Tattoo artist Bill Stevenson will commemorate Brood X cicadas in ink
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Brood X cicadas show up for a few weeks once every 17 years, but these little guys will be sticking around much longer than that. We’re talking about cicada tattoos.
Bill Stevenson has been crafting these cicada tattoos on the arms of Marylanders over the last few weeks at his Remington-based studio, Waverly Tattoo Co., as many prepare to welcome them.
“Back in February, I came up with the idea to kind of make a design and throw it out in the world and see if people liked it because back in 2004, I’d made a number of them,” he said.
And people do like them.
He’s already made more than 100 cicadas and has plenty of requests for more.
Ashley Jacinto of Catonsville got hers on Wednesday to document their emergence.
“You know, the cicadas are kind of a thing that we’re all doing together. That’s kind of like a weird, positive thing,” she said.
Stevenson even has had some repeat customers who got cicada tattoos the last time they were here in 2004 and have come back for another one.
But this time around, he’s seen a lot more interest and says their timing with the ending of the Covid-19 pandemic may have something to do with it.
“We’re all thinking about change, and we’re all thinking about transformation. And we’re all thinking about how we’re going to live the rest of our lives, and I think it’s kind of easy,” he said. “Maybe it’s a little bit easier to come in here and get a little tattoo signifying that.”
Stevenson is taking appointments on Instagram where he’ll be happy to set you up and give you your very own little cicada.
“We’ve all been through a lot in the last year. Why not? Get a cicada,” he said.
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