In the two years I have been getting tattooed, I have gotten 5 tattoos, by 4 different artists at a range of Aberdeen's studios. Aberdeen has a lot to offer with so many different studios with artists skilled in a variety of styles.
This is a rundown of my tattoos and the experiences I had while getting them. I hope it can be of some help to you, whether you already have plenty experience getting tattooed and you are just looking for some inspiration for your next one if you have never been tattooed before and are desperately seeking advice.
No.1 - Marcin, Reign In Blood
I knew what I wanted for my first tattoo long before I was old enough to get one. I went simple for my first one, all I wanted was a quote on my shoulder for my Grandma. Nothing very artistic or grand but I really wanted it done. The only thing was I really didn’t know where to get it done, honestly, I pretty much just picked Reign In Blood purely because I went by it on the bus to university every morning. I didn’t know much about any of the different studios or artists in Aberdeen so this made my choice much simpler.
Not really knowing what to expect, I phoned the studio in the hopes of booking an appointment. I was going to get off the bus on my way home and go in a couple of times but I never plucked up the courage. Reign In Blood can look quite intimidating from the outside but when you do go in, it turns out its really not as scary as you might have thought.
So, I phoned to book an appointment for myself and my mum, she got her first tattoo at the same time as me. As luck would have it they had space to fit us in the very next morning. Along we went and the rest is history. Marcin was great, we both love our tattoos, my mum had a much more detailed piece done and looking at the studio’s Instagram page, I often feel that Marcin’s talent was wasted on my very simple design. I would definitely go back to Reign in blood and if I ever had an idea that would suit his style and give him more artistic license, I wouldn’t hesitate to book an appointment with Marcin.
No.2 - Kam Tatooist
Not long after my first and still woefully ignorant of everything Aberdeen had to offer tattoo wise, I chose to visit Yarson Tattoo because someone I knew had been tattooed by Simon Smith. I had checked out his Instagram and thought he could do the design I wanted justice. I went in to book an appointment with him, I was told that another artist was better suited to that style and he had an opening the next day which I took. (My first two tattoos getting booked within 24 hours of them being done led me to believe that this is quite the norm. It’s not, be prepared to have to wait weeks or even months if you have an artist in mind. They will no doubt be worth the wait.) Many people are probably cringing that I agreed to an appointment with an artist I knew very little about but I was young and I didn’t really know the do’s and don’ts and etiquette of the tattoo world.
I liked the tattoo I got, I had some issues with the healing process but it turned out okay. I do like this tattoo. I had imagined this piece would be smaller but Kam said if it was smaller the smaller Rosebud might look more like a cabbage than a rosebud so it was better to go bigger to make it clearer. I like the size we went with and I'm glad we didn't make it any smaller but sometimes when I look at it for too long I do think the smallest one is a bit cabbagey.
I think out of all the tattoos I have, this one represents me the best and I love the colours used and I think it was the right choice to make it bigger, after all I don't know best so when your artist gives you advice you're probably best to take it.
I believe since I got this tattoo both Kam and Simon have moved from Yarson to Signature Skinart.
No.3 + No.4 - Carol Cannon, Rebel Ink
By the time I got around to getting my third tattoo, I had finally educated myself a bit more and did the research into different artists that were local to me. The artist whose style stood out most to me was Carol’s. I loved that a lot of her work was a bit more feminine than some of the artists I had already been to or seen, I thought the idea I had in mind would be great if Carol brought it to life.
I love what Carol did for this one, it’s one of my favourite pieces, I think it’s really beautiful. I love the colours, she took my basic idea and made it something great.
Around half a year later, I knew it was time for another and because I loved what Carol had done with my last one and the easy atmosphere of rebel ink, I thought I wanted to go back there. (I think rebel ink is the least intimidating studio I’ve been to, right from the moment you enter reception everyone is lovely, to the conversation in the studio that can often be a good distraction from the pain).
I follow an artist called Annabelle Lewis on Instagram that does gorgeous inky watercolour paintings of mythological figures and goddesses. There was one painting which I particularly loved of Hekate. I desperately wanted something similar, I never dreamed I would get anything exactly the same as many artists will refuse to copy another’s artwork out of respect.
I had seen that Carol had done a gorgeous piece of Medusa and I thought she could maybe do something similar for me inspired by Annabelle Lewis’ work. Carol went above and beyond, after I took it to her, she felt that the only way to do it justice was to do it exactly as it was, claiming she didn’t think she would be able to design something as good. I bet she would’ve but nevertheless she contacted the original artist and asked her permission to copy her piece. And that’s how I ended up with my absolute favourite tattoo, it’s going to take something seriously special I think to top this one.
Every detail in this piece is perfection, it was worth every single minute of pain.
No.5 - Kirstyn Henderson, Rebel Ink
Before I got my latest tattoo, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted but I knew I wanted something leafy. And when you want something leafy I don’t think there is a better artist to turn to than Kirstyn. A fellow proud plant mum, you can tell she loves these kinds of designs. I asked Kirstyn to design me a tattoo with a few different plants and asked her to possibly include a spider plant and some colour. Fun fact I actually didn’t own a monstera plant before I got this but I loved how it looked so much I went out and got one to match.
Kirstyn is an apprentice at Rebel Ink who has an amazing career ahead of her and you should definitely get an appointment with her because she is great and deserves the support. This was a perfect first tattoo for my leg and I will most definitely go to Kirstyn again, LOVE the style and the colours and just everything about it.
This was also my first post-lockdown tattoo experience but more about that another time.
So those are my tattoo tales to date but believe me there will most certainly be more to come. If you have any questions or have any recommendations on who I should go to next, please get in touch. I would be delighted to hear from you.