watercolour travel tattoo

My latest travel tattoo

So I’ve had this tattoo for a long time now, but I haven’t talked much about it because my family is sometimes ultra conservative and my tattoos are a stain on my body (to them). But me and pretty much anyone else who loves tattoos knows this is simply not true and we wear our ink with pride.

(I talk like I’m a motorcycle gang member with full sleeves or something. I have two.)

On the other hand, I’m not the type of person who will go out and get a tattoo for the artwork of it all — I like mine to have a little meaning. Which is why I got a tattoo of Newfoundland on my inner wrist last summer while travelling around Lesbos, Greece.

Newfoundland tattoo

Have I regretted it? Nope, not even a little. I still gaze lovingly at this baby every now and then, and I love pointing out particular places on the map where I’ve lived or loved.

Maybe it’s kinda like getting my hair done. I go through some major change in life and I feel like mixing things up a bit; celebrating with something monumental.

I figured after my first tattoo I’d be done with it. But my tattooed friends laughed and said, “This is just the beginning.” So a few months ago while in Sligo, I decided now was the time. I had just moved away from Newfoundland for the first time in my life; I was a freshly minted expat. And of course the idea of a new tattoo had been on my mind for awhile. My friends suggested Fatcat Tattoo Sligo and so I went to check it out and left with my mind made up.

I did hem and haw over the decision for awhile though. I knew I wanted something bigger, and I knew I wanted something in a watercolour style. (It’s pretty clear I’m obsessed with bright colours.) My tattoo artist had never done such a thing, but he expressed total confidence. And yeah, I’d say he pulled it off quite well.

watercolour tattoo of the world

My only issue is it’s a wee bit squished, on account of the size. To do it more accurately (like my Newfoundland tattoo), it’d have to be much bigger. And I wasn’t willing to do that. I suppose if I get pregnant my tattoo will go from a map to a globe? Ba dum tish.

But seriously you guys, I really, really love this look. You can hardly see it, but Ireland has the colours of the Irish flag.

BUT IT WAS ABSOLUTE HELL.

My wrist tattoo was so easy, I thought nothing of it. “Piece of cake,” I laughed, and shrugged. Until the two hours of agonizing torture started and I wanted to die in pain. Oh my god. Julia sat there patiently with me, occasionally snapping photos of my face contorted in agony. She’s a good friend. I made Snapchat history.

It’s funny, because I often forget it’s there. It’s not so obvious like my wrist. But I loved flaunting it on The Yacht Week this summer, and it gave me an odd confidence boost in my bikini. I’ve got the whole world on my hip, baby.

You might say that I like maps.

Will I get others? Hmm. Not now. Certainly not until I have more money, and certainly not until I’m sure of what else I want. No more maps.

  • November 23 2015

    It definitely is true though that it’s almost impossible to stop at just one tattoo! I insisted that I’d only ever get the one… and now I have 4! Haha.

    Love both your tattoos, though – I’m obsessed with maps, too! (And yet don’t have a map tattoo yet… hmmm… maybe an Ohio map outline for #5?)
    Amanda recently posted…Amanda’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers

    • November 26 2015
      Candice

      Bahaha I’m so glad I’m not the only one. I love your compass tattoo! And I’m surprised you don’t have a map yet

  • November 24 2015

    It looks so good Candice! I love how colorful it is!!! I have a compass on my wrist that I got back in college and its stayed pretty meaningful even now (maybe even more so than it was then). I’ve been daydreaming about a second one for a while now, but not so sure I could hack the pain at this point.
    Laura recently posted…A Little Weekend Recap

    • November 26 2015
      Candice

      Thanks Laura, I LOVE the colours too! My friends insist I’ll forget about the pain after awhile, Lol. But man, that was brutal.

  • November 24 2015

    That is a beautiful tattoo and I love how for both tattoo’s you’ve stuck with the travel/map theme.

    The water color is so gorgeous!

    http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
    Brooklyn recently posted…A Lover of Scary Movies

    • November 26 2015
      Candice

      Thank you, I so love the watercolour look!

  • November 24 2015

    I love it, the colours are great.

    • November 26 2015
      Candice

      Thank you!

  • November 24 2015

    Well, I LIKE IT.
    Nancy recently posted…Weekend vibes + dirty diapers

    • November 26 2015
      Candice

      Thank ya!

  • November 24 2015

    Those are really nice tattoos. I love maps. great to see NZ made it on to the world. We often notice and laugh that we see world maps on some tv show or news programme, and NZ doesn’t exist. The top photo, portrait with Newfoundland is a great shot. love your blogs.

    • November 26 2015
      Candice

      Thanks so much, Vincent! For awhile I wanted a massive world map tattoo that I could colour in as I visited each country, haha. But yeah, that was a little ambitious…

  • November 25 2015
    Loz

    I love map tattoos! The watercolours in yours certainly give it a point of difference from others.

    • November 26 2015
      Candice

      Thank you! I think it’s a relatively new trend, but I suppose not for long. :P

  • November 26 2015
    Sky

    I LOVE IT. I actually wanted a water color map across the top of my back…then I got a memorial tattoo on my shoulder so I’m not sure if that’s still going to work out. I’m working on a travel arm right now. Currently my only travel tattoo is “wanderlove” on my wrist but hopefully that’ll change soon.

  • December 23 2015

    Looks great! I got two in college and now, at the age of 40, am ready for more! Hoping to get one in Thailand this spring.

    • December 28 2015
      Candice

      Haha, I think i do want more! But maybe no more maps…

  • April 23 2016
    Edward

    Just googled newfoundland tattoos and came across this. Love the tattoo..just the plain black outline looks great.

  • August 23 2016

    Hi, thanks for the story! Normally people get the same old tattoos everyday, picking them from a catalogue without knowing anything about meaning. What do you think about custom made tattoos? Thanks

  • August 03 2020

    I believe tattoos are a great way to mark where you are at certain points in your life that you wont forget.

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