My “Potter” Tattoo – Part 3

Temporary literary tattoos have boomed in popularity over the last few years. Those temporary tattoos offer fans a chance to try an ink out before they dive in, headfirst, into a permanent tattoo. However, nothing quite compares to a permanent tattoo, which requires more thought and commitment to the thing that will be forever etched onto one’s skin.

MuggleNet has been spotlighting Potter fans on the significance of their Potter tattoos, and today’s the last in the series! (I recommend taking a quick gander at Parts 1 and 2 before scrolling onward.)

Anianne Rivera, 26 years old, hair stylist (extension specialist)

• I have 6 tattoos total (4 are Harry Potter). I almost have my first sleeve finished, and it’s all Harry Potter! It’s very easy for me to tell who is a big Harry Potter [fan]. If someone isn’t familiar with Harry Potter, they just say they like my tattoo or it[‘]s cool. If they’re huge Potterheads, they always stop me, ask if they can take pictures of them, and say how much they love an individual aspect of my Harry Potter tattoos. Then we discuss our [H]ouses, the Fantastic Beasts movie, Cursed Child play, and basically everything Harry Potter. I absolutely love meeting other Potterheads.
• I wanted this particular tattoo to be all Harry Potter-themed but not in-your-face Harry Potter. The entire design is an owl, with the [D]eathly [H]allows and [G]olden [S]nitch. I knew I wanted my sleeve to be Harry Potter, so I had to make a list of things I wanted incorporated somehow. My tattoo artist, Mark Skipper, has been great with helping me decide what would look best and narrowing down my million different ideas (seriously, poor guy). I always thought I would stop at one sleeve, but now I don’t know if that’s possible!
• I started reading Harry Potter when I was 8 years old. I was always a very avid reader, and these books have been with me my entire life (I still own my originals!). There is just something about this world Jo created that sucks you in, and you never want to leave. I’m going to London in September to see Cursed Child, and I could NOT be more excited!

Aleysha van Heusden, 25 years old, admin and system support officer, from Melbourne, Australia

• Technically, this is my first tattoo (I’ll get more into its origin in a little bit). I do have two others as well, one on my wrist, which is a little something to represent my parents, and another on my back to represent my love for the TV show Supernatural. I definitely want to get more work done; I did only plan to get the one piece done for Harry Potter, but we’ll see what happens.
• It’s definitely been a conversation starter! There [have] been a few occasions where I could be in the city waiting at a set of lights to cross the road, and I could feel someone next to me staring at me. I’d look over, and generally the response would be, “Sorry, but I really like your Harry Potter tattoo,” and I would thank them, and the conversation would pretty much end there as by the time the lights would change [sic]. I also shared it with a Facebook group I’m with called “The Melbourne Muggles,” and there was a massive response to it! My phone kept going off every few minutes due to someone either liking or commenting on it.
• The tattoo is located on my left upper arm, and it contains the HP symbol in Harry Potter-styled writing and underneath it in a parchment sort of styled banner with the date of the first Harry Potter book and the date when the last Harry Potter film came out. Behind the HP symbol and banner there is a wand (no character’s wand in particular, just a wand with a jewel on the handle). Then underneath the banner there [is] a Hogwarts envelope and Harry’s glasses, and around the whole tattoo is purple smoke and stars and sparkle scattered through the piece. This tattoo means a huge deal to me. As I mentioned earlier this is technically my first tattoo, but it never used to look like it does today. I wasn’t a tattoo person (never had anything against them on other people, but it was something I could never see myself doing), but Harry Potter has been a massive part of my life since I was eight years old.
• This series helped me get through some really tough times and has helped shape me into the person I am today. When I was 12 my parents were going through with a divorce, I’m the eldest of two sisters, so I felt like I had to be there for my sisters while this was happening, but I felt like I had no one to turn to help me. On top of that I was just starting high school, which was daunting because none of my primary school friends went to the same school, and going through the usual changes at that age so it was hard. In the end, Harry ended up being there for me. So when I was old enough I suddenly thought to myself, [“]I want to get a Harry Potter [tattoo.”] It was a shock to everyone who knows me, as I always said I wasn’t going to get any tattoos, but Harry Potter means everything to me, so I wanted something that showed off my love for it and will also be a part of me for literally forever. But I didn’t want something that had been done before, the most common one I’ve seen being of the Deathly Hallows. I really wanted my own unique piece, something that hadn’t been done before. So I asked my sister Carly, as she is an amazing drawer (at the time she was only around 14/15 years old) to draw something up for me to get tattooed. All I said to her is “I want a Harry Potter tattoo” and that I want to include the dates the first book and last film came out. It was my first piece; I had no idea what I was getting myself into; so I only wanted something simple. So this tattoo was originally just the HP symbol, banner underneath with the dates, and […] a few stars in the background, and I got it done by an artist in my area. But as years went on the tattoo started getting a bit worn (my fault mostly, I got sunburnt a lot in that particular area), and the same sister who designed the original work got an apprenticeship as a tattooist. So she came up with the beautiful piece of work that’s on my arm today, which I’ve had now for about 9 months.
• I can’t thank my sister Carly enough for this gorgeous piece. I was a bit worried at first, as this tattoo is the largest piece on my body, and I didn’t think it would suit me at first. But she designed it in a way that matched my style perfectly, and I can’t get enough of it. She is so incredibly talented in what she does, and I believe she is going to go really far with her work. So if there is anyone from Melbourne who is reading this article considering getting some Harry Potter, or any work done for that matter, please check out my sister’s work. All her work and the studio she works at can be found on her Facebook page, CVH Tattoos & Designs. I’ll definitely be getting more work done by her in the future.

Rick, 46 years old, pediatric CCU doctor

• I am an ex-goth kid and loved Snape. Once I saw that Snape had the Dark Mark, I had to get it.

Amy Lüder, 25 years old, MN staff member

• This wasn’t my first tattoo; I had 2 others before I got my HP one. I’m planning a Deathly Hallows tattoo on the back of my neck. I’ve been planning it since 2011, but life keeps getting in the way. I will finally get it this year! I do plan on more in the future; I’m just not sure what yet.
• Harry Potter has been a huge part of my life for 15 years. It was my “go to” when I was feeling down or needed an escape. Harry Potter became my best friend. Over the years I was frequently told (and often I still am told) that “it’s not real, you know.” So when I read Half-Blood Prince and young Snape told young Lily “it’s real for us,” I just knew I had to have that tattooed. It epitomizes exactly how I feel about the series! Although I obviously know that Harry Potter isn’t ‘real’, it is very real to me. The characters, the stories – they are all very much a part of me and always will be!

Ashley McCann, 24 years old, MN Creative staff

• Second tattoo: Deathly Hallows on the back of my neck, which I got on the day the last movie came out.
• Third tattoo: Dementor on my shoulder, which I got on my 20^th
• Biggest tattoo: Hogwarts on my arm, which was finished last year.
• My whole left arm will be dedicated to HP. I plan on getting a Dark Mark, a chocolate frog, “Mischief Managed,” a butterfly (“why couldn’t it be follow the butterflies?”), chapter stars, and some lilies, among other things. I considered getting a scar on my forehead, but I figured that’d be a little too much. Having a Deathly Hallows tattoo is like being in a club because a lot of fans have it, but my Hogwarts tattoo let’s everyone know that I mean serious business. It’s my favorite piece! It’s certainly a conversation starter, and it makes it easy to distinguish how much of a fan someone is by their reaction. I get so many compliments (and at this point I’d like to throw a shout out to the artist, Charles Berger! He’s the best!).

Jesi Cason, 29 years old, camp coordinator/operates a non-profit camp for adults with disabilities

• This was my third tattoo, but it’s [sic] was my first BIG tattoo. I have 6 tattoos total, all on my arms. I am really happy with this one, but I don’t think I’m going to get any more Harry Potter tattoos because I want to represent other fandoms. My newest tattoo is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer [one].
• Usually once other fans see it they say that I must be a super big fan, and I am, but I wouldn’t consider myself a Harry Potter know-it-all. Everyone I talk to also agrees that those of us so dedicated to our fandom that we get a tattoo of it should get free entry for life into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
• My tattoo is an original piece by Andy Howl of Howl Gallery/Tattoo in Fort Myers, Florida. He and I collaborated on the design based on the chapter art for “The Dementor’s Kiss” in […] Prisoner of Azkaban. Not only is that my favorite book in the series; it is my favorite chapter! Like many people, I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety, and thankfully I’ve come out on the other side healthy and safe. Harry’s bravery in the face of great odds gave me hope and encouraged me that I could face my own [D]ementors. The [D]ementors are JK’s interpretation of depression, and I feel they are a perfect personification of the oppressive nature of depression. My tattoo reminds me to just keep fighting, because if Harry can fight off a hoard of [D]ementors, then so can I.