EmmaB

Yes, I think cover-up options are wise, because then you can go by how you feel on the day. Having said that though, I have seen your lovely backpiece SeaSea, and I honestly think that if anything, if it is on show you are likely to get lots of people asking if they can take a closer look rather than finding it offensive in any way. I found that the most unexpected people said positive things to me about mine - I had been expecting at least a few frosty stares, but they didn't seem to be in evidence (or perhaps I didn't notice them after a few glasses of prosecco)

Hello! Just chipping in to say that I don't think having lots of visible tattoos necessarily makes you unapproachable. I was at a wedding a few weeks ago, and wore a red halterneck dress. After the ceremony and dinner, I felt comfortable enough to take my cardigan off, thus displaying tattoos over both arms, and the top half of my backpiece. I found that whilst obviously I drew a few double-takes, people felt if anything more able to approach and even touch me - one male guest even attempting a peek down the back of my dress (without my prior consent, I might add!). I have very short buzzed hair, and am also pretty tall at 5 foot 10 - so you'd think I'd cut a rather imposing figure, but my husband tells me I have a nice open face, and I am very smiley and talkative so I think that overrides any potentially negative impression given by my tattoos. Perhaps if I'm having a bad day people might give me a wider berth.

Some of those MC Hammer trousers that all the young things seem to be wearing - I think they're called harem pants. Are those the fitted-at-ankle ones referred to here? I was deeply sceptical at first but I think I might like them now, and they'd be ideal for healing a leg piece in summer - cool and loose.

I usually leave it three days after a tattoo before doing any exercise. For the start of my backpiece, I left it a week, mainly because I didn't want any chafing from my sports bra. I usually exercise 6 days out of 7 (combination of running, weights and yoga) and I've never suffered from having a little break. Maybe it depends how big your new tattoo is - all my sittings have been long ones (5 - 8 hours) so I figure it's best to let my body recover in peace without adding extra stressors, much as I do when I'm ill.

In the end I developed a sort of vigorous shrugging action, which takes the edge off, but I am longingly thinking of low pile carpet now.

aargh! itchy healing back piece! I've discovered it's really quite hard to slap yourself in the middle of your shoulder blades.

thank you @beez!

@misterJ Thank you! Well, it was quite a long sitting - I just managed 7 hours. Shop was open another hour and Richard had noticed he'd missed one of the crane's talons - you can see two little lines sticking out of the back of its front leg - and wanted to go back to it, but I had utterly had enough by then. He was just relentless.

Thanks Cork! I know, tell me about it. I felt every single one.

Here's the results of my first sitting for my crane and peonies back piece with Richard Pinch in Aberdeen. I'm delighted with it. It's a bit peely still (sitting was last Thursday) but seems to be healing nicely. As you can see, he made a start on the shading, and there's colour to add too, and it's going to be extended downwards over my bum in time. - - - Updated - - - Ack, that's tiny! Oh well, you get the idea. And hello, everyone, by the way!

that is great advice about the 10-count before reloading, misterJ - thank you. I will remember it for next time. You're right, it all hurt. In the past I've found the first ten minutes or so really suck, and then it gets easier, but that never happened this time. And I was a mess by the end too! I can't remember much of the journey home, but my husband was pretty appalled by the state of me when I got there. Hospitelli - that's exactly how I feel when I think of how bright and breezy I was before we got started. I just didn't have a clue.

Thanks Cork! I've had a long look at the full back piece thread - some awesome work on there. Will definitely put a picture up when I'm not so pink and puffy. In the meantime, I've been spending an unfeasible amount of time standing between two mirrors in the bathroom, staring at my brand new back.

YES! More the nausea than the muscle aches for me. I've just posted in the back piece thread to the same effect, but basically I started my back piece yesterday, it was a long sitting, and I think I'm just a bit fucked, but I felt low-level nausea pretty much from three hours in till this morning. It's not too bad though, I could still eat. Might be linked to the pain levels and the amount of skin coverage too, as I've had sittings that long for tattoos on my arms and I've been pretty much OK after those. I can feel my glands are up as well. Just going to take it easy for a couple of days.

I have just started my back piece (with Richard Pinch in Aberdeen, Scotland) and I really wish I'd read this thread before I went! I booked an all day sitting, against the advice of Richard's receptionist, because I've done all-day sittings before on my arms and I thought it would be fine. It was not fine. 3 hours in, when Richard was lining over my ribs, the room started to spin, I broke out in a sweat like someone had turned on a tap, and I thought it was goodnight vienna. Head between knees, breathe, breathe, bit of chocolate, drink of water, breathe, breathe. We started again after 10 minutes but I never felt quite right after that. Still feel a bit sick this morning. Just made it to 7 hours, though, and I can't believe what he managed to get done in that time - he just does not stop. Before we started, he said I could take as many breaks as I wanted, and I said breezily, "oh, I'll just take a break when you do". How he laughed! I've no pictures yet but I'm ecstatic with how it's looking so far - is a crane, wings outstretched, flanked by two big leafy peonies. I'm going to get it extended downwards over my bum but it will be three hour max sessions for me from now on. I'm still not sure quite what happened with the near-faint episode: I've never got close to that before. Combination of the pain, and low blood sugar, and probably holding my breath I think. There weren't any easy bits either - it just felt like being drilled! Up there with childbirth in my own personal pain index, no question All that said I feel totally elated today.

I think you're being a bit precious. I talk about my doctor, my dentist, my physiotherapist, my gym... I don't feel like I own any of them either. Sorry cltattoing - I totally stole your point without realising!

And mine, Pleadco! But that poor girl. I really hope this isn't real. Please don't let it be real.

I'm a woman with two huge arm tattoos, forearm and upper arm. No difference in hair regrowth in the slightest - just as there isn't when I shave my legs. I haven't checked beez' snopes link but I imagine that one reason for the myth of hair growing back thicker is that it all grows at the same rate, and longer unshaved hair tends to taper away at the end whereas shaved hair will at first have a blunter end, perhaps giving the appearance of being very slightly thicker. Edit - sorry, I've just realised this is a response to a post that's several days old! Hope it's still helpful.

hello Clinton! I'm in Fife. Where did you get your first proper tattoo?

Hello! I got my first tattoo at 34. I have two children. If you can handle childbirth, you can handle a tattoo sitting no bother.

I have only ever had 8 hour sessions so I have nothing to compare them to and I don't know how much longer I could sit for. My first two sittings were the same artist - he took a lot of cigarette breaks so it wasn't 8 full hours of tattooing. My last session for my inner forearm was a different beast entirely. The tattooist worked solidly the whole time, apart from 5 minutes when I went to the loo, and maybe another 5-10 minutes whilst we both snaffled some brownies I'd made. It was much more painful and I was pretty broken by the end of it; the train journey home felt the longest of my life.

I'm 35 and only started getting tattooed last year. I feel lucky that my husband has been very supportive so far, especially for someone with no tattoos nor interest in having any himself. Like many tattooed people I suspect, I started off just wanting one tattoo; now I have three big ones and can't see myself stopping any time soon. He's been with me all the way, and the only reservation he's expressed so far is that he really wouldn't want me to get a chest piece. I will never tell my dad, but I told my mum after Christmas dinner when we'd both had lots of wine. She was shocked but not in a dismayed sense, I just think it totally confounded her perception of me, particularly the fact that I could sit for hours under the needle - she has this idea of me as someone who can't handle physical hardship/pain. I don't think she knows what to make of it all but that doesn't matter, I suppose. The main thing is she's not disappointed in me, which I had been childishly worried about.

thank you! I love yours too - really intricate and beautifully shaded - and that splash of vivid colour amongst the black and grey works really well. Who did it?

A colourful piece by Joe Frost. It's based on a tapestry I love, and is of an angel with fiery wings rescuing a woman from the jaws of a serpent. (!!) I will do a link to a picture of it but it might not appear; last time I linked to instagram I got automoderated. What about you? - - - Updated - - - http://instagram.com/p/Xf5ZSfoH59/ here it is! It took 8 hours at the scottish tattoo convention.

I am on Day 3 of healing a big inner forearm tattoo with surprise elbow ditch and inner wrist involvement. The swelling is now starting to go down. I'm doing wet-healing (keeping it covered with clingfilm, washing, air-drying, Bepanthen and rewrap every four hours) like I did with my other two tattoos, which I'll stop tomorrow. On the first day some areas went a bit raised and bumpy looking, so I started googling ink allergies and fretting, but that's all gone down again now. So seems to be doing OK! It's just the warm tight skin and clingfilm rustle I could do without.

On Saturday I had my left inner forearm tattooed from elbow ditch to wrist, and I keep doing double-takes at it now! Someone else has said it's worse in the mornings and I definitely get that. The piece was a long time in the planning and it turned out better than I could have expected, it's just the permanent reality of it on my arm I'm adjusting to! It doesn't help that I'm the only person I know with visible tattoos; I know I'm going to get critical and sometimes startled reactions from family and friends, so I suppose I'm just going to have to be able to deal with that.