Lorelei Shannon invites you to step into her PsycheNoir

The Boudoir

You clever thing, you! You've found the kinda-sorta hidden room known as the Boudoir. And what, you may be wondering will you find here?

Why...pictures of my tattoos, of course! Yes, I am certified Tattooed White Trash. (Well, actually, I gave up my status as a white chick a few years back. I now consider myself an Artistically Colored American.)

Anyway.

Don't worry, the photos on this page are rated "G." PsycheNoir ain't THAT kind of website...so scroll down if you dare!

AARGH! No! Run away! Run away!

Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo

Nightmare Before Christmas

Right front ankle

This beautiful piece (and most of my work, in fact) was done by Holly Burke of Mind's Eye Tattoo.

Tribal Dogs

Tribal Dogs

Left front ankle

The Tribal Dogs were among my very first tattoos. They were done (rather badly) by a local Arizona artist. Holly has since reworked them.

The Talking Bear of Oakhurst

The Talking Bear of Oakhurst

Right inside ankle

I got the Talking Bear in the only tattoo parlor in the the town of Oakhurst, California to commemorate the two years that I spent there. The Talking Bear was a local sculpture (and institution) in town. My bear has been reworked by Holly in the past few years.

Tribal Dogs

Tribal Dogs

Left back ankle

More of the circle of tribal dogs.

Elephant Tattoo: Tribute to my grandma

Magic Elephant--memorial to my grandma,
Leona Humphrey

Right outside ankle and leg

This gorgeous piece was done by Gary Burke of Mind's Eye Tattoo. It's in memory of my grandma, who loved elephants, and had the most beautiful garden a kid ever played in. My anklebone actually forms the curve of the elephant's body.

Dog and Cat (and friends)

Tribal Dog and Cat
Rat and Pouncing Weasels

Left inside ankle

The pouncing weasels and rat were added by Holly to cover a particularly mutated paw on the blue and red dog. I think they're hella cute.

Tempus Fugit

Bat-winged Tempus Fugit

Right inner wrist

To remind me that the boys will be small for such a short time...

Left Outer Leg

Tribal Dogs, Flight of Bats, Winged Turtle (memorial to my uncle Mike Humphrey) and Circle with Star (friendship tattoo with buds Suzanne Sweeney and Victoria Love)

Left outer ankle and leg

The flight of bats is another of my oldest tattoos. The bats and turtle memorial were reworked by Holly. The circle and star tattoo was done by some dude in a tattoo parlor in St. Louis.

Cadillac Tattoo

Gothic Cadillac Emblem

Left shoulder

This big, colorful, and incredibly gorgeous piece was designed and inked by Holly. It is a symbol of my bond to Annabel Lee, my beloved 1947 Cadillac hearse. I told Holly that I wanted the Reverend Horton Heat to be able to see it from the stage. And that it should make him want to pounce on me. Geez, I hope my hisband isn't reading this...

Bat and Paw

Dog Paw
'30's Halloween Bat

Right shoulder

I got the paw with my oldest and dearest pal Victoria in a sidestreet in pre-Katrina New Orleans. Holly gave me the beautiful winking bat. I spotted him on an old Halloween decoration and couldn't live without him.

Skull Girl

Skull Girlie

Right bicep

This is the official tattoo of the Mind's Eye Girl Gang. If you see any variation of this tattoo on any Seattle chick, you better show some RESPECT, dawg! Holly put this little girlie on me. I think this is one of my cutest tattoos.

Wolf

Wolf Girl

Low back

The Wolf Girl is me. My inner canine. She's sitting on Little Red Riding Hood's cloak. Has the Wolf Girl devoured her? Or has Little Red turned into the Wolf Girl? Was she the Wolf Girl all along? The Wolf Girl is by Holly Burke.

Rex

Rex Passing Through Insanity

Left shoulder

Rex is a character by the wonderful artist Michael Gagne. In this image, Rex is on a quest to find meaning, and he finds himself passing through insanity. Hopefully he'll get out the other side! This Rex was inked by Holly.

Celtic Dog

Celtic Dog and Knot

Right inner arm

I got the Celtic Dog to commemorate my first visit to Ireland. I've had it for many years, and it's still one of my favorite tattoos. The knot is a shared friendship tattoo with dear friends Bridget and Marti McKenna. The Celtic Dog and Knot is by Gary Burke.

Wolf and Rose

Wolf and Rose

Ain't tellin'

This is my oldest tattoo. I got it at the age of 18 when I still lived in Arizona. It's in remarkably good shape. Probably because it doesn't get much sunlight.

Orchid

Dracula Orchid

Belly

I originally wanted this tattoo to cover a few nasty scars on my stomach. When Holly showed me the design, I was in awe of its utter and total coolativity. I am madly in love with this tattoo. I haul up my shirt to look at it every time I go into the bathroom. (And yes, there really is a flower called a Dracula orchid.)

When expressing yourself through the art of tattooing it is important to find the right design and the best tattoo ink. With all of the tattoo parlors and tattoo kits today there are some questions that are worth asking your tattoo artist.

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Lorelei's Tattoo FAQs

How many tattoos do you have?
Well, that depends on how you count them. For example, although I got them at different times, I consider the pieces on my left leg to be one big piece. But if you want to get technical about it and count each one individually, I have 17.

Why do you have so many tattoos?
Because I love them. I've been attracted to body modification since I was a little kid. Some of my tattoos document events in my life. Others are just purely decorative. I love every one of 'em.

Are you planning on getting more?
HELL yeah!

Does it hurt to get a tattoo?
No. It feels like teddy bears gently stroking your skin with fluffy kittens. Hell yes it hurts!

How much does it hurt?
That depends on two things. One is your general tolerance for pain. If you're the type of person who cries for twenty minutes after stubbing your toe, you probably won't enjoy the experience a while lot.

The other factor is where on your body you get the tattoo. Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, of course. In general, fleshy or muscular areas, like your butt or bicep, are less painful than bony areas like your ankles. The chest and belly zone are no fun at all.

I tend to describe the experience of getting tattooed as "crush the Coke can pain." It's uncomfortable enough for you to put dents in a can of your favorite beverage, but not bad enough for you to squeal like a pig (unless you're a total wuss).

What was your most painful tattoo?
The big orchid on my belly. While I was getting it, I cried buckets, I bled rivers, I screamed for my mommy, and I saw a bright, shining light.

Not really. But I think I did leave permanent dents in Holly's steel tattooing table.

Don't you worry about what your tattoos will look like when you're old and wrinkly?
If the rest of me is old and wrinkly, it would be slightly creepy if my tattoos stayed smooth, wouldn't it? Kind of like the Tattoo of Dorian Gray... in other words, no, I don't worry about that. I think old people with tattoos are cool, and I have no problem with the idea of one day being one.

How can you do that to yourself? Don't you have any respect for your body?
If I did, I wouldn't consume such large quantities of Doritos, ice cream, and beer.

Does having that many tattoos make it harder to get a job?
Nope. In the first place, I can cover them all up if I want to. In the second place, I live in Seattle, where nobody cares much. In the third place, I work in the software industry, where nobody cares what you look like AT ALLas long as you do your job well.

What does your family think of your tattoos?
My mom could care less. My husband is bemused, but doesn't seem to mind (much). Some of my extended family think I'm mildly insane, but they love me anyway.

What do your kids think of your tattoos?
They love them. They always think it's cool when I come home with a new one.

Would you let your kids get tattoos?
Well, since the legal age for getting a tattoo in this state (and most other states) is 18, it won't be a matter of "letting" them. It'll be their decision to make.

Do you want your kids to get tattooed someday?
I don't care if they do or don't. Fenris and Orion are individual people, not extensions of me. Orion says that he wants a huge red dragon tattoo on his back someday. (Don't worry, it's not that he's a Thomas Harris fan, he just loves the song "Red Dragon Tattoo" by Fountains of Wayne.) Fenris swears that he wants a backpiece depicting the kraken breaking a pirate ship in half (he's a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). I'll be hugely surprised if either one of them feels the same way on his 18th birthday.

So did you like, airbrush some of the skin around your tattoos in some of those photos?
No, of course not!

Well, maybe.

OH ALL RIGHT, yes I did, but only on my legs.

Why'd you do a weird thing like that?
Well, I took a good look at those photos, and when I saw all the bug bites and blackberry vine scratches on my legs (not to mention razor stubble) I decided to spare you the horror.

You did kind of a crappy job, didn't you?
Oh shut up. I'm a writer, not a graphic artist. Just be grateful I spared you the sight. Like Joaquin Phoenix said in "8MM," "There are some things that you see, and you can't unsee them. Know what I mean? "