When Mike Collins got his first tattoo, he focused on the pain so much so that he fell asleep on the chair.

“It’s therapeutic in that sense, because it’s a very acute pain, like acupuncture,” Collins said.

The senior history and selected studies (guidance counseling) major has spent his fair share of time under the needle: The second of his two tattoos took more than six hours to complete. Both were the handy work of Witch City Ink, a highly respected and clean tattoo parlor about 20 minutes outside of Boston.

The smaller of the two tattoos — and his first — is a simple rendition of his family’s coat of arms on the right side of his back, which he got a couple of days after he turned 18.

Then came his investment piece: an intricate depiction of St. Michael on his left shoulder blade. Collins knew he wanted something biblical, but a passage from the Bible just didn’t appeal to him.

St. Michael was an archangel, the right hand of God, who was responsible for throwing the devil out of heaven. He represents the good parts of the world and is a reminder to strive to be as virtuous as possible.

The image he chose is of a statue of the saint, located in Europe, rather than a more stereotypical image from a popular painting. One can see the lifelike quality of the artist’s detailed work in the almost photorealistic, dark curvature of the shield and in the saint himself.

“I guess I’ve always enjoyed the story and the idea of what he represents,” Collins said.

He gave his tattoo artist full control of the image and the placement, wanting to leave plenty of room for creativity. Collins also figured that getting a piece done on the opposite side of his other tattoo would even things out.

He said tattoo placement is of the utmost importance, noting that he likes how Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5, chose to place his pieces.

“If you get too many in one area, you look like a criminal, but good placement is artful,” Collins said.

Eventually, he plans to fill in the open parts on his back, blending the two tattoos together.

His next piece will be a dedication to his heritage. He said he wants to get a three-leaf clover on one collarbone and a fleur-de-lis on the other, representing his Irish-Catholic father and French-Catholic mother.

For now, he is more than content with the work he’s had done so far. St. Michael is a constant reminder of his own values and morals — a universally positive message.

Published on September 30, 2013 at 10:20 pm

Contact Naomi: ncfalk@syr.edu