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Chest Piece Tattoo

Chest and ribs

The chest is the placement with the most symmetry to respect and the least room for a mistake, because the eye reads both sides against each other automatically.

Healed black and grey lion on the chest
Chest, healed
Federico drawing a full torso design freehand on the skin in marker, before any tattooing
Drawn on the body first, before the needle

It is also, with the ribs and the sternum, among the sharpest places on the body to sit through. That is worth knowing before you book a full day.

The practical part

CompositionThe collarbones and the sternum set the frame. A chest piece is designed around them, not on top of them.
PainSternum and ribs are the sharpest areas on the body for most people. The outer pec is much easier.
SessionsA single pec is often one long day. A full chest is a project across visits.
Drawn on youA chest is designed freehand on the body, in marker, before anything is tattooed. You see it and can change it first.
HealingKeep it out of a seat belt and out of the sun. Chests get more sun than people expect.

Questions

How bad is a rib tattoo really?

For most people the ribs and the sternum are the worst place on the body: thin skin directly over bone, and it moves every time you breathe. Nobody sits through it comfortably.

Can a chest piece be done in one session?

One pec, often yes. A full chest across the sternum is more than one day for almost anyone, both for the work and for what you can physically sit through.

Does a chest tattoo have to be symmetrical?

No, but it has to be deliberate. An asymmetric chest piece works when it is clearly a choice and looks like a mistake when it is not.

Do chest tattoos fade?

They hold well as long as they stay out of the sun. Chests and shoulders get far more sun exposure than the parts people usually worry about.

Related

Ask about a piece like this

Requests go straight to Federico, not to an agency inbox. He answers from his own address.