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Kinda hate to term anything I do as 'awesome', but this as close as it comes for me lol. I retired from my 'real job' specifically to be able to chase my passion (over used term) of woodworking. Now days I spend 6-8 hours in my shop making anything that catches my fancy. Here are a few recent pieces that I finished as Christmas gifts.

@Dominiccjs lol ...i can relate! i had myself psyched out about the pain from reading so much on this thread. Honestly, it sucks, BUT you can do it. Drink LOTS of water and eat small snacks (fruit/nuts) on every break. The healing process is a breeze. My back has healed better than any tattoo ive gotten over the past 10 years. Also, Dan Molloy rules so hard. That Kali backpiece he did on his wife is unreal. Dont stress, its all worth it.

been flying from singapore to perth for the past 3 years to get tattooed. it’s about a 5 hour flight. will probably be flying to perth for a good 7 to 10 years more to finish the project i just started

Awesome guys thanks for that! Some great suggestions, apparently I'm difficult to buy for because hey I'm an adult if I want something I'll buy it myself. At least I can point to something now.

about to start my back piece in 2 months with dan molloy in perth. got 5 sessions squeezed into a week. i should not have gone into this thread lol. reading about the pain has made me much more nervous than i already am. with that being said, any advise on how i’d go about healing this?

My dog literally slapped me today.. I was laying down singing.. I got the message ._.

The first lines my artist did on my back were right on my love handles. I thought, I'm not going to be able to finish this! I got into the zone and got through it and then I thought, if I can get through this, I can get through anything. A couple years later I started working on my current piece that goes on to my stomach - a whole new level of pain for me. My artist always says, just because it hurts isn't a good reason to not get tattooed. DOH!

Another session down; had to tap out after 2 hours as I've been sick and just exhausted lately. But, eyes on the prize!

I'll keep these ideas with my pet rock and my Mork and Mindy DVDs.

Jesse Smith is doing it and I’m hoping no more than 40 more but no definite answer.

I finished my back 9 years ago and it hurt like a bitch. I prefer the traditional look anyway, but they tend to go a lot quicker too. Which is always a plus. Richard Stell did this in only two sessions. The first one was about 4 1/2 hours and the second was 10. Picture taken 10 minutes ago...

Here is a shot of my back all healed and settled. Started and finished in 2017. Done by the one and only Eric Perfect in Philadelphia, PA.

As of yesterday! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

whoa, you folks weren't lyin! The back is tough! I was disappointed that I was only able to sit through 4 1/2 hours. It was done by Ian Lutz who tattoos in Denver CO. He was in my hometown (Pittsburgh PA) guesting at a local shop, so we were able to start this project on my turf. Next sitting is in January at his shop, World Tattoo. LOTS more to go, but excited for the journey. Also...the outline on the love handles?!?! HOLY HELL! I never knew pain like that existed lol i have my inner thighs/feet/chest all done and i didnt think pain could get much worse but WOW!! i could have almost passed out when he was hitting those spots. I felt like such a baby!!!

I have trouble getting to my "happy place" if I have anyone with me, and, in general, I think it is a distraction for most everyone. If the person is cool, the artist is okay with it, and they know how to behave and blend into the scenery then it can be fine. So often it is like these nightmare scenarios described above, however, and that's what ruins it for the cool kids, as usual...

Just go for it, you don't have to be in a hurry to finish maybe try and do 2 days each trip if that's possible, like everybody else has said if you love that artist then itl be worth it, what's 30 hours of flying for a tattoo that lasts a lifetime

This is a piece by Justin Weatherholtz at Kings Avenue. I saw it in person. Basically, this client had an acne issue and went to a dermatologist for an acne treatment shot. Problem was he turned out to be allergic to the medication and it scarred up the acne pretty badly. Justin tattooed in the scars and used the texture of the scarred skin to create an almost 3D effect. The blacks/greys in the water....that's scar dimpling and cavities that got filled in.