Full body suit people?

[nicky papers]

So I have a couple questions for the folks that are completely covered. Were you happy to be totally tattooed and have a completed suit or a little bummed out cause you couldn't get any more tattoos? I've seen quite a few people just start slappin new ones on top of old ones for a 2nd coat...thoughts?

[Bart Bingham]

i just got tattooed 3 times back to back last week on my thighs because i'm trying to get it over with so i never have to get tattooed again. i personally will be happy when i'm done and can get no more.

[hogg]

There's a guy in SF named Maron Hasegawa. He had full sleeves from Colin Stevens, then decided he wanted a full suit. He flew to Japan and, in one year, got fully suited by Horiyoshi III:

It's not shown in those pics, but it goes down to his ankles. Donburi style, as they say in Japan. I think he got tattooed every other day for a year. Just think about that for a minute.

I had the pleasure of meeting Maron at Diamond Club a few years back, and I asked him a similar question: does it feel weird to be [/i]done[/i]? He seemed to imply that it was. He said he asked Horiyoshi about tattooing his head, to which the master replied, "Nah...you're done."

There's also a guy in one of Horitaka's books who has a full 9-dragon body suit that Horiyoshi did in a year and a half. It's everything but the strip down the center of his chest ("river style"), and the whole thing--neck to ankles, full sleeves--is black and gray. I think about that guy from time to time, because it's insane to me to think that someone went 30+ years without a drop of ink, then made the huge decision to get fully suited. I just can't get my head around it.

As I alluded to in the Collecting Different Styles thread, I'm really happy with what I've got, but it's all over the place. The thought of having a full cohesive body suit is absolutely foreign to me.

[Jake]

That Horiyoshi III suit is insane. Makes me wish I had money to buy Juan's book.

[kylegrey]

Chris Trevino aka HORIMANA

The 9 dragon bodysuit is legendary for sure ,theres a guy named Edward Burd who has one also tattooed by Chris Trevino .Its in a few books but theres also some great shots on his web-site.

[AbbyRoad]

one day i hope to have a near full coverage. just working on it one tattoo at a time. im only 22 so ive got plenty of time.

[Jack]

had to bump this, i literally got lost in the back piece of that body suit on trevino's site

[Avery Taylor]

had to bump this, i literally got lost in the back piece of that body suit on trevino's site

I was around a lot while Ed was getting that bodysuit. He had no tattoos and decided at 50 (or close to it) years old that he wanted a nine dragon bodysuit. It took almost two years of him flying to Austin for a week at a time. I am pretty sure that he told me the backpiece took five straight days.

[gougetheeyes]

Bump again.

Was reading the Nick Rodin interview in the last TAM where he was talking about hurrying to get a ton of tattoos when he was just starting out.. and I remembered Oliver Peck saying a similar thing, how he always wanted full coverage and how they had to hurry up and knock it out (and then TAM graced us with funny n00dz of the two).. but it got me wondering about how other LSTers are faring -- are people on track? Does anyone else have a timeline? Does anyone else give a shit? Tougher if you're not a tattooer, it seems.

I'm coming up on the big 3-0 and not nearly as "done" as I'd like to be. Always said I wanted my back started by 30 but it's comin down to the wire and I got bills and all the bullshit I didn't have when I was 18, 21. Need to knock out some big stuff this year to keep on track! Get my priorities in order!

[CABS]

I eventually want a full body suit. But I like getting one piece at a time. Can't get a back piece until I start dating someone full-time. Who else is gonna apply lotion for me?

[slayer9019]

Bump again.

Was reading the Nick Rodin interview in the last TAM where he was talking about hurrying to get a ton of tattoos when he was just starting out.. and I remembered Oliver Peck saying a similar thing, how he always wanted full coverage and how they had to hurry up and knock it out (and then TAM graced us with funny n00dz of the two).. but it got me wondering about how other LSTers are faring -- are people on track? Does anyone else have a timeline? Does anyone else give a shit? Tougher if you're not a tattooer, it seems.

I'm coming up on the big 3-0 and not nearly as "done" as I'd like to be. Always said I wanted my back started by 30 but it's comin down to the wire and I got bills and all the bullshit I didn't have when I was 18, 21. Need to knock out some big stuff this year to keep on track! Get my priorities in order!

While I am far from full coverage I can say I am actually moving along way faster than I had thought. My first ever tattoo session was June 1st of last year. Since then I have gotten a pretty large area of my body covered already (you actually have seen some of that transformation in person haha). In a year and a half I have already covered half a calf, one bicep, and my entire one thigh. While far from body-suit territory, in the time it took, it went way faster than I had imagined. At the rate I am booked out getting tattoo (every 2 weeks minimum) I am going to be on track to get covered before I am 30.

[David Flores]

I know a guy who got a body suit in one session. Tattoo courtesy of Ross Carlson Artwork Rebels, I think he had only been tattooing a couple years at most at the time.

[asradin]

I don't think I'm consciously trying to get covered quickly and I'm far from fully suited but I have gotten a (I guess) a large amount of work done in a short time. I got my first tattoo about 4 years ago but didn't properly get into tattooing until 3ish years ago. Since then I got my upper arms done, my entire front torso, my back, both my feet, a large part of my lower legs and also most recently my right knee. I don't have a time limit, I guess I'm just following the advice I got from Dante when I first went to Frith St which was "get tattooed by as many people as you can, whilst you're as young as you are" I'm going to be taking a break because of work but I still plan on getting tattooed as often as I can. I can't remember which thread it was posted in or who said it but I agree with the statement: It's not a race, it's a journey and enjoy it whilst it lasts...

[Graeme]

I was around a lot while Ed was getting that bodysuit. He had no tattoos and decided at 50 (or close to it) years old that he wanted a nine dragon bodysuit. It took almost two years of him flying to Austin for a week at a time. I am pretty sure that he told me the backpiece took five straight days.

I can't wrap my head around going from no tattoos to a full bodysuit in two years, and the sort of thought process involved in that, but that is fucking rad.

[Johannes]

i didn't even think about it when i started getting tattoos but now i'm trying to get as much as possible as fast as possible done...i hate getting tattoos since i have more or less only painful spots left...so get it done, never bother again!

starting to fill my head next week...should be awsome! :p

[Brock Varty]

As soon as I hooked up with Kore Flatmo it was over. There was no way I was going to get major work from him and not go huge. I am in the planning stages of my entire body minus my arms right now. Kore is doing my back/ass/right leg. My good friend and local tattooer is doing my left leg/torso. We are just waiting on a study from Kore to actually start planning for my left leg and torso. I figure if my current financial situation sticks...with back and forth trips to Kore 2 or 3 times a year....I will be fully covered in 5-7 years.

[Lochlan]

You've watched the Kore Flatmo interview right?

I would enjoy seeing a work in progress thread of this body suit for sure once it gets going!

[Scott R]

The body suits are amazing and visually stunning but I love getting tattooed and meeting new people and just the whole experience. I havnt had much thought on cohesiveness but i could picture within next few years I will have a shorts/t-shirt suit?(invisible suit?) when I am completely covered in that space I will move on to visible areas ie lower arms and lower legs. It would be bitter sweet though would mean getting alot of nice tattoos from people whos art I like but the beginning of the end of being tattooed.

[Brock Varty]

You've watched the Kore Flatmo interview right?

I would enjoy seeing a work in progress thread of this body suit for sure once it gets going!

I will be including all of the artwork from Kore and any photos; in-progress, during tattooing, or otherwise. And yes, I have watched that interview. It is one of the reasons I am so happy in my decision to work with Kore. He mirrors all of the traists that I respect in a human being and to be honest, I feel like he is an example of how someone should conduct themselves.

I should have the preliminary study back from him in the next few weeks. Tim, my local dood, is going through how we are going to connect the back to the torso with Kore on the phone later this week. So after that, I will slowly have some updated art work to show. First sitting with Kore is in January. Tim and I are driving down to Cincci and both getting work on for two days each.

[reverend1]

As soon as I hooked up with Kore Flatmo it was over. There was no way I was going to get major work from him and not go huge. I am in the planning stages of my entire body minus my arms right now. Kore is doing my back/ass/right leg. My good friend and local tattooer is doing my left leg/torso. We are just waiting on a study from Kore to actually start planning for my left leg and torso. I figure if my current financial situation sticks...with back and forth trips to Kore 2 or 3 times a year....I will be fully covered in 5-7 years.

Have you started any work with Kore yet? My appointment with him is on the 26th. I'm waiting for my study right now too. I think I'm going to break my email I've been checking it so often.

[Graeme]

The body suits are amazing and visually stunning but I love getting tattooed and meeting new people and just the whole experience. I havnt had much thought on cohesiveness but i could picture within next few years I will have a shorts/t-shirt suit?(invisible suit?) when I am completely covered in that space I will move on to visible areas ie lower arms and lower legs. It would be bitter sweet though would mean getting alot of nice tattoos from people whos art I like but the beginning of the end of being tattooed.

This.

I'm still pretty new to getting tattooed and I've already gone from thinking that everything about tattoos is the coolest thing in the world to thinking that tattoos are still the coolest thing in the world, it's just sort of unfortunate about the getting them and healing them part, and as I'm planning on starting some big work in the next year I expect that my opinions will change again, and that I will lament ever getting involved in this thing that involves me getting repeatedly stabbed with needles in my ass crack.

That said, I really like what was said above about the experience of getting tattooed and getting to meet people who really excel at what they do and really getting something from that energy. I love the way that when I look at my tattoos that I can remember the experiences around them and getting them (for example, around a year ago I was in NYC on that freakishly really snowy day at the end of October and because the weather was so miserable and people were cancelling their tattoo appointments I managed to get a walk-in at Smith Street and got that classic wolf head with its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth from Eli Quinters and when I look at that tattoo I remember that day really sharply, though I probably would have otherwise forgotten about it) and I want to continue having those experiences as long as possible because they've been some of the best and most important experiences I've had in my life.

Which isn't to say that getting a cohesive bodysuit wouldn't be this really amazing, transformative experience, because I'm sure that it absolutely is.

[Just Alex]

I'm currently on four tattoos... with plans on getting one removed to be replaced with a piece of higher quality (young and ignorant tattoo decision making - "travel for a tattoo?! nah"). So far though I love the experience too much to even contemplate having it end. Everything from scouting out an artist to entering the shop, hearing the buzz and smelling the soap! My significant other doesn't like full coverage, she wants to see skin between the tattoos, so no sleeves and certainly no body suit in my future, but I do want to be significantly covered. I prefer big pieces to small ones though so am aiming to be very selective in who I choose to get work by... should keep me busy for several years yet! I'll be sad when I am "complete" I think. My biggest regret in getting tattoos is that the places I have them can't be tattooed by someone else!

[Brock Varty]

Have you started any work with Kore yet? My appointment with him is on the 26th. I'm waiting for my study right now too. I think I'm going to break my email I've been checking it so often.

I start my sessions in January or 2012...so this coming January.

I get my e-mail notifications on my phone.....bad idea. Every single time my phone twitches or makes a peep I think it is PluraBella e-mailing me back. The wait is worth it though...it doesn't get any better than Kore in my opinion.

[reverend1]

I start my sessions in January or 2012...so this coming January.

I get my e-mail notifications on my phone.....bad idea. Every single time my phone twitches or makes a peep I think it is PluraBella e-mailing me back. The wait is worth it though...it doesn't get any better than Kore in my opinion.

Same here. If you think spam pisses you off normally, wait until you are waiting for a study. Everytime the phone dings I check it and its always spam. Dicks.

[gougetheeyes]

@Johannes we expect pictures!