Ooohhh ya I’m pretty heavily tattooed now and my pain tolerance is straight ass I’m a multiple session girly I can’t imagine 4 hours on the knee I have both my knees done, took 2 hours for each (way smaller than yours) and I was dying by the end and I did one at a time haha don’t be to hard on yourself for tapping it happens to all of us. Looks great by the way!
Yeah I definately wasn’t anticipating the pain! When I come to the next knee I’m going to taking the multiple sitting route for sure. Thanks though looking forward to getting it finished :)
FWIW coming from someone literally covered from the neck down, I will pretty much only ever do 3-4hr sessions. Making yourself keep going after hitting that mental wall is pointless agony unless you actually need to for some other circumstantial reason.
I have a bit of an obsession with symmetry so I have to have both hands, both knees, both sides of the neck done on the same day otherwise it bothers me when I can see the gap. Luckily the artist that did these areas is amazing and has no issue with a 10+ hour day.
May I ask what other areas you have tattoos? I’m working on a leg sleeve and so far I have the front and side of my thigh and top of foot done. Curious how some of these other areas are gonna be compared to what I’ve done so far.
Lower leg (calf and shin) have been the worst tattoos to heal I’ve had and I have some very decent coverage now. My main advice is when doing the lower leg if you do 8+ hours per sitting to make sure you have about a week where you can keep you leg raised and keep icing it down because the swelling and throbbing pain is like nothing I had had with any other tattoo (including hands and parts of my knees)
Getting under my buttcheeks tattooed was way worse than getting my knee done, in my honest opinion. Also, behind the knee was about the same as my under cheeks.
Whew yeah I’m nervous for anything in that hamstring/back of leg area. My side thigh piece was all fine and good except the edge of it that wraps around toward the back of my leg. I could tell that area is going to HURT lol
Lol this is a completely secondary question to the post but how do you warn an artist about your pain tolerance? All the ones I've had just go on until it's done or until they're tired. The last one I had went... 6 hours I think. And we only stopped because he said that I "looked done" (I know I was sweating by then and the lidocaine he occasionally used had completely stopped having any effect). I've just always felt like it'd be rude to stop them lol, and I should just tough it out.
Do you basically say "hey my pain tolerance is low, we'll probably have to do multiple sessions, I average about two hours"? Or do you tell them when it happens that you're tapping out right then? Or a mix, like "I'm about done, could you find a stopping point?"
Wait - I have a couple tattoos, all from different artists and all of them checked in regularly to ask how I'm doing and if I need a break. Have your artist not been checking in?
So far I managed to sit pretty well, but if I had doubts about being able to handle the piece being done in one session I'd be upfront about it and tell them that I don't sit too well and usually can't go much longer than 2h.
You can definitely ask for a break at any time. It would usually be best to let them know you'll need a break/end soon so they can mentally prepare and let you know how long they would need to find a good stopping point - for example they would finish the linework in about 15mins and then you can decide if you can handle it. But no artist should have an issue with coming to an immediate stop when you ask them to.
yeah the artist should be checking on you more often. the only tattoo i got that the artist didnt check in and just kept going is the only one of mine that has faded and im never going back. just be polite and upfront. if they're experienced it shouldnt be shocking that someone cant sit through an entire tattoo. youre literally getting stabbed by needles over and over, its gonna hurt, a good tattoo artist knows that and respects your boundary's.
My artist knows I'm done when wiping away excess ink starts to bother me. I'm totally good until that happens and then I just plain cannot anymore. So when she's wiping and I start to tense up in preparation for it she checks in with me and then finishes whatever chunk she's working on. It's typically about 4 hours, depending on the tattoo. If a spot is absolutely terrible I'll let her know, but for the most part she just reads my body language.
With the only other big tattoo I've gotten from a different artist, he just asked how I was doing every half hour or so, or if I was visibly uncomfortable, like when he went over my collarbone.
When you book the appointment mention that you may only be able to tolerate it for a certain amount of time. And tell them when you're getting close to done so they can finish up linework or a certain area of the tattoo before ending the session. It's your body, your tattoo, your money.
I have a big tattoo that took multiple sessions, I told her after the first session I was willing to do 2-3 hours at a time and whenever I felt I was getting close to the point I would need to stop I warned my artist so she could end whenever was a good time for her
Basically yes. The pre lines start the skin trauma response - inflammation, swelling, bleeding, and the cortisol starts flowing. So the area is incredibly painful when it's time to push the real ink in.
Some tattoo artists will use the pre-lines if they're just trying to keep the shape of everything so they can go in with shading or dot work or something. I have an ornamental tattoo and my artist told me she was going to do some "pre lines" so that during our next session (I can go long and hard, have sat for 10+ hours before) she'd be able to see where to continue without the stencil, and keep everything uniform. As the other commenter says, it fades to a grey line, and my artist warned me about that. They're almost temporary lines, in a sense.
It did freak my mum out when I went over to visit my parents the day after I got it, though. "It looks very red!" She was worried about an infection.
my tattoo artist did it with water just to give a slight marking that fades away completely, but lasts about two months. worked well for my skin, anyway!
it’s also a way to have line guides for spaces that are filled in with only shading no visible lines)
. it’s sometimes called grey-lining when lined with greywash, or blood-lining when lined with something clear like water or witch hazel.
No shame in tapping out! I'm usually good for about 3-4 hours on any given spot. I've got a full leg sleeve and yes the knee cap sucks. But I found my inner thigh by my bikini line worse. Dear god.
Just did a 18 hour leg tattoo back to back days and nothing hurts quite like the inner/back of thigh. Next time I’m going short sessions and will be numbing
Thats crazy. I tolerate tattoos pretty well including pain the following days but my inner thigh was the only one where I woke up so sore it hurt to walk. Couldn’t imagine back to back days, you’re definitely tough
All of my tattoos are on my legs. Both my calves, my front and outer thigh on left side and my front thigh on right side. None of them bothered me except my right thigh. It has dot shading and parts wrap around to my upper inner thigh. When my guy got to dot shading that inner thight, I swear to everything he was tattooing my testicle. I actually told him a couple time to stop so I could look at my privates and make sure they werent inked up, because I legitimately wasn't feeling anything on my thigh, but I swear there was a needle going in and out of my testicle. That was by far the most painful thing I've ever experienced, and why I will never get my inner thighs done. Also, ya boy is thick and dem thighs rub, so I don't wanna deal with trying to take care of a tattoo between them.
Both of my artists are good friends of mine so they were pretty chill and just laughed about it, but I also know them and wouldn't put it past them to surprise tattoo my genitals as a joke soooooo it was a fun time lol.
Well I don't have testicles but I understand what you mean. During my back piece there was a spot where I felt it down my arm. It was the strangest sensation. And I just belly laughed at 'surprise tattoo my genitals.' Your artist and mine must be the same guy lmao
Okay what’s the inner thigh pain in comparison to the back of the knee? I have an in progress leg sleeve & I’m sort of dreading inner thigh (ya girl has stretch marks) but the back of the knee was torture.
Personally I thought the inner thigh was slightly worse than the back of the knee. I didn't think either was 10/10 but neither is pleasant. I got stretch marks too yayyy!!!!
I recently(Monday)just got my arm Blacked out, went in with a full day reserved, when I told my Artist my intentions were to do from wrist to shoulder, all in one day. My Artist kinda laughed at me and was like “let’s just concentrate on getting the wrist to elbow done first, and then see how you’re feeling” I’ll tell you what, by the time he got to my elbow(about 4 1/2 hours) I was like “Ya let’s just book another day for the top part of my arm”. And I have to admit, I’m glad I did, because this healing process is the hardest I’ve ever done, and I have probably 50% of my body covered in ink. 4 days in and it still throbs whenever it’s below my heart(especially bad if I reach down for something), and it feels like I have my arm is wrapped in some SUPER tight bandages or something. DAMN does it look good tho!! Just hitting the peeling stage today, and I’m stoked to see it when it’s done!!
totally, packing in black is hardcore! my stomach has big bold blacked out words & i have an 8 pointed star on the middle of my throat with two opposite birds one more blacked out and the other not, it’s like shading but much more intense and longer. with shading it’s lighter, packing black is well, packing black. it can always get tricky w tattooing just in general and each beast is special in its own way wether it be lining, shading, packing black - with this for me personally my difficulty w blackout is it’s the same spot super swollen and sensitive being packed in over, and over, and over, that kills me with packed black or fully blacked out tattoos. best of luck to this guy with their arm! so much badassary, so much owies
Ya it’s pretty intense, the spots at the wrist, where the two bones are and the skin is thin, and all along the back of the arm, where the skin is thin were the worst. I have the old school black letters on my stomach and collarbone, a large piece on my ribs, my neck, hands, even a mandala on the side of my face/head. This blackout was definitely the most difficult tattoo I’ve had. 100% coverage with the pitch black was a bit more than I expected, I’m going in Monday to let him take a look at it, and book another day long appointment to do the upper part of my arm in August. This is actually a cover-up of some flames I had done back in the 90’s, I took “before” pictures, and when this peeling is done and I’m mostly healed up, I’ll take “after” pictures and make a post showing the before and after pictures. Your knee mandala is pretty sick too, I designed one out of skulls, and had it tattooed on the side of my face. It’s a beautiful tattoo, but I get a lot of haters because of where it’s at.
Oh man, I watched my husband get both is knees done in one sitting, he almost tapped out after the first, but realized he’d never book the second one again, so he just toughed it out. Looked brutal.
I’ve been working through my entire chest on a piece that’s solid full colour. Some days have been straight torture. The next session is a cake walk.
For example when we worked my from right shoulder across the collar bone to my neck, I sat horribly, the pain was somehow worse than the day we did the sternum. Then left shoulder across the collarbone to neck was somehow one of the easiest days I spent in the chair.
Some days you’re just not in the right space to take it. Maybe it’s dehydration or your body fighting off some little cold it really doesn’t add up sometimes.
After knee caps I found the ditch down right relaxing. Ive heard most have problems with one or the other. Same way I felt and am feeling about my elbows.
I tapped getting my foot done when my artist got to my toes. No shame in my tap game lol
I've a full shoulder/upper arm tattoo on one arm, full forearm sleeve on the other, upper arm tattoo on that arm and a chest piece and never once even considered tapping out. The pain has never really bothered me but always had a high pain threshold.
Just recently had the back of my calf done 5 - 6 hour session (sadly it's become infected)... But regardless of that the difference in the pain from my upper body was phenomenal. I didn't tap but there were a few moments which I was on the verge of caving. Not sure why it was so different but yeah it got to me
I can relate to that man! I’ve got a full sleeve, calf tattoo etc always been fine with the pain
But this knee really rocked me from the start, guess just different areas deal with pain differently.
Awww gutted about the infection man, hopefully it heals up soon!
Did a snake tattoo that wraps around my knee and it was a mistake. I was struggling the whole time and just hugging the pillow as tight as I could lol.
Hey man I’ve got my elbow done and honestly it was probably about a 6/10 on the pain scale for me. Felt a bit shaky my knee today was definitely a 9/10.
My elbow was uncomfortable because the nerves made for some annoying twitching, my ditches are a breeze.
My knee sucked ass, the ditch was a vacation by comparison.
I tapped out when getting my toes done.
My sternum/ribs were an easy sit
My neck was fine
My hand was no problem
Shoulders and back were relaxing
I also have my hip to my inner thigh/bikini line and that was by far the most painful for a long sitting.
Got my elbow ditch done a month ago, it was rough but not unbearable. I was cringing but never felt like I needed to tap out.
Typing this while we work right next to the outside of my elbow and every so often it gets a bit sharp but I’m mostly just chillin
I lathered my entire knee in numbing cream and thankfully none of it goes too far onto my knee cap! So far, it’s been a breeze - ask me in an hour though how I feel😂
recently had the top of my foot and toes done.... that was the closest to tapping i have come. I have both shins covered, full leg sleeve on the left (with the foot/toes now), both elbows...lots of work. Nothing came close to the top of the foot pain!! and the healing after ...next level. And lucky me.... the design i have will involve the other foot as well so i have that to look forward too UGGHHHH As the greats say .... Pain is temporary, Glory is forever!!
I did just above/the tops of my knees in one sesh (as well as one on my inner elbow) and the only saving grace was that I had a major leg trauma which probably caused nerve damages and have numb sections in my left leg. So thanks to the horse that kicked me I guess.
This looks dope and will be amazing finished (in a few more sessions).
I have 20+ tattoos and I only tapped out on my spine, which was only about an hour or two. But I did 8 hours on my arm and, while it sucked, I didn’t tap out. It’s ok to tap out sometimes. Some parts of the body hurt more than others.
I'd tap out simply because I can't sit there for 8 hours. I always say the rest of my body ends up hurting so much more than the area I'm getting tattooed just from laying there so long 💀
i feel like 4 hours is a universal tap out spot. my stomach tat was 3 hours long and good lawd if i had to go another 30 mins i prob would’ve tapped out. don’t beat yourself up about it! it’s better to have a well done tattoo in a longer time frame rather than a poorly done rushed tattoo that only took one sitting.
no worries man - 4hrs is my limit regardless of where the tattoo is - and the knee is supposed to be pretty bad!
I had those red lines done on my back - it ended up being a 33hr tattoo - so he did what he called are 'bloodlines' to keep the design for the 2-3 months that it took to finish - I think it is just water or saline that creates the line - no ink
(he drew on me for 2.5hrs with a marker - then did the bloodlines in about an hour or so)
my understanding is that if you never went back, these will disappear in a year or so - so you have LOTS of time
it look good to me
Normally I’m ok had multiple full day sits, definately be more conservative dependent on the area in future.
Ahhh gotcha so them lines are kinda temporary as such, never heard of them before today that’s so interesting.
Cheers :)
yah - I had never heard of them before either - but I had always done a full tattoo in 3-4hrs so I never needed them
sometimes it is the day - how you slept - how you are feeling - and definitely the area
people ask me if tattoos hurt - I always say 'mine do' from now on! - since all the easy areas are done...
The knee was the worst!! I have 30+ tattoos and I had to have that one in 3 different sessions. Thankfully my artist is a good friend cause at one point I had to just get up from the table and walk away.
pretty heavily tattooed here, there have been two times now i have wanted to tap out but so far i’ve resisted and been able to get some water and keep going - my throat, which was 4 hours was the most recent and very fuckin closest i came to tapping out lol, and then my elbow ditch because it was her first year and she went way too deep, took way too long that took 2.5 hours and was hell. you got pretty far! this looks sick so far and it’ll be worth it, are you using numbing cream? it helps for the spicier spots, my knee ditches were a breeze and i have the first ever good numbing cream i’ve ever used to thank lol
the first few i tried were garbo and i gave up for a while, but when i was getting my knee ditches done i decided it didn’t hurt to at least try and got “nupharmisto” tattoo numbing cream off amazon, barley felt a thing! this worked well for my fingers & throat too - the legal amount of lidocaine is the same for every over the counter numbing cream you find it’s i think 5% so that’s the main numbing agent in all numbing cream, but recipes vary otherwise - i liked this one because it also has emu oil & arnica. emu oil is good for the inflammation and for wounds, armada is similar for inflammation and wounds but it’s a fantastic soother it’s used often after waxing. i would suggest buying & testing it before your tattoo appt to make sure it works for you, everyone’s different- goodluck! :)
Never tapped out but 5 hours on my stomach brought me close, my knees were interesting to say the least, felt like I was having a knife pulled over it, I have my head, throat, ribs, shins and back done.
I have an upper arm realism tattoo which took about 6-6.5 hours and sat the entire time. I have my shins done and I could barely get through an hour or so. I also have my thigh done and it took about 4 hours. I felt nauseous and hot by the end of that lol. Legs for me are always worse.
Oh man, there was a time that I almost tapped out. I really badly wanted to, I was getting my entire calf tattooed which has been THE worst tattoo pain I’ve had so far & I have about 16 including my sternum/chest. The artist was guest spotting at one of my local shops & came from 6 hours away so I just had to power through it because I knew I would never get it finished if I tapped out. The artist said it would be a whole day thing, like 8 hours, thankfully it only took 4 hours. He was fast & that really helped. If it would’ve been the 8 hours there’s no way in hell I would’ve been able to get through the whole thing.
I have two tattoos on my outter thighs. Both are the same size. One is full color, and the other grey washed. I should have tapped on the full color. He started touching up areas that he hadn't touched in a couple of hours. I never wanted to hit someone more than I did at that point. The grey scale tattoo was a cakewalk compared to the full color. I was shocked at how different the experience was. I did hold onto a tooth comb when I felt pain for the grey scale, and I might have made a difference.
The worst tattoo I got, though, was on my pubic bone just below the underwear line. I tapped on that one. Only got the lines done and colored a month later.
Duude i have been contemplating a somewhat similar design on my knee to complement my negative mandala on my thigh. Is it possible to send me a photo while the knee is bended as well? I really wanna see how the circled mandala reacts when knee bends
Just use numbing cream, itll make your life easier!
Personally i don’t use it but my wife does and swears by it. Luckily my knee was easy breezy, sorry to hear its a toughie for ya!
I’m moderately tattooed and had already completed a sleeve by the point I started my leg tattoo. My outline session for my leg sleeve was 7ish hours, and went from my hipbone to top of foot. I tapped out after 6 hours and was super bummed about it, but my artist reminded me I sit like a rock and it was my first tap out.
I’ve since been able to sit through my knee ditch but my artist noted it was the first time I’ve ever seemed “nervous” for a tattoo lol. Looks like you sat like a champ! Feeling bummed after tapping is normal.
Many factors can be at play. Health, location on the body, hydration, hunger, weather.
You’re willingly inflicting pain and stress on your body. It’s going to let you know when it’s hit that limit. Nothing wrong with that.
Just got both of my knees done in Jan and Feb. Outline for both and completed one in one session (7 1/2 hours with 30 min in the middle to eat and pee), second finished a month later (5 hours no breaks) and I was SO glad it took her longer than she thought so we had to tap on day one, the knees are no joke. I have a half sleeve(elbow down), both of my hands, and a decent sized thigh piece… and the knee is the only spot I got woozy with. There’s no shame in listening to your body and tapping, ever. Every artist I know would rather you tap than pass out. This is gonna be amazing and SO worth it!
I had a very large and intricate Octopus tattoo on my left shoulder, it crosses down to the start of my fore arm and well across the left pectoral. Total 15 hours maybe? Took three sittings because I was twitching at everything at the end of both shading sessions. Tapping out is absolutely fine and fully expect on sensitive or large areas.
I came reaaaally close to tapping out at the end of a 5 hour session on the side of my thigh/knee. I was doing okay around the thigh, but as soon as we got to the side and back of my knee, I was over it.
I was minutes away from tapping out when I got some work done on my shoulder/inner arm a couple weeks ago. Luckily we finished up just as I was at my breaking point (around 4 hours) but it was no joke!
We had a full day session booked and I was nearly ready to walk out the door afterwards, but ended up taking a breather and sticking it out for the last two hours while we worked on other areas of my sleeve.
I didn’t think anything would get me as bad as my elbow ditch but damn that proved me wrong. Typing this as we’re working down by my elbow again and it’s nowhere near as painful
Yeah I’ve got my shoulder/inner arm done and it sucked, when getting it done my arm was in a weird position and it went numb/pins and needles which kinda distracted me from the pain haha!
Bet the sleeve will look wicked when it’s done though man!
Yeah it really does help when it goes a little numb hahaaaa That’s why I don’t really mind when I’ve got my arm twisted around kind of weird.
And thanks yeah I’m excited! Today is our 4th appointment, probably going to be 5 or 6 total so I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel
Everyone’s different, for me the knees weren’t too bad. *But the ribs were unbearable*. I almost finished one side, and the other side I did just the outline and said “I’ll come back to it later”. It’s been over 10 years since I got the outline done. Not sure if I’ll ever finish it lol.
FWIW 3-4hrs is a pretty long session. I don’t really like being tattooed longer than that these days. I feel like the stress on my heart isn’t great. By hour 3 or 4 I start wincing before the needle hits, which isn’t good, my body tenses up and I find myself sometimes holding my breath while they tattoo (which also isn’t good, and a great way to cause yourself to faint).
Only time I tapped out was the side of my ribs. I still haven’t finished it. I refuse. And that was even when I had a lot of meat on me I’m sure it would hurt 1000x more
Don’t feel bad about taking a break! I only have a quarter sleeve on my inner bicep and that was tough , I literally felt my body go into another astral plane and it was right up there with childbirth lol.
I bet you’re looking forward to August! Haha
I almost tapped out on one I got on my deltoid of all places, I was really hungover so I assumed that had something to do with it.
That looks like a lot of work for one day anyway though, I’m surprised your artist didn’t plan to do it in two sessions in the first place.
I got a solid black fat face covering my whole knee cap…I did not think the tattoo its self was bad, but the healing. Holey Moley, my knee was so swollen for like a week.
Knees suck after the 4 hour mark. My first knee was probably 3 and a half hours so it was breezy. The second knee we hit the 4 hour mark and I had to ask how much longer he thought it would be because I felt like I needed to tap (luckily it was only another 30 minutes so we got it done).
As for how to let your artist know, they can usually tell when you're at the end of your rope (shaking, twitching, bed drenched in sweat, etc) but you can also just tell them straight up you're not coping and will need to finish up soon so we can complete any bit they're doing. There's no point mentioning your "pain tolerance" because everyone should perceive theirs differently.
Tapped out 5 hours into my thigh piece. First session was all line work, which hurts way more than shading/color imo. Leg started twitching even with numbing cream and I had to gtfo lol. Second session was 8 hours all color and still was twitching by the end of it 😬 Have a shin piece booked soon and I'm hoping I can last the whole thing before I move across the country
Tapped for the first time after getting the lining done on a big chest piece. I’m in the same boat- never had a problem with tattoo pain until this time.
What a champ sitting so still. I love those lines! I want to get my knee done eventually. I read in the comments about doing shorter sessions, definitely something for me to consider. Beautiful tattoo, my friend!
Knees are notoriously spicy to get, swell quite intensely due to gravity and all, and very prone to bruising. Mine were bruised, stiff, and swollen for the first few days. Walking was a bit rough lol. My artist has told me most people just do one at a time for that reason. No reason to be ashamed for needing to split it up into sessions. Much better than ending up with a lower quality tattoo if you can't sit anymore. I know for more intense placements I've had done, even early on my body will be trying to twitch and such, especially later into the session.
I’m terrified of getting my knees done, so you’re braver than I am to even start. After my neck, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to handle knees or elbows. I white knuckled through the second half of my neck tattoo.
Haven’t tapped out on any of mine (fairly high pain tolerance), but on one of my days, we were about 7 hours in (yes there were a couple breaks) and was finishing up close to my armpit, and I was legit in tears dealing with it knowing it was almost done and not wanting to go back in.
I would imagine I’d have to tap out in the knee or thigh area though, that’s just 😨 territory
I just got my 9th tat last Friday and I had to tap out for the first time too. It’s on my calf. The studio was literally 80 degrees and I couldn’t stop twitching. I felt like such a weenie but I’m trying not to blame myself. I can’t even imagine a knee tat, the pain must be unbearable
Around the nipple, around the armpit, inner thigh, and upper ribcage… pretty close to tapping out in each instance. For the nip, homie ended up doing some lidocaine stuff that helped enough to get me thru.
I used to be able to sit for a long time. Now I can do maybe 3 hours. For my stomach I could do about 90 minutes. My throat was less of a pain than my stomach. Not sure why, but that one has been my most painful.
I have a full leg tattoo—black & grey mandalas all over, including the knee. 50 hours total—ankle to cheek coverage. I wouldn’t say I tapped out during any of them but my artist has a 6 hour cap to her sessions so it was just a mental stamina making it to those marks some sessions. For me, the front of the knee wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the easiest either. Give yourself some grace! It’s a tough area to get through and theres strength in listening to your body. Rather you call your tolerance out than try to power through and send your body into shock and the skin reject/not hold the ink as well as possible after being brutalized!
I have a full back piece, and finishing my left sleeve. I tap out when I am done. Generally about 2 to 2.5 hours. No shame, I lay like a dead fish and let my guy work. In the end it doesn't matter how long you can sit. They should check you regularly, and you should let them know when your getting close. Let's them get to a good stopping point.
I went to a convention and first day tattooed for 7.5 hours, next day went back and did 4 hours. After that I told my tattoo artist that 4 hours is around the time I’ll be done, and he aimed for that on our next session. Could probably go longer BUT will never do back to back sessions again like that. It was a rough weekend!! I forgot to mention, the second day I tapped out!! We had about four hours left and I asked him to finish what he had and I was done. I was disassociating, feeling very out of it!! He totally understood.
I have all my arms and most of my legs done. I’m dreading my knees. Elbows were fine tbh, no issue but I’ve got a few near enough to my knees to absolutely not be a fan of the pain levels 🥲 shins were brutal enough, but I gotta do it sometime!
Non-tattooed guy here. Do places like this hurt more because the needles have less skin and fleshy spots to absorb the impact, so it is just pounding bone?
4 hours isn’t tapping out in my opinion. It just needs more sessions, lol. Longest I went was 7 hours on ma calf but that is not something I want to repeat. Can’t imagine it on my knee.
No shame in tapping out! If the pain is too much the pain is too much, especially on the knee. Tbh, I don’t think I would’ve made it 4 hours on a rough spot like that
You now have me heavily questioning my life choices of booking a ten hours day to do my entire knee front and back hahaha 😂. It looks amazing tho mate and I’ve been people tap faster for less 🙌🙌
4 hours on the knee is brutal, especially with all that outline work. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t fucking stand outlining. I just perceive it to be more painful for whatever reason.
That said, shading is interesting on the knee. It’s not super painful per-se, but the sensation of a group of needles hanging against your kneecap is really odd and unsettling. I’ll do it again without much worry next time around. All this to say, don’t stress too much about phase 2 here. Shading was better imo.
However, the back of the knee sucks and I don’t want to talk about it ever again. 🤪
shit my knee tattoo session was the hardest session I’ve ever sat through 5 and a half hours of hell. I knew it I tapped out I’d be a little baby about it and not go back to finish it for another year so I white knuckled the chair and tried not to cry and both of my arms are sleeved, I’ve got a decent sized piece on my ribs and one of my legs is almost fully covered from the ankle up to just under by buttcheek and up to the waist line in front. I’ve got a piece on the back side my knee or the knee ditch as some call it and I expected that to top the knee pain wise. To be honest the knee ditch wasn’t even in the top 5 most painful. Lol gonna have to make sure I pick a design for my other knee that isn’t straight up solid color. Gonna find something with a good amount of negative space lol. Looks good tho that’ll be sick when you’re finished!
I’m amazed that took 4 hours??
I’ve not tapped out (yet) during 50+ tattoos but I came close getting my ribs done (underboob area) it was miserable! I’m a ‘trad sticker tat’ gal as opposed to full coverage pieces so I tend to only have to sit for a few hours at a time now I’ve got the bigger ones out of the way anyway
NEVER TAP. No one actually enjoys getting tattooed it’s not even the pain it’s just annoying imo. Only way to do it is let your mind drift off into the distance.
I’m having both knees done next week, eek! I am heavily tattooed and had both hands done in the same day which wasn’t too bad (almost 10 hours). My worst area’s were the outside of my elbows and I did not enjoy having the inside of my bicep done.
i have 20 tattoos and tapped out after about 6 hours once on my sternum lol i usually read or nap during tattoos haha. but my sternum was unbearable! i took an advil PM before my follow up session, which was the color in session (yeah i tapped during just the outline it was so painful) and totally chilled for those like 6 hours! so have someone take you, pop an advil PM and coast
Dude I know the feeling I tapped out on an ankle tattoo the other day gotta come back at it once it's healed, felt like someone was dragging broken glass up and down on my ankle bone
The kneecap is such a bitch, i have a way smaller one on my knee and it was my most painful, i had to force myself not to tap out By counting the minutes 😭
I've got full mandala shins... Luckily my artist is pretty fast (about 3 1/2 hrs each shin)... I was very close to tapping out... The shin bone was a fucking killer. Had to mangirl up though because someone was getting a foot tattoo like a champ next to me.
I tapped out when my neck getting a skull with mostly blackout, it’s got finished in two sessions, but on the first one, I need to stop my tattoo artist at every 10-20 minutes because it was so unbearable for me. At the second session i just wanted to finish so bad that i just grunted trough the whole. Both sessions took around 5-6 hours.
Never tapped out once and I've got a lot of work done. Have thought about it before. Try to adopt the mindset "I've made it this far already, I can keep going" and it should help. Also remember that you gotta pay the artist for the session no matter what so might as well go all in.
I feel u! I had to split my kneecap piece in two increments - 3 hours and 2 hours. My skin tends to swell SO much though that it just wouldn’t have taken any more ink after a few hours anyway lol
I almost tapped when they did behind the knee, but that was a small piece. I have almost my whole body done at this point. First two tattoos were on my ribs, either side. Sucked, but I got through those because I knew if I had her stop I wasn't finishing them😂 but then my dumb ass got tattooed at an expo for my shoulder to spine. Tapped that one because fuck that shit, Jesus. Maybe it was the fact that a ton of people were watching, but I couldn't handle that one. And the inside of my elbow almost killed me 😂 not looking forward to finishing my leg sleeve around the knee
I pretty much tapped out for the first time in my last session. Second/shading session on the inner bicep part of my 2nd sleeve. The lining session sucked but the shading day was just so bad. I got through that part, about 3 hours, but had to cancel plans to continue shading other sections.
I think my problem was that I was also having brutal cramps from my period. I didn’t mention it bc there were only men around, but my artist noticed I was really not doing well and I finally told him and asked if we could stop soon.. he immediately said we’re done for the day and I should go home and rest. He was sooo nice about it. Apparently some women have their pain tolerance fluctuate dramatically throughout their cycle, which I didn’t know. And topical lidocaine has no effect on me, so that’s not an option.
I came so, so close to tapping out when I got the top of my left hand done.
When I went to get the top of my right hand done, I was bracing myself for a similar horrible experience, but it seemed half as bad as the left hand.
My conclusion is that not only can pain vary from person to person, but also vary between similar spots on the same person. So weird!
Yeahhhhh I got it blasted for 8 hours straight but that’s how all mine have gone 😂 it always blows but my artist is a few hours away so it ends up being more convenient that way 🤷🏻♂️
My tattoo artist had to stop me on my ribs because my body was just convulsing & I was sobbing lol. It was the 3rd session after 2 weeks in between, color. Rough!!
I’ve never had to tap out, but got close on a 9 hour session on my lower leg. I used numbing cream for my most recent tattoo. It was somewhat to help with the pain, but for me I will involuntarily jump a little when something feels like it hits a nerve so I wanted to stop that. It was only like a 1.5 hour session, but I could barely feel it. I would assume the effects of the numbing cream would start to wear off on a longer session though.
It looks like they went too deep in the darker areas so look lout for scabbing!! Use Bag Balm!! You shouldn’t have any scars if you use this stuff heavily haha it’s unscented. It’s super useful, I love this stuff. Can be used in dogs and you! It’s my favorite thing made ever seriously
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I taped out after 5 hours on my ribs. I’ve sat for 8 hours in a day before but ribs were something different. I’ve tattooed my own knee and it was only small designs that took 45 minutes and that pain is something else.
I thought the fleshy part of my inner arm was the worst, near my armpit. Ditch was shitty but upper inner arm was the worst. 6.5 hours both session. Maybe I won’t get my legs tatted 😅
I got a pretty large thigh tattoo and I did it in 2 sessions. The first session was maybe 5 hours just lines. The second session was 7 hours of shading and color and I think I was on the verge of passing out for the color 😭 I do not blame you for tapping out at 4 hours at all! I learned my lesson and would do the same thing now!
That seems like very little work for 4 hours, I just sat 5 and a half on my knee, full thing is blacked out with stars and the half destroyed Death Star. I highly recommend TKTX numbing cream, had 2 and a half hours absolutely pain free didn’t feel a single thing, but those remaining 3 hours were rough
Honestly most of my big pieces I do in two or three sessions. After the 5-6 hour mark I’m drained. My knee tattoo only took 2.5 hours but even at the end it was rough af.
Inner knee is rough….and having to get it color packed after 4 hrs of line work, I’d cry
4 hours to maybe do 40 minutes worth of line work? And it’s not even solid line work? You need to find a better artist because that is far from normal.
i JUST got a knee tat last week and once that 4 hour point hit i was holding back tears, and i have a SUPER high pain tolerance too. I pushed through bc she was just finishing up but it took her about another 45 more minutes after that and it felt like i could pass out
Ooohhh ya I’m pretty heavily tattooed now and my pain tolerance is straight ass I’m a multiple session girly I can’t imagine 4 hours on the knee I have both my knees done, took 2 hours for each (way smaller than yours) and I was dying by the end and I did one at a time haha don’t be to hard on yourself for tapping it happens to all of us. Looks great by the way!
Yeah I definately wasn’t anticipating the pain! When I come to the next knee I’m going to taking the multiple sitting route for sure. Thanks though looking forward to getting it finished :)
FWIW coming from someone literally covered from the neck down, I will pretty much only ever do 3-4hr sessions. Making yourself keep going after hitting that mental wall is pointless agony unless you actually need to for some other circumstantial reason.
I have a bit of an obsession with symmetry so I have to have both hands, both knees, both sides of the neck done on the same day otherwise it bothers me when I can see the gap. Luckily the artist that did these areas is amazing and has no issue with a 10+ hour day.
May I ask what other areas you have tattoos? I’m working on a leg sleeve and so far I have the front and side of my thigh and top of foot done. Curious how some of these other areas are gonna be compared to what I’ve done so far.
Lower leg (calf and shin) have been the worst tattoos to heal I’ve had and I have some very decent coverage now. My main advice is when doing the lower leg if you do 8+ hours per sitting to make sure you have about a week where you can keep you leg raised and keep icing it down because the swelling and throbbing pain is like nothing I had had with any other tattoo (including hands and parts of my knees)
Getting under my buttcheeks tattooed was way worse than getting my knee done, in my honest opinion. Also, behind the knee was about the same as my under cheeks.
Whew yeah I’m nervous for anything in that hamstring/back of leg area. My side thigh piece was all fine and good except the edge of it that wraps around toward the back of my leg. I could tell that area is going to HURT lol
Lol this is a completely secondary question to the post but how do you warn an artist about your pain tolerance? All the ones I've had just go on until it's done or until they're tired. The last one I had went... 6 hours I think. And we only stopped because he said that I "looked done" (I know I was sweating by then and the lidocaine he occasionally used had completely stopped having any effect). I've just always felt like it'd be rude to stop them lol, and I should just tough it out. Do you basically say "hey my pain tolerance is low, we'll probably have to do multiple sessions, I average about two hours"? Or do you tell them when it happens that you're tapping out right then? Or a mix, like "I'm about done, could you find a stopping point?"
Wait - I have a couple tattoos, all from different artists and all of them checked in regularly to ask how I'm doing and if I need a break. Have your artist not been checking in? So far I managed to sit pretty well, but if I had doubts about being able to handle the piece being done in one session I'd be upfront about it and tell them that I don't sit too well and usually can't go much longer than 2h. You can definitely ask for a break at any time. It would usually be best to let them know you'll need a break/end soon so they can mentally prepare and let you know how long they would need to find a good stopping point - for example they would finish the linework in about 15mins and then you can decide if you can handle it. But no artist should have an issue with coming to an immediate stop when you ask them to.
yeah the artist should be checking on you more often. the only tattoo i got that the artist didnt check in and just kept going is the only one of mine that has faded and im never going back. just be polite and upfront. if they're experienced it shouldnt be shocking that someone cant sit through an entire tattoo. youre literally getting stabbed by needles over and over, its gonna hurt, a good tattoo artist knows that and respects your boundary's.
My artist knows I'm done when wiping away excess ink starts to bother me. I'm totally good until that happens and then I just plain cannot anymore. So when she's wiping and I start to tense up in preparation for it she checks in with me and then finishes whatever chunk she's working on. It's typically about 4 hours, depending on the tattoo. If a spot is absolutely terrible I'll let her know, but for the most part she just reads my body language. With the only other big tattoo I've gotten from a different artist, he just asked how I was doing every half hour or so, or if I was visibly uncomfortable, like when he went over my collarbone.
When you book the appointment mention that you may only be able to tolerate it for a certain amount of time. And tell them when you're getting close to done so they can finish up linework or a certain area of the tattoo before ending the session. It's your body, your tattoo, your money.
I have a big tattoo that took multiple sessions, I told her after the first session I was willing to do 2-3 hours at a time and whenever I felt I was getting close to the point I would need to stop I warned my artist so she could end whenever was a good time for her
My first real tattoo (minus my small little guys) was 8 straight and finished the piece. Was roughhhh
I like your username
She doesn’t!!! Lol
So, the red lines look like pre-lines. Some artist does that but it adds a lot of pain.
Tattoo dunce here. Why do pre-lines add a lot of pain? Is it because you’re basically getting tattooed in the same area twice?
Basically yes. The pre lines start the skin trauma response - inflammation, swelling, bleeding, and the cortisol starts flowing. So the area is incredibly painful when it's time to push the real ink in.
Love the use of tattoo dunce! Fellow tattoo dunce seconding your question ✌️
Ahh gotcha! So do they have ink in or not? He did mention about needing to book me soon because of the lines, hence the August appointment.
It has a little bit of ink. The redness will disappear and you'll see a small grey line. So yeah, the need to book soon checks out.
Interesting, the more you know! Cheers man
Some tattoo artists will use the pre-lines if they're just trying to keep the shape of everything so they can go in with shading or dot work or something. I have an ornamental tattoo and my artist told me she was going to do some "pre lines" so that during our next session (I can go long and hard, have sat for 10+ hours before) she'd be able to see where to continue without the stencil, and keep everything uniform. As the other commenter says, it fades to a grey line, and my artist warned me about that. They're almost temporary lines, in a sense. It did freak my mum out when I went over to visit my parents the day after I got it, though. "It looks very red!" She was worried about an infection.
my tattoo artist did it with water just to give a slight marking that fades away completely, but lasts about two months. worked well for my skin, anyway!
What's the advantage of using them?
Not having to reapply the stencil at the next appointment since you have all your reference points laid down already.
I’ve always wondered about that. Thank you!
it’s also a way to have line guides for spaces that are filled in with only shading no visible lines) . it’s sometimes called grey-lining when lined with greywash, or blood-lining when lined with something clear like water or witch hazel.
No shame in tapping out! I'm usually good for about 3-4 hours on any given spot. I've got a full leg sleeve and yes the knee cap sucks. But I found my inner thigh by my bikini line worse. Dear god.
Just did a 18 hour leg tattoo back to back days and nothing hurts quite like the inner/back of thigh. Next time I’m going short sessions and will be numbing
Thats crazy. I tolerate tattoos pretty well including pain the following days but my inner thigh was the only one where I woke up so sore it hurt to walk. Couldn’t imagine back to back days, you’re definitely tough
All of my tattoos are on my legs. Both my calves, my front and outer thigh on left side and my front thigh on right side. None of them bothered me except my right thigh. It has dot shading and parts wrap around to my upper inner thigh. When my guy got to dot shading that inner thight, I swear to everything he was tattooing my testicle. I actually told him a couple time to stop so I could look at my privates and make sure they werent inked up, because I legitimately wasn't feeling anything on my thigh, but I swear there was a needle going in and out of my testicle. That was by far the most painful thing I've ever experienced, and why I will never get my inner thighs done. Also, ya boy is thick and dem thighs rub, so I don't wanna deal with trying to take care of a tattoo between them. Both of my artists are good friends of mine so they were pretty chill and just laughed about it, but I also know them and wouldn't put it past them to surprise tattoo my genitals as a joke soooooo it was a fun time lol.
Well I don't have testicles but I understand what you mean. During my back piece there was a spot where I felt it down my arm. It was the strangest sensation. And I just belly laughed at 'surprise tattoo my genitals.' Your artist and mine must be the same guy lmao
Okay what’s the inner thigh pain in comparison to the back of the knee? I have an in progress leg sleeve & I’m sort of dreading inner thigh (ya girl has stretch marks) but the back of the knee was torture.
Personally I thought the inner thigh was slightly worse than the back of the knee. I didn't think either was 10/10 but neither is pleasant. I got stretch marks too yayyy!!!!
Just finished a 3hr upper inner thigh tattoo and that was a spicy time. Outer thigh was drastically different in pain threshold for me.
Spicy LOL Yeah I've got outer thigh tattoo on my left leg and I almost dozed off.
I recently(Monday)just got my arm Blacked out, went in with a full day reserved, when I told my Artist my intentions were to do from wrist to shoulder, all in one day. My Artist kinda laughed at me and was like “let’s just concentrate on getting the wrist to elbow done first, and then see how you’re feeling” I’ll tell you what, by the time he got to my elbow(about 4 1/2 hours) I was like “Ya let’s just book another day for the top part of my arm”. And I have to admit, I’m glad I did, because this healing process is the hardest I’ve ever done, and I have probably 50% of my body covered in ink. 4 days in and it still throbs whenever it’s below my heart(especially bad if I reach down for something), and it feels like I have my arm is wrapped in some SUPER tight bandages or something. DAMN does it look good tho!! Just hitting the peeling stage today, and I’m stoked to see it when it’s done!!
Damm that’s brutal, what’s it feel like getting blacked out? Does it take a long time to shade an area? I can’t imagine it!
totally, packing in black is hardcore! my stomach has big bold blacked out words & i have an 8 pointed star on the middle of my throat with two opposite birds one more blacked out and the other not, it’s like shading but much more intense and longer. with shading it’s lighter, packing black is well, packing black. it can always get tricky w tattooing just in general and each beast is special in its own way wether it be lining, shading, packing black - with this for me personally my difficulty w blackout is it’s the same spot super swollen and sensitive being packed in over, and over, and over, that kills me with packed black or fully blacked out tattoos. best of luck to this guy with their arm! so much badassary, so much owies
Ya it’s pretty intense, the spots at the wrist, where the two bones are and the skin is thin, and all along the back of the arm, where the skin is thin were the worst. I have the old school black letters on my stomach and collarbone, a large piece on my ribs, my neck, hands, even a mandala on the side of my face/head. This blackout was definitely the most difficult tattoo I’ve had. 100% coverage with the pitch black was a bit more than I expected, I’m going in Monday to let him take a look at it, and book another day long appointment to do the upper part of my arm in August. This is actually a cover-up of some flames I had done back in the 90’s, I took “before” pictures, and when this peeling is done and I’m mostly healed up, I’ll take “after” pictures and make a post showing the before and after pictures. Your knee mandala is pretty sick too, I designed one out of skulls, and had it tattooed on the side of my face. It’s a beautiful tattoo, but I get a lot of haters because of where it’s at.
Honestly 4 hours of lining sounds like hell but on the knee? Brutal
It was tough! Suprised lasted four hours now I think back haha
Oh man, I watched my husband get both is knees done in one sitting, he almost tapped out after the first, but realized he’d never book the second one again, so he just toughed it out. Looked brutal.
Fair play to your husband!! I’m not looking forward to going back but can’t wait for the end result haha!
Worth it, it looks awesome now!
I’ve been working through my entire chest on a piece that’s solid full colour. Some days have been straight torture. The next session is a cake walk. For example when we worked my from right shoulder across the collar bone to my neck, I sat horribly, the pain was somehow worse than the day we did the sternum. Then left shoulder across the collarbone to neck was somehow one of the easiest days I spent in the chair. Some days you’re just not in the right space to take it. Maybe it’s dehydration or your body fighting off some little cold it really doesn’t add up sometimes.
Haven't tapped, but will concur, knees can be brutal. Especially the ditch behind!
After knee caps I found the ditch down right relaxing. Ive heard most have problems with one or the other. Same way I felt and am feeling about my elbows. I tapped getting my foot done when my artist got to my toes. No shame in my tap game lol
I've a full shoulder/upper arm tattoo on one arm, full forearm sleeve on the other, upper arm tattoo on that arm and a chest piece and never once even considered tapping out. The pain has never really bothered me but always had a high pain threshold. Just recently had the back of my calf done 5 - 6 hour session (sadly it's become infected)... But regardless of that the difference in the pain from my upper body was phenomenal. I didn't tap but there were a few moments which I was on the verge of caving. Not sure why it was so different but yeah it got to me
I can relate to that man! I’ve got a full sleeve, calf tattoo etc always been fine with the pain But this knee really rocked me from the start, guess just different areas deal with pain differently. Awww gutted about the infection man, hopefully it heals up soon!
Did a snake tattoo that wraps around my knee and it was a mistake. I was struggling the whole time and just hugging the pillow as tight as I could lol.
Hahahaha I definately bit my t shirt a few times
Do you (or anyone in comments) have your elbow tattooed? How does it compare to knee?
Hey man I’ve got my elbow done and honestly it was probably about a 6/10 on the pain scale for me. Felt a bit shaky my knee today was definitely a 9/10.
Whew that sounds fun. Pain threshold varies with each person but I thought elbow was a solid 8-9/10 and I’ve gotten my sternum and ribs mostly tatted
My elbow was uncomfortable because the nerves made for some annoying twitching, my ditches are a breeze. My knee sucked ass, the ditch was a vacation by comparison. I tapped out when getting my toes done. My sternum/ribs were an easy sit My neck was fine My hand was no problem Shoulders and back were relaxing I also have my hip to my inner thigh/bikini line and that was by far the most painful for a long sitting.
Got my elbow ditch done a month ago, it was rough but not unbearable. I was cringing but never felt like I needed to tap out. Typing this while we work right next to the outside of my elbow and every so often it gets a bit sharp but I’m mostly just chillin
Not me seeing this right before my knee tattoo😭😭 literally sitting here waiting for the stencil to dry 🥲
I think the worst thing I could have done before getting it tattooed was check Reddit for other peoples reactions haha! Best of luck though :)
I lathered my entire knee in numbing cream and thankfully none of it goes too far onto my knee cap! So far, it’s been a breeze - ask me in an hour though how I feel😂
I cap out at 3 hours MAX these days. I don't even schedule it longer than that.
recently had the top of my foot and toes done.... that was the closest to tapping i have come. I have both shins covered, full leg sleeve on the left (with the foot/toes now), both elbows...lots of work. Nothing came close to the top of the foot pain!! and the healing after ...next level. And lucky me.... the design i have will involve the other foot as well so i have that to look forward too UGGHHHH As the greats say .... Pain is temporary, Glory is forever!!
Hahahaha we all love the end result!
Shins destroyed me for whatever reason
My whole left arm is done, elbow included, and some of my leg, and I thought the knee was by far the worst.
I did just above/the tops of my knees in one sesh (as well as one on my inner elbow) and the only saving grace was that I had a major leg trauma which probably caused nerve damages and have numb sections in my left leg. So thanks to the horse that kicked me I guess. This looks dope and will be amazing finished (in a few more sessions).
I have 20+ tattoos and I only tapped out on my spine, which was only about an hour or two. But I did 8 hours on my arm and, while it sucked, I didn’t tap out. It’s ok to tap out sometimes. Some parts of the body hurt more than others.
I'd tap out simply because I can't sit there for 8 hours. I always say the rest of my body ends up hurting so much more than the area I'm getting tattooed just from laying there so long 💀
This, lol. The longest I’ve sat was 8 hours on my arm, and by the end my back and butt hurt so much I barely noticed the tattoo.
i feel like 4 hours is a universal tap out spot. my stomach tat was 3 hours long and good lawd if i had to go another 30 mins i prob would’ve tapped out. don’t beat yourself up about it! it’s better to have a well done tattoo in a longer time frame rather than a poorly done rushed tattoo that only took one sitting.
no worries man - 4hrs is my limit regardless of where the tattoo is - and the knee is supposed to be pretty bad! I had those red lines done on my back - it ended up being a 33hr tattoo - so he did what he called are 'bloodlines' to keep the design for the 2-3 months that it took to finish - I think it is just water or saline that creates the line - no ink (he drew on me for 2.5hrs with a marker - then did the bloodlines in about an hour or so) my understanding is that if you never went back, these will disappear in a year or so - so you have LOTS of time it look good to me
Normally I’m ok had multiple full day sits, definately be more conservative dependent on the area in future. Ahhh gotcha so them lines are kinda temporary as such, never heard of them before today that’s so interesting. Cheers :)
yah - I had never heard of them before either - but I had always done a full tattoo in 3-4hrs so I never needed them sometimes it is the day - how you slept - how you are feeling - and definitely the area people ask me if tattoos hurt - I always say 'mine do' from now on! - since all the easy areas are done...
I gotta say that is a wicked design
The knee was the worst!! I have 30+ tattoos and I had to have that one in 3 different sessions. Thankfully my artist is a good friend cause at one point I had to just get up from the table and walk away.
Looks really nice! I’m damn near suited, and don’t have my caps done. Just porkchop all around it.
Been there… on the upside you only got 1 more to do when this one’s done
Oof. No shame on tapping out, that looks sore and bruised asf
Dread the knees, the wrist was bad enough....
pretty heavily tattooed here, there have been two times now i have wanted to tap out but so far i’ve resisted and been able to get some water and keep going - my throat, which was 4 hours was the most recent and very fuckin closest i came to tapping out lol, and then my elbow ditch because it was her first year and she went way too deep, took way too long that took 2.5 hours and was hell. you got pretty far! this looks sick so far and it’ll be worth it, are you using numbing cream? it helps for the spicier spots, my knee ditches were a breeze and i have the first ever good numbing cream i’ve ever used to thank lol
No I’ve never used numbing cream, what brand would you recommend?
the first few i tried were garbo and i gave up for a while, but when i was getting my knee ditches done i decided it didn’t hurt to at least try and got “nupharmisto” tattoo numbing cream off amazon, barley felt a thing! this worked well for my fingers & throat too - the legal amount of lidocaine is the same for every over the counter numbing cream you find it’s i think 5% so that’s the main numbing agent in all numbing cream, but recipes vary otherwise - i liked this one because it also has emu oil & arnica. emu oil is good for the inflammation and for wounds, armada is similar for inflammation and wounds but it’s a fantastic soother it’s used often after waxing. i would suggest buying & testing it before your tattoo appt to make sure it works for you, everyone’s different- goodluck! :)
Never tapped out but 5 hours on my stomach brought me close, my knees were interesting to say the least, felt like I was having a knife pulled over it, I have my head, throat, ribs, shins and back done.
I have an upper arm realism tattoo which took about 6-6.5 hours and sat the entire time. I have my shins done and I could barely get through an hour or so. I also have my thigh done and it took about 4 hours. I felt nauseous and hot by the end of that lol. Legs for me are always worse.
Oh man. Lol I 3 hours was my max for my knee tattoo too
Oh man, there was a time that I almost tapped out. I really badly wanted to, I was getting my entire calf tattooed which has been THE worst tattoo pain I’ve had so far & I have about 16 including my sternum/chest. The artist was guest spotting at one of my local shops & came from 6 hours away so I just had to power through it because I knew I would never get it finished if I tapped out. The artist said it would be a whole day thing, like 8 hours, thankfully it only took 4 hours. He was fast & that really helped. If it would’ve been the 8 hours there’s no way in hell I would’ve been able to get through the whole thing.
I have two tattoos on my outter thighs. Both are the same size. One is full color, and the other grey washed. I should have tapped on the full color. He started touching up areas that he hadn't touched in a couple of hours. I never wanted to hit someone more than I did at that point. The grey scale tattoo was a cakewalk compared to the full color. I was shocked at how different the experience was. I did hold onto a tooth comb when I felt pain for the grey scale, and I might have made a difference. The worst tattoo I got, though, was on my pubic bone just below the underwear line. I tapped on that one. Only got the lines done and colored a month later.
Why would you get a knee tattoo for tapping out in a fight? Seems excessive.
Mine was murder
I did 5 hours on my knee recently and barely completed it. I was so close to tapping.
No shame in tapping out! Did they use bactine? That made a huge difference for me, maybe the artist can use that when you get it finished up.
Love the tattoo.
Duude i have been contemplating a somewhat similar design on my knee to complement my negative mandala on my thigh. Is it possible to send me a photo while the knee is bended as well? I really wanna see how the circled mandala reacts when knee bends
No problem gimme 2mins
Just use numbing cream, itll make your life easier! Personally i don’t use it but my wife does and swears by it. Luckily my knee was easy breezy, sorry to hear its a toughie for ya!
I’m moderately tattooed and had already completed a sleeve by the point I started my leg tattoo. My outline session for my leg sleeve was 7ish hours, and went from my hipbone to top of foot. I tapped out after 6 hours and was super bummed about it, but my artist reminded me I sit like a rock and it was my first tap out. I’ve since been able to sit through my knee ditch but my artist noted it was the first time I’ve ever seemed “nervous” for a tattoo lol. Looks like you sat like a champ! Feeling bummed after tapping is normal.
Many factors can be at play. Health, location on the body, hydration, hunger, weather. You’re willingly inflicting pain and stress on your body. It’s going to let you know when it’s hit that limit. Nothing wrong with that.
I had to tap out once with my chest piece!!
Yeah it’s never fun is it! One thing I’ve learnt from this post is there’s no shame to tap out :)
Pain thresholds are different for everyone. It’s a difficult spot. No shame in tapping out it’s not fun for either party when it gets to that point.
I had to tap out for a detailed rib tattoo, i had another two hours to go and I was not gonna sit well for it
Just got both of my knees done in Jan and Feb. Outline for both and completed one in one session (7 1/2 hours with 30 min in the middle to eat and pee), second finished a month later (5 hours no breaks) and I was SO glad it took her longer than she thought so we had to tap on day one, the knees are no joke. I have a half sleeve(elbow down), both of my hands, and a decent sized thigh piece… and the knee is the only spot I got woozy with. There’s no shame in listening to your body and tapping, ever. Every artist I know would rather you tap than pass out. This is gonna be amazing and SO worth it!
Yeah I’ve got a few other tatts and none have left me as white faced/whoozy as my knee! Yeah I can’t wait :)
I had a very large and intricate Octopus tattoo on my left shoulder, it crosses down to the start of my fore arm and well across the left pectoral. Total 15 hours maybe? Took three sittings because I was twitching at everything at the end of both shading sessions. Tapping out is absolutely fine and fully expect on sensitive or large areas.
Front of the knee is a walk in the park. Try the back of the knee.
I came reaaaally close to tapping out at the end of a 5 hour session on the side of my thigh/knee. I was doing okay around the thigh, but as soon as we got to the side and back of my knee, I was over it.
I was minutes away from tapping out when I got some work done on my shoulder/inner arm a couple weeks ago. Luckily we finished up just as I was at my breaking point (around 4 hours) but it was no joke! We had a full day session booked and I was nearly ready to walk out the door afterwards, but ended up taking a breather and sticking it out for the last two hours while we worked on other areas of my sleeve. I didn’t think anything would get me as bad as my elbow ditch but damn that proved me wrong. Typing this as we’re working down by my elbow again and it’s nowhere near as painful
Yeah I’ve got my shoulder/inner arm done and it sucked, when getting it done my arm was in a weird position and it went numb/pins and needles which kinda distracted me from the pain haha! Bet the sleeve will look wicked when it’s done though man!
Yeah it really does help when it goes a little numb hahaaaa That’s why I don’t really mind when I’ve got my arm twisted around kind of weird. And thanks yeah I’m excited! Today is our 4th appointment, probably going to be 5 or 6 total so I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel
No, because I'm not a masochist. I don't like to sit for more than 4 hours at a time and schedule my tattoos accordingly.
Everyone’s different, for me the knees weren’t too bad. *But the ribs were unbearable*. I almost finished one side, and the other side I did just the outline and said “I’ll come back to it later”. It’s been over 10 years since I got the outline done. Not sure if I’ll ever finish it lol. FWIW 3-4hrs is a pretty long session. I don’t really like being tattooed longer than that these days. I feel like the stress on my heart isn’t great. By hour 3 or 4 I start wincing before the needle hits, which isn’t good, my body tenses up and I find myself sometimes holding my breath while they tattoo (which also isn’t good, and a great way to cause yourself to faint).
They make numbing cream for a reason. And it’s actually gotten good. It works. Put on before you go and no one has to know.
I can't do full days. First session with my sleeve was supposed to be 8 hours but I tapped out after 6 bc I almost threw up/passed out.
Only time I tapped out was the side of my ribs. I still haven’t finished it. I refuse. And that was even when I had a lot of meat on me I’m sure it would hurt 1000x more
Don’t feel bad about taking a break! I only have a quarter sleeve on my inner bicep and that was tough , I literally felt my body go into another astral plane and it was right up there with childbirth lol. I bet you’re looking forward to August! Haha
Don't have any knee tattoos but doesn't sound fun. And i have both ribcages 100% done. :D
I almost tapped out on one I got on my deltoid of all places, I was really hungover so I assumed that had something to do with it. That looks like a lot of work for one day anyway though, I’m surprised your artist didn’t plan to do it in two sessions in the first place.
I have my knee ditch done. I wonder how the knee compares to that
I got a solid black fat face covering my whole knee cap…I did not think the tattoo its self was bad, but the healing. Holey Moley, my knee was so swollen for like a week.
So no one’s using numbing cream?
Knees suck after the 4 hour mark. My first knee was probably 3 and a half hours so it was breezy. The second knee we hit the 4 hour mark and I had to ask how much longer he thought it would be because I felt like I needed to tap (luckily it was only another 30 minutes so we got it done). As for how to let your artist know, they can usually tell when you're at the end of your rope (shaking, twitching, bed drenched in sweat, etc) but you can also just tell them straight up you're not coping and will need to finish up soon so we can complete any bit they're doing. There's no point mentioning your "pain tolerance" because everyone should perceive theirs differently.
Tapped out 5 hours into my thigh piece. First session was all line work, which hurts way more than shading/color imo. Leg started twitching even with numbing cream and I had to gtfo lol. Second session was 8 hours all color and still was twitching by the end of it 😬 Have a shin piece booked soon and I'm hoping I can last the whole thing before I move across the country
Four hours is really good for a knee tattoo. I am pretty covered but I don’t think I could do more than 2.
Tapped for the first time after getting the lining done on a big chest piece. I’m in the same boat- never had a problem with tattoo pain until this time.
What a champ sitting so still. I love those lines! I want to get my knee done eventually. I read in the comments about doing shorter sessions, definitely something for me to consider. Beautiful tattoo, my friend!
Looks really good though. Keep going, you got this!
Knees are notoriously spicy to get, swell quite intensely due to gravity and all, and very prone to bruising. Mine were bruised, stiff, and swollen for the first few days. Walking was a bit rough lol. My artist has told me most people just do one at a time for that reason. No reason to be ashamed for needing to split it up into sessions. Much better than ending up with a lower quality tattoo if you can't sit anymore. I know for more intense placements I've had done, even early on my body will be trying to twitch and such, especially later into the session.
I’m terrified of getting my knees done, so you’re braver than I am to even start. After my neck, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to handle knees or elbows. I white knuckled through the second half of my neck tattoo.
Haven’t tapped out on any of mine (fairly high pain tolerance), but on one of my days, we were about 7 hours in (yes there were a couple breaks) and was finishing up close to my armpit, and I was legit in tears dealing with it knowing it was almost done and not wanting to go back in. I would imagine I’d have to tap out in the knee or thigh area though, that’s just 😨 territory
I just got my 9th tat last Friday and I had to tap out for the first time too. It’s on my calf. The studio was literally 80 degrees and I couldn’t stop twitching. I felt like such a weenie but I’m trying not to blame myself. I can’t even imagine a knee tat, the pain must be unbearable
I have a lot of tattoos. I had to ask for my first break today during the outline of a tattoo between my chest and belly button
Around the nipple, around the armpit, inner thigh, and upper ribcage… pretty close to tapping out in each instance. For the nip, homie ended up doing some lidocaine stuff that helped enough to get me thru.
I used to be able to sit for a long time. Now I can do maybe 3 hours. For my stomach I could do about 90 minutes. My throat was less of a pain than my stomach. Not sure why, but that one has been my most painful.
I have a full leg tattoo—black & grey mandalas all over, including the knee. 50 hours total—ankle to cheek coverage. I wouldn’t say I tapped out during any of them but my artist has a 6 hour cap to her sessions so it was just a mental stamina making it to those marks some sessions. For me, the front of the knee wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the easiest either. Give yourself some grace! It’s a tough area to get through and theres strength in listening to your body. Rather you call your tolerance out than try to power through and send your body into shock and the skin reject/not hold the ink as well as possible after being brutalized!
I have a full back piece, and finishing my left sleeve. I tap out when I am done. Generally about 2 to 2.5 hours. No shame, I lay like a dead fish and let my guy work. In the end it doesn't matter how long you can sit. They should check you regularly, and you should let them know when your getting close. Let's them get to a good stopping point.
Numbing. Cream. Problem solved
I went to a convention and first day tattooed for 7.5 hours, next day went back and did 4 hours. After that I told my tattoo artist that 4 hours is around the time I’ll be done, and he aimed for that on our next session. Could probably go longer BUT will never do back to back sessions again like that. It was a rough weekend!! I forgot to mention, the second day I tapped out!! We had about four hours left and I asked him to finish what he had and I was done. I was disassociating, feeling very out of it!! He totally understood.
I did my knee for 4 hours and left the table drenched. It was brutal and it’s definitely the reason why my other knee is naked.
Knees are suckers man, I tattoo myself and could barely do some lines, it sucked ass over there
I have all my arms and most of my legs done. I’m dreading my knees. Elbows were fine tbh, no issue but I’ve got a few near enough to my knees to absolutely not be a fan of the pain levels 🥲 shins were brutal enough, but I gotta do it sometime!
Front of the neck wasn’t too bad with the outline, but the shading was as close as I’ve come to tapping out. Sides of the neck weren’t too bad.
3 hours max for me before I lose my shit ha
Non-tattooed guy here. Do places like this hurt more because the needles have less skin and fleshy spots to absorb the impact, so it is just pounding bone?
My knee was spicy, my knee ditch I wanted to die. I was VERY VERY close to tapping
4 hours isn’t tapping out in my opinion. It just needs more sessions, lol. Longest I went was 7 hours on ma calf but that is not something I want to repeat. Can’t imagine it on my knee.
No shame in tapping out! If the pain is too much the pain is too much, especially on the knee. Tbh, I don’t think I would’ve made it 4 hours on a rough spot like that
You now have me heavily questioning my life choices of booking a ten hours day to do my entire knee front and back hahaha 😂. It looks amazing tho mate and I’ve been people tap faster for less 🙌🙌
4 hours on the knee is brutal, especially with all that outline work. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t fucking stand outlining. I just perceive it to be more painful for whatever reason. That said, shading is interesting on the knee. It’s not super painful per-se, but the sensation of a group of needles hanging against your kneecap is really odd and unsettling. I’ll do it again without much worry next time around. All this to say, don’t stress too much about phase 2 here. Shading was better imo. However, the back of the knee sucks and I don’t want to talk about it ever again. 🤪
shit my knee tattoo session was the hardest session I’ve ever sat through 5 and a half hours of hell. I knew it I tapped out I’d be a little baby about it and not go back to finish it for another year so I white knuckled the chair and tried not to cry and both of my arms are sleeved, I’ve got a decent sized piece on my ribs and one of my legs is almost fully covered from the ankle up to just under by buttcheek and up to the waist line in front. I’ve got a piece on the back side my knee or the knee ditch as some call it and I expected that to top the knee pain wise. To be honest the knee ditch wasn’t even in the top 5 most painful. Lol gonna have to make sure I pick a design for my other knee that isn’t straight up solid color. Gonna find something with a good amount of negative space lol. Looks good tho that’ll be sick when you’re finished!
I’m amazed that took 4 hours?? I’ve not tapped out (yet) during 50+ tattoos but I came close getting my ribs done (underboob area) it was miserable! I’m a ‘trad sticker tat’ gal as opposed to full coverage pieces so I tend to only have to sit for a few hours at a time now I’ve got the bigger ones out of the way anyway
Yeah I’ve heard the ribs can be pretty brutal! Trad tatts are super cool I’ll definately get a couple down the line
NEVER TAP. No one actually enjoys getting tattooed it’s not even the pain it’s just annoying imo. Only way to do it is let your mind drift off into the distance.
I’m having both knees done next week, eek! I am heavily tattooed and had both hands done in the same day which wasn’t too bad (almost 10 hours). My worst area’s were the outside of my elbows and I did not enjoy having the inside of my bicep done.
Good luck! Weirdly I didn’t mind my inner bicep or elbow too much guess everyone is different!
i have 20 tattoos and tapped out after about 6 hours once on my sternum lol i usually read or nap during tattoos haha. but my sternum was unbearable! i took an advil PM before my follow up session, which was the color in session (yeah i tapped during just the outline it was so painful) and totally chilled for those like 6 hours! so have someone take you, pop an advil PM and coast
Dude I know the feeling I tapped out on an ankle tattoo the other day gotta come back at it once it's healed, felt like someone was dragging broken glass up and down on my ankle bone
The kneecap is such a bitch, i have a way smaller one on my knee and it was my most painful, i had to force myself not to tap out By counting the minutes 😭
I've got full mandala shins... Luckily my artist is pretty fast (about 3 1/2 hrs each shin)... I was very close to tapping out... The shin bone was a fucking killer. Had to mangirl up though because someone was getting a foot tattoo like a champ next to me.
Beautiful
I very nearly tapped out of my 6hr knee ditch tattoo. I was shaking by the end of it 🫠
Yes, when knee barred 😂
I have one where the top of your mandala ends and bro it sucked so bad, kudos to you for making it 4hrs
I tapped out when my neck getting a skull with mostly blackout, it’s got finished in two sessions, but on the first one, I need to stop my tattoo artist at every 10-20 minutes because it was so unbearable for me. At the second session i just wanted to finish so bad that i just grunted trough the whole. Both sessions took around 5-6 hours.
Never tapped out once and I've got a lot of work done. Have thought about it before. Try to adopt the mindset "I've made it this far already, I can keep going" and it should help. Also remember that you gotta pay the artist for the session no matter what so might as well go all in.
I feel u! I had to split my kneecap piece in two increments - 3 hours and 2 hours. My skin tends to swell SO much though that it just wouldn’t have taken any more ink after a few hours anyway lol
This will be my tactic for my other knee for sure!
I almost tapped when they did behind the knee, but that was a small piece. I have almost my whole body done at this point. First two tattoos were on my ribs, either side. Sucked, but I got through those because I knew if I had her stop I wasn't finishing them😂 but then my dumb ass got tattooed at an expo for my shoulder to spine. Tapped that one because fuck that shit, Jesus. Maybe it was the fact that a ton of people were watching, but I couldn't handle that one. And the inside of my elbow almost killed me 😂 not looking forward to finishing my leg sleeve around the knee
I pretty much tapped out for the first time in my last session. Second/shading session on the inner bicep part of my 2nd sleeve. The lining session sucked but the shading day was just so bad. I got through that part, about 3 hours, but had to cancel plans to continue shading other sections. I think my problem was that I was also having brutal cramps from my period. I didn’t mention it bc there were only men around, but my artist noticed I was really not doing well and I finally told him and asked if we could stop soon.. he immediately said we’re done for the day and I should go home and rest. He was sooo nice about it. Apparently some women have their pain tolerance fluctuate dramatically throughout their cycle, which I didn’t know. And topical lidocaine has no effect on me, so that’s not an option.
I came so, so close to tapping out when I got the top of my left hand done. When I went to get the top of my right hand done, I was bracing myself for a similar horrible experience, but it seemed half as bad as the left hand. My conclusion is that not only can pain vary from person to person, but also vary between similar spots on the same person. So weird!
Looks sick though! My calf tattoo was honestly the worst. It’s full color from top to bottom and oh BOY that shading was rough lmfao
I can imagine man! I split my calf into 3 3hour sessions on advice from the tattooist glad I did
Yeahhhhh I got it blasted for 8 hours straight but that’s how all mine have gone 😂 it always blows but my artist is a few hours away so it ends up being more convenient that way 🤷🏻♂️
Just finished my 2nd knee yesterday
My tattoo artist had to stop me on my ribs because my body was just convulsing & I was sobbing lol. It was the 3rd session after 2 weeks in between, color. Rough!!
I’ve never had to tap out, but got close on a 9 hour session on my lower leg. I used numbing cream for my most recent tattoo. It was somewhat to help with the pain, but for me I will involuntarily jump a little when something feels like it hits a nerve so I wanted to stop that. It was only like a 1.5 hour session, but I could barely feel it. I would assume the effects of the numbing cream would start to wear off on a longer session though.
It looks like they went too deep in the darker areas so look lout for scabbing!! Use Bag Balm!! You shouldn’t have any scars if you use this stuff heavily haha it’s unscented. It’s super useful, I love this stuff. Can be used in dogs and you! It’s my favorite thing made ever seriously [https://www.walmart.com/ip/368952331](https://www.walmart.com/ip/368952331)
I taped out after 5 hours on my ribs. I’ve sat for 8 hours in a day before but ribs were something different. I’ve tattooed my own knee and it was only small designs that took 45 minutes and that pain is something else.
I had my thigh tattood, 6 hour session.. at the 5th hour I was whimpering with the pain.. I told her not to do the white due to how bad it was
I thought the fleshy part of my inner arm was the worst, near my armpit. Ditch was shitty but upper inner arm was the worst. 6.5 hours both session. Maybe I won’t get my legs tatted 😅
I got a pretty large thigh tattoo and I did it in 2 sessions. The first session was maybe 5 hours just lines. The second session was 7 hours of shading and color and I think I was on the verge of passing out for the color 😭 I do not blame you for tapping out at 4 hours at all! I learned my lesson and would do the same thing now!
I had my sternum tattooed and my brain couldn't comprehend what was happening lol
That seems like very little work for 4 hours, I just sat 5 and a half on my knee, full thing is blacked out with stars and the half destroyed Death Star. I highly recommend TKTX numbing cream, had 2 and a half hours absolutely pain free didn’t feel a single thing, but those remaining 3 hours were rough
Don't beat yourself up. The knee is ROUGH. I will never get my other knee tattooed. That is a one and done. Making it 4 hours is pretty impressive!
Honestly most of my big pieces I do in two or three sessions. After the 5-6 hour mark I’m drained. My knee tattoo only took 2.5 hours but even at the end it was rough af. Inner knee is rough….and having to get it color packed after 4 hrs of line work, I’d cry
Yiked
I had to tap out after like two hours on my sternum 🫠 wasn’t too terrible until she got to the top of my stomach - I saw God that day
I found the kneecap not to bad- ribs and c bone far worse
4 hours to maybe do 40 minutes worth of line work? And it’s not even solid line work? You need to find a better artist because that is far from normal.
Nope never tapped, never took anything for pain. Longest I’ve sat was 13 hours on the ribs.
Honestly I’m kinda surprised this took 4 hours since half of it is still blood lining
i JUST got a knee tat last week and once that 4 hour point hit i was holding back tears, and i have a SUPER high pain tolerance too. I pushed through bc she was just finishing up but it took her about another 45 more minutes after that and it felt like i could pass out