I posted a short note in the introduce yourself thread but figured I’d add a bit here. I’ll be 61 in a month and have wanted to get inked for years. My Dad was a WWII/Korean War Marine and had a killer tattoo that I always admired. I am a retired Army Colonel and when I went into the Army, officers (generally) didn’t have tattoos and they certainly weren’t displayed. After I retired I went into higher education – where I still work – and as I’ve watched so many folks I admired and even some younger than me passing away I decided it was time. So, I got some recommendations and went to a local shop where I met a fantastic artist.
I had an idea that I wanted a wolf of some type and found one just looking at images through Google. The wolf seemed good for me because of the symbology attributed to it….and the fact that my last name means wolf in Russian. I met with the artist and gave him the example. He took it and made it so much better! Last Friday was the day. I am really thrilled – and plan to go back once I’m healed up to add some shading to the tribal lines. The healing process seems to be going very well. As I was cleaning it today and putting on some Aquaphor I noticed several of the dark lines had a white filmy look – I assume that is the beginning of the peeling. No scabbing so far and nothing that looks like it will scab…but I know I have a ways to go.
So, here are two pictures. The first is just after finishing and the second was yesterday afternoon (about 24 hours after completion). I look forward to your comments…and ideas for my next!
@Devious6 147270 wrote:
Call it retro. I did some research before getting the work done and knew that tribal was out of favor. But, the important thing to me is whether I like it…and I do. And, 2004 was a good year – the year I retired from the Army so calling back to then is OK with me.
right on ! glad you like it,I like some tribal,just not that style,pretty good tattoo for a first tattoo,and I never served but I’m an old guy too,still getting tattooed.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I appreciate that you are not fond of the tribal – for me a lot of the newer stuff I’ve seen doesn’t appeal to me, either. So, I went with what called to me. At the edge of 61, this was a huge decision for me…and for my wife, too. My incentive was my father who sported a very cool traditional skull with a snake intertwining through the mouth and eye sockets. As an Army officer in my generation, tattoos were not accepted in the officer ranks, unless one had come up as a Mustang from the enlisted ranks. Then, after I retired, I went into higher education administration and I let my age get in the way. I guess it was seeing so many famous people in my generation passing away in the past few months that was a wake-up call and drove me back to my bucket list. And here I am.
I would like to add another to my right shoulder at some point for balance 😀 I’m inclined to do something related to my Army career. Since I retired as a Colonel something with an eagle leads my thoughts, but….who knows. I would love your recommendations and guidance.
In any case, I don’t think there are many college presidents in the country who compete in Vintage Sniper Rifle matches and are inked. 😎
Mark
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