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Thanks @Patrick Bateman! Day 2 with Emily done, and boy am I so very glad that is over. Was quite a mental challenge today, the left side of my body seems to be more sensitive than the right, and I stupidly saved the left thigh till the second day. Here is the tiger, and I stitched both pics together so you get an idea how they look together. No photos of the horse today as she is swollen and distorted.

also posted this in the ladies thread Here are a few names to get you started: Jill Bonny Junnii Katja Ramirez Gill Gold - - - Updated - - - also Darcy Nutt

Junii Salmon Jill Bonny Katja Ramirez

Day one finished with Emily Rose Murray. Back tomorrow to do the other thigh.

Yes, if you are doing a sleeve and a backpiece at the same time, it IS a lifestyle that you have to adjust to, if you are keeping regular appointments to finish in a reasonable period of time. I made many unexpected changes to my lifestyle, including dropping all running races (and most training) for a year. That hurt. You are a customer in the beginning, but once you start, you are in a relationship. My guy said to me during the first session, that we would be spending an awful lot of time together and we were really going to get to know one another. You are always the client, but you have to give up a lot of autonomy to the artist. He/she runs the show, makes decisions on what gets worked on, etc. You have to just show up and let that happen. My guy explains that for large pieces he turns people away if he doesn't feel he will "click" with them. I think that's a good thing if the artist knows it could affect his work dealing with (insert annoying stereotype here) for 30-100 hours. Sometimes that 15 minutes in person is mainly to sniff butts and decide if you can be friends for the duration. You already addressed this in one of your other posts, and I'm glad. This community provides a reality-check that some people don't want to hear, and it applies to a lot more than just the tattooing industry. Some people are receptive to it and others get their feathers all ruffled and panties in a twist and go stomping off in a huff of drama. (Although sometimes that's fun to watch...)

No harm man. You seem like a nice guy who is trying to do the right thing. You have committed yourself to a huge endeavour and you are trying to make good on it. I hope you get it sorted out, and get all of the work done. In the end it will be worth all of the hassle.

Annnnd, @Graeme for the win! Yes, about 5 minutes into the first session of my back (my first tattoo larger than 1"x1"), I had a very big mental WTF?!? But the progression is mentally enlightening as well. I don't think I'm the same person. It's more than just getting a huge tattoo - it's finding out who you are. Someone on one of these threads had a nice post about the emotional and growth aspect of getting a backpiece. Part of it is also the respect you will get from others with a lot of work - they understand the commitment you made and completed. I won't be clique-y and say it's a club - just a shift in perspective. This won't make sense now, but if you go full coverage - ink over every inch of your back - you will. Welcome to LST. Here are some places the crazy people hang out: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-designs-books-flash/492-full-back-piece-thread.html http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/870-full-back-piece-experience-thread.html

@soraya Here are a few names to get you started: Jill Bonny Junnii Katja Ramirez Gill Gold

Welcome! I am seven sessions into my back piece, and I will say that your family is right in thinking you're crazy, and you're going to feel that way at some point, maybe during many points, during your back piece. But then you'll catch a glimpse of it in a mirror and it will be worth all the pain, the annoyance and misery of healing, the considerable expense of it because there are no tattoos more striking than full back pieces. So yes, you're crazy, but you're among good company here. Who are you getting to do it and what design are you choosing?

A-O ZING never thought of myself as a "tattoo collector" but rather a "tattoo get-or" ;)

Stoned Sailor Jerry Wolf!:cool:

Latest session with Fill Wood @ Black Crown in Leeds. Gotta say, the underside of my buttocks is really tender right now. https://instagram.com/p/zVIWUtGza9/

THIS ^ To quote some solid life advice I received many years ago from K.D. Lang's 101yo Grandma (true story) ..."you had better finish whatever you start Eric...or else!" Real talk from a really bad ass really old woman, and because of it I never actually experienced what the "or else" is. ;)

yeah i tried everything to deal with the pain - and after awhile my focus just became to hold still for the artist - but yeah - there was no hiding place - hurt good - my other rib i had done not long ago for 3.5 hours - was also bad - but nothing like the 6 hour effort - different world - no regrets though - a unique and cool experience - plus i'm diggin the tatt - which i'll post in a week or so

Listen, I understand you have bad weed, but care to add anything meaningful?

That is a great description, and encouraging. I actually like the pain to some extent (not to sound like a douche noob) but in relation to the sensation, euphoria and nostalgia of the experience. I think I like the act of getting the tattoo more than having them, if that makes any sense?

I am not sure why you said you were intimidated to join here in your first post. You have a lot of excellent tattoos and know how to get them, you want to be part of the community, and you're an intelligent and articulate person. If only we had more people joining like you! I hope you stick around.

Hey guys! Thank you for the warm welcome! I'm excited to talk tattoos with you all! Okay, I'll eventually get the hang of embedding, but for now links to peep's instagrams will have to do. All these are from when the tattoos were still fresh (of the ones I could find) because I actually don't have pictures of my work. But I'll try to get around to taking decent photos of it all healed up and settled. Anyway, let's start: First session for my sleeve with Thomas (going for my second appointment soon): Instagram Instagram Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically: Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever: Instagram My Valerie girls. I love these things: Instagram (Side story: You know that gorgeous punk rock Virgin Mary Valerie did a while back? I was supposed to get a punk girl from her that week she was at Kings Avenue, but decided to delay it because I thought these two made a better pair. And then she came out with that Virgin Mary and I've been kicking myself since. I'm actually thinking of going to England to get a second pair of girls on my calves to finally get my punk girl. She will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine.) I'll try to get pictures of the other ones, since I couldn't find them online. Disclaimer: My skins swells up like crazy when I get tattooed, so some of these are kinda distorted. Like I said, nice pictures of healed work on their way.

Hi All, Pushing 50 and never been inked. I've wanted tattoos more than half of my life but there's always been a reason not to but I'm a big boy now and it's about time I started making my own bad decisions. I had an epiphany recently and found myself asking "Dude, what's the worst that can happen?" so I've found a local artist whose work I like and I have a five hour slot booked a week from now. I've had sleepless nights worrying about what I'm going to have done - it's not that I can't think of anything, it's because I can't decide on only one thing - but one thing I do know: she'll come up with something far more impressive than I if I only let her have her creative freedom. So I'm gonna give her the broadest of briefs and let the chips fall where they may.

Mine from Marc Nava (pic from his Instagram)

@CShaw do you really want the cord to stand out, or be harmonious with the rest of the peonies? The teal would be nearly opposite on the colour wheel to the pink flowers, so the colour would be really defined against them. A deep red cord would blend into the background a little more. Iboersonally like the idea of using teal, but I like lots of colours.

Sounds like you have a great mindset already,eat a good meal prior to getting tattooed and try to get a good nights rest as well the night before,this will help a lot.Ive never meditated during but the breathing exercises will help you through it,just breathe and wait for the endorphins and you'll be fine ✌️

That is a bit of a dramatic take on @Graeme post. All he is saying is that (just like in any other facet of life) you want to keep your reputation strong, and be respectful of other peoples time. There is nothing wrong with changing appointment with proper notice. But if you make a habit of it then you should expect the tattooers to be annoyed. For every sleeve or back piece you see finished on the internet there are 20 that were not. I think the real problem here is that you are getting a sleeve and a back piece done at the same time. Either one of them is an incredible time and money commitment, and you are doing both at the same time.

Mr. Justice does nice work. You should be happy with the outcome. Randy at Eye Candy did my back.

So, in looking ahead at the calendar, I realized my May app at KA was while Grez will be at Blue Arms in Norway, so I had to reschedule. I was lucky enough to reschedule it for the weekend of the Ed Hardy show, so now I'll definitely be up for that. Stoked.

I'm not saying any of this to be a dick, but you've posted elsewhere on this forum about the difficulty you have with keeping appointments, so I am guessing that your artist is afraid that you're going to flake out and they're going to get stuck without work for the day. Yes, of course things come up and sometimes we need to cancel or reschedule appointments, and that happens to both artists and clients, but don't get a reputation as somebody who habitually misses or cancels appointments because tattooing is a very small world and word gets around.

I'm going against the popular vote and, without knowing the size of the work you are doing or the length of the sessions, there is no way I would schedule back-to-back like that. But my back sessions averaged 6 hours and late at night and I feel trashed the next day, so my experience might not be relevant. Regarding the deposit, did you agree to a cancellation policy with your artist when you put down your first deposit? You should have, and if not, I feel he has no business asking for entire payment up front (!!!). Also, if you gave 1 week notice, I think a another deposit is also out of line. Now if you called to reschedule a second time, then I think he has a right to ask for something more. So, you had better get a cancellation policy set between you two (and the other one). It should include terms when you need to cancel/ reschedule AND terms for when he cancels. I have a 3-day cancellation or I have to pay a second deposit IF HE CAN'T FILL THE SPOT, and vice versa - if he cancels at the last minute I get that amount of credit. (Actually, it may be that I would have had to pay his minimum - 3 hours, but I never had to do that so I don't recall. - but that's still way less than a grand.)

Jessie Lawson at Leviticus in Minneapolis isn't strictly Japanese style but she's excellent and very cool to get tattooed by. I recommend at least talking to her about what you have in mind. Jessi Lawson | Leviticus Tattoo

A few more artists in South of France... Stéphane Chaudesaigues | A French tattoo artist in Auvergne https://instagram.com/alixge

Hi Bonnie! My first tattoo project was a full sleeve, so I get your desire to start big. I don't have my back done yet (mainly because I can't settle on a design - so many ideas!), so props to you! I still get butterflies before every tattoo, but as soon as the needle hits and you know there's no going back, they melt away and you're fine. The knowledge of permanence is soothing, in a way. So don't worry about about getting nervous. Like Graeme said, seeing your work grow and your idea come to fruition, is very reassuring and satisfying. Getting tattooed sucks though, so there will be shitty times. As for clothing, the ladies thread has an excellent discussion on clothing options for getting tattooed and healing. Hopefully it gives you some good ideas!

@CShaw - (just deleted as I misread your post) Any color that doesn't cause the bats to lose their distinctness, so maybe a warmer color. It is looking so lovely and I'm enjoying seeing the progress!

Funny, i felt like i was dying. (Only a little)

@Breakme Awesome!!!!

I don't think there's anything wrong with mixing styles. I've always like more cohesive looks, but if you can incorporate a little bit of color you have in your other tattoos or some other theme, I think it'd turn out awesome. A Mandala will be gorgeous no matter what so I don't think you could go wrong matching you or not.

Welcome David, hope everything works out great for ya. I think that's wonderful that you are the age you are and saying hell yeah, it's time to finally get the tattoo you've always wanted. Life's too short and you're never to old to start something! No regrets bud.

Inner forearm near the elbow for me. Almost bit my lower lip off trying to keep from spewing hateful screams.

Hi ladies! Sorry to jump in mid-conversation like this, but I just read through the entire thread, and there were a couple of things I wanted to comment on. Here we go: I also find myself gravitating towards women's work far more often than men's. That's not to say I don't like the work of male tattooers (I've been tattooed by a few), but I find that I vastly prefer the work of women (however subconsciously). I think part of it is because tattooing has been a boys' club for such a long time (or at least perceived as such), that I feel much more at ease getting work from lady tattooers than guys. Even with topics like how to dress for a tattoo in a tricky spot, I think female tattooers are much more receptive and understanding of those concerns. Also, a lot of my tattoos are variations on the "gypsy girl". It's my favorite theme. I like images of strong, expressive women, so to me it makes sense to have a woman be the one to apply that to my body. In conclusion: girl power! I, like all women, have been catcalled for most of my life - and I hate it. (It's one of the many reasons I dread summer.) But I noticed that when I started to get more tattooed, the catcalls shifted from disgusting and lascivious to dudes shouting some variation of "I love your tats!". A guy approached me once to in a supermarket to tell me he had "mad respect" for me because of my tattoos. (Let's disregard the fact he only respects me because he thinks I can handle pain and I'm not some ~weak, fragile flower~, which is sexist as hell.) I still get my fair share of gross shit yelled at me. While it is still vastly unnecessary and uncomfortable to have my body commented on, at the very least some of those comments have shifted to something that doesn't make me fear for my safety, unlike before.

I had the seventh session on my back yesterday and we finally started in on the colour and crushed the tiger. There's still a bit of shading to do in the water, and we're still figuring out what to do with the snake with regard to scales or patterns, colours, etc., as well as what colours to do the maples, but I am super stoked on the progress we're making.

Marius Meyer started this one a couple of weeks ago. Gonna add more dragon next time.

Got this last night in Philly from Mikey Holmes. Inner forearm hurts.

By Jasmin Austin down in Perth, Australia.

Okay...and once these dye-filled macrophages are in your lymph nodes, then what? What are the health implications of this? I think laser removal and ink migrating to lymph nodes has already been touched on here, but - please correct me if I'm wrong - this sounds like it puts even more of a burden on the lymph system. This skeeves me out way more than getting tattooed ever would.

The best part of getting a tattoo is taking your rough, non-artist idea in, and watching it made into a piece of art. That's pretty much exactly how it happens. You speak with the artist, she draws a picture, you speak again and make changes, then she applies a stencil, you can make more changes, then you get a tattoo.

stumbled across this little gem... Ed Hardy roast. Scott Harrison kills it.

Bit of a long break from LST but I am still alive and slowly chipping away at my backpiece. Had a decent break from tattooing over xmas which was great but back to the grind now. The snake has taken quite a while but almost finished now. Each scale of the snake has 3-4 different shades of green so has chewed through some time.

ok ok - now I know this is the heavyweight division - the best of the best - major league back pieces - epic sleeves from legendary artists from around the globe - tattooing black belts - you get the picture - but I figure - you only live once - so here is my first ever entry into one of my favorite monthly threads.... Whatever...by Jamie Sawyer outta Immortal Ink in Clinton, NJ

I think a lot more accomplishments would be made and goals achieved and fun had if people would stop saying, I'll do XYZ but I want to lose 20 pounds first.

i do need a new job. too bad i live on the wrong side of the atlantic and the fact i'm no tattooer...

There's a dive there called COOP'S PLACE that has the best Jambalaya I've ever had. I've been eating there for probably 15 years. Last time I went to NOLA, I ate there six times in five days.