Rodney, Photographs and Possible New Tattoos - It Was a Wonderful and Productive Friday

It was excellent seeing Rodney (my tattoo artist) again yesterday. The first thing we did was hug - a nice long friend hug. He introduced me to several of the other artists working at his new studio, and they're a great bunch of people - some very talented artists there. The studio itself is a block from the U of MN campus, so well placed for walk-in traffic, and there is a lot of on-street paid meter parking  (electronic/digital) too. I found a space two blocks away, which wasn't bad at all. In deep winter with icy winds and a blizzard, I probably won't be as happy - LOL. 

I noticed a "Nauti-Cal" location just 1/2 block west of 
Rodney's tattoo parlor. If it hadn't been a biting cold day, 
I would have dropped in there for a treat. I do love their 
food. Maybe next time. 

We chatted for more than a half hour, catching up on each other's lives. He just got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, so congratulations were given to both of them. I also had to find out how his two Huskie dogs were doing. Then he started taking photos and movies of my scarab. When he edits it all and puts it up on his Instagram, I'll let you know. We also spent quite a bit of time talking about the next two jobs I want him to do for me. 

False doors have many different appearances. I gave 
him two images, this one and the next photo to give 
him two looks. Of course, I want to stay in greyscale 
only, but it's the concept I wanted to bring across. 
This particular false door was on a later tomb and 
was only painted on, not carved in. Still, it served the 
same purpose - the location of prayers and offerings 
for the deceased. 

I want a false door with my hieroglyphic name, "Fierce Woman" in the center of it. I want it to look weathered and imperfect, but recognizable as an Egyptian false door. For those who may not know what a false door is, it is the place where offerings for the dead are placed and prayers are made for the deceased who is entombed behind the wall and the true door. There were a lot of iterations of false doors over the centuries, but the concept remained true. Although we talked about the back of my head, I messaged him this morning telling him I want it on the upper back of my neck instead. I want my scarab to remain the star of the show. Everything else bows to the scarab. 

I also gave him this photo which in many 
ways is closer to what I'm looking for in 
my mind. I want it looking more 
weathered and crumbling. I am only
putting in seven hieroglyphic symbols 
for my name, so it doesn't need a
great deal of space. 

We also began a discussion for a large back piece I'd like down the line. I don't know if I'll ever get to this one, and DH will totally throw a fit, but I want the "weighing of the heart" on my back, with the triple goddess symbol I got as my second tattoo decades ago as the fulcrum of the scales. He also photographed two lines from "The Book of the Dead" that I want running down the back wall of the back piece which is my tie-in to the scarab because the lines celebrate "Khepera", the name for the scarab - the creator of all. 

I want Anubis, the scales and the beast in the back 
piece. The scale must feature the heart on one side 
and the feather of Ma'at on the other. Putting 
Ma'at herself into it is optional, Thoth isn't necessary
either. The hieroglyphics behind Anubis should be
the two lines from "The Egyptian Book of the
Dead". He photographed them from one of my
three copies of the book (overkill, I know). 

So, it was a busy morning and early afternoon. When I finally returned home after a couple of other errands, I settled down at my laptop and finished the grid sheets for the 4mm bicone crystals. I only have the 3mm bicone crystals still remaining for their grid sheets, then I can dive into photographs - lots and lots of photographs. 

This particular image of the "weighing of the heart" is 
more familiar to most people. It's one of my least 
favorite plates, though. There's a lot that I like, but 
a lot that I don't in this image. 

I hope you have a truly fantastic Saturday and a wonderful weekend ahead of you. I'll attend the American Craft Council show on Sunday, and plan on being back with you on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

Finally A Meet-Up With My Tattoo Artist and Other Endeavors

It's Friday, which is always a lovely day, but I'm running a bit late today. Of course I've already had my two-mile fast-walk, and made my two cups of tea, figured out the day's schedule and done my daily solitaire games on my phone, so I guess I've been a bit busy. But better a bit late than never, so here we go. 

I haven't seen Rodney for over a year. I've totally settled 
into my tattoo - can't imagine myself without it, to be 
truthful. I do need some minor hieroglyphics added 
below the scarab, I'm thinking a minimal "false door" 
with the hieroglyphics going vertically. I'll see what 
he's got to say about that. The star has to be the scarab. 

I have a noon appointment with my tattoo artist. He's been wanting a photo session forever, and since he posted a video of my getting my tattoo on his Instagram, (https://www.instagram.com/rodneytaylorart/?hl=en) I was giving him a hard time about finishing the job - LOL. He needs some "after" photos to go along with the progress video, so today is finally the day after months of trying to get our schedules aligned. I'll be going to his newest place - Dinkytown Tattoo, which is located near the University of Minnesota in the Dinkytown neighborhood. I'm rather hopeless with that area of town, so I'm hoping Google won't do my wrong and that I'll have an easy time finding a parking spot. No guarantees. I'll try to build in plenty of time so that I can walk a few blocks if necessary. 

I've got my square Swarovski crystals on Etsy, but I want 
to add the rounds and the bicones because those are the 
categories that I have the most product available. Then 
I can start in on the specialty shapes, which I also have 
a lot of. I can't fall too far behind schedule here, but 
they take serious prep time before they can be uploaded. 

Of course I also have to go grocery shopping, and I'm hoping to spent the afternoon continuing to finalize the photo sheets for the next Swarovski crystal photos. I've been working on that on my Friday afternoons, and I really need to keep up with the pace for that. 

I love working with embossing powders. I have huge 
containers of the colors I use most frequently, and 
there's not a card in decades that I haven't used this 
technique for in some fashion or other. I decided that 
this year I would paint my cards, so embossing 
powder and paint are my focus right now. So much 
fun! 

I've been working on my Holiday Cards at the shop in the early mornings (when I should be washing the floors). I'll have my first "call out for cards" next week, then again two weeks later and maybe a third in early November. Ideally, I'd like my cards in the mail close to Thanksgiving, although Solstice is always my hard deadline. 

Keep your eyes open. I'll be announcing my first 
"Call Out for Cards" next week sometime. I only make 
a total of 50 cards which leaves me 49 to send out 
to friends and family members (and I have a large 
family). 

So, on that note, with things to do, places to go and people to see, I'm out of here. Have an excellent Friday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Trying To Schedule A Photo Shoot - Two Busy People and One Single Day

Yesterday, I finally touched base with my tattoo artist again and we're trying to work out a date for a photo shoot before the temps get too cold. That's a definite concern because we're quickly running out of October and if we're doing a shoot outdoors, we're also running out of tolerable weather and temperatures. Of course, we could always move to the Como Conservatory or work within the Como Zoo - both of us live close enough to the zoo and Como Park to make that a possibility. But I'm trying for a meet on the last Friday of October. 

I'm not sure if this will link out correctly, but I finally got a chance to see the video Rodney made of my tattoo before I left after the second session. We still want to get together for a photo shoot, but this is his Instagram page where he posted. He had me move outside of the Tattoo studio to get this video done without glare and spotlights. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQyy4i7HpfE/

I'm fortunate to live near St Paul. In fact, when I first moved up to here from New Mexico, I lived within easy walking distance from Como Park - the crown jewel in the park system of the Twin Cities. Those who live on the "other side" of the river (that would be the Mississippi River), would probably give their votes to parks on their side, but for me, the premiere park will always be Como Park. 

Como Park is a wonderful place. The grounds of the Zoo 
are where the small white square is on the center left. The 
zoo comes quite near to the rectangular building a 
bit down and to the right which is the Conservatory. 
There is an 18-hole golf course taking the top 1/3rd, 
and a large pavilion fronting the lake a bit more to 
the east. The lake itself is quite large. Many people take 
the walking/biking paths around the lake to get their 
daily exercise. At the bottom of the park, below 
that final blue roadway is another small white 
rectangle. That's the public swimming pool with a 
zip line and wading pool area.  

The main attractions of Como Park are the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory and the Como Park Zoo. Both of these amazing venues are free to the public except on special occasions or reserved dates (wedding photo shoots in the Conservatory are fairly common). The Zoo is always free, and the Conservatory sets aside one day a month as a fee-based day for photographers to come into the grounds and take photos. Chickie has gone to several of these events, but I've only attended with the usual public on free days. If I remember correctly, there are only nine free zoos in the nation, and Como Zoo is one of them. 

The Como Park Conservatory is stunning. It's an amazing and 
large venue with a tropical room, a more temperate room, 
and outdoors there is also a wonderful Japanese garden. 
It's a great place to go in the middle of Winter to defrost 
a bit and remind yourself that Spring will come. 

I'm rather hoping that Rodney will approve of my thoughts for our photo shoot. He wants some more "artistic" photos of my tattoo, and I would love to be outside during one of the last autumn days before the snows fly (if we're lucky enough to be outdoors with the unpredictable weather we get at this time of the year). Blue skies and sunshine would also be a plus - not asking for a lot, am I - LOL? Of course, I wouldn't mind being in the Conservatory either. 

During the Covid shutdown, Como Zoo, like many other 
zoos across the nation, took their penguins to other places 
to allow them to explore and expand their surroundings. Here, 
the Como Zoo penguins took a visit to the nearby 
Conservatory to enjoy the Spring tulip exhibition. Aren't 
they adorable? 

So the ball is back in his court. The 29th of October is the only day I can see that we might both have off at the same time. Things may not come together but we can try. 

It's a Definite "GO" - Rodney Is Fabulous

Yesterday's meeting with Rodney went really well. We spent more than an hour talking, looking at pictures on my phone, and deciding on a course of action. I have an appointment for June 30th from 10:00 am until ? and we'll see if we can do this in a single sitting, or if I'll need a second appointment to wrap things up. 

I wasn't aware of the changes in tattoo equipment since 
I got my last tattoos in early August 2007, and equipment 
has come a long way in the past 14 years. I guess that's 
to be expected. Look at how your cell phones and computers 
have evolved in the same time span. 

It's been years since my last tattoos and equipment has come a long way. He pulled a few things from his drawer to show me the old electronic coil style applicators vs the newest rotary one which is what he'll use on me. It's really like night a day - such a difference in how the ink is delivered, almost no fighting the equipment to get the lines necessary. It would be a dream to use but both machine have their applications and are still used by most artists. 

It's going to be expensive. When I got my last two tattoos in 
2007, I think it was $100-$200 for each of the two 
designs, but they were small, didn't take more than 30 minutes 
or so each, and I had an apprentice, not the master, 
doing the work. I know the shop owner, at that time, 
was getting $600 or more per tattoo. Like everything else, 
tattoo prices have gone up. 

It's going to be expensive - he's a commercial artist and gets paid for his work and his time. His hourly rate is equivalent to some attorney's rates, or at least not a whole lot of difference. But I didn't walk into this thinking he would be inexpensive. He's an award-winning artist, has been featured in "Ink" magazine a couple of times, and has people flying in from all over the nation to get inked by him. I like the location he's in - it's not as "skanky" as his previous location, the parking will be no-charge in the attached ramp, and it's only about 15 minutes from my home (traffic depending). 

I love my Credit Union. They're located within 
a mile of my house, so I can walk there if I 
decide I'd like the exercise. They're consistently 
rated among the top in the nation, and I've 
been happy with them from Day 1. I'll 
need to phone them to arrange to get the 
cash out of my account. Usually I'd just 
use my cash card, but this will be a bit 
more than a cash withdrawal from a 
money machine. 

He gets paid in cash only, so I'll have to arrange a visit to my bank within the next week or so. I don't have that much ready cash sitting around at home - LOL. I'll be sending him a lot of pictures. I gave him a small downpayment, necessary before he started working on the artwork. He'll have something to me at least two weeks before the 30th (so I'd better get moving on those pics for him), because DH has veto rights on the image, so Rodney may have to do some revisions before we've settled on a final design. 

Pain is relative. What doesn't kill you, might kill 
someone else. So be careful when the urge to 
say "I've seen worse" or "It could be worse" 
hits you. I have no idea how I'll react to getting 
this tattoo, but I really want it. Sometimes wanting 
something this much can be all that's needed to 
push through. That, AND a really great 
artist at the controls. 

Of course the question always comes down to "Won't that hurt?" Well, of course it will. It always hurts to have needles applied to skin. But for me it's well worth it, and I can zen out of a lot of that pain. If I need to tap out after a few hours, it'll be fine. We can pick back up with a second session. No shame. It really doesn't do anyone any good to "push through" unless you're within a very short time of being finished. It's going to be absolutely gnarly, though, and I can hardly wait. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have a fabulous Thursday and please, be kind and stay safe. I'll be back tomorrow. 

In Search of the Perfect Tattoo - A Meeting in Minneapolis Awaits

I have a 1:30 pm appointment with Rodney Taylor, my tattoo artist, for a consultation about my scalp tattoo. I'm totally stoked! I realize "stoked" is probably really old-school terminology and truly not appropriate for a "senior" citizen to be saying, but it's also a rather evocative term, and it describes my feelings about this meeting to a "T". I'm stoked! I know skull tattoos are painful, but I really want that winged scarab tattoo. 

This was one of the first skull tattoos of his I 
found on the internet years ago. I was specifically 
looking for someone who was comfortable working 
on skulls and in black/white. I'm not a fan of 
color in tattoos, at least not for me. I prefer 
sticking with the black and grey tones. 

I have a file of Pinterest pics on my phone, and a small bracelet of an iridescent beetle in plexiglass I purchased more than a decade ago for artistic inspiration. Out of curiosity, I printed out the entire history of our emails back and forth. My original inquiry for the tattoo was on September 4, 2019. Now, more than 18 months later, we're finally getting a chance to meet and discuss whether or not we'll have a meeting of the minds. 

Here's another skull piece he did. Again, just lovely 
work in plain black and white. 

When I contacted him regarding this meeting, I warned him that I needed to be home in time for my weekly phone call with my sister in California. We set the appointment up so that I'll have ample time to get home in time to have my convo with Aearwen, my Sister From a Different Mother. Some things take priority, after all. LOL

My fellow Tolkien fans will love this one. The 
winding road in the foreground, and the Lonely 
Mountain in the background, all set in a lovely 
filigree framework. 

I will be missing a Zoom call for one of my WildFit groups, (I'm a member of five different FB groups), but I'll have to catch that on replay later this week. This tattoo will NEVER happen if I'm not willing to make some sacrifices to achieve success. I think he's an artist with great talent and that he can take a winged scarab design to a new level of beauty and intensity on my skull. It's really the perfect time to get this done. I'm not willing to go back to the gym until Fall, and I won't be in the pool until then either. The tattoo will only have to deal with summer heat, sweat and daily showers, something that the inks are designed to handle anyway. 

The koi might be an oil painting of his, not a tattoo, but
I adore what he did with the subtle colors here. If I
have any color at all on my skull tattoo, I'd want it to
be subtle shading similar to this. 

So on that note, and hoping Rodney and I click and don't hate each other on sight, I'll plug in some of his tats for you to look at. He's so incredibly talented, and I can't wait to see what he can do for me. Stay safe, be kind, and I'll be back tomorrow.