Koi Dragon Half Sleeve Tattoo – Part IV

I came to Hong Kong this weekend to sit for the last session on my Koi Dragon Tattoo at Blue Tongue. We started this piece in the beginning of June and it has taken 3 months to get where we are now. We worked on the piece for probably a total of 8-9 hours. A tougher man could take the whole piece in 1 sitting. I however really appreciated taking my time with this. My other tattoos definitely did not hurt as much so this piece was also like a test in endurance. Also having quit smoking there were not many breaks and I did not drink at all before or during the work.

This last sitting was probably the best and towards the end I really found my groove. I hit that place in my mind where I was suspended in animation. I could feel the needle cutting through my skin, I was very sensitive to the area Joan was working on, but there was no discomfort. There was pain, not an aching pain, but a throbbing heat. At this point my mind was at peace and I was able to start moving through my mind and sift through my thoughts. But just around that time is when she suddenly told me that we were done!

I am really happy with the final product and I can’t wait for the tattoo to heal completely so I can see the work in its final form. Right now the new buts are still darker than the old ones and the shadding has not worked its way into the skin. The old piece and this new one are finally starting to look good together in my eye as I am getting used to this new tattoo as well. This shoulder tat is exactly what I wanted and in a way I am sad that the trip is over. But the good thing is that I can always continue to build on this over time. As for now, I am still in HK, soaking up the civilization.