My Tattoos - Up Close & Personal
Found this image online, think it sums up my feelings about my tattoos pretty well. I often think they help to remind me of past experiences, things that really matter to me and in some little way, help me to not feel "invisible". They have attracted some good comments over the years, especially the fairy and Max, those that are on view anyway. I don't think people tend to pass negative comments on tattoos - they just don't comment full stop and that's fine with me. At my age now, I really don't care what people think of them or me. I like the idea that they will be with me to the grave, some are very important, like my joint tattoo with my daughter - I like knowing that we are both out there, apart at times but always connected by the tattoo.
Tribal Wolf
Located on my top right arm, this was my first tattoo.
I chose a wolf because of my passion for these wonderful and often misunderstood creatures.
Inked by Ben Shaw of Medway Tattoo in October 2007.
Paw Prints
Located on my right inner forearm, this was my second tattoo.
Inked by Ben Shaw of Medway Tattoo in December 2007.
Comedy/Tragedy
Located on my top left arm, this was my third tattoo.
It is a custom design which represents my relationship with my daughter, the comedy/tragedy masks show how at times she makes me laugh and cry, the rose because her middle name is Rose and the sun and moon because she is my whole world.
Inked by Ben Shaw of Medway Tattoo in March 2008.
Fairy
Located below the tribal wolf on my right arm, this was my fourth tattoo.
A fairy because I have always loved the idea of being able to just fly away from life's hardships.
Inked by Ben Shaw of Medway Tattoo in May 2008.
TCB
Located on my left hand, this was my fifth tattoo and was done at the same time as the fairy above.
The design is Elvis Presley's "Taking Care of Business in a Flash". I have always been a big fan of Elvis having grown up with his music and this tattoo represents that.
Inked by Ben Shaw of Medway Tattoo in May 2008.
Max
Located on my left inner forearm, this was my sixth tattoo.
The design came directly from a photo of Max converted from colour to black & white. To round off the design I asked Ben to put Max's name underneath in some suitable font. As a portrait the tattoo consists mostly of shading with minimal lines around his ears, eyes etc. In this instance white ink was also used to highlight various facial features.
Inked by Ben Shaw of Medway Tattoo in June 2008.
George & Eeyore
Located on my right calf, this was my seventh tattoo.
The design originally came from an idea I had to put my Nephew's name on a stacked column of children's alphabet bricks and then whilst doing an internet search for Eeyore images I came across an ornament depicting the same sort of design but with differing words on the bricks. I wanted Eeyore to be more like a soft toy than a shiny ornament so took along some photos of a classic Eeyore soft toy for reference.
Inked by Martin of Medway Tattoo in November 2008.
Tribal Pattern
Located on my sternum (chest/breastbone), this was my eighth tattoo.
Inked by Martin of Medway Tattoo in December 2008.
(Rest assured that the design is level, this photo was self taken and it's hard to keep the camera straight!)
Tempus Fugit
Located across my shoulders, this is my ninth tattoo.
The words are obviously in Latin and mean "Time Flees". I chose to have the first letter of each word depicted in an ornate font with the remainder of each word in a plainer shaded font. As I grow older I always feel as though time is flying past me faster and faster hence the connection with the words and I liked the idea of using Latin for a tattoo.
Inked by Ray Hunt (formerly of Medway Tattoo but now working for himself) in April 2009.
Mum
Located on my left calf, this is my tenth tattoo.
Its a portrait of my Mum who sadly passed away on 30th November 1987. I thought it was high time I did a memorial for her and I wanted something to balance against Eeyore and George which is on my right calf. The writing has been made to look as though its been sewn hence the "thread" going through the needle which is then "threaded" through my skin.
I chose this idea as my Mum was an excellent seamstress.
Inked by Ray Hunt in his new studio, Diablo Tattoo, located at 116 High Street, Rochester, Kent.
Our Joint Tattoo
Located on my right wrist this is my eleventh tattoo.
This is a joint piece with my daughter Julia. The design came from a tin that my Eeyore watch came in. Julia's favourite character is Winnie Pooh and mine is Eeyore and Julia said to me that's what I want because I always look up to you.
As you can see Ray's done an excellent job of recreating the same image more than once.
Inked Feb 2010 at Diablo Tattoo by Ray Hunt.
Phoenix - "Betrayal"
Located on my back this is my twelfth tattoo.
It was done in two sessions at Diablo Tattoo by Ray Hunt.
The piece is based on the theme "Betrayal" and was a catharsis for my messy divorce.
William & Paddington Bear
Located on my right leg below George & Eeyore this is my thirteenth tattoo.
It is a celebration of my latest nephew William. Paddington is looking up towards Eeyore which to me signify's William looking up towards his big brother George. This is a classic image of Paddington Bear, who was one of my childhood favourites and I loved the Michael Bond books especially the Christmas one!
Inked July 2011 at Diablo Tattoo by Ray Hunt.
Elvis Profile
Located on my right hand this is my fourteenth tattoo.
It balances my other Elvis tattoo, "Taking Care of Business in a flash" that I have on my left hand.
Inked Dec 2012 at Medway Tattoo by Tich.
Baby Dragon
Located on the right hand side of my belly this is my fifteenth tattoo.
I was born in the year of the dragon.
Inked Dec 2013 at Diablo Tattoo by Ray Hunt.
50th Birthday Tattoo
Located on my top right thigh, this is my sixteenth tattoo.
This tattoo is to celebrate me reaching the 50th birthday milestone, an important event for me given my Mum sadly passed away before she reached her 50th birthday. The image is a anime of me doing what I enjoy most, reading and having my trusty camera to hand.
Inked Dec 2015 at Diablo Tattoo by Ray Hunt.
When planning new tattoos and their locations, I am conscious of the overall look of my tattoos and like I said on a previous page the aim is not to be covered completely but to place them aesthetically around my body with each new tattoo complementing those already there. Initially I was keen for them to be as visible as possible, after all what’s the point if they cannot be seen and appreciated? But now I realise that it doesn’t matter if sometimes some of them are out of sight, that doesn’t take anything away from their beauty and more importantly I can always see them and ultimately that’s all that counts. Now that I have finally started on this journey I am enjoying the whole experience from the initial idea through to sitting in the chair and seeing that idea brought to life on my skin. I will carry these little pieces of art with me for the rest of my life and I for one don’t have any problem with that whatsoever.