I’ve always liked the laughing skeletons and sugar skulls often times placed on graves as a symbolic offering to the deceased on the holiday. I understand that to some this may seem morbid, but to me what better way to honor those that have gone on before us than with a great big party. Often time celebrations take on a humorous tone and I think that this make it easier to move on with ones life after losing someone that is near and dear to you. I decided the tattoo I wanted was a Dia de los Muertes skull. These skulls are often adorned with bright colors or flowers and since I love this type of art, I felt this was perfect for me. I went online, found three examples that I really loved, and printed them out.
Now all I have to do is find someone I trust enough to put a permanent piece of art (or piece of something depending on how good the artist is) on my body. Not only do I have to decide who, but where am I going to put it? I just moved back to Texas so I didn’t have a lot of friends yet to turn to for references. Luckily there were a few people at work who had recently gotten work done. A couple referred me to one place but I thought their tattoos were mediocre at best. I looked up one of my friends from high school and bingo! She recently had work done and found a guy that not only did a nice tat for her but had also fixed some botched art she’d had done by some not-so-great area shops.
I decided to have it put on my back on my left shoulder. I rarely wear sleeveless shirts and this would be easy to cover and not noticeable when at work. So I went in to make an appointment. This is when I started to get nervous. I starting second-guessing myself. Luckily, when I talked to the artist (Randy) all my doubts and fears disappeared. He was confident and told me what would look good and what would not. He made suggestions, got my input and drew up a custom piece of art. I originally thought I might want a butterfly but after drawing it up, Randy advised against that particular incorporation. I agreed since it really looked out of place. Without my asking, he incorporated a sparrow and a rose, two of my favorite traditional tattoos. I let him know how important color was to me and that I wanted it to be as vibrant as possible.
