I got myself some bottles of Inkbox – temporary tattoos! I remember a conversation on the road back in 2011/ 2012 with a colleague about ink, how I liked them (sleeves especially) but would never have them on myself – for one, I’d hate to have to stretched tatts when I get older. Another reason I provided was that I hold nothing so particularly dear that I’d want to etch it permanently into my skin. I didn’t want to get inked only to get bored of it the next week – It fascinates me those who get inked because it comes across to me that they’re less unsure, less fickle than I am. Also it would be nice to have the freedom to go to any onsen in Japan.
I did a test patch of an eye on my wrist the first time I got my bottle of ink and drew an eye. The first photo was just after I inked myself. The second was after I washed it off with soap and water an hour later, and the last image was almost twenty hours later when the ink got a lot darker.A little more than a week later, the test eye patch faded. I referenced some florals from art eras to draw on myself – notably from the Jugenstil movement, because I just learnt about about it from a book that I’d borrowed from the library. My left armband tatt was inspired by my number one fav woodblock artist Hiroshige‘s cherry and plum blossoms – linked via Japonism.My right arm was a tad tricky because I’m not left-handed, so I just made some simple block florals and lines.I forgot to take progress shots of the piece I did on my chest, because it was hard enough trying to draw something vaguely symmetrical with the help of a mirror. It didn’t help that the ink is quite viscous and my hand starts to cramp up after about fifteen minutes. My original plan was to ink up to my shoulders, because I’m a sucker for filling up the canvas, but I really need to train my finger strength for that. Photo assist: Ryan.I really liked how the tatts completed my outfit, especially given that I could have different images at my whim! Photo assist: Ryan.
