Long time readers may recall how, over the years of working on this tattoo, our plans for the next appointment would frequently change. I had a habit of writing here what I expected would happen during the coming appointments and, more often than not, I was wrong. Tattooing exists at the crossroads of craftsmanship and art. As such I try to always remember that the tattooer might need to change the plan based on how they are feeling on a given day. This is especially true when you’re pursuing a large scale project as there is usually no shortage of areas to attack. Do you continue the outline? Add shading? Maybe decide to go back and add some color or tighten up and tune work from previous sessions? I have always taken the view that it all needs to get done eventually, so no matter what Horizakura decides to work on, it’s progress towards our goal.

You may have noticed that, despite a return to outlining on the last appointment, I made no predictions for appointment 118. Horizakura usually prefers to outline and shade in increments instead of outlining a lot and then going back. Even though we only had a very small amount of space left to outline on my torso at the end of the last appointment, I wasn’t certain that he would continue that outline on this appointment. Lo and behold, he did. My torso is now totally outlined and I’m beyond thrilled! Horizakura spent a little less than an hour outlining the remaining neckline and the area under the hikae by Horishun. Some of the area around the nipple and the area along my collarbone were predictably heinous, but other than that I didn’t experience anywhere near the amount of discomfort I felt during our last appointment. The spot where he added the two cherry blossoms was particularly easy… I could have sat there all day if he had more to do! It’s so peculiar to me how sometimes it only takes a 1/4″ to transition from falling asleep to a white-knuckled hellscape. Bodies are weird.

Horizakura will be doing some travelling in the coming weeks so we will be skipping our next couple appointments. We did discuss what is coming up next time we meet. The plan is to finish the outline completely, meaning we will be outlining my right forearm and connecting to my halfsleeve. I’m not entirely sure what the content will be. We had discusses a ryu-gyo at one point but I think it’s also possible we just keep it simple with rocks and water. No matter what he decides, I’m extremely excited for our next appointment!

Sorry there is only one picture. I realized the full-torso shot I took was totally out of focus so this is all you get for now.