I'm not me without my tattoos

I'm fairly sure anyone with tattoos have been in such situations or similar:


"You do know that your tattoos will make you seem less than others, right? No, it's not what I think, although personally I wouldn't do such a thing, but people have been having opinions about tattooed people for centuries, and it's a bad impression." - it's my impression to make, and people will judge me even if I had no tattoos

"Why do you want to get it? I understand, it looks nice, but do you really have to have it that big?" - I have my reasons, which will most likely have nothing to do with anyone

"You were good looking as it is! Why did you have to vandalize your skin like this?" - do you mean that I am now ugly because I have some extra "deco" on my skin?


I've been approached multiple ways about my tattoos - lesser work prospects, potential life as a spinster because no one would want me, and bad impression to notable people in my life who may or may not help me advance.

Being seen as a trouble-making criminal has not been explicitly mentioned, though.

My facade is simple - I tell people that their opinions don't matter to me, and in the end, I will do what I want, life is mine to live, and as long as I live as a responsible person and don't hurt anyone physically, I'm pretty much good. People can judge me or reject interaction with me solely because of my choice of tattoos, and they can be uncomfortable about it (which is the point, more on that later), and ideally - it won't affect me, or at least it won't affect me in a way that I'd give up tattoos.


However, a facade is only a facade. It hurts when people tell me I have less value now that I have tattoos, especially if they come from people close to me.


The intentions are mostly good - they want better life propects for me, but then again if they really had faith in my intelligence which they tout about to other people, wouldn't it be already possible that I know the consequences of getting them?

Oh, wait! No! She has a fucking degree but she must be oblivious to the plethora of consequences that come with tattoos! 

NEWS FLASH: I used to think badly of people with tattoos until I started watching Miami Ink (praise Ami James and his team) and had my horizons expanded.


I also understand the stigma that comes with it - no decent citizen would have their skin so vulgarly marked with nudity, as well as the long-time link between the dark side of society with tattoos. It's also something seen as very outlandish and intimidating: "pay someone a hefty sum to poke holes at high speed into your skin to inject ink for LIFETIME COMMITMENT?!" Thus, people tend to just reject stuff that they can't accept, such as a) someone willing to pay a hefty sum to have their skin 'vandalized', b) have someone use a machine they can't fathom to piece one's skin at high speed, c) lifetime commitment of a certain design ("what if you get bored of it?"), or d) someone who can do all the above and not regret it in the future.


I believe it's something that we just live with, much like women just live with being cat-called and objectified, because it's not something within our control. We can talk back, explain, try to educate, but if they refuse to take the lesson and stay adamant with their opinion, there's not much we can do apart from put on a smile, nod, and agree.


One of the more frequently asked questions that I get is "WHY do you want/need to get them?"

To be honest, I don't have a solid answer for that, or maybe society has warped me so much that I'm now even scared to feel alienated.

I get them because I like them.

Because it's one of the ways I cope with the crippling self-doubt and body dysmorphia that comes with my search of my real purpose in life.

Because I want to be seen as intimidating, to further solidify my facade of strength.

Because it's a silent cry for help to people, to tell them "this is what it means, please help me before my sanity slips away".

Because I want to challenge the beauty standards of people by having as much sex and feminine appeal as I can while having these "delinquent"-type body art.

Because it's something I wanna get with my own money on my own skin, I'm not asking anyone to accept it or understand it or stare at it, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Here are some answers to some common other common questions:

"Why do you want them so big?"

A: I like to make a statement, if my laughter has not illustrated that enough. Also, the only two big ones I have are fairly detailed, so having them too small, it defeats the purpose of asking a master artist to put so much effort into a masterpiece, doesn't it?

"Aren't you scared you'll regret them?"

A: Yes, I'm afraid that my fickle mind would one day decide "actually, I don't like this style/design anymore, but it's now permanently on my body". Which is why I give myself as much time as possible to weigh my options and see if I still want it a few months or years down the road. Also, I try to make it a point to be sure that everything that I get has meaning - each one of my tattoos now represent a part of me. And even if I do regret them years down the road, it will be my regret to take on, because there will be no one else to blame.

"Why do you waste your money like that when you could've spent it on something more practical?"

A: It's a personal preference, like how some people don't mind spending more on food, entertainment, self-pampering, etc. I know people who would rather spend a fortune on games, or spend a bomb on clothes and designer items. People who seem to be like you may not hold the same core values and principles that you do, so I will shut up about you spending so much of your money on [insert what I think is unnecessary and frivolous here], and I implore you to just mind your business and not comment unprovoked about the amount of money I spent on investing in a good artist for a permanent feature on my skin.

"Aren't you worried about the impressions that you would make to new people?"

A: Not really, no. Well, depends on who it is. Most of the time, I like to watch how people on the streets react to me when they see me: shocked? Disgusted? Impressed? Thankfully, I work in a place where pretty much everything goes, and I'm valued by what I can give rather than how I look and how I spend my money. As for first impressions, it really depends on whether you actually want to get to know me in person, as opposed to just writing me off as a lost cause on your book.

I accept the fact that society will not take the time to understand you or accept eccentricity if they are adamant about their values, even when I desperately try to persuade people to perhaps stand on the other side of the picture for another angle that they may be missing out. In essence, I'd be lying if I said that any snark comment/spite directed toward my "integrity" because of my tattoos didn't bother me or hurt me. In fact, it hurts a lot. Say you wouldn't do the same, say your money would be better spent elsewhere - that's on you. But what's on you as well is also seeing me as less of a person because I chose to be even more different than I already am.


My point here is: have whatever opinions you have about what you think about my tattoos. I can't make you see through my lens if you don't want to. However, I hope that if you feel the dire need to tell me about your opinions of my tattoos - good or bad - please, at least try to be civil about it. I understand I don't look like a decent person, much less a decent girl worthy of a decent guy such as the person whom I call my significant other right now. In fact, there's a whole other list that could write me off as "unqualified" to be his girlfriend, and that list doesn't include my body modification.


I give silent nods to fellow inked people I meet - in respect and in silent understanding of the little "society" that we form, in silent retaliation to typical society expectations and beauty standards, in embracing our love for body art even in the face of potential spite, discrimination, and isolation. I can't speak for all fellow inked people that they will feel the same way that I do - many of them are emotionally stronger, and take a lot of this with grace. Perhaps they deal with it in a different way than I do, or they're just let it roll off their back - either way, kudos to them.


Perhaps one thing about inked peeps is that... we're all slightly out of place in this world where we desperately try to find relativity and try to fit in somewhere, to fulfill a role and not let our life just slip by in vain. And since we're already labelled "strange", we might as well do it in style - in the form of permanent body art, pieces of myself that we will take to the grave with us to decay, telling the stories of our lives and being permanent reminders of the lessons we learned, the people we met and loved, the silly things that we used to do.


Essentially, live your life and I'll live mine. If our path cross, I take it as fate for me to have met you, for whatever reason that fate has in mind. I just implore one thing... let me live my life, as my mother has let me live mine. I will blame no one and take responsibility for any issues that come with my choices, as will everyone else. There is little else that give my life meaning apart from him, my family, and my love for the limitless world of tattoos - please don't take that away from me.

TATTOO #5: Ai-chan

Somewhere along my adventures on the internet, I found an series of horoscope illustrations, and after further research, found that they were illustrated by an artist called Amrit Brar, who aptly named the series "Shitty Horoscopes".


The series contains several books, and the one I related to the most is from Book VI: After the Fall. 
 

I had this saved in my PC and phone for a while, wanting it as a tattoo but not sure how to style it. I certainly did not want to rip off the design itself, and even sent an email to the illustrator herself (so far I don't have a response).

~

Recently, a fairly popular tattoo artist returned to the scene - Hishiko Woo. I had been following her for a while, but never really delved into her designs until recently, after she had returned from giving birth and caring for her son. What really drew her to me were her horoscope designs, and how she was fairly open minded to feminine-gore. Her style was different from other artists in the sense that her style was mostly illustrative clip-art or comic style.


I didn't really know what I wanted, but she pretty much understood the design concept. It was her who suggested that the focal point be on the hands covering the eyes, and the hand around the throat. We set the appointment date to be - ironically - my dad's birthday.


This entire exchange of information was during one of my earlier gym days, in between sets, on WeChat. It felt so impulsive, compared to my previous tattoo ventures where I actually sat down and spent some time composing what I was going to say.


And compared to the unique style of Yang Lee, whose traditional designs are remarkable, Hishiko has a completely different vibe of her own, and the way she got what I wanted even before I elaborated more just cemented her as the artist I needed to have this piece done.

~

I realized that the period pre-tattoo, I would always have bouts of severe melancholy/depression. There's no explanation for it, nothing in particular that really gets me down - PMS, my weight not going down, even old clothes started fitting again, so the only explanation I had was some kind of pre-tattoo anxiety or something. It kinda happened when before I got my hannya as well, but it didn't feel as severe.

UPDATE: the duration of the anxiety has significantly reduced, but I still get inexplainable melancholy for a couple of weeks before the actual day.

~

D-DAY

The studio (Haiyuan Tattoo) is a residential unit within Taragon Puteri Bintang (which makes this my first visit to a studio within a residence), on Changkat Thambi Dollah, right behind Berjaya Times Square, and shares a building with Furama Hotel.


Haiyuan, her husband and mentor, was conducting a class when I stepped into the very homey yet professional place. And believe me, she's as pretty in person as she is in her photos. AND HER SKIN IS PORELESS - PORELESS!!!


After taking my arm measurements, she took about an hour to sketch out the stencil from her original drawing, while my boyfriend and I (mostly just me, though) played with their cats and had an early lunch (thanks, YW!). I shall go all out crazy cat lady and say their cats are fucking adorable and so fluffy and so purry!!! One of them actually made the effort to follow my boyfriend around, even kneading on his pants with its paws~~~


We started around 1.30pm, after she prepped the stencil. Because of the immense detail on the design, the outlining took much longer than expected, and because there were so many lines on the design, she had to fill in the hair part so that it would be easier to continue the piece when I go back for the next session.


She asked if she could call me 小倩, after previously calling me 紫倩, from what I presumed was from my Facebook or WeChat. I happily obliged, and to distract myself, sang along with whichever song I knew from their compiled playlist (自誇說一下，人家也覺得我的歌聲好聽 呵呵呵~）.


I can't really compare the pain to that of the hannya piece, because of the difference of atmosphere, and the presence of an actual person with me (during the hannya piece, I bombarded my boyfriend, who was then just my friend, with messages counting back in sevens from 1000, which he suggested in reference to Tokyo Ghoul when Kaneki was being tortured). But compared to the forearm tattoo I got, it was definitely much more painful in the sense that the pain never 'dulled'.

We took a short break in between the lining and the filling in of the hair of the girl. Can I just say I'm so happy to have another set of boobs on me now?


She wrapped my piece in saran wrap, another first as the artists for all my smaller pieces used a sterile bandage and taped it down with surgical tape (take it off after 2-4 hours, rinse, air dry, and apply A+D emollient), and Yang Lee only applied a layer of Tattoo Goo onto the finished piece. Instructions were to keep the saran wrap on for 5 hours, then immediately rinse and pat dry with paper towels. I was not to apply any lotion or ointment on it for the first 5 days, but I cheated and applied some After Inked lotion about twice a day (which was how often I washed it anyway).


2nd session is set in April, hopefully that doesn't coincide with the China trip~ Till then, this post will remain in my drafts~

~

2ND SESSION - SHADING & COLOR

IT DID NOT COINCIDE WITH THE CHINA TRIP! But it did coincide with King's Raid maintenance, much to the dismay of the SO.

Pretty kitty @ Haiyuan Tattoo

A post shared by Kellie Low 紫倩 (@yukari_ivankov) on Apr 12, 2017 at 10:21pm PDT

We met her in the lift on the way up, and almost immediately got to work after she finished setting up.


The process was much less painful than the previous session, perhaps because it was less needle-to-skin contact duration - the little lines that she used for shading broke up the needle-to-skin contact duration so it was much more bearable, except for that little bit which was practically at the elbow which hurt the most out of the entire piece.


The first part was outline and general filling in of her hair, this part was the shading lines, slight touch up on the hair part, defining the parts of the flowers surrounding it, and color on the lips, severed parts of the hands, and a little color on the nails.

Toward the end of the session, she asked if I minded that she featured me as a 'guest' in her Facebook live session. A little background on Hishiko - she used to be a local host and artiste, and since she has retired from that industry to be a full-time mother and tattoo artist, she does little Facebook live sessions in talk show format to fulfill her urges to be a host. She actually held another live session the previous night, describing how she will start doing talk-show format live sessions to hopefully give insight about various topics to her audiences.


In this session, we discussed the meaning behind my piece, and how tattoo artists can try their best to illustrate their clients' ideas even if they do not have a specific style or image in mind. She also gives a little insight to the style she likes to go along - deformed, but still hauntingly beautiful.

~

AI-CHAN'S ELEMENTS

While I did not request the boobs (although I hoped she would include them), there are a few key elements of this piece that holds significant meaning, both toward the original illustration and caption, as well as some elements of being a Libra (which I find applies to me fairly well).

A post shared by Kellie Low 紫倩 (@yukari_ivankov) on Apr 13, 2017 at 7:43am PDT

HANDS COVERING HER EYES AND CHOKING HER
Referring back to the original caption of the illustration, I take that the very hands covering her eyes are actually her own - her overthinking blinding her to the blatant reality before her, and blurring her vision of the path before her. The extra hand is the hand of society - choking her to stop her from being 'herself'.

FLOWERS - JASMINES
I owe my growth to one particular person, apart from family. That one friend in university who did not make me feel included just for the sake of being included - she went out of her way to include me in her life, and make me feel like a part that's significant enough that she wanted me around. I requested that Hishiko add jasmine flowers around Ai-chan, in homage to my fellow Libra.

NUDITY
Apart from just being more comfortable naked most of the time, the nudity indirectly represents feeling naked to the world, as if being an open book displayed in a public place to be judged, scrutinized, and being very vulnerable.

ROPES
In my mind, I desperately want to be tied up - to be tamed, to be given some sort of boundary so that I could at least see how far I can go without falling off the edge.

EXPOSED RIBCAGE
Starved of what she needs to live - emotional food, affection, attention, understanding from others, acceptance.


FEMALE AESTHETIC
Despite all that, she wants to be feminine, pretty, attractive - if not to others, at least to herself. She feels how broken she is, but can't see how pretty she is to everyone else.

~

In the end, I find myself gravitating more toward black and grey pieces, with minimal color. And I finally have another masterpiece on my skin to take to the grave with me - I never imagined to have a piece like this, nor could I imagine it on my skin, but now I can't wait to see it fully healed!

Misconception: tattoo + tattoo = best friends

Humans socialize by relativity, which gives them a sense of belonging to a group, an interest, or a lifestyle. For example, you would be more likely to be friends with a similar taste in music, as opposed to one who does not. While human interactions and social networking differ on several different scales, this is one theory that is fairly solid.


Having said that, there are also several other factors to take into account when socializing - demographic, personal beliefs and principles, language barriers, etc. When two people share a strong relativity to a certain entity - let's say, their favorite band - they might become the best of friends, provided that other elements of themselves are compatible, and if not, whether or not they are willing to compromise and tolerate certain traits of each other that might not necessarily align with their own.


Now, I'm known to be someone who really likes tattoos and have some knowledge about the local tattoo scene. I offer my limited knowledge wherever I can to peers or people I know who have questions. Most of the accounts I follow on Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook are somewhat related to tattoos.


My company recently recruited a new member of staff, who happens to be a girl, who also happens to have an interest in tattoos, which is cool - as it is, our company is a dry desert with almost no girls, so a girl who has a similar interest as mine (relativity), all the better.


My superiors emphasized this point to me: that she was also a girl who emphasizes her embrace of tattoos, and that I would get along well with her.


While I have several friends and acquaintances with whom I share interests with, there are also several people who share mutual interests with me that either do not like me, are not liked by me, mutually hate each other, or we just do not speak. For example, I know guys who have tattoos who hate my guts because "girls are not supposed to have tattoos"; I know people who have tattoos whom I cannot/don't get along with either because we don't go with the same crowd, or our personalities limit our communication.


It was like how my parents expected me to get along with a family friend's daughter, who's around the same age as I am. I didn't get along with her, but ironically, my younger sister did. Whether it was the social awkwardness that plagues my social life, or that we just couldn't get along, I don't know. Not that we hated each other - I just didn't have much to say to her.


Tattoos and the industry itself is marvelous, and it's a really great thing to bring people together to share aesthetic opinions, broadening the spectrum of art styles within the industry, and just fawning over awesome needlework in general.


It does not, however, guarantee that anyone would get along with anyone else who has an interest in tattoos.


Some people get tattoos purely for the aesthetic value. Some get them for attention. Some get them as a memento of a life event. Regardless of the reason that one gets a tattoo, it's not "wrong" if it's by an artist who knows what they're doing.


I avoid "regretting" a tattoo by making sure they have substantial meaning before I go ahead to even research who does the best in the style I'm looking for. Apart from being a little skeptical of those who get tattoos just for the sake of getting them (without knowing what they want or what they derive from the tattoo), or opting only within the range of Pinterest/Tumblr tattoos, I respect everyone's objective of getting any tattoos, even if I quietly judge shitty tattoo choices/placement.


But apart from our interest in body art, our core beliefs may differ. Our lifestyles may differ. These differences may dictate whether or not we get along well. Our interests only serve as a potential catalyst to becoming acquaintances, let alone friends.

NEW TATTOO: #4 君の名わ

Ironically, I'm blogging about this sooner than I am with finishing my China trip blog post (read: I hate sorting through photos).


Usually I'd go through the really long rant of explaining the meaning of my tattoos - this time I think I'd opt out.

All I'd say is, I still haven't actually tattooed someone's name on me.

The urge came right after I (finally) watched Kimi no Na Wa, and felt that the entire story pretty much visualized what I thought love was - fated, and more often than not relied heavily on chance and timing. That feeling of constantly looking for something... or someone, somehow feeling like something has been forgotten, but could not or would not remember what it is. That desperation of clinging on to every memory of the person, who may or may not be your destined, but what you do know is that they mean so much to you, so much more than so many others because they really are that special.


I wanted it simple and clean. I first contacted Pink Tattoos, but I didn't browse their social media first and did not realize they were on Christmas break. So I contacted Dr. Ink through WeChat, and set an afternoon for a consultation.


Since Dr Ink is also a bar, they open at 4pm at Scott Garden. I would say this would be one of my more comfortable consultations, as I had someone with me and it was close enough in proximity to where I lived.

How I'm spending the last day of 2016 - with the buzz and @oren_dr.ink

A video posted by Kellie Low 紫倩 (@thecheanie) on Dec 31, 2016 at 12:22am PST

I got inked on the last day of 2016, and on this day I learned 3 things:

1. ALWAYS properly check if you've actually brought your wallet with you when you go out
2. Have some bits of cash in the car just in case you forgot to bring your aforementioned wallet so you can actually get out of the parking lot
3. Patience is a virtue when removing surgical tape (more on this later)

The funny thing was, I felt that my handbag seemed lighter than normal, but probably because of the speed in which events were happening, and as my nervousness heightened while I visualized the possible pain, I just ignored the cue.

Thank you @thecheanie for the support! #drinktattoobar#drinktattoobarmalaysia#tattoo#tattoos#tattooist#tattoodo#tattoodesign #ink #inklife#instattoo#inkstagram#inklifestyle#tattooartist#tattooist #tattoomag#Malaysia#malaysiatattoo#thankyou#black#lines#line#刺青#纹身#墨#byoren

A photo posted by Dr.INK Tattooer | Illustrator (@oren_dr.ink) on Jan 4, 2017 at 1:05am PST

The entire piece took about an hour to complete, from stencil to completion. During this hour, I attempted to use my Kaneki distraction method - to spam someone counting back from 1000 in sevens, until we started talking about another topic, which either distracted from the pain or I gradually accustomed to the level of expected pain.


Our topics of discussion included the possible effect of my original binge drinking plan on my tattoo, how my hand was almost constantly in contact with the crotch of my artist's drop-crotch pants, and a few of WeChat's new emojis (which are funny AF btw).


I was given the usual Vitamin A+D emollient, and instructions to remove the dressing and wash with regular body wash/soap after 4 hours.


4 hours rolled around, and I did something extremely stupid. The only other experience I had with surgical tape is some really old stock from my ex's house, so they weren't as sticky. At first I peeled them off slowly, but in my impatience and assumption that a quick tug would hurt less (completely glossing over the fact that waxing salons always hold the skin in place to avoid excessive tugging), I tried to rip out what was left of the dressing, and ended up bruising the parts where the tape was stuck.

Lesson from this tattoo: be patient when removing surgical tape. ALWAYS.

A photo posted by Kellie Low 紫倩 (@thecheanie) on Jan 1, 2017 at 8:03pm PST

However, I also noticed that I actually bruised from this particular tattoo. It could be due to the sensitivity of the area, combined with the fact that I bruise very easily.


It is now day 4, and the peeling and itching has officially begun. I'm still using the A+D especially for time when I know I'd be rubbing it against something for some time (e.g. sleeping, at work with a hoodie on), but I do layer some After Inked right after my shower for moisturizing.


Expect the next tattoo-related post around February - I've booked a session with an amazing artist for a rather unique piece on my dad's birthday (what a way to celebrate).

NEW TATTOO: My first color ink!

Welp... *cue hiatus apologies*


Before we begin, let's go over some of the background information about the hannya mask. Many around me mistaken it to be just some demon's face, and while I admit the hannya is still badass, it's not a any old demon face.


According to thehannyamask.com, the hannya mask is used in Japanese Noh theatre.

In Noh theater, the Hannya Mask was used to depict a female character who has been betrayed by her love and is then possessed with thoughts of jealousy, rage and hatred which transform her into a demon form. A typical Hannya Mask has 2 horns which emerge from it's head, sharp teeth and scowling eyes to show the anger and fury of a heartbroken woman.

The design of the mask itself caught my attention back in high school, and as time went by I felt that I could relate to this 'character'. Not that my love betrayed me, but that jealousy and envy are one of my dominant traits, and jealousy/envy is never pretty.


Anyway, I enlisted the help of Yang Lee, after pretty much just Googling 'best oriental tattoo KL'. And it so happens that I actually stumbled upon the studio itself during a night-time ramen date with the girls during university, so I took it as a sign of fate. From a little more digging, Yang Lee turned out to be an artist who won awards in tattoo competitions.


I went in for a consultation after some exchange on WhatsApp, and after plotting the size for the tattoo and discussing some details, I waited for the sketch from the master Yang Lee himself. I requested a mask that felt more feminine than demon-like, because I somehow wanted to portray the vulnerability of a woman who feels insecure enough to feel jealous/envious enough to become demon-like.

A photo posted by Yang Lee (@yangleetattoo) on Mar 1, 2016 at 7:31am PST

I loved the design, and was so excited. There was some hiccups in between getting the sketch and getting the tattoo actually done, but I made an appointment for 12pm on 4 March. After prepping, signing some forms (you're required to sign a form that gives the studio/artist official permission to put ink on you, mostly procedural stuff), and then Yang Lee went about sizing the stencil and applying it to the skin.

Hannya mask tattoo in progress... www.yangleetattoo.com #oriental #hannya #hannyamask #hannyatattoo #tattoo #tattoos #tattooart #tattooed #tattooedgirls #malaysiatattoo #malaysiatattooartist #yangleetattoo

A photo posted by Yang Lee (@yangleetattoo) on Mar 6, 2016 at 5:19pm PST

Inking officially started at 13:47, after he added some extra flowers behind the mask with a Sharpie. The first session was just for lining and shading, and boy did it look good even just in black and gray.


For aftercare, I was given Tattoo Goo, which by the way, smells amazing! It's almost like cocoa butter heaven, but not completely cocoa butter. It contains olive oil, beeswax, and cocoa butter as the main ingredients. My previous tattoo artists gave me just a small sachet of of A+D ointment, which I never got round to finishing, and they also wrapped up my freshly done tattoo with a layer of gauze, a layer of saran, then asked me to remove the bandages after about 2 hours and rinse with warm water. Yang Lee only applied a thin layer of Tattoo Goo and sent me on my way.


Pro tip for tattoos: just do whatever your artist tells you to do for aftercare - different artists may have different approaches, but mostly unless you have vast experience with tattoo aftercare, just listen to what they say and you won't regret it.

Anyway, about 2 months later, I was actually a little hesitant to whether I actually wanted color on the tattoo, cuz it just looked so good just as is already! But I went ahead to make another appointment anyway despite my doubts.

<Repost> Guest spot with this lone wolf at @yanglee_tattoo  Customer request a lone wolf with minor background and then come out with this #tattoo #wolftattoo #wolf #blackandgreytattoo #tattoooftheday #art #ink #skinart #bodyart #asiatattoo #malaysiatattoo #malaysiatattooartist #kltattoo #penangtattoo #yangleetattoo #theskincanvastattoo

A photo posted by Ándrèw Öñg (@andrew_inker) on May 31, 2016 at 4:25am PDT

The process took about 4 hours, including a little break in between. Guest spotting there was the amazing Andrew Ong from The Skin Canvas Tattoo, Penang. Andrew specializes in hyperrealism tattoos, and his works are just amazing! Above was the piece that he was working on while my hannya was being colored in.

I walked away with my first color tattoo at around 6pm... *cue scrolling*

The Hannya mask is a popular mask used in Japanese Noh theatre, depicting a woman twisted by jealousy, her face taking on the form of this mask. It is often made to express angst, pain, and sorrow, the ropes to express that this indeed is just a mask, hiding the real emotion below, with a touch of sakura to depict the feminine part of the mask. First session (lining and shading) done on 4 March, and looked amazing even before the color session yesterday! A million thanks to @yangleetattoo for bringing my teenage idea to life!

A photo posted by Kellie Low 紫倩 (@thecheanie) on May 26, 2016 at 5:49pm PDT

Right after this, I went for an overnight trip to Fraser's Hill (waterfalls and bike rides), and then attended the Wayang Kulit Tattoo Show, where both Yang Lee & company, and Andrew & company had booths, along with several other talented artists from various studios in and around Malaysia.


This is my first time getting a tattoo that took so long to complete - my first took about 2-4 hours (RIP both artist Telwin's and my spine), and the 2nd one took all but 15 minutes (considering getting another one done by Ying). This was a total of about 10-12 hours in two sessions.


The FAQ that I get the most is 'doesn't it hurt???' It takes more than I'd like to admit to just blurt of a sarcastically cynical comment, because all tattoos hurt to a certain degree (depending on individual pain threshold), but yeah, this particular tattoo hurt A LOT. Why? The thigh is a pretty sensitive area (although many people say fattier areas of the body hurt less), and my tattoo extends to almost the back of the thigh, where the skin is even more sensitive.

It bled a lot, too. Before they shot the final reveal and during breaks, blood and plasma just kept oozing through the petroleum jelly. The lining and shading session didn't produce much swelling, but right after the color went on, my entire thigh was swollen to the point of borderline pain for a couple fo of days before the skin hardened into a crust like texture.

Overall, I would really recommend going to Yang Lee if you were looking for some good oriental designs. Though he has his own style of drawing, he almost never disappoints with the quality of the work.


The other artists Newjack and Brandon also produces really detailed needlework in various art styles - from chibi to traditional, from tribal to floral.


After using up my Tattoo Goo, I got myself some After Inked ointment from My Tattoo Supply in replacement of tattoo aftercare.


While Tattoo Goo is an oil-based ointment, After Inked is more of a cream-based product. Apart from the lack of the layer of oily film that I would get after applying Tattoo Goo, I also noticed that the tattooed area did not itch after I applied After Inked, as opposed to the constant itch that I would get after applying Tattoo Goo.


In hindsight, I should have taken a few more days off work for the first few days of healing to allow maximum color-stay effect.

28.12.2013 - New tattoo

My first tattoo was a tramp-stamp, which means it's a design that's located at the lower back, just above the butt. It's called the tramp-stamp because it's a tattoo that's featured on quite a number of porn actresses.

Not the best photo, but one of the only few I have of the design that doesn't make me look like a slut. Another reason why it's called a tramp stamp. Some little parts of the tattoo is faded cuz the clothes I wore peeled off a bit of the skin.

I got my first tattoo when I just started university. The process of getting the tattoo wasn't really a well thought-out plan - I did do a little research about tattoo studios around KL and Selangor, and I knew where I wanted the tattoo to be, but other than that, I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing.


One fateful day, I asked one of my friends out on a double-date with our then-boyfriends to Sg Wang Plaza. We stepped into Tribal Bodyworks Studio, I picked out a tribal design from their catalogs, and there we go! The only two things I regret about the tattoo is that 1. I let my ex pay for about half of the tattoo, and 2. I didn't go back for a touch-up.


The tattoo - including the consultation - took about 2 hours to complete. Costed me (then us) around MYR350, and it has more or less become the rash decision that I'm most proud of (not that it's any major achievement). We met some nice Russian guys there, though - it's amazing how tattoos are as unifying as music.

Anyway, my initial idea for my second tattoo was to get the Avicii logo, as well as 30th November 2013 in Roman numerals in marking my first rave. I knew where I wanted it, and however I tried to rearrange the two elements, they didn't work.

So I changed my idea.

My first contact with this song was on the way home from Klang, after dropping off a friend - it was just my mum and me. It talks about a child asking the mother about certain things of the future, and all her mother told her was "que sera, sera; whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see".


Now, I'm the kind of person who has wayyy too much time on my hands (though, yes, I could use that time more productively) and think too much. I put myself in situations and dilemmas that don't even exist, or endlessly bomb my nerves with worries that don't even exist.


Some of them exist, though - my pending internship, my friends, my own "relationships", etc. And to be really honest, 98% of that aren't things that I can change - I can't do anything to alter how everything goes. And I've a habit of worrying that I'm gonna miss things. So yeah.


This time, I know a little better - I did a little more research, but I ended up going back to see the portfolios on Tribal Bodyworks' Facebook page. I loved Liucifer Ling's super-detailed artworks, but Bobo's portfolio caught my eye.


I sent an email to secure an appointment with her, along with my idea. The appointment was pushed back about a week, though. When I told my mum about it, her first question was "do you have plans to get more after this?" Well, I'd be lying if I said no, but I don't think I'd get any in the near future.

Someone was supposed to go with me to get the piece done, but something came up, so I drove to Sg Wang Plaza alone (Waze took me in circles, both to and fro) and got it alone. I decided on the script font (if you wanna look for different fonts, dafont.com is a good site to visit) - Windsong.


Bobo re-sketched the words, and work started at 14:22. It took about 20 minutes to get it done, and now I can't stop staring at it. While I was getting mine done, Ling was working on a Norwegian client whom I almost mistaken as Avicii LOL *fantasy much*


My mum didn't respond well to the size, but I'm really happy with it. MYR180 for a constant reminder to take the back seat now and then, and stop worrying too much about everything out of my control. And thanks to Bobo for the awesome line work!

Concert/rave tattoos can wait until I figure out how to place them. Right now, I'm thinking about something along these lines for my next one. Sorry everyone, not gonna stop until I'm happy, but I'll stay within boundaries.

It's Tattoo Day!

Not the permanent types, the airbrushed ones. There's a small airbrush tattoo stall on Taylor's Lakeside Campus right in front of Wong Kok and 7-Eleven at the Boardwalk Syopz.


Airbrush tattoos are a great alternative for those who would like tattoos but don't want to commit themselves just yet or those who wants to take on a trial period before they get the actual tattoo to see whether they like the pattern.


Airbrush tattoos are done with stencils, which is adhered to the skin, and then a layer of ink is blown onto the cut-out pattern, resulting in a temporary tattoo. Unlike sticker tattoos, these can last for anywhere from a few days to a month depending on certain environments, and they look more realistic compared to sticker tattoos, which often leave a shiny finish.

Yevon and her butterfly tattoo.

Yevon's smiley tattoo.

Today after a very monotonous class by a new lecturer who joined Taylor's faculty with an impossibly heavy Punjabi/Indian accent, Yevon went straight to the tattoo booth to get her smiley tattoo on her wrist that she had agreed on with the staff the previous day. She also wanted another one on her neck, and so she chose a butterfly pattern.

Jessica's ankle tattoo.

Meanwhile, Jessica saw a gradually enlarging star pattern in a photo on display at the booth and wanted to get that on her ankle as well.

Chien Min getting her tattoo done.

Chien Min's tribal eagle tattoo.

Out of the blue Chien Min also wanted one, and decided on a tribal-ish eagle pattern, also on her neck. All the while she was giggling from the ticklish feeling made by the spraying tool (something like an airbrush make-up tool).


All this airbrush tattooing is making me tempted to get another permanent tattoo. Either the stars or a bar-code either on the neck, the back of the neck or the wrist. Come to think of it, I haven't officially blogged about my current tattoo yet, though I think I'll wait a while until I get it touched up first before that.


Although there was the free touch up within two months of the day I got the tattoo, I was too freakin' chicken to get it done because one, no one wanted to go with me all the way to Sungei Wang Plaza to a tattoo studio and two, I didn't really notice that the color within the outer lines were fading until after 3 months.