Full Back Piece Experience Thread

[Scott R]

@Roguecommander check out the aftercare section,alot of great information there. Oh and there is a great thread about painkillers.

[Cork]

Jesus, you people are scaring the shit out of me.

I'm going to be starting a back piece before I'm 30. It's like someone stated before, it is something that I have always had a huge respect for, and it's something I want to get done, no matter the cost (physical, mental, and financial).

My question is how many hours did it take? It seems like most can be done in a couple months if you push it, but how many hours of actual work is that? Once I start, I know I'm going to be antsy to see it finished.

[Kev]

LOL- my back is going to be gift to myself on my 40th. Three more years to decide who I want-THAT seems to be the hardest part for me.

[asradin]

@Cork I'm 9 hours in so far and I've got another 9 hours booked. Stewart thinks we should be finished by then, so overall it's going to be 18 hours for mine. But I don't think that's the norm. I'm getting one session a month roughly which is due to money constraints which has kept the progress ticking along nicely

[RoryQ]

@Cork

I finished my backpiece today. It took about 25 hours, give or take, but it was all black and grey and there's a fair bit of negative space.

[writerAZ]

@Kev I consider my back piece a 40th birthday present to myself, even though I started it a few months before the milestone arrived. The deciding part is tough--I was locked into one idea and then changed shortly before my first appointment. Glad I did, too.

@asradin My progress is a little slower than yours. Around 18 hours in so far and only at the half-way mark, if that. I'm enjoying the process so I don't mind taking longer. I love how each session brings out more of the entire tattoo, not just the area directly worked on. Very cool to see it all unfolding.

[writerAZ]

@RoryQ Congrats, man.

[Cork]

Alright, that sounds about right. The artist I contacted told me ballpark 40 hours. Thanks for the responses.

[Tick]

Well, I can say getting my backpiece has made me think I don't have any other tattoos. It is physically and mentally the most challenging thing I have ever put myself through (tattoo wise). I chose my artist (Henning Jorgensen) because I admired his work, and because I was comfortable around him (I'm pretty shy). I just told him the basic idea, and obviously let him do whatever he wanted. I'm about 65 hours into it (It goes from neck to knees), and we started about 2 1/2 years ago. We should finish this year. Because of the traveling involved I have to sit all day. Even on bad days, when it is horrible from the first moment to the last moment.... I have a regimen that I go through to prepare for a session. Getting my body as healthy as I can (no booze, lots of healthy food, and sleep). It seems to be the only way that I can make it through all day sessions. As I've aged, I definitely have gotten to be a much worse sitter (at least in my mind.) But, you can do anything if you really want to.

I tried taking a pain killer for the 2nd lining session (because the first one was so rough), and it made me so dizzy and nauseous, I decided I would rather deal with the pain.

Now that we are getting closer and closer to the end, I feel very happy that I have gone through it. I feel like I've crossed into a new level of being tattooed. And, I feel like I really now can be justified in the pain I cause others (tattooing them), because I now have been tattooed over the majority of my body. It feels like I've been going through a right of passage getting it done. Moreso than any other tattoo.

Healing has never been a problem, and I usually get on a plane across the ocean a day after getting worked on. Sometimes I'm bruised, sometimes a little scabby and a little limited in my mobility; but never overworked, and never had a problem with sticking to clothing or healing up really rough.

[Scott R]

@Tick pic???? please

[hogg]

@Tick, Henning is one of my favorite artists, and an incredibly nice man, to boot. I've seen some pics of your back--it is stunning! I'd say that you were lucky to have it, but as someone with a full backpiece of my own, I know you've earned it.

BTW, I really enjoy your Instagram posts. You do great work yourself.

[Tick]

@cu-bu there are a couple pics of henning working on my back in frisco here: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-101/1513-pix-sfo-convention.html he also has one from one of our sessions up on his instagram. not much of an exhibitionist myself, so, not really into posting or taking pics of myself....

@hogg thank you kindly for the kind words on my humble tattoos! and, yeah, I feel very lucky to have gotten so much work from Henning. He is quite a rad individual. I hope I can be as able and excited about tattooing after doing it as many years as him. Especially as he seems to constantly progress, and to balance his life so well.

[RoryQ]

Reading this thread has made me think about the difference between backpieces that are do-able in sub 30 hours (and maybe have a lot of negative space, or only cover the back and don't go far down onto the ass, or legs) versus ones, like Tick's, which sound they like really are from neck to low on the legs.

In terms of tattoo time there must be a heck of a difference.

My girlfriend is starting hers later in the year, and she's going to be going down onto her thighs. I suspect it's going to be a much more dense design too. To be honest, I think I might have gotten off lightly.

[WeRnDoG]

My girlfriend is starting hers later in the year, and she's going to be going down onto her thighs. I suspect it's going to be a much more dense design too. To be honest, I think I might have gotten off lightly.

Is it your girlfriend who is getting tattooed by Shige?

[RoryQ]

Is it your girlfriend who is getting tattooed by Shige?

Yeah, that's right. Consultation last winter, first sittings this coming winter.

[Roguecommander]

@ Cu_Bu - many thanks for the thread recommendations.

[Kev]

Reading this thread has made me think about the difference between backpieces that are do-able in sub 30 hours (and maybe have a lot of negative space, or only cover the back and don't go far down onto the ass, or legs)...

I'm only planning on going from top of shoulders to tailbone-no ass tatts for me. At this point in planning, it's a Battle Royale, so I think it'll fit fine in that space.

[writerAZ]

I'm only planning on going from top of shoulders to tailbone-no ass tatts for me. At this point in planning, it's a Battle Royale, so I think it'll fit fine in that space.

Interesting, because mine is a battle royale that does go down to the back of my knees and when I looked at it the other day, I thought 'No way would I want to cram this into a smaller space.'

[WeRnDoG]

Yeah, that's right. Consultation last winter, first sittings this coming winter.

Cool man it will be a real trip for her. What is she wanting ??

[WeRnDoG]

Interesting, because mine is a battle royale that does go down to the back of my knees and when I looked at it the other day, I thought 'No way would I want to cram this into a smaller space.'

Im with you on this one man. Back pieces look unfinished and cramped when they don't extend onto the butt/thighs in my opinion. The japanese definitely got it right in this regard, Flow and readability is everything when it comes to Tattoos.

[Shadow]

Im with you on this one man. Back pieces look unfinished and cramped when they don't extend onto the butt/thighs in my opinion. The japanese definitely got it right in this regard, Flow and readability is everything when it comes to Tattoos.

I debated how far to extend my back piece for a long time before starting it. After consulting with the tattooer we decided to extend it to my butt. I'm so happy with the decision. It looks like a complete piece. What else was I going to get on my butt anyway? At the same time, I have the backs of my thighs open for other tattoos. I'm starting to worry about running out of space, so I'm really happy I have that space left for two good sized pieces.

[WeRnDoG]

I debated how far to extend my back piece for a long time before starting it. After consulting with the tattooer we decided to extend it to my butt. I'm so happy with the decision. It looks like a complete piece. What else was I going to get on my butt anyway? At the same time, I have the backs of my thighs open for other tattoos. I'm starting to worry about running out of space, so I'm really happy I have that space left for two good sized pieces.

Good for you i'm glad you are happy. What have you got on your back? I guess traditional american imagery can be executed in this manner but not Japanese,doesn't look right.

[Shadow]

Good for you i'm glad you are happy. What have you got on your back? I guess traditional american imagery can be executed in this manner but not Japanese,doesn't look right.

It's a ryukannon. The artist thought just going to the bottom of my butt would be more traditional for a woman and more feminine. If I was a dude, he probably would have gone to the backs of my thighs. I'm not usually too worried about how feminine I look, but I appreciated the thought he put into it and the examples of old, traditional Japanese back pieces on women he showed me, so I agreed with his suggestion to cut it off there. It's not done yet, but I couldn't be happier with it so far. It fits the space perfectly.

[Kev]

Im with you on this one man. Back pieces look unfinished and cramped when they don't extend onto the butt/thighs in my opinion. The japanese definitely got it right in this regard, Flow and readability is everything when it comes to Tattoos.

I'm going with American traditional; if I was doing Japanese, I'd fill out everything. I think these fit fine (reposts from various threads in the forum):

BHR

Grime

Stell

Peck

[Scott R]

that peck piece impresses more every time I see it