Tattoo! Tattootattootattoo!
Aug. 10th, 2008 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moominmuppetYay!
(both sets of pics involve some incidental boobage; not entirely worksafe)
Photos of where it was before
How far we got
So happy! We got a lot further than we expected to, and we've got a tentative appt for this coming February. Portland, Maine, where Chris Dingwell is now working (out of Sanctuary Tattoo) is very cute, and the time with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
forestfire was excellent. Although we may do a bit of final tweaking to some of the color once this session's healed (I'm particularly thinking about asking him to add some rust and blood-red tones to the ribbon), my arm is basically done, we got one of the figures on my back completed, and a start on the Venus of Laussel that's the main image on my back so far. I'm currently looking through my resource book (collection of all the research I did when we first started more than a decade ago), determining which images we'll go to from here. I know the Venus of Lespugue is going to be the central image on the side of my thigh, but haven't decided about the pieces in-between. Yay, fun decisions!
The inside of my arm has a crazy bruise, because I bruise crazy easily, and eight hours of working the area, holding the skin tight, definitely had effects. As I told Chris, who was shocked and apologetic about it, I'm not worried. The bruise'll fade, the tattoo will stay.
Oh. Random idea for another tattoo I want to write down while I'm thinking about it... A representation of the full structure of the clit (glans, shaft, and crurae, which make an interesting shape) (link not really worksafe, has genital photos). It's something most people would never recognize, but to me it'd be a commentary on sexuality, and geekery, and how long it took the scientific community to understand anything about female sexuality, etc. Possibly on my right shoulder.
Note to self, some handy links off this wikipedia article (I'm also checking around for images I didn't find back then, since there's so much more available online than there used to be.) If you happen to know of interesting sculptural representations of the female form that don't include clothing or props, from any time period, I'd be interested in pointers, too. I'm trying to represent as many regions of the world, and a relatively wide time frame (I've got a few modern pieces that reference the paleolithic that I'll probably include, too). I'm trying to get a wide variety of body shapes, but avoiding hybrid images like owl-goddess figures and such (that example comes to mind because I've got an image of one that's very cool, but wouldn't work with this piece).
Bookmarks I've already noted to look through in more detail for interesting images (a few of the sites are pretty bullshit-laden, but that's not what interests me about them; it's images of the figures themselves):
http://www.sheelanagig.org/ (although most aren't what I'd want, there are a few I really like, and I'm still looking for some better images of some of them)
http://www.beyond-the-pale.org.uk/sheela2.htm
http://www.suppressedhistories.net/articles/eller5.html
http://www.suppressedhistories.net/articles/icons.html
http://orissagov.nic.in/e-magazine/Journal/Journal2/pdf/ohrj-07.pdf
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Sheela_na_Gig
http://www.beyond-the-pale.org.uk/zxWhittlesford.htm
For those I haven't explained this piece to, at its core, it's about the fact that the desire to create is such an immensely human trait, that it connects us. That thinking about the human being who carved an image on a cave wall 30,000 years ago that looks like what I see when I look in the mirror gives me a much greater sense of our shared humanity than names or dates ever will. The female form has been represented so much throughout human history, for so many reasons (I actually don't really like describing this as my "fertility figures" tattoo, because I don't think it's accurate or complete in its description of what these figures might've originally meant to the people who created them). Putting this piece on myself is my way of placing myself within that human history of creating this image. Also, it's a big ol' fuck-you to narrow beauty standards.
(both sets of pics involve some incidental boobage; not entirely worksafe)
Photos of where it was before
How far we got
So happy! We got a lot further than we expected to, and we've got a tentative appt for this coming February. Portland, Maine, where Chris Dingwell is now working (out of Sanctuary Tattoo) is very cute, and the time with
forestfire was excellent. Although we may do a bit of final tweaking to some of the color once this session's healed (I'm particularly thinking about asking him to add some rust and blood-red tones to the ribbon), my arm is basically done, we got one of the figures on my back completed, and a start on the Venus of Laussel that's the main image on my back so far. I'm currently looking through my resource book (collection of all the research I did when we first started more than a decade ago), determining which images we'll go to from here. I know the Venus of Lespugue is going to be the central image on the side of my thigh, but haven't decided about the pieces in-between. Yay, fun decisions!The inside of my arm has a crazy bruise, because I bruise crazy easily, and eight hours of working the area, holding the skin tight, definitely had effects. As I told Chris, who was shocked and apologetic about it, I'm not worried. The bruise'll fade, the tattoo will stay.
Oh. Random idea for another tattoo I want to write down while I'm thinking about it... A representation of the full structure of the clit (glans, shaft, and crurae, which make an interesting shape) (link not really worksafe, has genital photos). It's something most people would never recognize, but to me it'd be a commentary on sexuality, and geekery, and how long it took the scientific community to understand anything about female sexuality, etc. Possibly on my right shoulder.
Note to self, some handy links off this wikipedia article (I'm also checking around for images I didn't find back then, since there's so much more available online than there used to be.) If you happen to know of interesting sculptural representations of the female form that don't include clothing or props, from any time period, I'd be interested in pointers, too. I'm trying to represent as many regions of the world, and a relatively wide time frame (I've got a few modern pieces that reference the paleolithic that I'll probably include, too). I'm trying to get a wide variety of body shapes, but avoiding hybrid images like owl-goddess figures and such (that example comes to mind because I've got an image of one that's very cool, but wouldn't work with this piece).
Bookmarks I've already noted to look through in more detail for interesting images (a few of the sites are pretty bullshit-laden, but that's not what interests me about them; it's images of the figures themselves):
http://www.sheelanagig.org/ (although most aren't what I'd want, there are a few I really like, and I'm still looking for some better images of some of them)
http://www.beyond-the-pale.org.uk/sheela2.htm
http://www.suppressedhistories.net/articles/eller5.html
http://www.suppressedhistories.net/articles/icons.html
http://orissagov.nic.in/e-magazine/Journal/Journal2/pdf/ohrj-07.pdf
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Sheela_na_Gig
http://www.beyond-the-pale.org.uk/zxWhittlesford.htm
For those I haven't explained this piece to, at its core, it's about the fact that the desire to create is such an immensely human trait, that it connects us. That thinking about the human being who carved an image on a cave wall 30,000 years ago that looks like what I see when I look in the mirror gives me a much greater sense of our shared humanity than names or dates ever will. The female form has been represented so much throughout human history, for so many reasons (I actually don't really like describing this as my "fertility figures" tattoo, because I don't think it's accurate or complete in its description of what these figures might've originally meant to the people who created them). Putting this piece on myself is my way of placing myself within that human history of creating this image. Also, it's a big ol' fuck-you to narrow beauty standards.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:32 am (UTC)I think my folks are well-nigh unshockable these days. Talk about breaking 'em in for my younger brothers...
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 07:53 am (UTC)As for the clit tattoo, yeah that seems very you. My only complaint is that they didn't use a particularly pretty cunt in the article. There are much better looking ones out there. :-P
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 10:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 08:35 pm (UTC)Did you ever hear about the poster project
no subject
Date: 2008-08-13 04:13 pm (UTC)1) First of all, identify what you think is bad about the existing image.
2) Secondly, in order to appear in the article it has to appear in Commons, Wikipedia's library of images. Do you think any of the vulva images in the library that Wikipedia already has (http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vulva) would be useful in its place? If so, which? and I'll replace it for you or show you how to. Or do you think your image would be better than all of them?
3) If you want to add your picture to the library, either because you think it would be better than all the existing ones to illustrate that article, or just because you'd like to contribute it so the world can use it, you will need to licence it under a free licence, i.e. agree that anyone, forever, will be able to copy it and edit it. But you may, if you wish, require attribution to you.
4) It may be advisable to take another near-identical photo where you are holding a sign saying "Wikipedia" or similar, to prove model release, and release that photo under identical terms.
5) Then upload it, or I will if you'd rather, and I'll show you how to add an annotated version if you like.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:34 am (UTC)Now that I'm finally moving on my nekkid ladies, the moratorium on further tattoo work is lifted (I didn't feel right about getting other work until I was working on finishing this one again).
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 10:56 am (UTC)It would make a wonderful tattoo though.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:35 am (UTC)I think it's a perfect intersection of sexuality and geekery for me. Just asked a friend who's got gorgeous work who her local artist is.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 12:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:37 am (UTC)Hey, I've been meaning to ask; with the new job, are you still thinking about moving back over here this fall or no? I lost track of whether the one you chose was nearer to my place.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 11:41 am (UTC)If somebody else is in a hurry to move in, it wouldn't be fair for me to keep them from it. But if there isn't, its still something I'm thinking of. I just don't have enough information to commit yet. Mix-ups with the mail and with the need for a drug test has pushed my whole world back by a week or so.
I really wish I had more of a clue.
By The Way, I think a package might be wending it's way to me at your address from Australia. No clue what's going to be in it but I know it won't get here if mailed to my address. heh.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 02:05 pm (UTC)I love the progression.
And I like the clit idea.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 12:00 am (UTC)The clitoris.
Always a good idea.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:38 am (UTC)Can't wait for my next appt!
Yay, clits!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 12:08 am (UTC)Heh, now I'm imagining how utterly cheesy it would be if the ribbon were pink. Though you could probably get part of the work subsidized by the Komen people if it were.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:40 am (UTC)Actually, I'm trying to decide what color I'd want the clit tattoo. I'm normally not a pink person at all, but I think rose-red shading to blood-red might work, and not be too Barbie for me.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 04:57 am (UTC)Speaking of sex and science geekery, have you picked up the book "Bonk" yet? I got it about a month ago thinking I wouldn't be able to put it down and now it's been relegated to a shelf in my bedroom only to pick up when I'm finished with everything else. I was reading a review of it on Greta Christina's blog and thought of you immediately for some reason [unfortunately, I don't know many geeks who like to combine their sex with science in real life], so here you go: http://blog.blowfish.com/culture/greta-christina-tee-hee-you-said-bonk/800
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 07:42 am (UTC)I'll definitely post as I make decisions about the clit tattoo; right now I'm checking into local artists, and debating about color.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 04:22 pm (UTC)Unrelated, other than in a very vague way: I love Maine so much.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 04:30 pm (UTC)And Maine, at least away from the coast, smells like home. I grew up in pine forests in MI.