Re: design fees, I've been getting tattooed in the US for about a decade, and I've never heard of this, at all, before the Tattoogate fox incident. I've, of course, not spoken to every tattoo artist that exists, but this practice is, bare minimum, clearly pretty unusual.
Oh man, if you come to Salem to go to Black Veil, you should drop by Good Mojo in Beverly, the next town over, so I can tattoo you too! You would adore the vibe in our shop, I bet. It's six artists, all women, except for one very excellent guy with the strongest Boston accent you're going to hear on your trip, so it's very friendly and full of humor and joy. We'd be delighted to have you! We're also one of the cheapest shops in the area in spite of having some really stellar artists with all kinds of different specialties. So, yeah. There's also a really fantastic Mexican place across the street that makes chocolate-filled churros with ice cream that you gotta try. Edit: we're also a super-inclusive shop, and have lots of trans, nb, gay, and SA survivors who come to us because they know we're a safe and loving place. Plus at least two of us are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Come see uuuuuuussss!
I find it so sad that all these scammers are out here giving tattoo artists a bad name! I can find some merit in a redesign cost if it means you get to see your design before the day of, but like $50 max.
Not counting the tip, I paid approximately $4,000. 00 for my right arm realism sleeve. 10/10 would do it again. My artist is insanely talented, compassionate with clients, and very transparent with his business practices. I wish everyone could have the same level of care and professionalism from their artist
Just curious, how long did it take to do and was it all in one session or broken up? $4000 seems reasonable to me for a full realism sleeve. You're talking a lot of coverage in that. Whereas the tattoogate woman had charged 4k just for a partial shoulder piece, iirc that was just a linework piece and not big that she spent loken5 hours or something on. I sill can't get over what that tattoo gate woman was charging before her client even got to the studio, but then am conspvinced her business plan was to make as much money for as little effort as possible...in other words, she never actually wanted to do a tattoo, she wanted to pocket the $1600 design fee and ntcrethe client was never coming back. She forgot to factor in that some clients will shout about their experience and your shitty practice _will_ get exposed,
That's, what? $170 per hour? I would consider that a bit too high for the UK but from what I've seen that's a really reasonable hourly rate in the US. Sounds like you got the jackpot with that artist!
I could justify paying a consult fee and design fee if you're wanting something fully custom but it should be a reasonable hourly rate not more than the cost of a tattoo. I haven't paid either of those and my artists definitely don't charge them, but I could see the reasons one might want to but it should be *reasonable*.
Salem is definitely a big tourist destination for history buffs and alternative folk! I live in a small city in Pa that is an hour away from Philly and EVERYTHING is more expensive there because it’s a big metropolitan city!
I had a design fee for my tattoo, but I found it reasonable since both the deposit and design fees were $50 individually. I do think I'll be returning to the artist since I liked the work and the shop vibe.
in Brazil they sometimes charge a design fee if you want to see the design ahead of time, so you don’t get the artwork and do it with someone else. If they show you the design day of, then they don’t usually charge. Not universal though, just something I noticed
While this was all unfolding I was also getting ready to get a new tattoo. Thankfully the artist was really sweet and did the normal deposit and the day rates. He did have quite a few breaks but he didn't factor that into the time that was actually spent on the tattoo. The artist has a pretty big following on socials and I had been admiring their work for a long while before. I took a chance on trying to book and managed to get a spot. Mind you this was also a guest spot. I am extremely thankful for the amazing tattoo and the experience I had with this artist. I hope I never run into a scam artist. Pun very much intended.
Thank you so much for all your advice Lauren, it's so helpful to someone like me who's just started getting tattoos. Your videos have helped me find an amazing artist as well as taught me how to look after my tattoos properly and heal them well. Love your channel 🥰
Always get quotes in writing. For anything you do. Then you’re covered. Thank you for this video Lauren. These last few videos have been very informative. ❤
The best artists I've been to in terms of customer service would start charging from the moment the needle touches the skin and not from the time of the appointment. Cause as we know there's always at least a few minutes to prepare the inks and stencil and any modification. I appreciated that a lot.
I asked my friends with lots of good quality tattoos here in Canada before my first appointment what to expect to be charged as I had no clue. I was told depending on the artist (skill,years tattooing etc) you would expect to pay between $175-$250 hourly + tax for a good artist in a major Canadian city (Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton & Calgary was the places they had been tattooed in). Compared to other countries it can seem like tattoos are more expensive here but then the cost of living in Canada isn’t cheap. I want my artist to live comfortably, but also charge fairly (I don’t support the tattoo gate pricing structure 😅)
I live in Québec and Montréal's high end cost are $150 per hour. Like for artists who're booked years and years in advance. I hope you're getting good quality tattoos for tattoos above that price range because yikes.
In Edmonton 1999 I got a Celt cross on my back, it's about 30cm L and probably 18-20cm W , took about 4 1/2 hours to complete with shading fully rendered, I paid $150 Canadian. Guy told me that was a deal too.
I really appreciate you making this video. I've been waiting to get my first tattoo until I'm out of college and have money. It's been very daunting researching and trying to get a general idea for how much I should have saved until I can get the design that I want. This tattoo Gate made me realize that higher price is not higher quality.
This was a great video with a ton of good tips for newbies 💖 I stopped getting tattooed for years because our local shops were shady and made most women feel uncomfortable.
Same! My first tat was amazing, a nationally known artist, I felt safe, welcomed etc etc. now there’s a tat shop on every corner and everyone seems to be an artists now. Good for them, but my last one was such a terrifying experience I’ve never finished. Dude was locked up after I got there and not even hiding that he was dealing drugs out the back door as he slowly got himself stoned out of his head. I have literal scars from his work.
Once you find your artist, it feels pretty damn good. They get your style, great prices, make you feel comfortable, and provide dope ass art on your body 🤘 I'm a traditional black n grey girl so a light hand is nice too😂
Here in Canada tipping is encouraged but not required. I always tip my tattoo artist, and my fast-food workers. But if I get bad service at a restaurant I won't tip for example. Totally depends on the situation!❤
I’m also Canadian and I’ll tip for a tattoo if I really got along with the artist or if they do a couple of sketch revisions/placement changes. As a thank you for their time (the way it should be, unlike tattoo gate)
I think one thing to factor in is also the speed of the artist. I know some tattoo artists will charge higher hourly rates purely because they work so fast so that they can actually get all the costs covered. Obviously that can be very tricky to know if you've never been to that particular artist or don't know anyone who has a piece by them.
In my experience, 9 times out of 10, an artist will ask you your budget when you book for a custom tattoo, and warn you if anything you're discussing even comes close to going over that budget. Like for my last tattoo (a custom color piece inspired by the movie Alien), when the artist was showing me the design on the day + we were discussing tweaks etc, she got specific about how the "sparkle" effect I had asked about takes significantly longer than just regular color fill, therefore it would add more time to the tattoo and cost a bit more, getting closer to my max budget. She asked me if I was ok with that or if I wanted to nix the sparkle effect to save some money. Clearing that up before the tattoo starts is crucial! Also also, remember that if you're doing a consultation online, the agreed price may change slightly once the tattoo stencil is actually sized for your body. I'm a bigger gal, so sometimes we'll decide to make a design bigger than discussed on the day to fit the space/limb better, which increases the price a little bit. BUT that should always be done WITH your approval, they shouldn't just increase the size without discussion and then charge you more for it.
You and your artist need to be on the same page right from the consult. It makes the process so much more pleasant and less stressful. My last consult was free and was almost and hour.
Adding in my own large tattoo prices: I got an amazing very detailed B&W tattoo from a very good Seattle artist that covers my entire front left thigh. Had an in person consult then an 8 hour appt with 6 hours of tattooing. Cost a $150 deposit, $30 design fee and then $1250 at the end of the tattoo appointment so $1430 total including a tip. And this person was so lovely and flexible, during the consult she let me know she was not comfortable with fitting the design I wanted on my thigh so we walked through my other tattoo ideas until we found one that would work. And then day of I decided to change the placement slightly on her suggestion. Lovely experience.
I feel like most services have a 24-48 hour policy on cancellations, meaning you can’t cancel on the day of the appointment. That’s totally fair and as you say if it’s because of an unforeseen emergency, they are likely to rebook. Most people are pretty understanding. Not con artists though.
I absolutely love my artist. Current in the annoying itchy/flakey healing stage on my forearm & fingers but will be back in the shop once they're healed.
In my country, any sort of privately owned body modification shop must be given a pass by health inspectors. The certificate must be displayed in plain view, and is bright green a declaration of body safety. It also must be dated. Check if your country has a system like this, and if they do, and a shop is missing this sign, RUN.
I just realised that when this was happening i was getting ready to get my favourite cartoon fox tattooed on me😂 my mother helped me to find the right artist in my country, and she was the sweetest human being ever, and I'll definitely be a return costumer
Your videos are always helpful, Lauren. I have done SO much research ahead of my first tattoo just from watching your channel, even if I still can’t afford it for another couple of years
In Canada I've always paid $50-100 deposit when booking, am used to hourly rates from $160-200, and day rates really vary. If I have a good experience I usually tip 15-18%, depending on what is the rounder number to round up to if that makes sense!
I'm in the US and have only heard of a design fee for a HUGE full backpiece or something. That way you don't get a client who dips out after getting artwork from you to take to someone cheaper to finish. Or for artists who aren't tattoo artists, like just an illustrator or graphic designer or something would ask you to buy a "tattoo permission slip" design fee sort of thing from their online store if you want to take their work to a tattoo artist.
Deposits in the US are typically half the quote or 1 hour’s rates. Some people/shops have set deposits. One artist I go to always only takes $75 and charges $150 by the hour, they only take $75 deposits and no more, even if it’s a full day session. Another shop I go to charges 50% of the quote. Another shop I go to has $50 deposit for apprentices and $100 deposits for graduated artists. Another shop I go to has a $250 deposit for the owner because she takes 5 hour or more pieces only. Her apprentices charge 25% of the quote for their deposits.
Thank you for the interesting video! I’m getting tattooed for +10 years now in Germany and I had different experiences with artists. From a deposit from 50 to 100€, filling out a form of consent (with the placement and design in it + a copy of my ID) to just getting an appointment, no deposit at all. I’ve never paid for a consultation or a design fee. I also never experienced hourly rates, I always paid for the tattoo itself. My last appointments were with the same artist - we get along really well and I just got a 17h ornamental backpiece for 1.8k from her. I always tip her (not mandatory in Germany) and I believe she gave me a big discount because of that!
My half sleeve (so far) has run me about 2300 for 9 hours of work. In truth, I was at her shop for a total of 18 hours of work, from design, breaks, and the rest. She posted healed and fresh work, and even had a side-by-side comparison. I was genuinely surprised that she didn't charge me for the consult, but she said she only charges when the ink touches the skin. It's a very expensive half sleeve, I realize that, but she's so kind and detailed and it's custom to me, so I love it.
I have had a tattoo artist did not want tip. Most appt cancellations are usually 48 hours. I never paid design or consultation fee. We do everything by email , when I get there we go over the design . I am in US California
I would like to advertise: if you have a large tattoo and it will need several bookings to be completed and there is an agreement on the price for the entire work. Don't pay for the entire tattoo in advance. Had a colleague who paid for a big half arm tattoo and only got the outlines done, the tattooist stopped answering emails, phone calls and all attempts at contact.
Me getting a large sized, detailed tattoo from an artist with a lot of followers, in London (I’m American), for a guest spot this summer 😂 I think it’s ridiculously reasonably priced all things considering, but the reactions I’ve gotten to my plans suggest I’m crazy. I’m super excited, I’ve loved this artist since she was new, and it’s been almost a decade and it’s finally happening!
Thank you for this video! It's helpful especially when you have little to no tattoo experience. I have one tattoo, and this is good to know for my next ones. My artist charged a consultation fee, but it was extremely reasonable at $50. I was happy to pay it because I was eager to get a tattoo by this artist, and $50 is extremely reasonable for a consult and design in my opinion.
Every time I go in for a tattoo I always expect to hear some large number like $500 or above but still have the ideal amount I hope to pay in my head and almost every time I'm shocked at what I'm actually quoted and how close to my original number it is
I treat my deposit as my tip/ pay for prep work and design. Any deposit I have paid is 150 to 200. After that I will be happy to spend whatever my artists hourly/day rate is (usually $150-250 hrs or $1200-2000 full day) so at the absolute least I guess I'm tipping 10%. I also honestly think that tipping in tattooing (unless your an apprentice who set their own rates) is dumb because I just want you to tell me what you think your time and experience is worth, I will be more than happy to pay whatever if I want it from you.
@Serena G I agree that it is a lot of money, I'm sure there are places I could go that are cheaper but I'm not looking for affordability over quality. I wish it was cheaper but life here is expensive and artists should be able to pay their bills too.
I visited Salem MA last October and got to meet the Murray brothers (it was some outdoor market thing.) They were soooooo nice. Oh, and Salem was great but super crowded in October 🙃
This is so informative for tattoo clients! Thank you so much for sharing this to help clients better understand the tattoo booking and pricing process☆ It makes our lives as tattoo artists a little more smooth when everyone understands the process. It also gives me more of an insite on how I could better streamline and make the booking process smoother. Thank you again for what you do on this platform!!💗
One sub category I would think to ask/communicate is the setting of which they work out of. I think that has a large hand in prices and with payment. Some artists have a huge over head if working in a shop and having shop requirements/minimums. As many artists work from private studios now and their rates reflect that.
The Murray twins charge a $200 drawing deposit that does not go towards the cost of the tattoo and is not refundable. You do not get to see the artwork until day of appointment. They also charge a $200 deposit to get on their cancellation list which is non refundable and does not go towards the cost of your tattoo. I can get on board with paying drawing deposits/all deposits IF it goes towards the cost of my tattoo. If you cancel an appt I understand not getting your money back, but why would your deposit ever not go towards the cost of your tattoo? I don’t like this practice
A few things: All of the tattoo artists I follow on Instagram (and I follow a lot) post 95% fresh tattoos and only 5% healed tattoos Also none of the artists I follow ever post any flash. I mean any. Ever. I would like to get a flash tattoo but I’ve never actually seen any of my local artists post any
Great video! Just started my tattoo journey in lack of a better word, only got one right now though. What I found interesting is that I didn't need to pay a deposit and I have never heard of tipping the artist. Maybe it's just cuz we don't have tipping culture in Sweden. But maybe it's different depending on where you get tattooed. In any case, I feel like a learned a lot from this! 😊
I recently payed 450 euro for a session for a tattoo artist who has 100k followers and 6-7 months waiting list . He told me he could charge x10 if he worked in the us and that's the reason they travel a lot abroad. I live in Greece.
I've gotten only six tattoos but I've never thought to ask about a quote for some reason. I'll definitely be seeing about that next time because the shop I go to charges by the hour.
My regular artist is incredibly talented, easily one of the best in my city, he's often booked 18 months - 2 years in advance and he only charges £60ph! Shop minimum is also £60. He gave me my first tattoo 10 years ago as an apprentice when he charged £50ph. I always over pay because I think he's worth so much more
From the perspective of a tattoo artist regarding changes in the design: of course most changes I do for clients are minor and I do them for free, but, on a very rare ocassions, especially when it comes to custom designs, the client doesnt mention some crucial details that you can just add or change the design a little bit and if you want to accomodate that, you basically have to design the whole thing from the start and in my opinion it's ok to charge more for that tattoo, because it is not a tattoo artist's faulf that the client failed to include all the infornamtion and kinda wasted artist's time, and again, this is very rare, not your regular change in a design, but a major one, especiallu when this coild be avoided
My experience for multi-session tattoos was to pay a $100(US) deposit to reserve the time slot. I met with the artist for about 10 minutes prior to that to confirm they could do the work I wanted. Then I was charged an hourly rate. My artist only charged the hourly rate for when he was actually tattooing, not designing. On one session he reworked the design a bit to fit better and he didn’t charge for that hour that I was in the chair but he was not tattooing. I also tipped about 20% each session. He included one free touch up after it healed if there was anything that needed it. Great experience!
I have actually never paid a deposit. Which I thought odd, but also just figured it wasn't a thing in my country. And I prefer by the hr prices, and the artist go "oh I think this will take 3hrs", but if it takes 2.5 or 3.5, doesn't matter as it's fair to both client and artist. One studio where I used to go, avoided losing work and money by basically starting the design phase when you met up for the appointment. And I get the idea, but being told something will take apropiately 3hrs, and then show up, and have to sit on the couch and wait for an hr +, because the artist hadn't even started the sketch, is not really a good way to treat the customer's time either. (just bake the price of the drawing into the tattoo time imho). That wasn't the main reason i stopped going to that studio, but it definitivey played a part. Also I think this was a good video^^
I had one artist move a second session after he started tattooing, because I wasn’t healed enough for him to do what he wanted (adding little details on top of the tattooed areas). Instead of charging me for his time he and the people in the shop took me out and bought me a lovely lunch 😂. I know technically you can tattoo over partially healed areas, because later I had that experience and it was agony- so I am really glad he chose not to!
Obviously every country is different but in Australia it’s extremely common for deposits to be non-refundable regardless. But you can still reschedule if you need to and it normal comes of the price of the tattoo (depending on the artist). 😊
I always tip my tattoo artist at the end if the session in cash. Just so the artist can get all of the tip money. I'm not sure if the tattoo studio takes a cut if the tip. But yes tipping here in the U.S.A. is pretty typical.
lmao i love my artist, sometimes she literally asks me what she quoted me or knocks down the quote just because, i tend to get a few things done in the same day and we just vibe, i just always tip her 20-30% because if anything she undervalues her work. hoping everyone finds a good fair artist, it rocks
2:11 I got 2 tattoos by one very popular Portuguese tattoo artist but he was already famous before social media lol so he has real fans and I spent 50 Euro in total 😂 because they were very small and he said he doesn’t have to be greedy also he was on his travel tour so it wasn’t in a studio so hearing you guys pay astronomical prices for tattoo artists that are only famous because of social media is mind boggling lol
My brother in law got a tattoo by Ryan Murray, I live 15 minutes from there shop and they are really cool people to be around super nice and such great artist!
In 2020 I messaged an artist at an explicitly trans friendly appointment only local shop and I heard back from an assistant promptly. The pricing was a little higher than I expected but I haven't gotten a tattoo in a few years and inflation is real. My wife and I didn't move forward with the artist because they only do half day and full day rates, and my wife only wanted a two to three pretty simple cutesy tattoo on her forearm. The artist only does custom tattoos on an "extremely limited bases." And they do not do any consultation, not even a 5 minute vibe check over the phone or by letting us stop by to meet them between their appointments. I do not want to pay a non refundable deposit to an artist that I am not allowed to communicate directly with before the appointment start time. I am also not interested in paying for a half day of flash. So weird.
Thanks for this video, it really helped as someone considering getting a tattoo from a well known and thus expensive artist (Laura Annunaki) which is quite a step up from the ones I have
I think some people just think they are more important they really are. I paid a lot for a tattoo of my dog, with an artist incredible that to get a place in her agenda you need to be fast, she puts on a google form and in 30 SECONDS there's no place anymore. So it's a huge competition and she never charged any extra fee besides the deposit.
I’m in the United States and one of my regular artist, does charge a consultation fee, but I like to consider that like a deposit and I just factor in the price. They do great quality work and all original designs so I would say worth it. I am seeing a lot of that become more popular, though in the United States to have a consultation fee, but definitely wouldn’t recommend’s paying more than $100 anything more than that definite red flag.
Think the most I’ve spent on a tattoo session is £700 (2 tattoos black and grey full day session in Croydon) Cheapest day rate was Yorkshire at £250/300 for 6 hour session Smaller tattoos usually shop minimum £30-100 Deposits usually £50-100 in my experience Anything more than £800 is very scary Did walk out on a session once cos I was so anxious to be tattooed by a very famous artist and couldn’t go through with it but they were so nice and sat with me Needing an extra session is a bit more money, had this recently with sternum cos I wasn’t well enough to finish it Conventions - smallish flash piece was £90 Apprentices or junior artists may also have lower rates Also - colour is usually more expensive than black and grey, line work & deposits are non refundable
How do you even get a quote, that stupid inked channel made me feel so dumb for asking artists how much it will cost when asking about a design 😢 it's like if you don't have 300$ don't even bother getting one? Absolutely mad, it's been keeping me from getting one for a long time, so much anxiety about asking incorrectly and getting taken advantage of because of it 😪
An red flag for we would be if you plan big project and booked several appointments you shouldn't be forced to pay a depocite for every single day (I have one appointment for my sleeves every month the Rest of the year and payed 150 Euros depocite Once) and the hourly rate should stay the same within the whole project.
Nice video! But i wouldn’t pay Van Gough (just as well if he got to my ear) to draw on my body! I know myself well enough to know that i would change and want something different.
6000 for a thy piece that doesnt go all the way around crazy! i got my full leg done realistic in color for a little more than that in a private studio in la by a guy who has been in the industry for 30 years and has to travel for his demand and some people say that price is crazy. i no longer will question the price of mine
In India tattoo artists never take deposits and most tattoo sessions are walk-ins. I'd love to see you doing a feature on tattooing in different countries.
I wanted to get tattooed by Black Veil, but they charge a 200 deposit AND a 200 design fee NON of which go to the final cost of the tattoo and I found that a bit excessive, paying 400 bucks that does not go to the tattoo. That's two of your red flags too right there.
1. I've been charged a desing "fee" one time but it was an extremely specific and detailed piece that'd take hours to draw. The tattoo artist told me that it was bc if I decided to not get it their work wouldn't be in vain, so I paid the fee + the session and that money went to the tattoo when I got it. 2. Not a red flag but there's a tattoo artist that I really like that during the end of the lockdown she made her bookings into some sort of contest that bc people where so eagerded to get tattooed it went really well, but it was an extremely tedious process and after four - five months nobody was willing to go through it so she had to stop but bc she didn't say she was gonna stop there was a LOOOONGGG period where almost no one got tattoos with her and to this day her number of clients is still very low... She isn't a big artist and her style isn't like an S tier kind of quality (they're good but still like an 8/10) so like... People moved on and she had to abandon a lot of side projects bc her income dropped a lot. Again, not a red flag but an extremely bad practice tactic that worked for a bit but then didn't.
I'm an a suburb in the US Midwest and this is what I would be comfortable paying Simple line work or b/w: up to $100 per hour Color or extra detailed: $100-150 per hour Realism: $200-250 per hour This of course is all for skilled artists that do high quality work. And some things I understand maybe more then that. Example is I want a very detailed bio-mechanical raptor on one half my chest. It's a huge detailed piece and I'll probably need to travel and pay a lot to an artist I trust to do it well
Here in Italy we don't tip (nowhere, it's not part of out culture). Even the deposit Is pretty rare, my tattoo artist asked me it only the first time, it 's all about trust I think ahahahha
So I was wondering why tattoo artists are always so intransparent regarding their prices. It’s a big part in why I haven’t gotten as many tattoos as I’d like, because I‘m afraid of doing this whole consultation and in the end realizing that I won’t be able to afford the tattoo. I am 100% okay with paying the artist’s worth but I‘d love to have some kind of information on how much they charge, even if it’s very rough, just so I can estimate how much I need to save up to get tattooed by them. It‘s just so hard for me to estimate how much money I’ll need.
Understandable!! I feel the same 😂 if an artist forgets to say the price I always say “can I ask how much it will be so I can withdraw that from the bank before the appointment” majority of tattoo studios in the uk are cash only so it’s good to lean on that 😂
Also as a tattooer I feel like UK has cheaper prices in general based on how little average salaries are compared to where I live in San Francisco. Im from New England we charge a bit less there but its all location relative at times aswell.
I would say its best to just find an artist you like and ask for their rates, and not price shop. You are paying for the quality or product you want. Prices range so much its unreal. You most the time get what you pay for. Ive worked all over the country and adjust my rates to reflect the market to be fair to the local collectors. What i can say is In almost all cases a Predrawn by you and not the artist would still be a custom piece and priced more then Flash.@@moy9228
I personally think that if it's tattoo artist with unique style and it's custom tattoo, design fee is right thing to do. I mean, it's almost like art commission. I 100% would pay more for artist with style I love to make my dream design
I think here in austria it's verry similar to the uk. I had to pay a deposit for a 600€ tat (by a artist i know) that was 100€. That's fine tho - if it would be a cheaper tattoo the deposit would be lower. An other artist i'm working with on my sleeve doesn't even want a deposit from me anymore bc he quote: "trust me", i always show up, luckily never needed to cancle a Session till today (19tatts overall) That's not the Standard for sure but it's nice if you can be on a chill lvl with ur artist and trust each other that much. I was surprised that he said that too lol, i was ready to ask for and give him his deposit lol.
This video came a bit too late. I just paid fully for a tattoo I didn’t get. I paid it as a deposit. The full amount. I was too nervous because this is gonna be my first professional tattoo and my bank account wasn’t acting right. Now I hope the cover work is gonna fix my old stick and poke tattoo
When I started getting tattooed almost 20 years ago, if a tattoo artist charged by the hour they would be considered a scammer. Artists that would give you a full and final price before you even started the tattoo would also be considered problematic. What I learned is, you ask for a price range, they give it to you - but you can never know what the final price would be until the end of the session: how many hours did we do? Did we change needles, and if so, how many? How many colors did we use? Tattoo artists would get angry if you asked them for a price beforehand. They would flat out say you won't get the final price until we're done. You budget according to the top of range they gave you, and if it ends up being more, you respect it. My point is, the current way of doing things is more accessible and fair, yes, but my old ass still feels a bit icky about tattoo artists giving you a final price before even starting the tattoo...
Re: design fees, I've been getting tattooed in the US for about a decade, and I've never heard of this, at all, before the Tattoogate fox incident. I've, of course, not spoken to every tattoo artist that exists, but this practice is, bare minimum, clearly pretty unusual.
I was gonna say this too. I've never come across a design fee. It set off alarm bells in my head immediately when tattoogate happened.
Also have never heard of this. I have 3 tattoos and I’ve never run into that before it’s definitely a red flag
Tipping for a tattoo is definitely a culture here in Canada, just like the US
In Italy tip doesnt exist ahah, because we have huge taxes
i only tip on custom pieces, if its flash then i dont cause other people have the same image tattooed.
@@dannyred5921 lol what??
@@felix-ve8jk read it again babe, I ONLY TIP ON CUSTOM PIECES. not on pieces that have also been tattooed on others
@felix They… don’t tip… generic flash tattoos… from the wall… in the shop
Oh man, if you come to Salem to go to Black Veil, you should drop by Good Mojo in Beverly, the next town over, so I can tattoo you too! You would adore the vibe in our shop, I bet. It's six artists, all women, except for one very excellent guy with the strongest Boston accent you're going to hear on your trip, so it's very friendly and full of humor and joy. We'd be delighted to have you! We're also one of the cheapest shops in the area in spite of having some really stellar artists with all kinds of different specialties. So, yeah. There's also a really fantastic Mexican place across the street that makes chocolate-filled churros with ice cream that you gotta try.
Edit: we're also a super-inclusive shop, and have lots of trans, nb, gay, and SA survivors who come to us because they know we're a safe and loving place. Plus at least two of us are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Come see uuuuuuussss!
I find it so sad that all these scammers are out here giving tattoo artists a bad name!
I can find some merit in a redesign cost if it means you get to see your design before the day of, but like $50 max.
Agree 100%
Not counting the tip, I paid approximately $4,000. 00 for my right arm realism sleeve. 10/10 would do it again. My artist is insanely talented, compassionate with clients, and very transparent with his business practices. I wish everyone could have the same level of care and professionalism from their artist
Just curious, how long did it take to do and was it all in one session or broken up?
$4000 seems reasonable to me for a full realism sleeve. You're talking a lot of coverage in that. Whereas the tattoogate woman had charged 4k just for a partial shoulder piece, iirc that was just a linework piece and not big that she spent loken5 hours or something on.
I sill can't get over what that tattoo gate woman was charging before her client even got to the studio, but then am conspvinced her business plan was to make as much money for as little effort as possible...in other words, she never actually wanted to do a tattoo, she wanted to pocket the $1600 design fee and ntcrethe client was never coming back. She forgot to factor in that some clients will shout about their experience and your shitty practice _will_ get exposed,
@@hawkeyescoffee6399 it took 3 sessions, 8 hours a sit. Best money I’ve ever spent
That's, what? $170 per hour? I would consider that a bit too high for the UK but from what I've seen that's a really reasonable hourly rate in the US. Sounds like you got the jackpot with that artist!
Whats the artist name mate? If u dont mind me ask
I could justify paying a consult fee and design fee if you're wanting something fully custom but it should be a reasonable hourly rate not more than the cost of a tattoo. I haven't paid either of those and my artists definitely don't charge them, but I could see the reasons one might want to but it should be *reasonable*.
Salem is definitely a big tourist destination for history buffs and alternative folk! I live in a small city in Pa that is an hour away from Philly and EVERYTHING is more expensive there because it’s a big metropolitan city!
I had a design fee for my tattoo, but I found it reasonable since both the deposit and design fees were $50 individually. I do think I'll be returning to the artist since I liked the work and the shop vibe.
in Brazil they sometimes charge a design fee if you want to see the design ahead of time, so you don’t get the artwork and do it with someone else. If they show you the design day of, then they don’t usually charge. Not universal though, just something I noticed
While this was all unfolding I was also getting ready to get a new tattoo. Thankfully the artist was really sweet and did the normal deposit and the day rates. He did have quite a few breaks but he didn't factor that into the time that was actually spent on the tattoo. The artist has a pretty big following on socials and I had been admiring their work for a long while before. I took a chance on trying to book and managed to get a spot. Mind you this was also a guest spot. I am extremely thankful for the amazing tattoo and the experience I had with this artist. I hope I never run into a scam artist. Pun very much intended.
Thank you so much for all your advice Lauren, it's so helpful to someone like me who's just started getting tattoos. Your videos have helped me find an amazing artist as well as taught me how to look after my tattoos properly and heal them well. Love your channel 🥰
❤️❤️❤️
Always get quotes in writing. For anything you do. Then you’re covered.
Thank you for this video Lauren. These last few videos have been very informative. ❤
The best artists I've been to in terms of customer service would start charging from the moment the needle touches the skin and not from the time of the appointment. Cause as we know there's always at least a few minutes to prepare the inks and stencil and any modification. I appreciated that a lot.
I asked my friends with lots of good quality tattoos here in Canada before my first appointment what to expect to be charged as I had no clue. I was told depending on the artist (skill,years tattooing etc) you would expect to pay between $175-$250 hourly + tax for a good artist in a major Canadian city (Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton & Calgary was the places they had been tattooed in). Compared to other countries it can seem like tattoos are more expensive here but then the cost of living in Canada isn’t cheap. I want my artist to live comfortably, but also charge fairly (I don’t support the tattoo gate pricing structure 😅)
I live in Québec and Montréal's high end cost are $150 per hour. Like for artists who're booked years and years in advance. I hope you're getting good quality tattoos for tattoos above that price range because yikes.
In Edmonton 1999 I got a Celt cross on my back, it's about 30cm L and probably 18-20cm W , took about 4 1/2 hours to complete with shading fully rendered, I paid $150 Canadian. Guy told me that was a deal too.
I really appreciate you making this video. I've been waiting to get my first tattoo until I'm out of college and have money. It's been very daunting researching and trying to get a general idea for how much I should have saved until I can get the design that I want. This tattoo Gate made me realize that higher price is not higher quality.
This was a great video with a ton of good tips for newbies 💖 I stopped getting tattooed for years because our local shops were shady and made most women feel uncomfortable.
Same! My first tat was amazing, a nationally known artist, I felt safe, welcomed etc etc.
now there’s a tat shop on every corner and everyone seems to be an artists now.
Good for them, but my last one was such a terrifying experience I’ve never finished. Dude was locked up after I got there and not even hiding that he was dealing drugs out the back door as he slowly got himself stoned out of his head.
I have literal scars from his work.
I'm going through a terrible breakup right now and watching your videos is bringing me a lot of comfort. Thank you ❤
Once you find your artist, it feels pretty damn good. They get your style, great prices, make you feel comfortable, and provide dope ass art on your body 🤘 I'm a traditional black n grey girl so a light hand is nice too😂
Here in Canada tipping is encouraged but not required. I always tip my tattoo artist, and my fast-food workers. But if I get bad service at a restaurant I won't tip for example. Totally depends on the situation!❤
I’m also Canadian and I’ll tip for a tattoo if I really got along with the artist or if they do a couple of sketch revisions/placement changes. As a thank you for their time (the way it should be, unlike tattoo gate)
What? I'm Canadian as well and aaaalways tips, even for bad service, I will tip less sure, but I'll still tip
@@tuskeralex some people do that but it’s insane. Canadians get a living wage in service jobs. Why would you tip for bad service?
I think one thing to factor in is also the speed of the artist. I know some tattoo artists will charge higher hourly rates purely because they work so fast so that they can actually get all the costs covered. Obviously that can be very tricky to know if you've never been to that particular artist or don't know anyone who has a piece by them.
In my experience, 9 times out of 10, an artist will ask you your budget when you book for a custom tattoo, and warn you if anything you're discussing even comes close to going over that budget. Like for my last tattoo (a custom color piece inspired by the movie Alien), when the artist was showing me the design on the day + we were discussing tweaks etc, she got specific about how the "sparkle" effect I had asked about takes significantly longer than just regular color fill, therefore it would add more time to the tattoo and cost a bit more, getting closer to my max budget. She asked me if I was ok with that or if I wanted to nix the sparkle effect to save some money. Clearing that up before the tattoo starts is crucial!
Also also, remember that if you're doing a consultation online, the agreed price may change slightly once the tattoo stencil is actually sized for your body. I'm a bigger gal, so sometimes we'll decide to make a design bigger than discussed on the day to fit the space/limb better, which increases the price a little bit. BUT that should always be done WITH your approval, they shouldn't just increase the size without discussion and then charge you more for it.
You and your artist need to be on the same page right from the consult. It makes the process so much more pleasant and less stressful. My last consult was free and was almost and hour.
Follower count on socials should not dictate price either as followers can be bought. What should dictate cost is quality of work.
My favourite tattoo based TH-cam channel
Ah thank you 🥲❤️
Adding in my own large tattoo prices: I got an amazing very detailed B&W tattoo from a very good Seattle artist that covers my entire front left thigh. Had an in person consult then an 8 hour appt with 6 hours of tattooing. Cost a $150 deposit, $30 design fee and then $1250 at the end of the tattoo appointment so $1430 total including a tip.
And this person was so lovely and flexible, during the consult she let me know she was not comfortable with fitting the design I wanted on my thigh so we walked through my other tattoo ideas until we found one that would work. And then day of I decided to change the placement slightly on her suggestion. Lovely experience.
I'm booked in with Paula Castle next week! I found her because of your videos 😆
Yaaaaaay!!!! Have the best time!! 😍
@@treacletatts thanks, I'm sure I will 🥰 it's a tattoo of my hamster, should be super cute 😁
I feel like most services have a 24-48 hour policy on cancellations, meaning you can’t cancel on the day of the appointment. That’s totally fair and as you say if it’s because of an unforeseen emergency, they are likely to rebook. Most people are pretty understanding. Not con artists though.
I absolutely love my artist. Current in the annoying itchy/flakey healing stage on my forearm & fingers but will be back in the shop once they're healed.
Oh the worst stage of healing for me 😩 hope it passes for you soon ❤️
In the same stage for my sternum 😑
In my country, any sort of privately owned body modification shop must be given a pass by health inspectors. The certificate must be displayed in plain view, and is bright green a declaration of body safety. It also must be dated. Check if your country has a system like this, and if they do, and a shop is missing this sign, RUN.
I just realised that when this was happening i was getting ready to get my favourite cartoon fox tattooed on me😂 my mother helped me to find the right artist in my country, and she was the sweetest human being ever, and I'll definitely be a return costumer
Your videos are always helpful, Lauren. I have done SO much research ahead of my first tattoo just from watching your channel, even if I still can’t afford it for another couple of years
In Canada I've always paid $50-100 deposit when booking, am used to hourly rates from $160-200, and day rates really vary. If I have a good experience I usually tip 15-18%, depending on what is the rounder number to round up to if that makes sense!
I’m glad you told us about the studio in Salem. Their artwork is gorgeous! My kind of style as well. ❤
I'm in the US and have only heard of a design fee for a HUGE full backpiece or something. That way you don't get a client who dips out after getting artwork from you to take to someone cheaper to finish.
Or for artists who aren't tattoo artists, like just an illustrator or graphic designer or something would ask you to buy a "tattoo permission slip" design fee sort of thing from their online store if you want to take their work to a tattoo artist.
Yeah, I follow a couple of those on insta, they call theirs "tattoo tickets"
Deposits in the US are typically half the quote or 1 hour’s rates. Some people/shops have set deposits. One artist I go to always only takes $75 and charges $150 by the hour, they only take $75 deposits and no more, even if it’s a full day session. Another shop I go to charges 50% of the quote. Another shop I go to has $50 deposit for apprentices and $100 deposits for graduated artists. Another shop I go to has a $250 deposit for the owner because she takes 5 hour or more pieces only. Her apprentices charge 25% of the quote for their deposits.
Take screenshots of the messages with prices and cancellation policy etc if you book on Instagram because it's possible to recall messages!
Thank you for the interesting video! I’m getting tattooed for +10 years now in Germany and I had different experiences with artists. From a deposit from 50 to 100€, filling out a form of consent (with the placement and design in it + a copy of my ID) to just getting an appointment, no deposit at all. I’ve never paid for a consultation or a design fee. I also never experienced hourly rates, I always paid for the tattoo itself. My last appointments were with the same artist - we get along really well and I just got a 17h ornamental backpiece for 1.8k from her. I always tip her (not mandatory in Germany) and I believe she gave me a big discount because of that!
My half sleeve (so far) has run me about 2300 for 9 hours of work. In truth, I was at her shop for a total of 18 hours of work, from design, breaks, and the rest. She posted healed and fresh work, and even had a side-by-side comparison. I was genuinely surprised that she didn't charge me for the consult, but she said she only charges when the ink touches the skin.
It's a very expensive half sleeve, I realize that, but she's so kind and detailed and it's custom to me, so I love it.
I have had a tattoo artist did not want tip. Most appt cancellations are usually 48 hours. I never paid design or consultation fee. We do everything by email , when I get there we go over the design .
I am in US California
I would like to advertise: if you have a large tattoo and it will need several bookings to be completed and there is an agreement on the price for the entire work. Don't pay for the entire tattoo in advance.
Had a colleague who paid for a big half arm tattoo and only got the outlines done, the tattooist stopped answering emails, phone calls and all attempts at contact.
Me getting a large sized, detailed tattoo from an artist with a lot of followers, in London (I’m American), for a guest spot this summer 😂 I think it’s ridiculously reasonably priced all things considering, but the reactions I’ve gotten to my plans suggest I’m crazy. I’m super excited, I’ve loved this artist since she was new, and it’s been almost a decade and it’s finally happening!
Thank you for this video! It's helpful especially when you have little to no tattoo experience. I have one tattoo, and this is good to know for my next ones. My artist charged a consultation fee, but it was extremely reasonable at $50. I was happy to pay it because I was eager to get a tattoo by this artist, and $50 is extremely reasonable for a consult and design in my opinion.
Every time I go in for a tattoo I always expect to hear some large number like $500 or above but still have the ideal amount I hope to pay in my head and almost every time I'm shocked at what I'm actually quoted and how close to my original number it is
I treat my deposit as my tip/ pay for prep work and design. Any deposit I have paid is 150 to 200. After that I will be happy to spend whatever my artists hourly/day rate is (usually $150-250 hrs or $1200-2000 full day) so at the absolute least I guess I'm tipping 10%. I also honestly think that tipping in tattooing (unless your an apprentice who set their own rates) is dumb because I just want you to tell me what you think your time and experience is worth, I will be more than happy to pay whatever if I want it from you.
To add I would also tip on flash because there is no real prep time other than set up.
For me Is such a lot of Money 🙈 for a Day, in Italy Is usually under 1000 euros, and no tip
@Serena G I agree that it is a lot of money, I'm sure there are places I could go that are cheaper but I'm not looking for affordability over quality. I wish it was cheaper but life here is expensive and artists should be able to pay their bills too.
I visited Salem MA last October and got to meet the Murray brothers (it was some outdoor market thing.) They were soooooo nice. Oh, and Salem was great but super crowded in October 🙃
This is so informative for tattoo clients! Thank you so much for sharing this to help clients better understand the tattoo booking and pricing process☆ It makes our lives as tattoo artists a little more smooth when everyone understands the process. It also gives me more of an insite on how I could better streamline and make the booking process smoother. Thank you again for what you do on this platform!!💗
Paula’s red panda tattoo was adorable. ❤
One sub category I would think to ask/communicate is the setting of which they work out of. I think that has a large hand in prices and with payment. Some artists have a huge over head if working in a shop and having shop requirements/minimums. As many artists work from private studios now and their rates reflect that.
The Murray twins charge a $200 drawing deposit that does not go towards the cost of the tattoo and is not refundable. You do not get to see the artwork until day of appointment. They also charge a $200 deposit to get on their cancellation list which is non refundable and does not go towards the cost of your tattoo. I can get on board with paying drawing deposits/all deposits IF it goes towards the cost of my tattoo. If you cancel an appt I understand not getting your money back, but why would your deposit ever not go towards the cost of your tattoo? I don’t like this practice
ive never been this early, love ur content lauren!!
Thank you 🫶🏻
I live about an hour from salem, blackveil is tippity top of my list too. Just so sooo good. 🖤👌
Thank you for making this. I think that this would be very helpful for a lot of people.
Tipping in the US that I’m aware of isn’t mandatory but is appreciated by the artist.
There are as many scammers and chancers in the tattoo industry very informative intelligent video love you and love your intelligent video's
From a Canadian: At least in my province, tipping is very normal and is generally expected.
Look at you, sneaking a video in an hour later than usual! 😂
Very informative and helpful as always! Thank you for all your work to help others! 😊
It’s youtubes fault 😂😂 I am innocent!!!! 😂
Thanks Josh 🫶🏻
A few things:
All of the tattoo artists I follow on Instagram (and I follow a lot) post 95% fresh tattoos and only 5% healed tattoos
Also none of the artists I follow ever post any flash. I mean any. Ever. I would like to get a flash tattoo but I’ve never actually seen any of my local artists post any
Try reaching out to them. Artists always have subjects they would like to do.
I may be wrong, but I feel like a design fee should be included in the deposit? Not sure, but that's my thought anyway.
Great video! Just started my tattoo journey in lack of a better word, only got one right now though. What I found interesting is that I didn't need to pay a deposit and I have never heard of tipping the artist. Maybe it's just cuz we don't have tipping culture in Sweden. But maybe it's different depending on where you get tattooed. In any case, I feel like a learned a lot from this! 😊
Watching this, I definitely got overcharged for my first 2 lol but now I have some more insight and better advice. My last one was very fair
I recently payed 450 euro for a session for a tattoo artist who has 100k followers and 6-7 months waiting list . He told me he could charge x10 if he worked in the us and that's the reason they travel a lot abroad. I live in Greece.
Tattoos in America seem to be way more expensive than Europe that’s for sure!!
@@treacletatts ty for reply . Love your content . Appreciate the informative videos!
I've gotten only six tattoos but I've never thought to ask about a quote for some reason. I'll definitely be seeing about that next time because the shop I go to charges by the hour.
My regular artist is incredibly talented, easily one of the best in my city, he's often booked 18 months - 2 years in advance and he only charges £60ph! Shop minimum is also £60. He gave me my first tattoo 10 years ago as an apprentice when he charged £50ph. I always over pay because I think he's worth so much more
From the perspective of a tattoo artist regarding changes in the design: of course most changes I do for clients are minor and I do them for free, but, on a very rare ocassions, especially when it comes to custom designs, the client doesnt mention some crucial details that you can just add or change the design a little bit and if you want to accomodate that, you basically have to design the whole thing from the start and in my opinion it's ok to charge more for that tattoo, because it is not a tattoo artist's faulf that the client failed to include all the infornamtion and kinda wasted artist's time, and again, this is very rare, not your regular change in a design, but a major one, especiallu when this coild be avoided
My experience for multi-session tattoos was to pay a $100(US) deposit to reserve the time slot. I met with the artist for about 10 minutes prior to that to confirm they could do the work I wanted. Then I was charged an hourly rate. My artist only charged the hourly rate for when he was actually tattooing, not designing. On one session he reworked the design a bit to fit better and he didn’t charge for that hour that I was in the chair but he was not tattooing. I also tipped about 20% each session. He included one free touch up after it healed if there was anything that needed it. Great experience!
I have actually never paid a deposit. Which I thought odd, but also just figured it wasn't a thing in my country. And I prefer by the hr prices, and the artist go "oh I think this will take 3hrs", but if it takes 2.5 or 3.5, doesn't matter as it's fair to both client and artist.
One studio where I used to go, avoided losing work and money by basically starting the design phase when you met up for the appointment. And I get the idea, but being told something will take apropiately 3hrs, and then show up, and have to sit on the couch and wait for an hr +, because the artist hadn't even started the sketch, is not really a good way to treat the customer's time either. (just bake the price of the drawing into the tattoo time imho). That wasn't the main reason i stopped going to that studio, but it definitivey played a part. Also I think this was a good video^^
Deposit-at least where I go-is 50 dollars and comes off the price or is included in the total price of the tattoo. Cancellation is 24 hours prior.
I had one artist move a second session after he started tattooing, because I wasn’t healed enough for him to do what he wanted (adding little details on top of the tattooed areas). Instead of charging me for his time he and the people in the shop took me out and bought me a lovely lunch 😂. I know technically you can tattoo over partially healed areas, because later I had that experience and it was agony- so I am really glad he chose not to!
Thank you as always for your tattoo advice videos! I love these Tattoo advice and tattoo etiquette videos
First time catching a new video from you! I’ve been binge watching your video 😆
Obviously every country is different but in Australia it’s extremely common for deposits to be non-refundable regardless. But you can still reschedule if you need to and it normal comes of the price of the tattoo (depending on the artist). 😊
Have been loving your recent videos even more ❤
Thank you!!!!
I always tip my tattoo artist at the end if the session in cash. Just so the artist can get all of the tip money. I'm not sure if the tattoo studio takes a cut if the tip. But yes tipping here in the U.S.A. is pretty typical.
lmao i love my artist, sometimes she literally asks me what she quoted me or knocks down the quote just because, i tend to get a few things done in the same day and we just vibe, i just always tip her 20-30% because if anything she undervalues her work. hoping everyone finds a good fair artist, it rocks
2:11 I got 2 tattoos by one very popular Portuguese tattoo artist but he was already famous before social media lol so he has real fans and I spent 50 Euro in total 😂 because they were very small and he said he doesn’t have to be greedy also he was on his travel tour so it wasn’t in a studio so hearing you guys pay astronomical prices for tattoo artists that are only famous because of social media is mind boggling lol
My brother in law got a tattoo by Ryan Murray, I live 15 minutes from there shop and they are really cool people to be around super nice and such great artist!
In 2020 I messaged an artist at an explicitly trans friendly appointment only local shop and I heard back from an assistant promptly. The pricing was a little higher than I expected but I haven't gotten a tattoo in a few years and inflation is real. My wife and I didn't move forward with the artist because they only do half day and full day rates, and my wife only wanted a two to three pretty simple cutesy tattoo on her forearm. The artist only does custom tattoos on an "extremely limited bases." And they do not do any consultation, not even a 5 minute vibe check over the phone or by letting us stop by to meet them between their appointments.
I do not want to pay a non refundable deposit to an artist that I am not allowed to communicate directly with before the appointment start time. I am also not interested in paying for a half day of flash. So weird.
Thanks for this video, it really helped as someone considering getting a tattoo from a well known and thus expensive artist (Laura Annunaki) which is quite a step up from the ones I have
I think some people just think they are more important they really are. I paid a lot for a tattoo of my dog, with an artist incredible that to get a place in her agenda you need to be fast, she puts on a google form and in 30 SECONDS there's no place anymore. So it's a huge competition and she never charged any extra fee besides the deposit.
I’m in the United States and one of my regular artist, does charge a consultation fee, but I like to consider that like a deposit and I just factor in the price. They do great quality work and all original designs so I would say worth it. I am seeing a lot of that become more popular, though in the United States to have a consultation fee, but definitely wouldn’t recommend’s paying more than $100 anything more than that definite red flag.
Think the most I’ve spent on a tattoo session is £700 (2 tattoos black and grey full day session in Croydon)
Cheapest day rate was Yorkshire at £250/300 for 6 hour session
Smaller tattoos usually shop minimum £30-100
Deposits usually £50-100 in my experience
Anything more than £800 is very scary
Did walk out on a session once cos I was so anxious to be tattooed by a very famous artist and couldn’t go through with it but they were so nice and sat with me
Needing an extra session is a bit more money, had this recently with sternum cos I wasn’t well enough to finish it
Conventions - smallish flash piece was £90
Apprentices or junior artists may also have lower rates
Also - colour is usually more expensive than black and grey, line work
& deposits are non refundable
How do you even get a quote, that stupid inked channel made me feel so dumb for asking artists how much it will cost when asking about a design 😢 it's like if you don't have 300$ don't even bother getting one? Absolutely mad, it's been keeping me from getting one for a long time, so much anxiety about asking incorrectly and getting taken advantage of because of it 😪
An red flag for we would be if you plan big project and booked several appointments you shouldn't be forced to pay a depocite for every single day (I have one appointment for my sleeves every month the Rest of the year and payed 150 Euros depocite Once) and the hourly rate should stay the same within the whole project.
Nice video! But i wouldn’t pay Van Gough (just as well if he got to my ear) to draw on my body! I know myself well enough to know that i would change and want something different.
6000 for a thy piece that doesnt go all the way around crazy! i got my full leg done realistic in color for a little more than that in a private studio in la by a guy who has been in the industry for 30 years and has to travel for his demand and some people say that price is crazy. i no longer will question the price of mine
In India tattoo artists never take deposits and most tattoo sessions are walk-ins. I'd love to see you doing a feature on tattooing in different countries.
It’s more the customers that price huggle and wants deals all the time….it’s people that do the tattooist over most of the time not the tattooist’s.
I wanted to get tattooed by Black Veil, but they charge a 200 deposit AND a 200 design fee NON of which go to the final cost of the tattoo and I found that a bit excessive, paying 400 bucks that does not go to the tattoo. That's two of your red flags too right there.
1. I've been charged a desing "fee" one time but it was an extremely specific and detailed piece that'd take hours to draw. The tattoo artist told me that it was bc if I decided to not get it their work wouldn't be in vain, so I paid the fee + the session and that money went to the tattoo when I got it.
2. Not a red flag but there's a tattoo artist that I really like that during the end of the lockdown she made her bookings into some sort of contest that bc people where so eagerded to get tattooed it went really well, but it was an extremely tedious process and after four - five months nobody was willing to go through it so she had to stop but bc she didn't say she was gonna stop there was a LOOOONGGG period where almost no one got tattoos with her and to this day her number of clients is still very low... She isn't a big artist and her style isn't like an S tier kind of quality (they're good but still like an 8/10) so like... People moved on and she had to abandon a lot of side projects bc her income dropped a lot. Again, not a red flag but an extremely bad practice tactic that worked for a bit but then didn't.
I like the way you say Murray. Sounds fancy
Oh well thank you darling 💅🏻
I'm an a suburb in the US Midwest and this is what I would be comfortable paying
Simple line work or b/w: up to $100 per hour
Color or extra detailed: $100-150 per hour
Realism: $200-250 per hour
This of course is all for skilled artists that do high quality work. And some things I understand maybe more then that. Example is I want a very detailed bio-mechanical raptor on one half my chest. It's a huge detailed piece and I'll probably need to travel and pay a lot to an artist I trust to do it well
10 days cancellation is crazy. Swedish hospitals are 24 hours...
Here in Italy we don't tip (nowhere, it's not part of out culture). Even the deposit Is pretty rare, my tattoo artist asked me it only the first time, it 's all about trust I think ahahahha
So I was wondering why tattoo artists are always so intransparent regarding their prices. It’s a big part in why I haven’t gotten as many tattoos as I’d like, because I‘m afraid of doing this whole consultation and in the end realizing that I won’t be able to afford the tattoo. I am 100% okay with paying the artist’s worth but I‘d love to have some kind of information on how much they charge, even if it’s very rough, just so I can estimate how much I need to save up to get tattooed by them. It‘s just so hard for me to estimate how much money I’ll need.
in the USA its usually 150-400$ deposit
I don’t know about anyone else but, if I go to an artist/studio I haven’t before, i feel super awkward asking for the price…I’m so awks 😅🙃
Understandable!! I feel the same 😂 if an artist forgets to say the price I always say “can I ask how much it will be so I can withdraw that from the bank before the appointment” majority of tattoo studios in the uk are cash only so it’s good to lean on that 😂
Also as a tattooer I feel like UK has cheaper prices in general based on how little average salaries are compared to where I live in San Francisco. Im from New England we charge a bit less there but its all location relative at times aswell.
I would say its best to just find an artist you like and ask for their rates, and not price shop. You are paying for the quality or product you want. Prices range so much its unreal. You most the time get what you pay for. Ive worked all over the country and adjust my rates to reflect the market to be fair to the local collectors. What i can say is In almost all cases a Predrawn by you and not the artist would still be a custom piece and priced more then Flash.@@moy9228
I personally think that if it's tattoo artist with unique style and it's custom tattoo, design fee is right thing to do. I mean, it's almost like art commission.
I 100% would pay more for artist with style I love to make my dream design
I think here in austria it's verry similar to the uk.
I had to pay a deposit for a 600€ tat (by a artist i know) that was 100€. That's fine tho - if it would be a cheaper tattoo the deposit would be lower.
An other artist i'm working with on my sleeve doesn't even want a deposit from me anymore bc he quote: "trust me", i always show up, luckily never needed to cancle a Session till today (19tatts overall)
That's not the Standard for sure but it's nice if you can be on a chill lvl with ur artist and trust each other that much. I was surprised that he said that too lol, i was ready to ask for and give him his deposit lol.
This video came a bit too late. I just paid fully for a tattoo I didn’t get. I paid it as a deposit. The full amount. I was too nervous because this is gonna be my first professional tattoo and my bank account wasn’t acting right. Now I hope the cover work is gonna fix my old stick and poke tattoo
When I started getting tattooed almost 20 years ago, if a tattoo artist charged by the hour they would be considered a scammer. Artists that would give you a full and final price before you even started the tattoo would also be considered problematic. What I learned is, you ask for a price range, they give it to you - but you can never know what the final price would be until the end of the session: how many hours did we do? Did we change needles, and if so, how many? How many colors did we use? Tattoo artists would get angry if you asked them for a price beforehand. They would flat out say you won't get the final price until we're done. You budget according to the top of range they gave you, and if it ends up being more, you respect it. My point is, the current way of doing things is more accessible and fair, yes, but my old ass still feels a bit icky about tattoo artists giving you a final price before even starting the tattoo...