On Saturday 1st August, for my birthday, I went to see Tony from Kirituhi Tattoo based in Ilkeston, near Nottingham. I had the appointment booked for about 3 months, and was very excited about.
Loo and I left Wycombe at 8am to get there for a 10am. I was booked in for 6 hours but was prepared for it to take longer, you can’t rush these things. We arrived just after 10 due to the rain, and after some introductions got started.
The first couple of hours was spent designing the tattoo freehand on my arm. I soon realised that this really was the only way a sleeve can be done, as Tony could follow the curves of my arm perfectly, to create a very special and unique design.
Once the main lines had be drawn and tidied up we started with the inking. It took about 4 hours including a few breaks. Tony then drew in the patterns and started inking those. It was hard work at times, I forgot how sensitive parts of your wrist can be. We finished just after 6pm and had a final cup of tea to steady my nerves. Being tattoo’d for 6 hours isn’t easy, but I just wanted it finished, I didn’t want to come back another time.
Tony had an assistant named Richard who is an amazing illustrator. He is learning to tattoo, so stuck around most of the day making cups of tea or coffee, and even made Tony some toast! You can see some of his work on his blog: http://ume-toys.blogspot.com/ and follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/umetoys. The banter between Tony and Richard kept me entertained all day.
We worked to the sound track provided by a Canadian radio station streamed over the internet, London FM96. The music was alternative rock, and there wasn’t any bad music at all. You can check it out here: http://www.fm96.com/
I am very very happy with my new tattoo, it is my first free hand tattoo, and I am so glad I trusted my instincts and got Tony to do it for me. You can see the photos of it being done here: http://www.dooza.tv/photos/my-kirituhi-tattoo-being-done-by-tony. Loo took most of these photos, and Richard took some too, including the under arm shots.
Tony made me feel very welcome as his studio is in his house. This may sound strange to some, but since its fully licenced and professionally kitted out, its actually nicer than being in a shop. His family and friends were dropping in and out during the day, and I felt like I really got to know him. We didn’t have random people interupting us whilst working, I actually preferred this to a normal tattoo shop.
If you want a custom designed and well tattoo’d Maori inspired Kirituhi design, please speak to Tony and see what he can do for you, I honestly think you can’t go wrong with Tony.
