Coming Along Quite Nicely

I had a consultation meeting (the third one so far) over my lunch hour with Kris, the phenomenal tattoo artist who I've hired to create my new tattoo. Today I got to see her first drawing of my cardinals-in-an-oak-tree concept, and I have to tell you that it's going to be amazing. When I saw it, my breath caught in my throat a little bit. Even rendered in pencil, the design is coming together beautifully, and I am just itching to go "under the needle."

My first inking session (out of 2, maybe 3) is just over four weeks away. In the meantime, we will continue working together to refine the details of the drawing. Kris is just as meticulous as I am about details--the natural leaf arrangement, the placement of acorns on the branch, the correct size ration between male and female birds--so I feel I am in very capable hands.

What? Oh, THAT. Yes, of course I asked her for a copy of the drawing. Naturally, my first instinct was to bring something back that I could share with you.

But no. Understandably, Kris is protective of her work until it is paid for--and she has no protection against a person taking her drawing and never coming back. In spite of my wholesome girl-next-door appearance and overall honest nature, she doesn't have any reason to trust me any more than the next guy, and let's face it: I was going to post her drawing here on the Internets for all to see, so her instinct is probably spot on.

I can't wait to share photos of my actual tattoo (and, with some of you, the real thing) once it gets started. One more month...