Impulse for ink

Surprised would describe the look on Pierce Butler’s face as the needle
went into his shoulder for the first time.

“It really isn’t that bad,” the Pinckney freshman said through a
cringing grin. “It’s more uncomfortable than actually painful; it hurts
less than it did when I broke my arm.”

Butler was getting his first tattoo Tuesday at Heritage Tattoo, 1222
S. Mission St.

About half way through the masterpiece, Butler told his artist, Eric
Ochsenkehl, that he was feeling lightheaded.

Ochsenkehl said the reason for his lightheadedness was probably
because
of the fact Butler was holding his breath longer than he usually does
and that the adrenaline rush also contributed.

“Do you want somebody to hold your hand?” Ochsenkehl asked
sarcastically.

Butler laughed off the comment and after a five minute break — and a
quick drink of Sunny Delight — he was ready to go again.

The rest of the tattooing was finished within 10 minutes and the
final result was just what Butler was looking for.

“I’m Irish, so I wanted something that would be meaningful. He did a
great job on the cross and detail on the surnames of my family,” Butler
said. “Later I want to go back and have something added to it.”

Many students at Central Michigan University— like Butler — are interested in the world of
ink and body art.

Concord sophomore Jennifer Sheridan said she can’t get enough ink.

“I have two — one on my lower back and one on my foot,” Sheridan
said. “I want more, but I don’t know where to put them.”

Sheridan’s love for tattoos is something that Jason Rhodes, of
Intricate Design, 4934 E. Pickard Ave., sees as a reoccurring trend.

“Tattoos are addicting, no doubt about it,” Rhodes said. “So much so
that students come back from far away to get more work done.”

After 13 years in the business, Norman “D” Dow of Sinister
Productions,
2056 S. Isabella Road, attributes the growing number of people with
tattoos to what he calls “the human aspect of collecting things and the
adrenaline rush that comes with getting a tattoo.”

At Heritage Tattoo, Ochsenkehl and fellow tattoo artist Jim Skaja do
anywhere from 80 to 100 tattoos a week. Of these, Ochsenkehl — who has
been tattooing for two years — estimates about 80 percent are for
students and that this year seems busier than last.

Pinckney freshman Andrew Lisabeth is one of those students after he
got his first tattoo Tuesday with Butler.

“I have always wanted a tattoo and I found something that will stick
with me for the rest of my life,” said Lisabeth, after choosing to have
his initials etched into his right tricep.

Like Butler, Lisabeth thought that the initial prick of the needle
was a little painful.

“It feels like someone is slicing my arm,” Lisabeth said as he
clinched
the leg of his friend, Schoolcraft junior Laura Brinkert.

Despite the initial pain, Lisabeth’s experience also ended with
pleasure, as he enjoyed the experience and the results.

“I would definitely go back to (Ochsenkehl), he did a great job and
made it as painless as possible,” Lisabeth said. “I can’t stop looking
at it, it’s sweet and my friends all think it’s bad ass.”