SUMMER FEATURE: Tattoo a tribal tribute to twin brother

Ross Cameron, a 25-year-old caf worker from Napier was 18 when he first "got inked".
What does it look like?
It's a stylised tribal design of me and my twin on my back from my upper back down my spine. It's two foetuses and the umbilical cords come down along the spine and link, which is symbolic of being twins. It's also a timeline, with one one line a bit longer because my brother Micheal's 15 minutes older than me.
What were the circumstances?
The one on my back is a tribal piece I designed when I was in High School. I started drawing and got interested in that style of design. We had to make wall-able pieces for art class and I decided to research tribal design so I drew massive back motifs. Everyone thought they were cool, and I started selling them to tattoo parlours around Napier and got a bit of cash for them.
The funny thing is, the tattoo artists thought they were good, but my teacher failed me. He just didn't see my way of thinking.
Who did it and how much did it cost?
John at Monster Truck, we're good friends and get along well.
It cost about $180, and took one 2 1/2-hour sitting.
Was it worth the pain?
I didn't actually feel any pain. It was more of a sting then, afterwards, a bad sunburn.
It felt ... different because it's over the spine so I started talking a bit strangely.
After a while, it started to numb up, and that's your body reacting.
You hear people say it doesn't hurt and they want another one, and you think how could they?
But it's relaxing, and an overwhelming sense of euphoria kicks in when it's done, and very soon after the first I was contemplating the next one.
It was a much smoother and more relaxing experience than getting my lower lip pierced. That's much more impersonal. How do people react when they see it?
Generally, they love it. I haven't had anyone say anything bad. Because I designed it myself, there's a story behind it, which they find cool.
A lot of people rush in and get tattoos, but it doesn't mean anything to them. I thought about it for a solid year before I had it done. I had a drawing by my light switch, and I carved it into the grip tape on my skateboard. I saw it every single day for two years and never got sick of it, so I knew it was right for me.
Any regrets?
No, because I was ready when I got it done. It's perfect. Would you get another?
I'm working on the design right now. I want a half-sleeve [shoulder to elbow] tattoo on my right arm.
It's to cover this dragon I got one day when my ex-girlfriend was shopping and I thought "This is boring, I want to go and get some ink".
I've seen another eight people with that same design since. It'll be a tribal design, including some Maori art work, and my Mum will be the predominant figure in that with my older brother, me and my twin interlinking through. It'll probably cost between $800 and $1000, so I'm saving.