Quixotic as...fuddddge.: Grace on the Face

Dawn Grace, my hero!

I recently got a chance to get tattooed by Dawn Grace at the Chicago Tattoo Factory.

measure twice...

We'd met a couple of months ago, but I'd been a huge fan of her distinct style of line work for years. I knew what I wanted and she was the proper authority in all areas... IF she would be into it was another matter....

first stencil

When I finally got the balls to ask her to tattoo my face, she thought I was crazy, and gave me the serious second degree lecture. Eventually, she relented since I'm already heavily and visibly tattooed, I run a tattoo parlor (yay Umbrella Ink!) and am fully self supporting in my craft with a good twenty years to stand on resume-wise in photography... also, I'm prepared to assemble Ferris wheels if this doesn't work out.

A very short couple of months later, she texted to let me know she had a cancellation in her schedule and could get me in for the face tattoo...

Mild to some, hardcore to others the face is a controversial area. I don't give a fuck about any side of the argument; other people's opinion of me or my appearance is not my business.

I used to be horrified of judgment of a facial scar in the area I wanted tattooed. I had earned the seemingly hideous face-defect in a street fight defending a friend when I was younger (and wilder), and I painfully tried to cover the defect to the public eye the majority of my adult life.

Older now, and with waaaay less stake in other's opinions, I wanted a pretty delicate mehndi styled phoenix feather in brown over the scar. Not to hide it, but to beautify the space, for me.

When I saw the drawing, I about died. It looked GINORMOUS!!! It was the whole phoenix! It was B-E-A-U-tiful!!! Alright, I don't care too much about other's opinions, but between the possible pain and looking like fellow Indiana native Mike Tyson, I was a bit nervous.

2nd Stencil

Final Answer, the placement is perfect.

I put on the big girl panties and showed up to talk to her face -to-face-tattoo about it. Geeze, she is the sweetest broad I know, she showed me how small she could comfortably make it. I swear to god the woman must have tiny elf sized hands.

She stenciled me up twice, and set to tattooing my face with a tight little three... I thought it would be way rougher than it was; I tried not to wince but quickly and calmly we made it through. I was keenly aware of every tiny line and dot but her bedside manner is completely sure and steady.

We made it through in about twenty minutes, and now my face is tattooed, and I love it. It's part of me, and I am so grateful for the gift.

Keep up with Dawn Grace, and her endeavors at www.dawngrace.com