Is there a limit to the amount of tattooing a human can take in one session?

Question

Whether it be a time factor, or an endorphin overload, is there a limit to the amount of tattooing that can be done in one session? Let's say for a non-athletic, medium build adult male...

Answer 1

The limit is has little to do with how much YOU can take. It depends more on the artist's stamina. My coverup tattoo was done on my upper arm at a tattoo convention. We started @12:30pm and finished @ 10:00pm. Nine and a half hours sounds like a long time but every couple of hours we would take a ten minute break which gave me a chance to walk around and work the kinks out (more importantly it gave my artist a chance to stretch) The problem with the breaks was that when we started back it was like starting all over again. Five or ten minutes of my arm burning like hell before I would fall back into the zone, sitting mindlessly watching the crowd float past me. By the time we were finished both me and the artist were wiped but I think I could have gone on for a couple of more hours. (See my 360 page for pics and details) The artist (Bret Zarro) is known for marathon tattoo sessions. He once did a full Japanese Dragon backpiece on this guys back at at tattoo convention in Cali. Lots of details and coloring. It took 34 hours over the three day convention (2, 12 hour days and 1, 10 hour day) and won best of show. The answer is as long as you can sit there and handle the pain and as long as your artist can keep putting out the ink. In practical terms 12 hours is probably the limit.



Rider (2 hours on 1 tattoo and 91/2 hours on the other)

Answer 2

Well of course there is but it would be different for each person. Not only that, but there is time limit on an artist as well. Tattooing can be exhausting for them. You really wouldn't want to over tax your artist and have work that isn't quite what you would want it to be.

My longest was 3 hours. That was plenty long. About an hour too long....

You won't realize how much you tensed up during a really long session until the next day when you are kind of sore from the tension.

Answer 3

My longest was about 5 hours or 5 and a half hours long. I could MAYBE go 6, but I don't know how I would feel about that. It's definitely different from person to person. I, personally, don't want to sit getting a tattoo for 5 hours again.

Answer 4

My GF is a custom Tattoo artist. According to her, it's different for everybody but the sure sign is that the skin, after taking so much injury from long hours of tattooing doesn't accept ink any longer, meaning that the color just doesn't get laid in like it should.



That's the sign to stop and then continue at a later time.

Answer 5

It depends on a lot of factors. The longest time I've ever sat was 6 hours. I thought I was going to die. And so did the artist!



Other times I think I'm prepared, and after 2 hours, I'm done.

Answer 6

Watch Miami Ink and LA Ink, some of those guys can sit for a few hours, some can only sit for a half an hour, it all depends on where you get it, and how well you bleed

Answer 7

the limit is up to the individuals pain limit.

iv seen my skin do some weird stuff after a few hours, looking like it trying to crawl away from the needle.

my gun man wont do drunk people as he say they bleed to much but loves dope smokers as he thinks it hurts more.

i think he should just stab people with a rusty knife and really enjoy himself.

Answer 8

My record is 5 hours and the last hour was A killer I thought my head was gona blow off.But the Australian record was 32 hours thats hektic...........

Answer 9

my longest was three, i reckon i could do more though