Okay, here’s my take on a blog post about attempting a temporary tattoo inspired by Cory Sandhagen’s back tattoo. I’m aiming for a casual, conversational tone, like I’m just chatting about my experience.
Alright, so I’ve been super into MMA lately, and Cory Sandhagen is one of my favorite fighters. I always noticed that CRAZY back tattoo he’s got. It’s like, this geometric thing with a big ol’ skull in the middle? Pretty wild. I’m definitely not brave enough to get the real deal (needles? no thanks!), but I thought, “Hey, why not try a temporary one?”
First things first, I needed a design. I spent like, a solid hour Googling “Cory Sandhagen back tattoo close up,” trying to get a good look at it. The clearer the better! Found a few decent pictures, then I messed around with ’em in Photoshop. I’m no artist, but I managed to piece together something that was close to the original. Basically traced over the image, cleaned it up, and made it a solid black image – easier for printing, you know?
Next up: finding the right kind of temporary tattoo paper. Amazon to the rescue! There are a bunch of different brands, so I just went with one that had good reviews and seemed easy to use. Read the instructions carefully, because some of ’em require you to mirror the image before printing (otherwise it’ll be backwards on your skin!). I almost messed that up! Lucky me, I read it twice.
Okay, printing time. I used my regular inkjet printer. The paper is kinda like sticker paper, with a glossy side for printing. Printed my design, let it dry for a bit (the instructions tell you how long), and then it was time to apply the adhesive sheet. This part was a little tricky. You gotta peel off the backing of the adhesive and carefully smooth it over the printed design, making sure there aren’t any air bubbles. I used a credit card to smooth it out.
Then, I carefully cut out the tattoo. I wanted to make sure I got as close to the edges of the design as possible, without cutting into the actual image. This took some patience because it was actually big.
Now for the moment of truth: applying it to my back! Since I couldn’t reach, I needed a helper. My girlfriend was kind enough to play tattoo artist. She cleaned the area on my back with alcohol to remove any oils or lotions. Then, she peeled off the plastic backing of the tattoo, carefully positioned it on my back, and pressed it down firmly. We used a wet cloth to dampen the paper backing, holding it there for like, a minute, just like the instructions said.
Peel… and reveal! It actually looked pretty good! Not exactly like Cory’s, but definitely recognizable. The black was nice and dark, and the lines were fairly crisp. I flexed in the mirror for a solid five minutes.
The only downside? Temporary tattoos are, well, temporary. This one lasted about two days before it started to crack and fade. Showering definitely sped up the process. But hey, for a weekend of feeling like a badass MMA fighter, it was totally worth it. Plus, I got some good laughs out of it. Would I do it again? Absolutely!
- Things I learned:
- Mirror the image before printing!
- Smooth out the adhesive sheet carefully.
- Get a friend to help with application (especially for back tattoos!).
Would I recommend it?
For sure! Just don’t expect it to look exactly like a real tattoo. It’s all about having fun and being creative! Now to figure out what tattoo to try next…
