otisc

I ended up doing a 7/10th (as my artist calls it) sleeve. (I've posted tons of pics lately so won't post more in this thread). I had planned to go all the way to the wrist, but I wear a watch and it would cover the end all the time. Plus, stopping at the wrist kind of has a cut-off look that isn't always pleasant, which is why a lot of Japanese tattoos swirl onto the chest rather that stop at the arm/torso line. The 3/4 sleeve is nice (mine is slightly past halfway down forearm) - it is still "full sleeve" to everyone who sees it, and I can roll up dress shirt cuffs two rolls or hike up a long sleeve T-shirt and have it not noticeable. I work in an industry where tattoos are the norm, but there are still business settings (leasing a building, seeing new clients) where it is nice not that have that extra 2 inches tattooed.

Hey --- great topic! So I am exactly in your boat. Getting a Japanese dragon sleeve done here in Austin, Texas. Like you, I estimated this to be about 15 hours/3 sessions. But I am in that far now and we probably have 5-8 more to go. You can read a more detailed update on how it's going here: So, my sleeve is a 7/10th length, almost full. The first session was the linework. I don't know how your artist works, but mine the design was drawn freehand (after a lot of consultation, obviously). This took a few hours of mostly standing up. It was fascinating. He would draw it and be nearly done, then look at it and say -- no, the head needs to be an inch to the right - then wipe it off and start again. He would do multiple layers in multiple colors getting more detailed with each layer, and he erased amazing stuff many times because he wanted it to flow with my body correctly, and had to re-draw it. I think this is really important with your piece, especially with multiple elements. I was planning on tattooing to the wrist, but since I wear a watch, the 7/10ths made more sense. And putting the dragon head on my collarbone just never looked right, despite that being one of the more traditional locations. So as he is drawing it on you - think about how the pieces fit onto your body... and also.... think about what parts you want to look at all the time. If am not at the computer working, I am golfing, so what was on my top/inner forearms was important because that's the area I'll be looking at most. I had fewer flowers put there so I wasn't distracted by the pink that will go in there later. Here are a few pics I didn't put into the other thread: First layer. This was erased. and Re-done. Then the linework. Ouch. We did this in about 3ish hours: A month later we did all the shading in one 5.5 hour session: The healing of the shading was just awful. The Y of my arm got immediately dry and cracked making moving my arm very painful for 4-5 days and mildly painful for another 4-5. Applying Aquaphor those first 3-4 days just inflamed the whole arm it and - just - ouch. I had to really baby it, and luckily I work from home and can work shirtless for a few days and wash/re-ointment frequently. If I had to put on a dress shirt (or any shirt) and go to work and move around I would have been really sorry. If you do this much coverage, wash it a lot, because I had a few areas flare up looking like they were going to get infected, but luckily just got really heavily scabbed. So my artist went to Europe for 10 weeks, and I had to wait all summer for coloring! But like you, I was thinking 15 hours/three sessions. And I felt like one more 5.5 hours session like the shading would be enough to finish up almost entirely. Nope! Last Wednesday we did 5.5 hours (all I could take) and only got in green and red: Takes awhile to get some of that color in, I guess. This part on the shoulder hurt/bled a lot: The ditch was bad. Real bad. Healing the color has been about 60% as bad as the shading. I probably could have shirted up and worked a job with movement had I needed to... but it would have still been really uncomfortable. Healing the ditch is no joke. Those scales are all scabbed now, and I rarely scab on my tattoos. Ouch. So now I'm hoping one more 5 hour run will do it, but I doubt it. Just the flowers - by the numbers, could take a few hours themselves (there are more on the back of the arm). So I'm guessing it will be 5 hrs next month, then another 2-3 after that (fingers crossed). Take lots of pics, especially during if you can. I always wish I had snapped more after. Here is a video of the shading. You can compare that spot to the above pics to see how dark we got it eventually. Takes awhile to lay down those greyish areas on the windbars/clouds: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-znxv7VN/0/1280/i-znxv7VN-1280.mp4

Just had the ditch colored in last week. If I had to pick, I think the linework through the same area (done a few months before) was worse than the coloring... but both were bad. Here it is about 2 minutes after being done: Almost as bad -- that little negative space elbow where the green makes a Y... we colored that in red next. And the constant wiping of the paper towel over the green area that had just been done was awful. Like sandpaper.

I posted an update in the Initiation forum, but realized it isn't as widely seen. Here is a condensed version: Session 3 on the dragon sleeve is done. I went in thinking we would color it in and I'd be done or nearly done. Nope! 5.25 hours of green and red. In the ditch. Ouch. April: May: Last week: I'm very happy with it so far, but dying to get the final touches of detail into the dragon. I count 120 cherry blossom pedals all the way around. Given that 2 min each average is four hours, I'm doubting we will even finish next time.

No, I mean the line work. It's not great. Maybe skip that artist next time you head to that same shop.

What are you getting? How big and where? Best advice: get plenty of sleep, eat a lot of food before you go, bring water (and a snack if you'll be there awhile), and just relax and enjoy it. Everyone has their aftercare routine, but mine is first 2-3 days lots of washing and very light aquaphor, then switching to lotion once the peel starts on day 3-4. That's it.

It wasn't the photo -- zooming in on the scroll, the line work is iffy. Obviously not the same guy who did the tiger, right?

I'm not so sure about the linework on that name scroll ... but I am loving the tiger/snake tattoo. Would love to see more pics of it. The tiger tattoo doesn't look infected at all. The tender skin looks reddened and bruised. It will heal.

Happy healing! Post a photo!

This is based on Japanese tattoos, and I agree it's not great. Google or Instagram "Irezumi" or "horimono" to see better examples.

Very thick line work!

The spot you circled hurts -- but you'll get through it. The good news is that it's one of those areas where one area might be a 9/10 but then just an inch to the right or left it is a manageable 4/10. To me the worst part about being tattooed in that area wasn't the needle -- it was the constant wiping of the paper towel. After awhile, it was like sandpaper and the whole area felt like a mild burn. Just depends how long your artist spends in the area.

End of Day three and while the tattoo is really healing well - damn am I bruised in the ditch. All the work still hurts in the shower. Putting on a shirt today was no treat (I work from home so this was first time). And yet I'm close enough to finishing this that I'm already planning the next big one.

I know! I looked at the most painful part of my arm and said "I will never have to tattoo there again!" A couple painul spots on the chest left, but otherwise it should be relatively smooth sailing here on out.

It is a little better because the area tattooed weaves up my arm, instead of basically all the way around my entire arm... so less surface area is less pain. Applying Aquaphor hurts but is a lot more confined, so when I'm done my entire arm isn't radiating heat. Today is Day 3 and I've gotten very little sleep the last two nights, so that part is the same. Today the skin in the ditch is tightening, and I can see a few scales look like they may scab (we'll see). Overall, I'd say the healing this time is 50% easier. Which is not to say I'm not still in the discomfort stage, it's just that the last session with the full arm shaded all the way around in one session -- that was awful.

Update: Aug 31. Scott Ellis is finally back in the US, so we put in five more hours dropping color into the dragon. I am so relieved to have the ditch of my arm done! That was probably the worst part.

This looks badass!!! How was the pain for this linework?

Pretty good! I am all healed from the shading/background work that was done three weeks ago. Unfortunately, Scott Ellis is touring Europe this summer and will not be back in Austin to complete the next stage until late August! I will keep posting updates, for sure.

So long as you keep getting tattoos like this: crisp, bold lines, nicely colored inside those lines, little touch of negative space, readable from a distance -- you will be just fine. I'd say the tattoo you have is probably better than 75% of the ones out there.

I definitely understand the nerves. I had them bigtime before my first irezumi sleeve session - and I'm more than double your age. My prediction is the only regret you will have is not extending the sleeve farther down your arm!

The second pic leaves a lot to be desired (would like to see more images of the tattoo in its current state)... however to my amateur eye, it looks like your tattoo is forming a huge layer of scar tissue over the tattoo. Did this guy drill into you? Or is the picture not accurate?

First of all: Squats and lunges. Every day. For 10 weeks. It's not that hard at all, and problem solved. Second of all, yes a tattoo can cover this up. Many cover-up tattoos (covering other tattoos) use misdirection and a different focal point to adequately hide the previous tattoo. Same thing here. The best tattoo will draw your eye away from the spot you want to cover.

These are great for sports in the sun. I'm an avid golfer, and I'm also pretty obsessive about sunscreen and re-applying it regularly throughout an 18-hole round. Even with regular spraying of myself, I still get color on the parts of my skin that are outside the sleeve. This is really damaging to a new tattoo (I'm only 17 days into the second stage of my sleeve), as well as long-term. So I can vouch for the UPF protection standing up as advertised as 50+. I also wear the sleeve a lot when I do long drives, as my left arm is just in the sun, whether the window is down or not. Since getting my sleeve started, I've been hyper aware of noticing others' arm work... and I have seen so many faded/aged tattoos that probably would have benefited from more sun protection, especially in the early stages. The only negative I would add to my review is that the sleeves will stretch out approx 1/2-3/4 inch if you wear it a lot (I've worn mine a ton during healing). It's just enough to make the sleeve a bit loose, but not enough to justify going down a full size using their sizing chart. Since the product uses tactile grip to stay up instead of tension like many other brands, it's not a huge problem for walking around... but for golf, I do need to tug it up every 5-6 shots. This occurred after 5-6 times of wearing the item for long periods of time (4-8 hours). I am thinking about getting a forearm-only version to try out, as my shirt cover most of my upper arm. Still, even with the negatives added, I would still say this is a great product. A must-have for certain employment situations, and a great way to protect a new tattoo during that initial 4-6 week period when the peeling is done but your tattoo is still super-sensitive and the outer skin is still rebuilding.

You need to do your research, pick the part of the body you want to start with, and then take a long time to pick the design and even more importantly the artist to do it. What you will find is that your preferences may change as you do research. Once you get one big piece, what you want for your second may change, too. Don't plan your entire body out at once. I personally don't think there is any problem with mixing styles/artists. But you need to put in the time and effort so that your journey begins with a piece you are proud to show and will stand the test of time. Good luck!!!

How about a championship belt?