For her birthday this past year, [Kathy->] went out and got her first tattoo. It’s a line art Celtic cross that she designed by combining several different patterns culled from the Internet. She chose to use only thin lines and black ink, figuring that because this was her first foray into tattooing, and because the pattern was to be inscribed on the back of her neck (an especially sensitive area), keeping the poking to a reasonable level would be a good thing.

The tattoo came out beautifully. Kathy was very happy with it, and likes the fact that she can let her hair down to be discreet when the occasion demands or pull it up to show off her mark when she likes. One bit of flexibility that has been a bit more of a surprise, however, is that because the line art looks like a coloring book, there’s no reason the kids feel they shouldn’t get to color it. We’ve found that colored Sharpies work best, as they have a fine point and last for a good long while. It’s great fun to be able to change the tattoo according to the season of the year or the colors of the liturgical calendar.

Here are a couple of photos of one of our young tattoo artists at work and the results of her efforts: