Okay, so I’ve been thinking about getting a new tattoo for a while now, and I finally decided to go for it. I wanted something big and bold, and I’ve always liked the look of leg tattoos, especially ones that wrap around. After brainstorming a bunch of ideas, I settled on a “dak” theme – you know, kinda dark and mysterious.
First things first, I scoured the internet for inspiration. I looked at tons of pictures, saved a bunch to my phone, and tried to piece together what I liked and didn’t like. It was a mess, honestly, but it helped me narrow down the general style.
Next up, I needed to find an artist. This was probably the most important part. I asked around, checked out some local shops’ Instagram pages, and finally found someone whose style I really vibed with. We chatted for a bit, I showed him my messy collection of inspiration pics, and he seemed to get what I was going for.
We booked a consultation, and I went in to talk about the design in more detail. He sketched a few things out, we tweaked them together, and eventually landed on something I was super excited about. We scheduled the first session, and I was officially on my way to getting inked.
The First Session
Man, was I nervous! I’d gotten small tattoos before, but nothing this big. The artist prepped my leg, shaving the area and cleaning it thoroughly. Then he applied the stencil, and we made sure it was positioned perfectly. That took a little while, actually – lots of looking in the mirror, adjusting, and making sure it flowed with the shape of my leg.
Once the stencil was on, it was go time. The buzzing of the machine started, and I just tried to relax. The first few lines were a little stingy, but honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. I got used to it pretty quickly. We took a few breaks, and after a few hours, the outline was done! It already looked awesome.
Session Two and Beyond
- Session Two: We focused on shading and filling in some of the darker areas. This was a longer session, and definitely more intense. My leg was pretty sore by the end of it.
- Session Three: More shading, more detail work. We really started to bring the design to life.
- Session four: Add some samll details.
Aftercare was crucial. I followed the artist’s instructions to the letter – washing it gently, applying the recommended ointment, and keeping it out of the sun. It was a bit of a pain, but totally worth it to make sure it healed properly.
Now, it’s all finished, and I’m absolutely stoked with how it turned out. It’s exactly what I wanted – a big, bold, dak leg tattoo that I’m proud to show off. It was a process, for sure, but a totally worthwhile one.
