A letter to Malwina of Jesse James Tattoo
I got my first tattoo as a 40th birthday present to myself. It was also a way to capture the pain of infertility, while also giving me something to look forward to. My first tattoo was quickly followed by another element in what in the next 18months would became an entire lower leg sleeve. My artist, Natalie Prichett of Sugarfoot Tattoo, did a spectacular job, and I still get rave comments ten years later.
My second “tattoo” was actually designed from the start by Ceceila Wingate, then at Seventh Son Tattoo, as a sleeve celebrating my living in California. It took six months to complete.
For my 50th birthday I want to do a tattoo that I’ve been brainstorming for almost thirty years.
Ancient History
I had a breast reduction thirty years ago that left scars. Seven years later, I had a lumpectomy, and the surgeon removed most of the scar tissue and cleaned things up. Before the reduction, huge breasts defined and confined me as a teen and young woman. The reduction freed me. I would and still do wrestle with food and body issues, as well as a constant struggle with depression. But my life would have been cut short, if I hadn’t had the surgeries. I am here in w/ two sons, two dogs, and two cats in our Berkeley home because I looked up, perhaps to the stars, but at out of the depths.
The basic information is I want the pisces constellation on and around my breasts. I do not want a parallel set of fish, because the two fish represent two different stages/moods/challenges of my life. One fish should be a top dweller, the other will be a bottom dweller. They will be tethered by seaweed.
You
The reason I wanted to come to you, is because I can see in your work, the stories that you can and do tell. I especially love the way you can take two completely different things and can surreally make sense of them. The heart in a vase with the sunflowers, for instance. Or this meaning you make with this merged tree/person.
In some cases the narrative emerges naturally. I love this tattoo illustrated like a kids book, as well as the story behind the joining of ship, stairs and door.
Your style varies according to medium, but there’s no single tattoo I can point to that captures what I envision. One of my favorite tattoos of yours is this tree and birds. I like that some of it is unlined. But then this lined jellyfish is whimsical. It is exactly the tone that I want. The line work and shading are hopeful and able to laugh at itself. I like the playful quality. An overlay of color is where the deeper, more conflicted emotions can come out.
[ Of course, there’s also this pisces combo of fish, symbol, orchid & unique container, which may be why I landed with you.]
The placement
My breasts and the scars underneath them are being lost to age and sag, so I’d like to put the bulk above the scars.
The setting
I want my fish to be atop a fairly true constellation. It will need to be tilted to map across my front. [ There will be a contrast between being underwater and being in space that I’d love to have you render with color. More on color below.]
Here are some renderings.
This last one has the fish drawn at the very ends of the constellation.
Components
The fish
The top dweller should be a hatchet fish. I mean the freshwater kind, not the scary deep sea kind that looks like an aquatic street thug. The river and aquarium kind are small. Ours would jump out of the tank into our cats’ waiting mouths. The fish had big eyes, a dream of flying, and an apparent death wish. I’ve had no luck getting a drawing from the top or bottom, but they are super thin fish.
For the other end, the bottom dweller, I want a Plecostomus. These are commonly known as sucker fish, and eat the algae growth in tanks. The painting here, https://i.redd.it/hmhmhqr1n1121.jpg is remarkable. I LOVE it. I don’t want you to copy it, but you’ll see the other tattoos that I like would match with this take on the fish. But for reference, here are a couple of views and types of Plecostumi.
Seaweed
I want the fish both caught by and connected with seaweed. There should be tension against each other, but there should also be a sense that they both are in the same boat.
These illustrations below have fantastic coloring. And I like that some of them are outlined and some of them are not.
I don’t know that this is relevant, but I love the perspective from this one. I don’t think we can come from the bottom of the sea, but there is something lovely about it being a climb.
Style and Story
To be honest, I’m completely in love with the tattoo artist, Deexan’s work, but he’s in France, and I am not. I don’t know if he’s a big deal, or if there’s a name for this style of work. But I like that the lined illustrations tell one story and the color overlay often tells another. I also like how he (like you) brings together a mix of elements. For reference, I like these.
Deexen
He tells a (children’s?) story with this one (120) that is both simple and childlike at the base and then more abstract at the top.
Fish view from the top (236) instead of the side, definitely too big, but love how the contrails turn into leaves/stalks/buds
I like the way that some watercolor is in the lines (51) and some is something on its own.
This watercolor over the compass and planets (83) captures space with the color without having to fill in the entire background.
I do NOT like this set of two fish with flowers.(62)
And I’d say that I don’t want any flowers, but then his petunia and galaxy(?) or pinwheels. The subtle use of green in this, is perfect.
Some Other’s tattoos
Some lined and some unlined, intense and (too saturated) color, but the unique angle of this fish is remarkable.
Another very saturated water color. I like the geometric depiction.
I love the way the stars are part of the rabbit. It’s too black for me, but the tone is close.
Breast tattoos
These are mostly mastectomy scar tattoos, and not breast reduction, but the idea is similar.
I love the feel of this one and that there is a quotation under one scar.
I love how this is not symmetrical (the images themselves aren’t great.)
This is symmetrical and the disparate elements aren’t joined well, but I generally like it.
This: is there a way to include something like these scissors or a knife? I love the humor in it.
Other elements
Like the scissors or knife above, if there’s a way, I’d love to add in some other elements. Some thoughts I had would be to include
- the constellations for my sons’ signs: Libra and Leo.
- A pink triangle
- A semi colon
Like one of the breast tattoos, I might like to put some script under the scar lines. I love this from Shakespeare’s sonnet 116
One stanza per breast?
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.