Photo Story

Skye Mccloud, a special education teacher in Newport, left, waits anxiously for Christian Chase to apply the stencil outline of her tattoo. This is her second tattoo.

Mccloud, age 52, has always wanted to be tattooed but got waited until this year to get her first. She surprised her,  Pedra Weber, when  she came back home from Corvallis with a tattoo on her arm. This time she brought Pedra with her to get her first tattoo.

Christian Chase, a tattoo artist for High Priestess Piercing and Tattoo in Corvallis, begins to work on Mccloud's tattoo. Mccloud was Chase's last appointment of the day. Chase can spend up to eight hours on a single tattoo, depending on the intricacy and size of it.

Chase darkens the lettering on Mccloud's tattoo. Chase explained that the pain level for every tattoo is different depending on the size and location of the tattoo. The ribs and head are some of the most sensitive areas on the body to get tattooed.

Mccloud examines her finished tattoo. Tattoo is the date is the anniversary of Skye and Pedra's marriage. They were married in Greece and hope one day to move into a house that Pedra inherited from her parents there.