havetsherre

Second session down! Did want to sit for longer but the heavy shading over the spine did me in for the day. 4 and a half hours here. Definitely feeling better now that the majority of lining is done (although more on the thighs later, but the shoulders are blocked out and it's starting to look more like a backpiece now. Knowing what to expect in what area as far as pain definitely helped make the sit easier and go by quicker.
 

@BrianH Hats off to you, bud. That looks amazing, you earned it (:
@sophistre I love it! So sick! Can't wait to see more
 
And I don't have any recent photos of how mine is coming, unfortunately. I think the closest I can post is this one below. Anyway, did a chunk on the ass on Tuesday and it was pretty crappy. Seems like we're starting to close in on this thing though, just the sides and bottom of the ass, and the thighs left. About 66 hours and 1 year in.
 

Did some shading with Greggles today. Not even in the same league as lining, though anytime he gets close to that one area on either scapula I have to bite leather. That will probably always suck. But hey - since we focused on the upper body this time, I didn't have to be completely naked in public for a whole day! Bonus. 
I am finding that 4 hours is about the time that I consistently have my pain response start to fail. Tattoo flu every time. 
 
 

Finished my full back piece last Friday. I plan to write something about the experience but need time to collect and organize all my thoughts.
by Mike Rubendall at Kings Ave:

Starting my back with Marius Meyer in a few days. Going to cover up a Polynesian tribal, so this should be interesting.
Wish me luck! 

Haha, standing only but it's at the Bristol academy so it's fairly easy to avoid the pit. There's a balcony above and a raised area set back from the floor, where the bar is (my spiritual home), so i'll just have to take a bit of a back seat.
I say this now, but there's a good chance i'll get a few pints in me and just go to the front.

Sitting or standing room only?

I have my next backpiece session 5 days before i go to see Black Label Society in concert. That was not the best piece of planning i've ever done! Think i'll be planting myself firmly away from the pit for that one

Ok I'm just going to write something short about my back piece in progress since I am healing after the second session now and feel psyched about it.
Since I first started getting tattoos I knew that I would want to get a back piece. I figured I'd wait and let the idea evolve over time, save up enough money and start doing it on my 30:th year. Two years ago I got tattooed by Iain Mullen for the first time and since we've done something like 6-7 tattoos and they are among my favorites. We also became friends and I usually stop by the shop at least once a week to hang out and talk with him and the other guys. As time passed I decided to give him my back when the time was right. However last autumn I went down to Italy and got tattooed by Rudy Fritsch at his shop and felt like he'd make me an amazing back piece instead…
Eventually I told Iain that I wanted the two of them to collaborate. I was a bit uncertain if he would be up for it but the next day when I came in to pay for a tattoo he told me that it was on (!) About two months later it was time for the first session. Up until this date I had not seen the sketch or been allowed to make any wishes about what the tattoo was going to be. I put my trust in them and I am very happy that I did.
The first session was two hours with both of them working simultaneously on me. Rudy starting low on the left side and Iain up on my right shoulder. I found being laid face down on a massage bed, having only the floor to look at and no visual way of telling when or where the pain was going to hit… this was the most psychological challenging thing with the whole session. I've gotten some pretty rough spots done before but this was the worst two hours I've had to endure when it comes to tattoos. Two machines are not twice as bad but still a lot worse than one. I'm happy that they both work quick but it also meant a lot of brutality when it comes to long lines being nailed into my ribs in fast succession. I tried to zone out and focus on the breathing but that only made time slow down more, I could not think of anything else.
Second session was this thursday, I sat up on a gym bench and me and Iain were talking the whole time through and it was such a walk in the park compared to the first one. I feel good about having had that experience anyway, it was special.

The alternative--not getting a backpiece--is just silly.

The things I have to look forward to. Full backs are stupid tattoos to get. Stupid, stupid tattoos. What is wrong with us.

not until he shaves.

Have you considered getting into bodybuilding?

Thanks, all!
Yeah, I was gonna start a thread called "Thread for posting while getting tattooed" (a la "Thread for posting while inebriated") but it would just be full of posts like, "Oohhh, why did I decide to get this multi-session tattoo?", "I seriously signed up for this?", "This is freaking killing me!", "My muscle just won't stop twitching," "I want to tap out now. You can't tap out. But I'm getting close. No you're not, don't be a pussy, it's not a good stopping point. But I'm starting to lose it. Buck up, girlfriend. La la la la la la la la. Where the fuck is my happy place?!? Time to put on the head-banger playlist and scream along to the lyrics in your mind."
But hey, it's a great morning - I didn't stick to the sheets last night!

I really enjoyed "where the fuck is my happy place?"
My first session on my chest I really psyched myself out and I remember thinking things very similar to this.
So now that I can't feel that pain anymore, this is kind of funny

Valium is great. ;)

I believe the word you want is callipygian.

it is a big butt though... bulbous was the perfect adjective...

Your butt muscles are too big to be relaxed. Try a horse tranq.

Are you implying that you don't? Weirdo...

Thanks for your comments! I'm very excited with the piece. I forgot to include another part of my experience that I think you all would appreciate...
So when I was going crazy with anticipation waiting to see a drawing for the piece and checking my email a billion times a day, Eddy sends an email saying that his "old friend Dan Higgs" said "whoa" three times in a row when he saw the drawing and that that was a very good omen. And then my head almost exploded ;)

Starting my back with Marius Meyer in a few days. Going to cover up a Polynesian tribal, so this should be interesting.
Wish me luck! 

Starting my back with Marius Meyer in a few days. Going to cover up a Polynesian tribal, so this should be interesting.
Wish me luck! 

Starting my back with Marius Meyer in a few days. Going to cover up a Polynesian tribal, so this should be interesting.
Wish me luck! 

@suburbanxcore White Rose is pretty new, the guys at the shop said they just opened about 4 months ago. They specialize in traditional and there's SO MUCH good flash on the walls, I had a hard time deciding. http://instagram.com/whiterosetattooparlour
Wes didn't do the panther, that was done by Chad Koeplinger when he came through DC a couple years ago. Took him about an hour and a half to do. This is a better picture I took of it when it was freshly healed.