Grant had voiced his interest in getting a tattoo...
as a father... there is a bit of a twist to this
sure... I dig tattoos... but of course... the father in my had a twinge of hesitancy due to the permanency etc.
over Thanksgiving break back from BU Grant and I talked at greater length about the tattoo
not so much about the theme\tattoo details
but more about various tattoo artists in the area
we looked at a few of my tattoo friends pages
Shawn Brown of Whistle Stop Tattoo... Mike King Tattoos in Baltimore... and then James Hughes in Bethesda...
really... it seems like a toss up... Grant like the work by all three artists... I think in the end the Bethesda location might have tipped the scales as all artists are talented and beyond capable of delivering a quality tattoo
I did not question Grant's decision for Bethesda Tattoo... location alone made sense...
Grant was looking to walk in and have them tattoo him immediately... I told him it was more like a visit to the dentist... with an appointment and sometimes an informative visit before the actual work takes place... Grant went through the process... there was an online questionnaire... I think there was a visit... then there was a Saturday appointment... unfortunately... since James would be handling both tattoos... the tattoos could not be done simultaneously...
the agreed design between the brothers was a classic tattoo theme... Koi Fish... Koi Fish in a loose Yin Yang position
Each of them would get one fish... the tattoos along side each other will create the yin yang theme
I liked the idea
the Saturday appointment was set for the afternoon after Thanksgiving waffle brunch at my father's in Bethesda... again... re-enforcing the notion of the value of the location for this process...
Grant set thing us such... waffles at his Grandfather's... tattoo in downtown Bethesda by James Hughes... and then dash off to BWI to fly back to Boston in the early evening...
I was able to drop grant off... then drove away in Grant's VW... a mile or two away I noticed an icon on the dash... an key icon... I did not have the keys to Grant's car... if I were to stop the car and allow the engine to stop I would not be able to start the car again... I looped back...
I looped back... parked and went into grab the key... which was fun...
I have been Tattooed by James Hughes before and James sponsored a Dead City Alleycat a few years ago... so... I had a bag of Alleycat Swag for James... it was fun to pop in and see James already into the process... the tattoo was big... big and pretty... I mean... big and cool.. I like the placement, the size, and the theme...
James and I caught up... I was invited to stay... I said I would leave and allow Grant to have his experience... but I would return to pick him up...
I left out for Bethesda
to kill some time
I called some friends in B-Town... no one was available for a "pop in"
so... I popped into Terrapin Cycles and grabbed a quick snack at a Bethesda corner store and then returned to the shop just as James was finishing up the tattoo
Grant had the first of two Koi Fish to create a Yin Yang
Grant got the darker colored fish... Dean would get the lighter colored fish...
the Koi theme also ties into their grandfather's backyard... as their grandfather has two koi ponds... one large enough to wade in.. or at least to be pushed in... as has happened in the past
James did an awesome job on Grant's tattoo... the following Tuesday Dean showed up and got his Koi fish.. I look forward to seeing both of these tattoos together
enough words for now...
I talked to James... I may swing through next week and get a long talked about Cicada tattoo