-up, feel free to post them below in comments.

And please, folks, don't be sending me pictures of horrible tattoos, there's already a website for them.