In this blog I would like to talk about my experience tattooing Michael. He approached me around 10 years ago, it was his first tattoo, so we spoke a lot before we made a choice about going ahead with the tattoo. We connected a lot with a few things, including music and movies. Michael loves the lord of the rings and the Hobbit, so that brought us close together, including that we had the same music taste. He enjoyed to listen to similar bands that I did, so we started to introduce each other to new bands.
His Request
I was really happy when he requested a fantasy dragon surrounded by gold, which it really resonated with one of our favourite movies, The hobbit. In our consultations, we looked at my fantasy books, we didn’t at least 3 consultations looking at fantasy books, until we found the right image for him.
During his consultations we built a connection between tattoo artist and client, and those 3 visits to the studio, enhanced his decision to come and get tattooed by me, as he could feel the relaxed vibe in the studio, and it was a place where he wanted to spend time in.
Getting the design ready
I drew everything by hand, as it was a fantasy dragon, he wanted a custom design just for him, and when I drew the design by hand, it came from a genuine place.
I can still offer tattoo designs, completely drawn by hand, I think the client get something more personal and genuine, and only you can have the tattoo, that is still possible to get done.
The Tattoo process
Tattooing Michael it brought us close together even further, his calmness and patience it allowed me to work in a great frame of mind, I remember tattooing his half sleeve, and it took around 2-3 sessions, then he took a brake from getting tattooed, which I completely understand, I think he became a father, so responsibilities arrived in his life, I was really happy for him, however he let me know that he would be back for more.
10 years after, Michael got in touch with me, and I moved from Leeds to Manchester. It was a really big move for me to make, and I do still get a lot of my cleaned friends coming over to Manchester to get tattooed by me, I guess when you build a connection with your tattoo artist is not easy to let go. Specially because I really take care of my clients to make sure they are comfortable and enjoy the experience and process, as much as possible.
I believe to give to my clients more than tattooing, I think when someone chooses to get tattooed by me, I want to repay them with good coffees, good chat and positive experiences.
So 10 years after tattooing Michael, he still follows me from Leeds to Manchester, and this time I saw him after 10 years, I was looking for someone, who would be good on the camera, and be able to share their experience about getting tattooed by me.
That’s when, I called my friend Anthony from Manchester to do a video for me. Anthony was great with the video and he captured Michael’s Tattoo experience where you can watch on this you tube video below.
I hope you enjoy Michael’s client experience video, it was a pleasure working with Michael, and we are going to be doing more work on his fantasy sleeve.
Keep and eye for more updates.