Watercolour Bumble Bee

Final tattoo a few days after being done

After being legal to get a tattoo for the last 6 years, I finally plucked up enough courage to get my first tattoo.

It took me a long time to settle on a design that I truly wanted to be inked in my skin forever and I urge everyone to never rush into a design that you may regret in the future.  

I decided to go for a bumble bee design - a insect that I've loved since a young girl. The sound of there buzzing wings and the bright colour of yellow against the black stripes fascinated me. Yellow is one of my favourite colours and I wanted a tattoo that showed that. 

When I started researching more into tattoo styles, I came across watercolour tattoos. Watercolour tattoos look like a sketchy painting with splashes of colour. It's one of my own personal favourite types of art as most of my personal work includes watercolour paintings.

I found a local artist, Nicole from Set Sail Tattoo Studio, who done watercolour tattoo and I've been obsessed with her work for years. She is extremely patient, makes you feel relaxed and knows exactly what she is doing. Talking to Nicole she told me that tattooing is a career she has wanted to pursue since school which helps with the detailing and passion she shows in her work. Please go have a check out at her other pieces on her Instagram.

Personally the tattoo is exactly what I was looking for, it didn't hurt as much as I expected it too and felt more like a scratchy pain but not enough to make your arm flinch. It has healed exceptionally well and didn't scar at all. I washed it twice a day with Simple soap and warm water and applied a pea size of bepanthen once drying it with kitchen towel.

- Layla