Okay, so I finally did it. Got that ink I’ve been mulling over for ages. This one’s inspired by, you guessed it, The Rock. Not like, his face or anything crazy, but his big tribal piece. Always looked powerful, you know?
First off, deciding was the easy part. I see the guy everywhere, seems like a solid dude, works hard. That Polynesian stuff he has, it just looks awesome, tells a story. I wasn’t going to copy it exactly, that felt weird. But I wanted something with that kind of vibe, that strength.
Finding the Right Person
This took some time. You don’t just walk into any old place for something big like this. I spent maybe a couple of weeks just looking around online, checking out local artists’ work. Found this one guy whose portfolio had some really intricate line work, similar style, felt right. Went down to the shop, had a chat. Showed him some pics of The Rock’s tattoo, explained I wanted something inspired by it, not a copy. He got it straight away, which was a relief. Sketched up a rough idea right there.
Getting it Done
Booked the appointment. Had to wait like three weeks. The day comes, I head down there. Gotta say, even though I’ve got other tattoos, you still get those little jitters. Sat down, he prepped the area, put the stencil on my arm. Looked pretty damn cool already. Then the needle started buzzing. Man, that sound.
It wasn’t a quick job. We’re talking a few hours here. Some parts barely hurt, others, yeah, you feel that sting. We took a couple of breaks, stretched a bit. The artist was cool, we just chatted about random stuff, music, movies. Made the time go faster.
- Preparation: Shaved the area, cleaned it up good.
- Stencil: Put the design on, made sure placement was perfect.
- Inking: Started with the outline, then the shading. Lots of wiping, reapplying ink.
- Pain Level: Varied. Some spots were easy, bony areas not so much. Tolerable, though.
The Aftermath and Healing
Finally done. He wrapped it up tight in that plastic stuff. Looked messy underneath, all ink and goo. Gave me the whole spiel on aftercare: wash it gently, pat dry, use the special cream. The first few days are always the weirdest. It’s sore, kinda puffy. Then it starts to peel like a sunburn. You just gotta resist the urge to pick at it. Seriously, don’t pick it.
I followed the instructions, kept it clean, moisturized it like crazy. Took maybe two, almost three weeks before it stopped looking flaky and weird and started looking like an actual part of my skin. It’s weird how your body just accepts this ink, makes it permanent.
The Final Look
So, how does it look now? Honestly, pretty awesome. It’s healed up real nice. It’s not The Rock’s exact tattoo, but it’s got that same kind of flow, that tribal power feel I was going for. It feels like my version of it. Took a long time thinking about it, finding the right person, sitting through the process, and dealing with the healing, but yeah, totally worth it. Feels good to have finally done it.
