311. taste of ink

I spent my entire afternoon today getting two tattoos done at Traditions Tattoo Collective in Singapore. There were 2 guest artists from Seoul, one which I've been following on Instagram for a while now, Hugo.

I've never really wanted any Ghibli themed tattoo until I chanced upon his work a couple of months ago and fell in love with his work. I was lucky enough to get a slot, the owner of the Tattoo Studio told me and little sis that a lot of people were disappointed because they couldn't get any work done by him since he is fully booked. I thank my lucky stars.

So, Traditions Tattoo Collective is located in Holland Village, which made me feel really nostalgic because my dad used to own a restaurant here and this Tattoo Studio is just a few shops down on the same street to where my dad's restaurant was.

The artists at this studio were really friendly and  I spent most of the afternoon talking to them while Hugo was working on my tattoos. His girlfriend Greem, was also working on another customer. I'm gonna sound like a creep but I was admiring her tattoos while she was standing around or watching Hugo do his work. She and Hugo both have a really great collection of tattoos, one of them being from Ildo, another tattoo artist that I really want to get some work from. I don't know what's with me and female tattoo artists but whenever I see them, I'm just all *__*

She was really nice as well, I managed to talk to her for a little bit. Hugo started on my Kamaji tattoo first and it was less painful than I thought it would be. It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get it done and I was so happy with it. I was already excited when he posted the initial design a week or two ago on Instagram. I was really mind blown when he finished it, the details and just the general idea of this Kamaji piece is so unique, I'm just like... every cent is worth it. 

I only wanted Kamaji and the sootballs but I really loved that he added the herbs, tags and even the rice bowl that Kamaji is holding.

We took a short break and I gave some of my stickers to the artists. I'm always happy to see artists appreciate my work. The best thing is when they compliment me because it really boosts my confidence. An absolute confidence booster is when the person you admire keeps your work very safely. I always have had a lot of self-doubt especially when it comes to my art. Greem even asked me if I was a tattoo artist and I was like "no no no no". 

My Kaonashi tattoo was actually really painful compared to the Kamaji one because of all the shading but I really love the details and stars Hugo put on him. Also, how cute is the tiny bird on top of Kaonashi?

picture Hugo took on his Instagram.

I left the tattoo studio at close to 6pm and went for dinner before heading home. I live for days like these, where I can talk to fellow artists where we share the same opinions about things and interests. 

There's obviously some ~deep~ reason why I got these tattoos but I won't go into them. But if you didn't already know, Spirited Away is one of my all time favorite films. If not, my absolute favorite Japanese animation film. It was also one of the reasons why I wanted to visit Japan in the first place and now look where we are, I have already lived in Tokyo for the last 3 years.

Also - I have always hated my legs but maybe now I can start loving them a little more. Thank you, Hugo. Thank you to everyone today who made me feel welcomed at the studio. :)