People have questions.
Lemme help with that.
What are deposits for?
Deposits not only cover the time we as tattooers spend drawing, but also help us recover some of the cost when we get last minute cancellations. We’re only paid when we work, so when we spend 8 hours on a drawing and then end up with a no-call no-show, at least we can dry our tears on the couple bucks we get from deposits.
2. How much time goes into prep for a tattoo?
It totally depends on the project, but between the emails, the consult, the drawing, and the set-up, prep for a back piece, for instance, can take over 40 hours of work.
3. I’m not sure what tattoo styles I like, what are the differences?
There are dozens of styles out there, and people tend to get them confused. Here’s a basic overview of how I define a few tattoo styles people tend to get confused:
American Traditional
This is a back piece by Asheville, NC legend Myke Chambers. Trad is characterized by immaculate black line work, bold designs, and heavily saturated colors. It has a century of history, thousands of variations, and the ability to read a design from a mile away.
Neo-Traditional
Done by Matt Truiano of the Bowery, NYC. Neo-trad has as many variations as punk has sub-genres, but generally has many similarities with American trad in that it has bold designs and bold colors. It differs in the amount of fine line details and incorporation of other artistic influences.
Illustrative
This is an incredible thigh piece by one of my all time favourite tattooers, Hannah Flowers of London. This is a bit more vague, but when I describe an “illustrative” tattoo, I tend to think of a heavy fine art or book illustrative influence. This can be in color or black and grey and can take influences from anyplace. For me, Alphonse Mucha, Caravaggio, Edward Gorey, 19c botanical illustrations, Aubrey Beardsley, and Frank Frazetta are frequent influences.
Portrait - Photo Realism
By Pittsburgh’s own Steve Morris, this is a black and grey photo-realistic portrait. Many people get realism confused with more simple black and grey shading, but notice that there are no black outlines here and it literally looks like a photo. If you’re looking for something simple with some shading, this is not realism.
Stipple
Done by Ryan Murray in Salem, Massachusetts, stipple tattoos are highly detailed, and are the tattoo equivalent of pointillism. Unlike black and gray shading which uses a set of grey wash inks, stipple tattoos are shaded with a small needle grouping using only opaque black ink.
4. How does tipping work?
Tips for tattoos are just like anything else. Tattooers either work on a commission percentage or pay monthly rent for the station we use. Tips help us cover our supply costs and show us you appreciate the wealth of time and energy we put into your design. The tips I’ve received over the years have ranged from straight up nothing to a pair of $400 boots, but I typically receive about 20%.
5. How should I prepare for my session?
You don’t need to do much, but not getting drunk the night before, taking a shower before you come in, lotioning the area for a couple days before, and making sure you’ve eaten within 4 hours before you come in go a long way. Truly, just try to relax and have a good time. Bring snacks. Bring a blankey. Dress comfy. You don’t need to impress anyone, least of all me.
6. Can I see my drawing before my Appointment?
Unfortunately, no. I’ve spent thousands of hours of unbilled time working on designs prior to every appointment over the years. As a general rule, tattooers do not let drawings leave the shop. We do this for 2 reasons:
As much as it sucks, people will steal these drawings and go to a cheaper shop down the street.
The relationship between tattooer and client is intimate, and when a drawing goes out ahead of time, friends and family get involved. It ends up being a little bit like sharing a baby name idea before you’re settled.
That being said, I will never start a tattoo before a client is 100% happy with the design, placement, and size, and am more than happy to make adjustments to a design or even reschedule under certain circumstances to make sure a client is satisfied.
7. How do touch-ups work?
Tattoos are inherently man-made. They are crafted lovingly by hand and by heart, not a machine, and that means that designs will have small flaws. This is beautiful and natural and is part of the joy in getting tattoos.
Tattoos also age. While I do my best to craft designs that will stand the test of time, a 20 year old tattoo will not look like a fresh tattoo. This is also beautiful and natural and is part of the joy in getting tattoos. I personally love seeing people’s 35 year old tattoos. They’re wonderful.
That being said, sometimes you need a touch-up. Maybe your cat scratched you during healing, or you fell off your bike, or something weird happened. This happens. I guarantee my work, and that means if something happens, within reason, I will touch up your tattoo free of charge (though tips are very appreciated), and make sure you walk out loving your hand made art.
8. How long does a sleeve take?
Sleeves, back pieces, and leg sleeves vastly differ dependent on the size of your body and the intricacy of the design. I have done sleeves in 20 hours, and I have done sleeves in 50 hours. If you want color and a background, plan on the upper end, black stipple and no background, the lower.
You pay for your sleeve as you go, and I typically see my clients once either every 2 weeks or once a month. This ensures that the project will be finished all looking around the same age and cuts down on reworking I have to do. You don’t need to save for a sleeve all at once, and breaks happen, but planning your sleeve so that you’re financially prepared is important. You’ll wear this tattoo for the rest of your life, and it is definitely a large investment I don’t take lightly in my design or application process.
9. I’ve filled out a form. Now what happens?
So you have your form in, and I now have in my possession your next dream piece. Now what? I generally at any given time have upwards of 60 people on my list with whom I have not yet booked. Most of my work is larger-scale, so when I get to someone who wants, say, a sleeve, That could take up to 6 of my available slots per quarter, and that means I don’t get to see as many folks.
As an artist, I’m not so good with the spreadsheet side of things, so I have a team I work with to help me keep up. We talk shop once a week to discuss new potential clients, and either one of them or myself reaches out to each person to let them know if your idea is one I’m able to take on. If I think I’m the lady for the job, you’re placed on our list to book from when we get to our next booking bonanza. If I don’t think I’m the right fit, we always do our best to refer you to someone I would trust with the piece. This doesn’t mean I don’t like you or your idea or I don’t want to tattoo you in the future, it just means I don’t think I’m the perfect fit for this particular project.
Once you’re on my waitlist, I book one quarter at a time a couple of months in advance. This gives you, the potential client, enough time to make any arrangements you need for the day, but isn’t so far out that big life stuff can get in the way. Usually. When we get into booking mode, an email is sent out to everyone to let them know, and we start calling. Why the phone you ask? Because I’m old fashioned, and because if it takes more than 2 questions, it’s usually more efficient. It keeps multiple people from competing for the same day, and it gives me a little chance to get to know you.
If you haven’t heard from me yet or gotten an appointment, just know that it’s not personal, book keeping is my worst attribute, and I’m doing all I can to make sure you’ll hear from me soon. If it’s been a couple of months, it probably just means I’m a little behind, but feel free to reach out. I don’t want anyone falling through the cracks.