My Tattoo Stories: Back Piece

So five years ago today, my artist and I finished this beast on my back. It took 10 sessions and 24 hours over the course of 10 months. August 2013-May 2014. This is still the only full shot of it I have, and this was one of the pictures my artist took (while standing on a chair, I might add) at the end of the session. I repost it every year, just to see it in its entirety again. Because it’s obviously a little hard to see otherwise, which I did NOT think about when I got it done. But holy shit, was it a big relief when it was done. I had nothing against my artist, but I was REALLY happy when he was done. And that was mostly because I’d have disposable income again. Because tattoos ain’t cheap, y’all.

So I’m just going to dive in with this tattoo story, and I’m going to break it up into parts, just so it’s easier to read and follow along. The obvious concept is Northern California, and my love affair with my home state, but I’ll let you know why certain pieces of NorCal got included in this masterpiece.

So for photographic evidence, this is my back piece:

Artwork and concept done by Adam Rose at Fallen Owl Tattoo Studio in Lakewood, CO.

Seal: The seal was the first part of the piece. The seal is also a cover up of another tattoo. And I kind of love that my artist and I are two of the only people who know where the old tattoo lies. There is also a back surgery scar under there as well. This session alone took four hours. That might seem long, but my artist and I had already done a six hour session together so four was nothing. Going over scar tissue for four hours? Not so fun, but doable. The great thing about it was that during those four hours, a lot of scar tissue got broken up, so my lower back felt AMAZING for like a month. Also, I love seals. They are my favorite part of Pier 39 in San Francisco, and I love seeing them pop up in the water along the coast too.

Golden Gate Bridge: The bridge and Karl The Fog (yep, SF’s fog is named Karl. Go ask Google if you want the whole story.) took another three or four hours. And yes, fog is a big thing in NorCal, especially in SF. Getting tattooed over your scapula (or any bone) can be a little touchy, plus some ribs in there to boot. I have to say it was one of my harder heals because of where my bras strap hits, and as a chesty girl, I can’t go without a bra like ever, so this part needed some touch-ups at some point. I wanted the bridge on my back because to this day, that bridge takes my breath away anytime I see it. I love that it looks different from different angles. I love that you really can’t take a bad picture of it. It’s so freaking majestic, and if you walk across it, it has the best views of the city hands down. I hate that it’s become so touristy, but I totally understand why people want to go see it. I also just love bridges. Period. I don’t meet many I don’t like.

Cable Car: The pain and the healing was quite similar to the bridge, just because it was the same but on the other side. It took another three to four hours. And a cable car is so iconically San Francisco. I still remember going up there with my friends, and taking a cable car to our next destination. And they offer some of the best views as well. When you come over a hill, and all you can see is the bay, the piers, the bridges, and Alcatraz, it’s definitely a picture perfect moment.

Trees: If memory serves, the trees took a couple of hours. And I believe my ribbon and drama masks got touched up that day too. I didn’t want to cover up the tattoo I had gotten for my mom (10 year cancer survivor then, now over 20+ years), and it would have been a pain in the ass to cover up. So that’s why it’s not a cohesive back piece, but hey, my mom is from California so I say we grandfather her in to the back piece. This was probably the least painful and the quickest heal, just because it was less time and most of it is muscle, not bony things. And trees because I love my redwoods, and we went to Tahoe and Yosemite National Park A LOT when I was a kid, and I still love exploring forests and parks to this day. And anything in nature is awesome in my book.

Giant Dipper Roller Coaster: The roller coaster was spread out over a couple of sessions because of my artist’s schedule, I believe. I think it was about three hours or so. And I was FINE with it getting split up because getting tattooed over your ribs SUCKS. I would love to sugarcoat it … but it fucking sucks. You have less muscle over your ribs, so that’s not going to help soften the blow. Also, you use your ribs to breathe, so breathing can be hard to regulate a little bit. Oh, and where he was tattooing was right over my kidneys so all the vibrating from the tattoo machine was making have to pee. But it was worth it because I NEEDED the Giant Dipper on my back. Ask anyone who grew up in the Bay Area about the Giant Dipper, and they’ll know exactly what and where it is. This wooden icon just turned 95 years old, and it sits at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. While I grew up a half hour north in San Jose, Santa Cruz was (and still is) where everyone goes on the weekends. My grandparents had a house just outside of Santa Cruz in Aptos, and after they died, we went over a lot because we were renting out their house. So there were many trips to the Boardwalk, and many rides on the Giant Dipper. We had our senior ditch day in high school there, and I believe we were trying to set some sort of record for how many times we could ride it. That coaster is still one of my favorites to this day, so having it on my body was a no-brainer.

Looff Carousel: The carousel horse was a couple of hours or so, but after the coaster, I had found a rhythm and a way to get through rib sessions, so that they didn’t suck as much. More on that later. The Looff Carousel also sits at the Boardwalk, and I have TOO many memories of it. You see, it’s one of the last carousels where you can grab a ring while you’re riding the carousel, and try to throw it into a clown’s mouth. While it’s moving. And there’s a strategy that goes on when you pick your horse because only the outer horses and the ones that move up and down get high enough to grab the rings. And you have to time your throw as well. If you get it in the clown’s mouth, you get a free ride. I once went with my softball team, and you couldn’t kick us off that carousel. There were too many bragging rights to be had. And yes, I have gotten it in the clown’s mouth.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk from the top of the Ferris Wheel. Giant Dipper is on the right.

Looff Carousel with the rings and the clown.

Poppies: The poppies were the final touch on my back piece. I don’t think they took more than two hours. And quite honestly, I almost fell asleep while my artist was tattooing in this session. The trick is to find your zen place and you can sit through anything, and it took me a while, but I was locked in by the end. I think it was my fastest heal as well because it was mostly below the bra line and above the waistline. And enough muscle to soften the blow. And poppies made sense because the poppy is the state flower of California, and it brought a nice pop of color to my back. And every time I see poppies, they just make me smile. So my whole back pretty much consists of things that make me smile.

I was going to add a section about how to survive a longer tattoo session and tips and tricks for that, but this post got WAY longer than I expected, so I’ll write a separate post on that.

When my whole back was done, I couldn’t help but smile because my home state was literally on my back. And no matter how far I go, California will always be home. Now and forever.

Special thanks to my artist, Adam Rose, at Fallen Owl Tattoo Studio in Lakewood, CO. He got the job because he did an amazing job on the angel on my arm, and being that he is also a NorCal native, I knew that he would just “get it”, and he would know what I was talking about instantly. And I obviously was right about that.