A perplexed businessman looked around the bar of the Hyatt Regency on Friday afternoon. The stools, which regularly seat well-dressed people like himself, were filled by men sporting bandanas, torn T-shirts and plenty of body art. The seventh Hell City Tattoo Festival had begun.

The festival, founded by esteemed tattoo artist Durb Morrison, has alternated annually between Phoenix, Ariz., and Columbus since 2002. The festival ran from May 29 through May 31 and featured more than 130 artists. Most were from Ohio but many came from California, New York and elsewhere. Tattoo agencies from Japan, Spain, England and China were also represented.

As someone who had never been “inked” before, I felt sympathy for the businessman at the bar.

Despite wearing my grungiest clothes, I felt like an exile because of my plain, blank skin. I figured this was as good a time as any to change that.

A friend once advised me to “shop around” at every tattoo shop on campus to figure out which artist seemed to fit the attitude I wanted my tattoo to purvey. Walking the floor of the Hell City Festival, I realized it was a moot point. Every artist had posters advertising their best work and it was all flawless.

I settled on Ace Custom Tattoo from Asheboro, N.C. Melanie “Mel” McCarter was accommodating to my nervousness, spoke with a charming southern accent and, most importantly, whoever had inked her tattoos knew what they were doing.

I was introduced to “Lil” Tommy McCarter, a man who resembled what I imagined a tattoo artist should look like: covered in tattoos and various piercings. He was excited to tackle my project: a pair of blackbirds entering flight on the lower back.

“It’s different, and that’s good,” he said. “I’ll take anything original. You get tired of doing people’s initials and all that stuff.”

While he sketched a stencil for me, Melanie explained the benefits of festivals like Hell City.

“It’s like a mini-vacation for us, but we get paid,” she said with a smile. “It’s good to get our name out there and see the friends we made at other festivals.”

I timidly asked Tommy several times to make minor alterations to his sketch. He rebuked me.

“Don’t be shy about being picky,” he said. “You’re the one who’s going to have this on you forever.”

Rookie’s advice for getting a tattoo part one: be vocal.

When it was time for the bloody part, I was anxious. I knew it was going to painful. I hoped my experience as a diabetic had prepared me for the task at hand. It hadn’t.

The lower back has many nerve endings, and it seemed the needle found every one of them. Tommy urged me to relax.

“I know it’s a natural reaction to tense up when you feel it, but if you breathe you’ll feel better and it’ll make my job easier,” he said.

Rookie’s advice for getting a tattoo part two: breathe.

The bond between the artists that Mel had mentioned became evident as I lay watching the crowd. Several times another artist would walk up, exchange a greeting with Tommy, examine my back and nod before moving on. I asked if Tommy ever felt awkward being watched.

“When you look like me, you get used to having eyes on you,” he said. “Besides, it helps me stay focused.”

Watching the crowd revealed many interesting tattoos. My favorite oddities included a mural of the Addams Family on a man’s back, a portrait of Jack Nicholson circa “The Shining” and Betty Boop posing in front of the restored World Trade Centers.

Tommy finished shading my piece two hours after he started the tattoo. I told him I would be back next year to add more birds to my back’s flock.

As I exited the bar I saw more businessmen looking uncomfortable among the crowd. I smiled because I no longer felt the same way.

Ryan Book can be reached at [email protected].