New and starting a full back

[jen7]

Hiya

Where to begin.....next month I start my full back piece.

I have a half sleeve and some small stuff so far.

Looking for thoughts on:

Covering big tatas during the work

Full back work on overweight girls like me

Shane ONeill

Driving 8 hours the day after a full day sit

How to apply aftercare myself at work during the week after (I have each sitting on Monday and need to be back at work Thursday)

Getting nervous about the details.....

Thanks

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[Bonnie Baker]

Welcome @jen7! Good question about the aftercare, I'm curious about that myself. I'll be starting my back piece next weekend and it will be my first tattoo on top of that. Also to add to your question: does anyone have any recommendations on the best way to bathe while healing a back piece (shower, shallow bath, etc)??

[jen7]

Thanks

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[Patrick Bateman]

I've gotten a piece by Steve Wimmer at Shane's shop. I like that place.

Welcome to LST.

[jen7]

Cool.....are the rooms private at the shop or is it open floorplan?

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[SeeSea]

Welcome!

Tata's et al: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/5371-ladies-thread.html

Somewhere in the aftercare section there is talk about self care - I become more flexible under much duress, and used a lotion handle when things were not as raw. Amazon.com : Kingsley Lotion Applicator On Wood Handle : Bath And Shower Products : Beauty

Driving after - yeah, tough. I rolled a towel and put the towel against my back and the seat at a place that had NOT been tattooed that session. Driving got uncomfortable - 3-4 hours for me.

[marley mission]

Welcome!

Tata's et al: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/5371-ladies-thread.html

Somewhere in the aftercare section there is talk about self care - I become more flexible under much duress, and used a lotion handle when things were not as raw. Amazon.com : Kingsley Lotion Applicator On Wood Handle : Bath And Shower Products : Beauty

Driving after - yeah, tough. I rolled a towel and put the towel against my back and the seat at a place that had NOT been tattooed that session. Driving got uncomfortable - 3-4 hours for me.

quite timely - i'll be going on the back in the near tattooing future - i have poor flexibility in my shoulders from them being beat up over the years - football and weights and falls oh crap sore just thinking about it

but yes - i need a way to clean and put ointment on - i might just have my wife help me too i dont know but i would like to be prepared for proper self care should i prefer that

while we are talking back ink - i am leaning towards a piece meal effort - like i can see a good amount of coverage on the back in my future but i think i might prefer a few large pieces side by side as opposed to one more cohesive, singular (and more common?) approach to the back piece

[Patrick Bateman]

Cool.....are the rooms private at the shop or is it open floorplan?

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They have both.

There is a room off to the side when going to the back. In the front of the waiting area you can see 2 stations. There is also an upstairs where i went for my my piece but Im not too sure if that is just for Steve and Eric. They are really nice and welcoming. When I was waiting for the stencil to be made, the other artist and shop girl were polite to all the customers. Good experience and I would go there again.

[jen7]

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to the four full days I have scheduled over the next year. 8 hour drive, not so much.

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[Mick Weder]

Shower for sure, long warm ones..twice a day. Don't need ointment to heal, it'll heal just sweet

[Shaggy]

@jen7 I have to agree with @Mick Weder just shower as normal but don't linger and stay under the water for 2 hours.

I am currently doing a backpiece and after every session when I get home I shower and wash all the crap off, I go fairly hard as there is Vaseline and blood etc.

After that 1st wash I just shower as normal, 2x per day, maybe 5 minutes per shower.

After that I let it dry heal with no cream etc.

So far my results have been great. A few spots need a touch up but not bad for about 100 hours of tattooing.

Cheers

Jason.

[jen7]

Wasn't me who asked but good advice all the same. Soaking is bad.

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[Shaggy]

Wasn't me who asked but good advice all the same. Soaking is bad.

Opps my bad.

However @jen7 good luck on the backpiece. Is a long process but the results are oh so awesome. I am maybe 3/4 of the way through mine and still after every session I love coming home and seeing the results.

Plus you get to be a bit smug when you see someone so proud of a small single piece gloating about how much it hurt and how awesome it looks when you know you are hiding a true piece of art. :)

[jen7]

This is a little quill I got when I published my first book. It's above an awful piece of scratch that was my first tattoo at age 30

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[jen7]

Orchid I used to grow

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[jen7]

Nuther orchid

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[jen7]

Well it's 3 weeks out and I still have not fully decided on my back piece. I know the main image will be a sea turtle but not what the rest will be. I prefer a top down view of the turtle, so adding any other fish may not work due to the perspective, since fish viewed from above don't look like much. I am open to ideas by the artist on that day, but it may be that less is more on this one. My backup plan is to just get a very large sea turtle on my upper/mid back and a separate unrelated image (owl in flight?) across my lower back later.

Open to suggestions.

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[SeeSea]

First thought - birds don't fly under turtles. It may look odd to have that vertical arrangement.

But, of course, I'm all about the sea life!

If you are willing to have a diagonally down view, you could add coral, sponges, sea grass, etc., around him to frame it.

[jen7]

I was thinking the same thing about the bird!

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[Bonnie Baker]

I know someone mentioned a lotion applicator, but if you don't want to order anything online my artist recommended a really soft cake frosting spatula for applying ointment. I still don't know what do to as far as washing my back by myself though.

[SStu]

I still don't know what do to as far as washing my back by myself though.

For those 1st couple of days when you're still pretty tender, get a washcloth or larger sized piece of soft cloth (t-shirt material, for instance), soap it up a bit and grab it behind your back with both hands (one hand up by one shoulder, and the other down by the opposite waist). From there you can softly wash your own back.

[Bonnie Baker]

Thank you @SStu !

[jen7]

Shower with a friend!

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[jen7]

Ok, feeling settled again on the back piece. I have been waiting two years for my appointment and as it gets closer I have begun waffling. Self doubt is a bitch.

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[bongsau]

If there is one thing I've learned from tattooing is don't second guess!

Go forward with intent :) good luck