Diehardonvhs

I would absolutely, 100 times out of 100, go for one coherent backpiece. Arms and legs look great (to me) with small pieces all over, and also look great with one well thought out, flowing sleeve. When it comes to the back though, it just looks so wrong (to me) with small pieces here and there, or even filled up with different pieces. I guess it's because it becomes very cluttered and unreadable, the back is a canvas that you can use for one big striking image, it seems like a waste not to use it for its full potential!

Exact same for me. Skin and bone, and the needle on the shin bone is just fire. I wish I was more padded, more area to tattoo as well!

Hi there! I love Joao Boscos work, great piece you've got there!

I work with a guy with almost a full sleeve from Tofi, and that shit is going NOWHERE. You may lose some details, and it will flatten down a lot obviously when it is fully healed, but as you say - he is pretty heavy handed, and that ink is really in there!

I started my back last month, neck to knees, a large Oni/Hannya faced lady holding a lantern - taking reference from the scale of Shige and Calle style backpieces, but painted by the artist. I was incredibly nervous going into it, I had built it up in my mind to be the worst thing ever, and I was stressing out about not even being able to get through the first full outlining session...I have had a lot of work done before, and this kinda added to the worry, because I know how bad it can hurt, and how much I do not enjoy getting tattooed! The first session went really well though, I think the fact I had been waiting and wanting this for so long really helped - I wouldn't have ever let myself quit halfway through. The back is NOT an easy area, there are some really bad spots, for me it was behind the kidneys, thin lines on the spine as well as the whole coccyx area...it all sucked, those areas just stood out as being particularly bad! I have had two big shading sessions since then, healing is tricky, thank christ for my girlfriend helping with the bacitracin, also it has been hands down the itchiest tattoo I have ever had! Maybe because it covers such a large area, and everything is itching at the same time! it has been an eye-opening experience so far - It feels like a long, daunting task to get the whole thing finished, once session at a time I guess!

Yeah, you are totally right, I have worked in studios where side of finger tattoos, side of the palm, inside lip, strange areas like that arent touched up for free, due to the large chance that they never heal well. We always told people that there is a high chance of drop out in these areas, and if they needed touching up they would need to pay, just generally made sure they agreed to everything before they expected free touch ups every month! It does absolutely make people take the aftercare more seriously, plus it made people think twice about getting dubious areas tattooed too!

No, 99% of artists will touch up their work for free, as long as the client didnt damage the tattoo themselves through poor aftercare or sun damage etc...only ever heard of one artist who, due to a high profile and very high demand, charges for every second of his time, regardless of what he is doing - designing and drawing at home, stencils, setting up machines, touch ups, everything!

Just out of interest, what style are you talking about?

If I didn't get tattooed by the people I chose at the start, and the way it ended up happening, I wouldn't have some of the best friends I have today, so no, I wouldn't do anything differently. Im very happy with my tattoos as well, and I really wouldnt feel like I was me if they were different, if that makes any sense, they become a part of who you are!

Most kids LOVE evil shit like that, I have met kids who dont give a monkeys about any of my tattoos except the skulls and the severed heads. Kids arent as delicate as you think!

You should definitely get whatever you feel is right for you, but please first read through this article written by an artist with a lot of experience, on some of the negatives of large areas of text on the human body. The Letter of the Law: Laws for Lettering and Tattoos | Occult Vibrations

That's a crapload of minutes right there!

Why is it a shame? People like what they like. If everyone liked everything the same it wouldn't be a competition. Plus the tattoo in the lead currently is an amazing hooper sleeve, which isn't traditional.

No, I don't like any of them.

"Do your sleeves keep your arms warm?" "Are they done with ink?" "How long do they last?" And the only one that annoyed me "Why are you covered in tattoos if you can't change them?" (after I told this guy, who was looking to get tattooed, that you can't just remove them and replace them with a different design if you change your mind for any reason)

There is only one area I ever took REALLY seriously in terms of planning - and that was my back (and butt/thighs). To me, you only get one chance with a back tattoo, and one big cohesive design is the only thing that I could ever have done. Everything else I am more relaxed about, I will do the rest of my body at my own pace and just see how it goes, but the neck to knees area of the back? Non-negotiable for me.

I can't wait - Appointments with Jess Yen, Chriss Dettmer and Jee Sayalero. 3 artists is the way to do it :-)

Couldnt agree more, a big block of edwardian script in the surrounded by good work is SUCH a shame.

Amazing episode. I have met Shige a few times, he is an absolutely lovely bloke, very humble and quiet. Seems so strange meeting him that someone fairly small and quiet could be such a powerful force! I dont know, he is just a such a huge figure in my mind, seeing him in person reminds me is still human like the rest of us!

And also "tatted up" or "sleeved up". I also heard "I want to get proper sleevified" once. I swear to god.

Trust me, if you want to show them to any tattoo artists, print them out on paper to show them - I can you tell, after working the desk in a busy studio, it is truly obnoxious of someone to make you wait for two minutes while they fiddle with their phone trying to find the right reference, plus you then cant leave anything physical with the shop or the artist, or you have to then email over every little thing to the shop, who then have to print it out for the artist, and if you want to show the artist that reference they will have to squint at the tiny screen. We like pictures on paper. A lot.

Its always good to remember that even the absolute best artists are still human, and will make mistakes. Customers who want millimetre perfect tattoos need to be reminded they are put on by hand, not by a laser etching robot, small imperfections don't make it a bad tattoo. I am glad you appreciate that as well!

Awesome question...my first thought was to pick one of the big names, like Shige, or Filip Leu...But I think I would genuinely have to go with the artist who I have the most work from, the person who taught me more about tattooing than anyone else I have ever met - Mark Armstrong, Sacred Art, Manchester. I have full sleeves and full chest done by him, and we just started a full Japanese backpiece (neck to knees). He is not a big internet name, but I couldn't give a monkeys, I count him as a great friend and a great artist, he knows a lot about the history of tattooing too. He used to work at Herbert Hoffmans, he apprenticed Tomas Tomas and Matt Black as well! I also worked for him for a couple of years. I have been to other artists, for smaller tattoos, but I always seem to come back to Mark for the really big stuff!

Not really no, you are probably going to damage it. It's not worth the risk (damaging a tattoo you will wear to the grave) with the reward (getting the tattoo a few weeks earlier so you have it for your holiday). Have patience.

Absolutely awesome!!! I only got the latest 4 - I would also LOVE to get a cat from him someday, I am saving space especially :-)