Full Back Piece Experience Thread

[Cork]

HAHA quite the researcher @SeeSea

[polliwog]

I've actually wondered about using something like Nair before a tattoo. I'm guessing it's not worth the risk of sensitized skin because of all the not-very-nice chemicals in it, but it's definitely less itchy than shaving. Has anyone tried this?

[SeeSea]

I haven't, but with either waxing or Nair, the idea is probably to do it a couple days before a session to let the skin recover from the "trauma."

[hogg]

Here's a new one: one of my best friends is almost done with his backpiece, and he just texted me to say that, the day after getting his ass tattooed for 5 hours, his penis is sore and tingling. Our combined best guess: he was subconsciously trying to escape the pain, so he unwittingly smashed his junk into the table. That poor, poor table.

[SeeSea]

Maybe they make a special table for that.

[Cork]

That's odd. Yeah I would guess he was humping the hell out of that table.

[Graeme]

The things I have to look forward to. Full backs are stupid tattoos to get. Stupid, stupid tattoos. What is wrong with us.

[Cork]

The things I have to look forward to. Full backs are stupid tattoos to get. Stupid, stupid tattoos. What is wrong with us.

I said that to Dana once. He gave me a look that was just "Get over it, dude." His back piece story pales all of ours. The guy flew out to Arizona to see Roper and underwent an insane amount of time on the table over a few days. When I used to complain about pain he just gave me that same look. I am so lucky to only have to drive 50 minutes and be able to get an appointment once a month. I don't think I'd be able to do it otherwise. At least not without heavy drug use.

[hogg]

The things I have to look forward to. Full backs are stupid tattoos to get. Stupid, stupid tattoos. What is wrong with us.

The alternative--not getting a backpiece--is just silly.

[Fala]

I love this thread - gives me the tiniest glimpse of what I have to look forward to.

[Graeme]

I said that to Dana once. He gave me a look that was just "Get over it, dude." His back piece story pales all of ours. The guy flew out to Arizona to see Roper and underwent an insane amount of time on the table over a few days. When I used to complain about pain he just gave me that same look. I am so lucky to only have to drive 50 minutes and be able to get an appointment once a month. I don't think I'd be able to do it otherwise. At least not without heavy drug use.

Dave who is doing my back, and incidentally has some really incredible Roper tattoos himself, has a pretty similar story about his back, but he got his done by Trevino and would make trips down to Austin to have multiple day sessions. I guess if that's what it takes to get the tattoo you want, that's what it takes, but I too feel lucky that I'm able to get the backpiece I want without any crazy travel. I'm only one session in but I'm already willing to say that getting a backpiece is a really humbling experience.

@hogg This is 100% true.

[briankelly]

i remember the feeling i had on my first session of my back when the machine started up and then cut into me for the first couple of lines. i thought, this is completely retarded. i'm never even going to see this thing..

[Shaggy]

@Graeme,

I hear you about the travel, I am lucky my artist of choice is only 2-3 hours travel from where I live which makes the normal 3 hour sessions on back easy and even the odd 6 hour session do-able.

You say it is humbling now. Give it about 5-6 more sessions and you will say it is f**ked. I am about half way through mine and I am over it all. But if I had my time over again, I would still do it. Even half done it is so cool having such a large piece of awesome artwork on your body. Is a piece of art that we own that can never be lost or stolen from us. :)

Cheers.

[elafave77]

Well, I have been planning this tattoo since I was about 15. Almost 20 years later it is coming to fruition. I decided to let the apprentice at our shop start out doing the black since it would give him some skin time and I knew he was capable of saturating the black properly. I had finished up for the day so we started around 7 at night. We didn't finish up until 4 in the morning. It was AGONIZING, every last minute of it. I didn't sit the greatest, but I wasn't a terror either. I knew that letting our apprentice dig in, I was gonna' be in for a little extra chair time and maybe a little extra points on the pain scale. My back is a little larger than I actually envisioned it in my mind, also. I guess I am a pretty broad guy. At one point I was drooling all over my iPhone as I tried watch Dexter in and out of envisioning myself strapped to his table. I am gonna' try to get it hammered out in 2 or 3 more 8 to 12 hour sessions. Knowing that I actually bossed up and rode through it made it that much more cool to me.

Finally getting started on this after 20 years of planning was pretty damn satisfying. I am lucky that I don't have to pay for any of it and that financial concerns for new work are non-existent. Cool beans.

[joakim urma]

Ok I'm just going to write something short about my back piece in progress since I am healing after the second session now and feel psyched about it.

Since I first started getting tattoos I knew that I would want to get a back piece. I figured I'd wait and let the idea evolve over time, save up enough money and start doing it on my 30:th year. Two years ago I got tattooed by Iain Mullen for the first time and since we've done something like 6-7 tattoos and they are among my favorites. We also became friends and I usually stop by the shop at least once a week to hang out and talk with him and the other guys. As time passed I decided to give him my back when the time was right. However last autumn I went down to Italy and got tattooed by Rudy Fritsch at his shop and felt like he'd make me an amazing back piece instead…

Eventually I told Iain that I wanted the two of them to collaborate. I was a bit uncertain if he would be up for it but the next day when I came in to pay for a tattoo he told me that it was on (!) About two months later it was time for the first session. Up until this date I had not seen the sketch or been allowed to make any wishes about what the tattoo was going to be. I put my trust in them and I am very happy that I did.

The first session was two hours with both of them working simultaneously on me. Rudy starting low on the left side and Iain up on my right shoulder. I found being laid face down on a massage bed, having only the floor to look at and no visual way of telling when or where the pain was going to hit… this was the most psychological challenging thing with the whole session. I've gotten some pretty rough spots done before but this was the worst two hours I've had to endure when it comes to tattoos. Two machines are not twice as bad but still a lot worse than one. I'm happy that they both work quick but it also meant a lot of brutality when it comes to long lines being nailed into my ribs in fast succession. I tried to zone out and focus on the breathing but that only made time slow down more, I could not think of anything else.

Second session was this thursday, I sat up on a gym bench and me and Iain were talking the whole time through and it was such a walk in the park compared to the first one. I feel good about having had that experience anyway, it was special.

[Cork]

@mmikaoj are you planning on any more sessions while under 2 guns at the same time? The progress you made on that first session was incredible. It looks great after the second.

[joakim urma]

@Cork

Thank you! We'll do the fifth session with two machines too and if needed probably a sixth. Next one is the rest of the solid black and then the fifth will be start of actuall shading and textures. So much looking forward to seeing the end of this, but enjoying the ride so far :)

[McNeil]

Hi everyone,

Hope you don't mind me posting a question that relates to this thread.

I started my back piece with Chad when he was visiting London, now the time has come for me to visit Rock of Ages to continue working on it.

I can only really manage 7-10 days off work and as I am traveling very far was hoping to do 3x3 hour sessions (3 hour sessions is all I have ever known since getting tattooed 12+ years) and I get the impression that is how Chad likes to work. Before I call the shop to book in, I wanted to be a bit more clued up in regards to 3 sessions in a week being perceived as doable from the clients point of view and if so do I do them in a row or space out a day or 2 in between. It's just as I am coming all the way from England I want to get as much tattooing done that I can handle whilst I am there to reduce the amount of trips I will have to take to finish the piece.

Hope it's ok posting this in here. Cheers!

[David Flores]

Hi everyone,

Hope you don't mind me posting a question that relates to this thread.

I started my back piece with Chad when he was visiting London, now the time has come for me to visit Rock of Ages to continue working on it.

I can only really manage 7-10 days off work and as I am traveling very far was hoping to do 3x3 hour sessions (3 hour sessions is all I have ever known since getting tattooed 12+ years) and I get the impression that is how Chad likes to work. Before I call the shop to book in, I wanted to be a bit more clued up in regards to 3 sessions in a week being perceived as doable from the clients point of view and if so do I do them in a row or space out a day or 2 in between. It's just as I am coming all the way from England I want to get as much tattooing done that I can handle whilst I am there to reduce the amount of trips I will have to take to finish the piece.

Hope it's ok posting this in here. Cheers!

I feel like this is something you need to discuss with Chad or with the staff of Rock of Ages. Anything is possible, but everyone works differently and sometimes situations will dictate how things go as well. I would shoot them an email and explain the whole situation, it's much easier than trying to have this conversation on the phone while customers around.

As far as on your end of being able to take it, you probably know your body better than anyone. I also feel like when people have to get this stuff done they find a way to work through the pain. Me personally would probably shoot for like 2 4-5 hour sessions on the day after I got there and the day before I left type of thing, but like i said it all depends on the design and what the tattooer says.

[McNeil]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! I totally agree with everything you have said. The main reason for my post was that I am just a little bit shy when it comes to talking to tattooists that I really admire and just wanted to prep myself with some input from people on here so I can be as accommodating as possible.

2 x 4-5 hours is something I had thought about and will defiantly be discussing that with Chad/the shop.

Thank you!

[Mick Weder]

Reading this thread makes me miss the whole back piece experience. We all understand the magic behind envisioning, planning and executing a full back tattoo, unlike any other piece anywhere.

Reading everyone's experiences, watching the progress is a great reminder how involved this process is, and how we all share the same mystical bond from all over the world that the full back tattoo beholds. Awesome!

[Graeme]

Reading this thread makes me miss the whole back piece experience. We all understand the magic behind envisioning, planning and executing a full back tattoo, unlike any other piece anywhere.

Reading everyone's experiences, watching the progress is a great reminder how involved this process is, and how we all share the same mystical bond from all over the world that the full back tattoo beholds. Awesome!

I have an ass/back of thighs lining session tomorrow. I'm going to try to keep this "magic" and "mystical bond" in mind while I'm getting tattooed to try to convince myself that I'm not the stupidest person in the world.

[Pugilist]

I have an ass/back of thighs lining session tomorrow. I'm going to try to keep this "magic" and "mystical bond" in mind while I'm getting tattooed to try to convince myself that I'm not the stupidest person in the world.

Don't worry honey, I'll help you feel that mystical bond by making fun of you on the internet. Xo.

[Rob I]

Good luck @Graeme !

I can't say that I'm jealous of your day tomorrow :)

Try yoga breathing!!!!!!

[Fala]

LOL @Rob I - breathe the pain away...

Oh @Graeme - it'll be worth it when it's done!!!