Full Back Piece Experience Thread

[semele]

That amount of tattooing on your back is no joke dude! I would say you did damn well. I usually sit for 5 hours at a time on my back and its all I can do to remain functional.

Seriously! I used to sit really well, but I'm down to three, three and a half hours on my back and I'm barely functional at the end of it. 5 and 6 hours is pretty good in my book. The back has been the only tattoo to bring me to my quitting point nearly every session--this shit is hard.

[Diehardonvhs]

Seriously! I used to sit really well, but I'm down to three, three and a half hours on my back and I'm barely functional at the end of it. 5 and 6 hours is pretty good in my book. The back has been the only tattoo to bring me to my quitting point nearly every session--this shit is hard.

Same with me buddy - the most I could handle on my back was 4. And that was a solid 4, no messing around, no breaks, just 4 solid hours of shading, and my artist has a heavy hand holding a 49 mag. Felt like death at the end of it. To the person saying they think they feel bad for tapping out - don't. Get back for the next session, do as much as you can, whether its two hours or eight, then keep going back and going back until it's done. You will be proud of yourself at the end, guarantee it!

[SeeSea]

I think I'm glad I didn't see this thread until after I committed to a full back! I hadn't read any forums actually, but had an idea for an underwater tattoo for years. I found an artist at a convention who had done underwater and he designed a tattoo for me and I said, let's go for it. It wasn't originally to be that big, but he explained with the critters I wanted that it would need to be bigger unless I wanted to change the idea. Well, I didn't have any idea what I was getting into in terms of time, money, pain, etc. The first session was hours of drawing and then 6 hours tattooing and ended at 4:30 am and I was an exhausted mess. I have no reference for pain - I have one very small tattoo on my shoulder. But as soon as the needles hit my skin I thought, what the hell did I get myself into?!? And now I read that the back is one of the worse places, and it feels like a scalpel on my spine and ribs, and love handles hurt like hell. This is pure agony.

I get very cold, so I wear a backwards hoodie and then a fleece jacket backwards over that. And gloves. And I'm still cold. I think because the sessions are so long. I've had 2 so far. This tattoo has no negative space that I can tell (no stencil) and he won't estimate how long it will take because he's letting it grow organically. I just gave him some critters I want. It's a little nerve-wracking that I only have a rough sketch of what it will look like, especially now that it appears it will take waaaay longer than I thought. I had hoped to have a tattoo in a couple months but with it being so big, I am kinda clueless what to think now.

This thread has been very useful. There seems to be a big range of experiences.

[Chap]

I think I'm glad I didn't see this thread until after I committed to a full back! I hadn't read any forums actually, but had an idea for an underwater tattoo for years. I found an artist at a convention who had done underwater and he designed a tattoo for me and I said, let's go for it. It wasn't originally to be that big, but he explained with the critters I wanted that it would need to be bigger unless I wanted to change the idea. Well, I didn't have any idea what I was getting into in terms of time, money, pain, etc. The first session was hours of drawing and then 6 hours tattooing and ended at 4:30 am and I was an exhausted mess. I have no reference for pain - I have one very small tattoo on my shoulder. But as soon as the needles hit my skin I thought, what the hell did I get myself into?!? And now I read that the back is one of the worse places, and it feels like a scalpel on my spine and ribs, and love handles hurt like hell. This is pure agony.

I get very cold, so I wear a backwards hoodie and then a fleece jacket backwards over that. And gloves. And I'm still cold. I think because the sessions are so long. I've had 2 so far. This tattoo has no negative space that I can tell (no stencil) and he won't estimate how long it will take because he's letting it grow organically. I just gave him some critters I want. It's a little nerve-wracking that I only have a rough sketch of what it will look like, especially now that it appears it will take waaaay longer than I thought. I had hoped to have a tattoo in a couple months but with it being so big, I am kinda clueless what to think now.

This thread has been very useful. There seems to be a big range of experiences.

that not knowing what to think now, I have the same feeling even after just on session the outlines are pretty far from finished. But the doubt is setting in a bit of how will it look finished its because you don't have the overview that you got a little afraid of how it will look in the end. But if you trust your artist and you saw his work then you know a little bit how it's going to turn out in the end. It's going to be ok probably

Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met behulp van Tapatalk

[CultExciter]

I was super stoked with Mike posted pics of the "Asian Sensation" @ironchef 's back today.

[Cork]

I was super stoked with Mike posted pics of the "Asian Sensation" @ironchef 's back today.

Pretty much recognize that ass anywhere at this point.

[bugxjuice]

I was super stoked with Mike posted pics of the "Asian Sensation" @ironchef 's back today.

I thought that looked familiar! Super cool. This thread makes me want to work on my back some more. It's been six months since my first and only session... at this rate we'll be finished in 2018.

[CABS]

I have a friend that wants her first and only tattoo to be a backpiece. I gave her a rough estimate of how much that'll cost, and how many hours we are looking at. I hope she pulls through.

[introspect]

This is where I'm up to with my back piece so far. Got a few more months to wait before I can get some more done.

[Duffa]

thats looking great @introspect ? sorry if you've mentioned it before but who's doing that fine tattoo?

[introspect]

thats looking great @introspect ? sorry if you've mentioned it before but who's doing that fine tattoo?

@Duffa all my work has been done by Diego Azaldegui, working from Argentina and Leeds UK.

[TaeTae]

Love Diego's work. He has a really unique style. That Monju bosatsu is so nice.

[hogg]

@Duffa all my work has been done by Diego Azaldegui, working from Argentina and Leeds UK.

Whoa! That is a jaw-dropper. Such a beautiful style...a nice mix of old and new that just ends up looking timeless.

[introspect]

Whoa! That is a jaw-dropper. Such a beautiful style...a nice mix of old and new that just ends up looking timeless.

Thank you. Yes I know what you mean about his style. I think it will age well and still look nice in years to come.

Love Diego's work. He has a really unique style. That Monju bosatsu is so nice.

Thanks, it took me a while to decide what to have but I'm really happy with my choice now.

[TaeTae]

Great choice, I had also been considering Monju Bosatsu, but I think I am going to go with Fugen Bosatsu for my back.

[RoryQ]

Diego Azaldegui is also just a super nice dude, as well as a good tattooer.

[introspect]

Diego Azaldegui is also just a super nice dude, as well as a good tattooer.

Yeah he's super nice. I really enjoy chatting to him during sessions. Makes the time fly by really fast.

[paladini]

I have a full back piece done in Thailand. I had to do fast, cause i left to do the tattoo in my last days of traveling! So... i did in 3 days straight, first day i stayed 9 hours ( fever and very bad afterwards), i don't even know how i came back next day, but i did for another almost 9 hours and in the third day around 5 hours!

Never more i could do this, and even now me and my wife don't know how could i do! lol

[SeeSea]

I have a full back piece done in Thailand. I had to do fast, cause i left to do the tattoo in my last days of traveling! So... i did in 3 days straight, first day i stayed 9 hours ( fever and very bad afterwards), i don't even know how i came back next day, but i did for another almost 9 hours and in the third day around 5 hours!

Never more i could do this, and even now me and my wife don't know how could i do! lol

Wow. Just wow. I bet you sure had a hell of a tattoo hangover for a good couple days after that.

[paladini]

Wow. Just wow. I bet you sure had a hell of a tattoo hangover for a good couple days after that.

I just thought that i would never do any tattoo anymore, but we always forget the pain and suffer after a while lol So i can't stop anymore :) but of course my full arm i did in sessions of 1 month in between

[RoryQ]

I have a full back piece done in Thailand. I had to do fast, cause i left to do the tattoo in my last days of traveling! So... i did in 3 days straight, first day i stayed 9 hours ( fever and very bad afterwards), i don't even know how i came back next day, but i did for another almost 9 hours and in the third day around 5 hours!

Never more i could do this, and even now me and my wife don't know how could i do! lol

I'd be curious to see a picture of it?

[SeeSea]

I just thought that i would never do any tattoo anymore, but we always forget the pain and suffer after a while lol So i can't stop anymore :) but of course my full arm i did in sessions of 1 month in between

LOL I'm with you on that. I hit a low in mental fortitude after long sessions 6 days apart 2 weeks ago and knew I needed time to get my head back in the game. But I think I'm back and can't wait for the next one. Funny how all that changes when you see the piece taking shape.

[baberry64]

My back is in progress and last session I realized that getting one's back tattooed is like getting your ribs done all over again. I foolishly thought going into it... "At least my ribs are done. Nothing could hurt that bad." If I'd given it an ounce more thought and considered the anatomy involved I might have realized that ribs wrap from front to back... fucking duh! I told Scott we will be finishing this thing in 30 minute increments. What a cry baby I've become in my old age.

It looks like it will be well worth it..Congrats!!!

[TattooedHiker]

SO. How's it been for all of you who either have full coverage or are on your way? How's the process? How incredibly draining is it? How much have you had to plan, artistically? Mentally? Physically? Financially?

My back was my first piece that took more than two sittings to finish (and the only other one that took two sittings is being covered up by my sleeve). It was a really fun process, from start to finish. You can check out my back in my main photo. I started the Hannya about four years ago and not sure why but never went back after the outline. Then I finished hiking all the 4,000 foot peaks in NH so I got a tattoo on my forearm for that and it made me realize what I was missing. I went back soon after that and finished the hannya. During that session I talked to my artist about full back and started the snake/peonies a few weeks later and went monthly after that until it was done (only about 6 sessions in total including hannya). Like I said, I thought it was really fun and exciting. I used this lidocaine cream called Dr. Numb and that helped out a lot with the pain on some areas. Having full back feels like the coolest thing and is one of the smartest decisions I've made. Now, I've fallen in love with the BIG work and don't plan on stopping. Financially it wasn't a big deal because I'm in a great place job wise. I guess it was such a great experience because I wanted until I was in a great place mentally/financially to do anything. I always knew I would be heavily tattooed, I think deep down I was just waiting for the right moment and here it is. And I am an awful person to talk about how draining it was because I love that kind of shit, that's what life is all about. The oscillations, so drain me.

[idyllsend]

So I have a modesty related concern, directed mostly at women with full back pieces or tattooers.. I would say I'm fairly comfortable being naked, but not with an audience, and the shop I'm getting my full back piece at [with partial buttocks] is pretty open, and there's two big windows by his station [in retrospect I should've directed these concerns to my artist already, but until then...] and a big parking lot can see directly in.

Any respectable artist will cover the windows and possibly provide a screen from the rest of the shop, yeah?

I will have to get pretty naked, the most I can see keeping on is my undies but they'd have to be pulled down anyway...do you ever bring a blanket to cover your front side while your stencil is being put on?

Any advice related to being completely naked while being tattooed will be extremely appreciated.