Well hot damn!  Appointment 43 is in the bag and Horizakura connected the leg shading to my already shaded thigh.  Feels great to have it beginning to form one piece!  The back of the knee was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I think the line work hurt worse.  It is worth mentioning, Horizakura was quite merciful in his approach and would shade an area behind my knee, then move on to a different part of my leg to give me a break before returning to the back of the knee.  I suppose maybe some people would rather just get it over with, but I found that procedure very tolerable.  The man knows his craft.

The only other worthwhile note here is that he used those waterproof bandages again at my request.  I was a little ahead of the curve this time though.  I buzzed all the hair off my tattooed leg so it wouldn’t hurt like a bastard when I pulled the bandages off.  Worked like a charm!

I lied.  One more note.  I didn’t move.  I’m traveling for work, so these photos come to you from the bathroom of a Holiday Inn in beautiful San Antonio, Texas.

 

Below are pictures from my 42nd appointment with Horizakura.  As mentioned in my last post, he began shading my left leg.  It’s so nice to have the peace and quiet of tebori back in my life.  I know lots of people who have a fondness for the noise of a tattoo machine, but after experiencing both, for my money I love the gentle plucking of tebori.  These pictures were taken a week after my appointment, as opposed to my customary following-day photos, because we are trying a different aftercare approach.  As a result, you will see a bit of dryness in the new work and it may be a little difficult to tell what is new and what was previously shaded during appointment 37.  This appointment also marks the first true “edge” of my tattoo.  Since nothing on my back is connected and my other leg and current arm will be extended, the end that was shaded here represents the final line of this body suit.  It’s an odd milestone to consider, but it’s a milestone nonetheless.  I love a good milestone.

It’s a little hard to know how much of an improvement the new aftercare is.  Generally, areas of tighter skin seem to scab less than looser areas (my jiggly thighs and fat ass, for instance), but all in all this seems to be healing more smoothly.  Instead of wrapping the tattoo for the night and then unwrapping and washing the next day, Horizakura used these large waterproof bandages.  I’m not really sure how to describe them, but I’ve included a picture below of what my leg looked like with them on.  Anyway, I was advised to keep them on for 3 nights, then remove and clean up as usual.  It feels like an improvement, but things can vary so much in the healing process, maybe it’s all in my head.  That being said, you should absolutely follow the aftercare advice of your artist.  Unless they are recommending rubbing dirt on it, they know best.

After a 7 week hiatus, Horizakura and I were finally able to meet for an appointment.  After consulting my spreadsheet (shut up.), this is the third time we have gone 7 weeks without an appointment.  I could have sworn this was the longest tattooless stretch since we started, but I guess not.  It felt like a damn eternity, perhaps because of how busy life has been.  Enough calendar talk! On to the work!

Horizakura was beboppin’ and scattin’ all over my leg last night.  He added some cherry blossoms and waves to fill in the outside of my left knee and near the tail and head of the koi on my thigh.  Additionally, and this is weirdly the most exciting part for me, he connected the shaded portion of my thigh to the outline on my leg.  It’s finally all one piece!  The current plan is to begin shading this outline with our next appointment.  It will be nice to take a break from the noise of the machine.

Oh, about the title: in the pictures below, I opted to wear my fundoshi because it was getting a little tricky trying to keep covered and take photos without obscuring the work.  The fundoshi is what I wear during our appointments.  Mind you, it’s not a true fundoshi.  I believe the traditional garment is created from a single piece of fabric with no strings.  Mine has strings because the learning curve of traditional Japanese underwear beyond my ability.  It’s also easier to put on or remove as Horizakura works.