The Biggest Canvas

photo by Flickr user wolf94114

The back is undoubtedly the largest canvas for a tattoo on the body, capable of showcasing a wide range of tattoo sizes, whether you start small on a shoulder blade, go medium across the upper or lower back or have a custom designed full back piece planned. If you have any interest at all in incorporating a large tattoo on your back, then it might be a good idea to keep the space open until you decide what your back piece will be.

Merging smaller tattoos within a new back piece is possible, but the color quality may be different, due to age of the original tattoo and the inks used. Also, the initial tattoo may not be compatible, design wise, with a chosen back piece design. For the sake of continuity, save your back for a back piece if you think there is any chance that you may ever want one.

photo by Flickr user skalas2

People have different pain thresholds, and what may be excruciating for one person is tolerable for another. People often say that when the needle hits the bone, such as directly on top of the shoulder blades or the spinal column, the pain is more intense. Of course, the larger the tattoo that you are having done, the more irritated and raw the area is going to be, hence the greater the pain.

Opting for a larger tattoo may require you to plan for more than one sitting, having the outline done first and then once that is healed going back for the coloring and shading. If your intention is a full back piece, you may as well assume at least a half dozen or more sittings may be necessary before the tattoo is completed. Since the space on the back is so large, it really is the perfect location for a well designed, intensely detailed tattoo, a show piece of talent and beauty, whatever the content of the images you have chosen.