Terisa’s Finished Back Piece. Tattoo by Greg James. Photo by Bob Young Photography.

The step by step process of how I got a traditional Japanese backpiece doesn’t actually begin on my back, or even on my body.

Did My Research

We’ll side-step the question of “why did you get a tattoo?” and jump right to the process of getting it. Having finished the research about all sorts of topics related to tattooing and to Japanese artwork, and knowing what I wanted, my first step was to find a tattoo artist.

Got Recommendations

I did that by soliciting feedback from people in the rec.arts.bodyart newsgroup. The word was unanimous and the artist was Greg James, at Tattoos Deluxe, in Sherman Oaks, California. What luck for me since I live in Los Angeles. I later learned that many of Greg’s clients come from all over, even overseas.

Met with the Artist

After meeting with Greg, seeing his portfolio, and talking plans, I decided to start…but in a small way.