username1

Now over 70 hours on my back piece. Yesterday, took it up to 77 hours and my artist did like 3 hours of detail near, under armpit/rib cage behind the heart area yesterday. Not ashamed to say it, but I had tears running down my face for about 5-7 minutes. I thought I had toughened up enough now for that to never happen but now, just gotta say, Tattooing is starting to hurt more I get them... We had the Songkran Water Festival (Thai New Year) here in Thailand this week. I had my shirt off for 4 days, getting soaking wet in the worlds biggest water fight. I must have met over 100 people due to my back piece and met so many others from all corners of the world, also showing off there art during the water fight. Bought so many of us together an I gained some cool new friends. No, just for that, the pain of getting this, has been worth every hour... Only another 7 hours to go on the 28th of this month.... no more this year. I need time to recover... The photo enclosed explains Songkran very easily... lots of water and good times

Attacking the other side kidney area tomorrow. We only did the left hand side last time. Not looking forward to it at all. Also, looks like my body does not like a certain brown color as it scabbed up and I am glad I am not getting that color anymore. Out of the last 40 hours of work, no scabbing but only just this little bit of brown and yuck... Two more 8 hour sessions and this baby is put to bed.... worst part is I found some script I want done now and just wondering where to put it....

Update... After another 21 hours I have decided on the spot that takes the cake. It bitch slapped me so hard, that I almost passed out in pain. My guy told me my top arse area and kidneys was almost all bone and be prepared for six hours of bitch slapping pain. My god, was he right. The kidney area was not good and then he hit that spot above my arse crack and I almost died. After doing that, he then attacked a rib area that had been giving me grief before an I did not even FEEL it after that arse whooping I took... He suggested I use some lidocaine on that arse bit but I told him it was for pussy's... maybe I should have taken him up in it... lol... it is all done now, that piece and I thank god I never, ever have to revisit it....

7 hours today, 7 hours tomorrow and 7 hours on Friday.... we are going to break the back on this back piece and I just do not want to suffer anymore. Just want it over and done with.... my artist is talking to me about a set of sleeves to go with the back piece but I told him today, give me a year or so off, as my kidney area and lower bum is going to need that time to recover after today's pain....

My artist rang me tonight an wants to do three sessions this week (21 hours) instead of one sessions as he has had two, 7 hour slots pull out (the guy who pulled has a serious flu). After the sessions only a few days ago that totally blew, I gotta get my head ready for a unexpected session tomorrow. I am really bruised from the last one (see bruising along the rib cage). Only about another 30 hours to go, so better man up to them... still better to get them over and done with now and hell, time then to go out an enjoy the work he had done for the rest of my life... 30 hours of pain for a life time of enjoyment, I think is a bargain and worth it all...

Major big session today on the back piece and for the first time, for the 7 hours of work done, it blew almost the whole time. I had the left hand side ribs done, across to the start of my kidneys and to my lower hip area. It was the most painful experience I have encountered in my life. The last 24 hours work was just a walk in the park baby, Today, for some reason it just blew the whole time. In the photo you will see the Sakurai in multiple pinks. This whole section took 7 hours to do and just about the whole lower area hurt like shit but the outer edge really blew. I thought really I could handle a lot of pain before... today I was almost howling like a baby... Not looking forward to next Tuesdays session at all...

I worked in a Industry that did not like you having a tattoo at all. 20 years ago, I was asked at my job interview if I was 'inked'. I was not at the time an worked for 20 years in this industry. Towards the end, two people that I knew got employed with a tattoo on them but these guys were super highly trained in there field of study and were not a dime a dozen sorts of people you could employ easily. Still, they had to cover up at work and during our summer season, these guys suffered a great deal with the heat out in the field in long sleeve shirts. I got my wrist area done as soon as I resigned from the company. I had decided that I was never going back into that line of business again and I had wanted to be inked for a very, very long time. I had to think very long and hard about this fact but the underlying matter was, I was not going back to that line of work and getting these tattoos just sealed the deal for me. Now I am doing a full back cover but I would really want to think about doing full sleeves on the fact, I do not have the body yet to fill my arms out. Since getting my back cover started, my body itself is not in the greatest of shape and to fill the work out to the way I want them, I have changed my lifestyle a lot. I have lost a lot of weight, go to the gym now and take a lot more personal care of myself then I have ever done before. I use decent creams on my skin now, less sun time and I have really found, this has motivated me to look good. Has been a positive experience for me an even my doctor has noted a pretty good outcome on my health. I think doing sleeves is a pretty major step up to the plate an something that needs to be planned out well in advance (months to years) but each to there own. My back piece has been 20 years of pictures of saved of places I have visited in Japan; a photo of a Japanese girl I meet in person 15 years ago, Photos of Palaces and memories that are important to me. If I was ever to do sleeves, the same thought would want to go into it. Still, I meet a female Danish Lawyer at a bar the other night an she did not have full sleeves, but was working on it! I really do think, times have changed a lot since I was asked if I was tattooed, 20 odd years ago.

Been averaging 7 to 8 1/2 hour sessions recently on my back piece. I think I have about another 26-30 hours of work left. I have paid the lot out to my artists (with a good tip at the end), so I have maybe 3-4 more sessions to go. Will go 8 hours each time as long as he is game and also if he can also feel fresh doing it. As soon as he gets tired, we have stopped. We have 2 week breaks between jobs. The first 6 hours is okay. At about 6.5 hours in, for about a 20 minute window, seems to hurt like hell and then, that last hour or so just flies past and it is over... Once my back is done, I have a small job I want on my feet an that will seems like a 20 minute job after the shit I have been through above...

@username1 looking forward to seeing what you've had done! sounds really interesting! Posted what work was done today on my profile....

Major back piece being done now and my pain threshold seems pretty good. Long, straight lines I feel at the worst as it feels like you are being seared like a steak on a BBQ! My artists says I am like a rock to work on and loves it. My Grandmother got hit by a Rubbish Truck at the age of 86 and it broke her hips, ribs and leg. When the ambulance came to get her, they asked if she was in pain. She said she could do with a Panadol an that the pain was not bad at all. Very strong woman. Maybe I have part of her genetics. During her recovery, the doctors said she should have died yet, she seemed to be in hardly any pain and mended well. She is 98 years old now. Pain I feel is pretty subjective to your mindset. I tried the other day when I was getting some heavy shading done over my spine area, that if I though before he started to shade, it was going to hurt, it would. If I just put my mind into another area of thought, like a problem in my business that has been bothering me, I would not feel much pain at all. I find the first 4-5 minutes a little uncomfortable when he first starts, but then I think the pain endorphins kick in and then mostly, it all goes numb then.

In Thailand we call BP cream Bepanthen Cream. It is a Nappy Care cream that for me works a real treat. I ended up getting 8 and a half hours in shading done. It is day 3 now and using the method I have posted, I have had not one drama. Hardly any peeling this time round to date but I am sure some will come. No scabbing at all but the underarm area is still a bit tender. The skyline colors done a month ago have seemed to have gotten brighter and richer in color and shine and I am wrapped. The building shading is completed now but we ended up going to teak looking browns instead of red. Super happy. Only hard bit is being told I have 3 more sessions to go instead of two. So about another 24 hours to go and then will post pictures....

Point her nose at a huge-arse, back piece; something like I saw on a Thai girl the other night at a bar. She had this HUGE back piece done of a samurai cutting of the head of a opponent, that was just SUPER graphic. The head was held in his hand with sword raised and he was standing on a mountain of heads in all forms of pain..... and then down size it.... lol.... I bought the girl a drink and she told me it was over 55 hours of work... I am on of the 50% that did not work in the marriage business. My tattoos are my best friends as the moment. Bitch even wanted the hound dog but she cannot take my art from me... Still, if she did not leave me, I would have not got to see that Thai girl and her amazing back piece in close detail... lol... I think I am having the last laugh...

Tomorrow I have some super long hours coming in the chair. Getting a full back cover done and this is the third time back in two months. First time healing for the outline was good. I had around 8 hours of outlining done and was pretty sore. My artist suggested for the outline, not to touch it for a full two days. Just let the swelling go down under the armpit area and then on the second day, to wash the outline lightly and leave it for another day. By that time, the outline had started to heal and a little BP was applied to it. Within 5 days all was good. The next part was my upper shoulder area and that was close to another 7 hours doing the skyline. My artist suggested just to wait until the plasma had started to leak out later in the evening and then to damp this plasma off with anit-bact wipes (non-scented dry wipes that are hospital grade clean). He was kind enough to give me a small packed of 10. Once the plasma is lightly patted off over a period of a few hours, just leave it to the morning. In the morning, a light very HOT shower and again, wipe/pat dry and let your body heal for another 12 hours. Shower HOT again, pat dry and at that point, a very light coat then of BP as the area by that time will have started to dry out and heal. By the 3rd day, just shower again, light coat of BP and the peeling process with myself in this case started, no scabbing at all. Repeat to day 5 and by day seven, good as gold. Colors are rich and I was happy with the process. My artist was very firm to me about the first few hours after the work was done. Do not touch with unclean hands (wash hands very well with AB soap), and to get that plasma off the tattoo as he said, that forms the scabs. Seemed to work for me very well. This time I am getting a fair bit of blood reds for Japanese infrastructure done an some people have said the reds can be a real bitch to heal. Lets see what happens...

Once my back-piece is done, I think that will be it for a while. I have only my wrists done with my parents names. Sounds corny, but my folks live a very long way from me and I come from a very close family; they are with me all the time now an it gives me peace. I have a epic full back-piece being done now and many more hours of chair time. I will see how it goes after that.... they say never again, but who knows.....

AKE is doing my back piece. He is located here in my second home, Chiangmai, Northern Thailand. The outline took 8 1/2 hours to do. That last 3/4 of a hour was a bit grim... was getting tired Next bit of pain starts on now the 31st of Jan. He wanted me to have a break for about 3 weeks so he could see how my color settled in before he starts on the Umbrella and the buildings on the side/top bit (about 8 + hours). The sky took about 7 1/2 hours to do. He then said another break for 2 weeks, then will go to the flowers (6-8 hours), break for 2 more weeks and then the Geisha (6-8 hours) itself. Then to come back a month later to see if he needs to do anything else. His work seems pretty good. I must of saw about 15 other artists before deciding on him. So, just see how it goes. I find I can handle about 7 hours a time but then that last hour or so... ohhhh dear.... Thanks for the warm welcome!

Thanks for the warm welcome so far... I have to have a really good dig around here an see some of the great work that is posted... Yes, lots of work to still be done and not looking forward to the rib bit behind and under my shoulder/arm area... no pain no gain as they say!!!

First timer here. I worked for the last 20 years in a business environment that on my contracts, told me no Tattoo's at all. Two years ago and at the age of 43, I got my first Tattoo and now I am working on a full back piece. As you can gather, I don't have that job anymore and run my own business now in Thailand... Nice to meet you all...