I brought in a rough sketch (I can't draw) for an Egyptian half sleeve because there were no tattoos I found online that looked like what I'd pictured in my head. My artist literally used my "sketch" only and came up with a work of art that fit what I wanted exactly. Total professional!!
Thats the type of artist i want. one that sees my idea and can either make it reality or at least give me an idea that fits me and is just an overall cool person.
My dad is an artist, but not a tattoo artist, so I want to bring in one of his drawings which is a cute little dragon character. In this case, I REALLY want it to look like my dad's drawing. Hopefully that is something the tattoo artist would be willing to honor.
One of the reasons I haven't gotten a tattoo yet is because I'm an artist myself, and I got this bug up my ass, "If they can't draw better than me, I don't want them tattooing me". I know drawing/tattoos are totally different, but I still want to see how well they can work on paper before they go HAM on my skin. I have some tattoos I designed and I want done and they don't have to be verbatum, but I still want them to be correct because they're anatomical sketches that I want on my body and I don't want a lot of "creativity" on something scientific.
Imagine hiring Claude Monet and not giving him any artistic freedom and telling him to paint exactly what you told him to but still expecting a high quality Monet. It’s not. It’s a shitty design by a random person that’s not an artist and Monet just happened to do it. There are all kinds of tattoo artist out there that will copy work. Bitching about a CUSTOM tattoo artist not copying work for you is hilarious.
Depending what it is. The tattoo artist should be looking out for their clients as well as trying to make good and original art on peoples bodies but obviously the client has to be okay with it otherwise they need to find a different artist who maybe does things differently
I personally tell my artist what I like and let him show me ideas and then I pick my favorite and let him do HIS magic. I think it's important to understand and respect each artists unique style of tats. I'm very open minded with my tats perhaps bcuz my ex hubby did tattoos and I saw first hand all the bs he went thru with so many clients. So I guess I just never wanted to be that pain in the azz lol 😂...
This is what I wanna do but I dont have a solid idea. I just have like "I want to include *this this this and this." But that's all I have. I trust that whoever artist I pick will make it beautiful
I feel like tattoos always turn out the best when you let your artist do it in their preferred style because that's what they thrive at. Just gotta find an artist whose style you fuck with and then you're good
I think another thing that should be considered is whether the design has meaning or not. For example, a friend of mine wanted to get a tattoo of his family's crest, but the artist didn't like the design of the crest and wanted to change it. Doing so would have completely removed the meaning of the tattoo so I think it was perfectly reasonable to want an exact unaltered copy of the design.
As a hobby drawer i had. To get one of my own drawings inked on me, but after i got it i loosened up and get tattoos in the same style or traditional. If you go to one artist i dont see a problem bringing in some of your own and getting some of their designs.
With your art background I’d be interested in what you thought about people getting famous paintings tattooed on them. I see a lot of people getting the Picasso line drawings tattooed
I really love the collaboration process and letting the artist do something she likes & specializes in. I bring in pictures from her own Instagram that feature techniques and subjects I like & a placement area idea and just chat with her. Vibing is so important to me, and like you said in another video, I want the artist to be just as excited about the piece as I am. Getting another one Monday!
I so much prefer to let them do what they do. When Steve Byrne did my chest piece, I literally was like "what are you into right now?" and let him go for it. And it's AMAZING... (Like all of his work is, lol.) My husband tattoos me usually, and hes amazing, like everyone else in his shop... But I'm definitely a fan of collecting pieces from different people who's work I follow. Letting them kill it with what they do best makes for amazing work.
i agree that letting the artist run with it is the best way. this becomes more true with artists that have a higher skill level. my girl does the same thing as you. i do most of her work, but she also gets tattooed by world famous artists like phil garcia and tony ciavaro when she comes to conventions with me. she doesn't have one bad tattoo on her body. i envy her for that.
@@JamesWithee I've got a couple basement bangers from before my husband 😂 I envy your lady too, lmao! If I'd have known I would marry a killer artist I would have never done that to myself as a kid, omg. And we met SO YOUNG... a couple of years and I would have been good, but nooooo. I HAD to get tattooed before I turned 18 🙄Thankfully they aren't anywhere super apparent. Love your vids my dude!
@@37H662 maybe she tattooed herself. Like she said she was young and wanted a tattoo. She obviously knew what she was getting into and at the time she probably liked it and over time after she got other amazing tattoos she probably realized how not great that original one was
I got my degree in Fine Arts and all my friends thinks that means I'm a tattoo designer. This video is super helpful because if I do make something for them I don't want the artist cursing me in their head hahahah. I'll also instruct them on what to expect after I make the tattoo
Great advice. As an artist myself (not a tattoo artist) I’m always wanting to design my friends’ ideas, as well as come up with my own. Every question I had was answered bro amazing content and detail 🙌🏼
I have a lot of drawings that I like to do when I’m bored and they aren’t exactly high quality but they aren’t bad either. This really brings me peace of mind because what I want to do is bring them to an artist willing to tattoo original art but who will make changes and let me know what will and won’t fit. I understand my 2D art probably won’t work on skin without adaption and I’m so glad that tattoo artists are exactly that - artists. It’s a wonder people like you can take ink and needles and make a work of art on someone’s moving and alive skin!
Lol I learned a lot from my first tatoo. I was honestly scared that they'd mess it up. After that I learned how much artists want your tattoos to look good. I love how it's a almost like a bond between them and the artist a little give and take ❤
The tattoo artist that I trust told me during the process of getting my first tattoo “don’t bring me a piece and expect me to copy it, if you want a work of your own put on your body then bring me an inspiration and we can draw up from there” He has a very nice style and I’m glad that he’s not someone who will just copy a design
Another great commentary - Thank you for continuing to produce these videos. They're good and there's nothing else like them. You're a talented speaker.
I have three designs that I did. One was done exactly as I drew it. The other two were changed only slightly. All three were original drawings not tattoo copies. I had no problems getting them done and I still love the tattoos. They are pretty simple though, just black & gray.
So basically if I bring in a bunch of pictures of tattoos from the internet (That have a similar theme) and tell the artist that "I kinda want this theme but beyond that, you do you" I should be good to go right?
That's what I did with my artist. I was clear about the theme, vibe and elements that I wanted in it (eg Koala Carebear and semicolon, traditional inspired style, strong and feminine). Then I found reference photos of things that I liked and was specific about what I liked in each on. Then I let her do her own thing.
What makes a good tattoo, "good"? Ive often wondered. Sometimes id look at tattoo competitions and the tattoos that i thi k was the best often times dont win. And other artists pick a tattoo that looks "meh" to me. What do you actually look at?
I'm generally in the center. I know exactly what the subject matter is and the general style and color. I leave it up to them for the exact size, positioning, and any design tweaks to make it look better. My last tattoo consultation went fantastic: He asked for a few pieces of reference material and we looked over them together pulling out the elements that worked. My final tattoo was similar in style to the other three but still a unique piece. I like being an active part of the design process for something going on me.
Your videos have been so helpful. I got my first tattoo recently and am planning on a Matrix-themed "ripped open" tattoo and a geometric half sleeve in the next couple of years. Your videos help me feel more confident in my search for an artist and styles.
i went into your shop and showed matthew a simple reference that only had a picture of an aztec warrior and a pyramid, and he somehow turned that into a half sleeve. its good to bring references and trust the artist rather than bring a full blown design.
This was a really informative video. For all my tattoos I have brought in the drawings myself and got the exact tattoo I wanted, so it was interesting hearing that seemingly most artist wouldn't be okay with it. But I am also an artist and I though if I end up disliking the tattoo it will be my own fault so I cannot blame anyone else. I just gave them my linework and the only thing they added was the shading. Anyway: for me it worked out great. I even got my 4 hour piece for half the price because my artist liked the design so much and had a lot of fun doing it. So I guess even though I am stubborn it worked out nicely. In the future I will definitely get the original artwork of someome else, but the artists I want to design sth for me are way more expensive and further away so I gotta save money first..
I took my own plan into my artist because I liked his style of work (strong black line work) so I asked him to simply use the mascots &items I gave him and put his spin on it . I got a great half sleeve out of the experience 🙂
Sometimes though a particular design has such a deep meaning that it shouldn't be changed or changed very little. Hence a design I drew up. It was suggested by my daughter and I am open to some changes what a few "artists" wanted to change took away meaning. So I said thank you for your time and have a nice day. If they told me that my art sucked I would laugh and walk away to find an artist worthy of doing my design with their style and not completely change it.
I thought it was a common thing to be honest ..I have gone to book my first tattoo today but have to go back and he said he will work with me on what I want design something really cool ..his words ,I did tell him what I sort of wanted but itsy first time so I expected to just pay deposit and book it but haha not that simple and listening to you I see why,well I hope he can do what I want ,I've not seen what I want anywhere just came to my head but does involve some symbols quite a few actually so hope he can still do what I want ,but if not I guess there will be good reason ✌️❤️
Honestly, I was worried cause I want a small outline of a heart on my wrist for very personal reasons. And I know that some people don't like to exact design. But now knowing that's their dream situation I'm not so worried
I love your videos man, so informative. My first tat i wanted was an owl from an already drawn picture when i showed the artist he wanted to change it i was kinda against it till i saw the what he came up with wich was 100 times better... back then at 18 never thought of originality, or not understanding why a tattoo artist wouldnt just copy it.... now im getting my second tat in may booked my tattoo artist in January and giving him allllll the creative vision
Respect. I just got commissioned to design a forearm sleeve for someone else. I’m here trying to make sure I’m not stepping on toes. Thanks for the info.
I'm pretty confident in my art, and that's because I've been drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I also took countless art classes in highschool, and my art teacher let me do whatever basically because I took my time on my art and she loved what I was doing. So I have a really nice design I drew up, and I want it tattooed, but theres a part of it that I'm going to me flexible with changing because I dont think I did the best job on. Next time I'll go in I'm going to ask about it, so hopefully I can find someone willing to tattoo it on me
What I usually do is bring in my own design to help the artist understand my thought process and a concept of what I want. Then I basically let them come up with their own design by taking my design and looking at all the source material. I can't draw like I used to so I know it's not professional but my intention is to help convey the general vicinity of what I'm looking for with the artist free to change or complete make from scratch.
I know what i want and i find an artist who specialises in that style of art. Anyone who doesn't have multiple consultations for a tattoo obviously doesnt care about the outcome. I would never ask somebody to tattoo me in a style they are not comfortable with and will always find the best artist for the job (thats always someone i can work my ideas out with and have seen examples of excellent work they've done in a similar style). You would have to be crazy to let a stranger with no experience in that style permanently draw something on you. Tattooists wont like to admit this but they aren't great at tattooing everything.Thats a fact. Shop around, be prepared to wait and be prepared to pay.
In Brazil people do that a loooooot. Artistically speaking, I think that a tattooer that does that doesnt value Art itself just getting paid for a job. Black and Grey specially is something that I've seen tons and tons of copies, and most of them are real scratchy work.
James I want to see a video on what type of obligations a tattoo artist has after a deal is struck/agreed on as far as holding up there side of the deal so deposit is paid appointments are kept and artist has started with first needle poke? Should it come out the same?should it be as black as promised? Should it not be hazzy? Should their lines be clean? Spaces be even? No mistakes in the tattoo ECT.... All things leading up to the quality of what was talked about and them not milking the clock for biting off more then they can chew/ or past they're skill level? And what if it's not Turing out how the tattoo should? At what point should you say look it's not Turing out? Should you let the artist keep running with it trying to make it better? And why should the client pay for more if the artist can't deliver what was agreed or promised? Why should a client be at mercy for a artist to run up a clock because they don't have the skill set they say they do? At what point should you back out? Ask for a refund? Let the artist know your not happy? Not have to pay more for no delivery? And shouldn't the artist be confident in the hours quoted? Or price quoted? The client isn't the professional here what steps should they take after the job is started?
Lol. People like you are why consent forms are so long. There is no such thing as a perfect tattoo or a perfect tattoo artist for that matter. If u can't accept that, you shouldn't get one. If u came into a legit shop asking just half the questions you've asked here you'd probably be refused service by everyone in there. No one wants to work with a client that seems impossible to please and does nothing but look for fault during every step of the process.
James you are sadly mistaken for my intent your videos are amazing and very informative my post is in depth so you can try to understand clients perspectives and ?s that come up during tattoo discussions when a client is starting a piece in the middle and just had a piece finished being since you have really started to shed light on the industry with your videos you've found a niche and well be a person that people look towards I Truely understand every artist and every piece is different even if the same artist did the same piece twice on the same client that's what makes tats beautiful and unique works of art I support your channel watched all your vids I'm not sure if this is a sensative subject you just dont want to touch but you've done well with breaking down your other videos you just brought up another valuble point talking about concent forms that you should touch on and from my perspective I dont hold my artist to perfect standards thats not reality not just tats but in art or life in general but surely you can help like you have with your other videos and actually I never even have signed a concent for for any tat and going into a piece with a/my artist I selected him with trust and understand artist work best when allowed to just vibe and do there thing at the baseline of when the tats are discussed is when the client and artist should be on the same page and trust comes into play all throughout the piece if a mistake is made or not turning out the artist should have a chance at there discretion to tackle that challenge but lets not sit here and act like things always end up right and a client should never feel like they should never say anything or show the artist what the Fed like different or give the artist and chance to correct or improve their art that the client has for life any good artist should understand and be open to their clients concern or interest granted clients aren't the professionals here and that where trust comes into play hopefully you can reread this post and really put thought into this subject and shed light on both perspectives it's indepth to help with a video covering both client and artist
I need to know this information because since I have ADHD one of my issues is I have to have a visual representation of what I want because sometimes when I try to explain what I want the words don't come out of my mouth correctly to display what I want as a tattoo and I know it's probably rude that I do but I have to do that for the thinking process in my mind I have to have an idea in my head I have to have the capability to make that visual imagery on a paper or a digital and me putting the effort in allows my brain time to be able to think do I really want this on my skin forever and I know it's probably very disrespectful to be bringing in my own design but I let them know that this is just a rough idea of what I want you're allowed to clean up the lines crisping up the colors you know make it look better but keep it as that design because that was the design that I put my mindset in and that's of how I do my thinking process when it comes to my ADHD most of the time is have to have something visual or else I can't physically think about it properly and so I tend to just design a bunch of random images and have just a bunch of random art in my phone
I bring my own design. Not because I want that spesific design, but because I can easely include the elements that I like to give the artist a better idea of what I want. Of course the design is going to be changed to fit the body better and to fit the artists style, but I defenetly feel that there is more comunication and understanding when I can just draw my crazy ideas so they make a little sense.
Hey James, love your vids man. Very informative. I was wondering if you would have any interest in doing a vid on coil machines vs rotary machines, the pros and cons of each, which ones you prefer and why. Just curious.
What is your opinion on getting a tattoo over spider veins? I am planning a large tatto but realize I have a lot of spider veins all of my body. The veins don’t bother me... I think it’s genetic. Love your videos!
I love these videos and how in-depth you go. This has def helped how i approach getting mine. It’d be cool to get your take on what tattoo styles you think age the best , ex: realism vs traditional.
I’m really motivated to draw some of the tattoo ideas I collected from a search engine to make it my own. I haven’t done sketches in a couple years and although my doodled have always been amazing, my confidence is pretty fragile if someone bluntly talks shit. That being said, I would absolutely be open to the tattoo artist taking my art and making it more compatible with what they need to do.
Curious how you feel about tattoos that are based on same images? From Pinterest or wherever they get the images, like that ONE lion that EVERYBODY always uses. The tattoo itself can be solid and perfectly executed but the originality of the clients gets me to me!
Man.. I go off about this shit all the time when I'm chatting with other tattoo artists. I do a lot of realistic tattoos and I'm getting hella bored with an the lions and clocks. There's only so many references out there and I can't go to the zoo and just take my own pic like I could with a skull replica or a rose. Pretty soon here I'm gonna start turning down any subject matter that is like that if I've already tattooed it once or twice. Just gotta make sure I don't shoot myself in the foot cuz at the end of the day still gotta make money lol. This is one reason why I've been pushing illustrative tattoos more than in the past
So I've been thinking about a certain tattoo for a couple of years now, and I'm definitely going to keep contemplating all the different pros, cons, all the general information I can for it. But I really like your videos I've just recently found because it answers a lot of questions that I've had for a really long time, but I don't really have people to talk to about it. So I've just kinda stayed in the dark about it. lol So really appreciate all the information you include in your content!! Anyways onto a question if you do happen to read this, with what you mentioned with someone bringing in their own work, and it possibly not having a professionally made appearance to it, do you mean it would cause to many issues in trying to draw it out in a tattoo, being overly difficult or impossible. Or is more the quality of the work is not something you would engrave because you as an artist would not be proud of it, or have people associate the work with your own? I'm mainly curious not just for myself but I've also heard of lots of cases where a seemingly "scribbled down by a kindergartener" looking tattoo was actually something from a child who had passed away, or with something that holds extreme sentiment to the person themselves and not necessarily any possible on-lookers who may see it? I would really be interested to know what your opinion specifically on this would be if your reading this! lol Sorry about my lousy typing I'm half awake writing this.😂
Uhm... I already have hot my own original tattoo...but didnt finish the color...in fact the black outline and dark brown...I sadly feel are starting to turn purple? The tattoo was originally stated in 2009 but I wanted to jazz it up or finish it....I brought in my drawing of what I wanted and was very happy with the adjustments made to my original drawing...
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In my personal opinion It sounds like it’s just more work for both I saw a tattoo i liked and showed it to the artist. had to go back and forth with the tattoo artist 3 times because he went to different styles. I personally do not like traditional but that’s what he kept turning it into Eventually i just said fckk it and got what he drew Every day i look at it and wish i had just taken the time to sketch out what i wanted and gone to someone different
I would love to hear your opinion of who are the best artist in their respective types (realistic,traditional,lettering etc) and where do you see yourself , what are trying to improve day after day on your art.
I’m artist and I want to design my own tattoo.I do Traditional art and have been doing art my whole life.I want to recreate it myself.I wonder how that would play out because I’m an artist as well.I agree for what you said for beginners or people who not as artistic.Im an artist myself so I do wonder!
one tattoo design i showed an artist he said that it is not possible to make it look good as a tattoo because it has too many small details so i learned not everything can be a tattoo
Surely it should be up to the client, I mean they have to look at it daily for the rest of their life and they're paying huge amounts of money for the tattooists time. What happens if the tattooists does it to their idea and the client then hates it? They could end up having to pay for something they don't like and then the client may have to get it lazered off.
Of course they show and consult before the final tattoo goes on. If you’re not happy and the tattoo artist cannot find compromise with you then most of them will decline. It is up to the client, if they have a design they want themselves, of course as he mentioned in the video - some artists will approve, some won’t. Additionally, the artist knows if the tattoo will look bad in a certain place as they are a professional. Sometimes you need to compromise, they’re the artist and if they’re a good artist, they will know what will look good and what they’re willing to do
I’ve been looking for a video like this for a while because I’m an artist so I think the idea of having my own artwork on my body is pretty cool, but I don’t want to be disrespectful to the tattoo artists by having them copy my art on me instead of their own. I think their own original tattoos are very nice too but I’ve always liked the idea of having my own work as a part of my body
Great video as always! Thanks for breaking this down. I am a little surprised that some artist's would actually turn down doing something just because you drew it yourself! I can see that if you aren't willing to let them tweak it but, otherwise i think it's shitty. All of my art is custom and most of it i drew myself. I do however, agree to them fixing little mistakes or tweaking it in some way to make it look better. Fit better, ect. I'm not a pro and accept that fact! I am decent though. I draw ot so they know what i want. They are the professional artist so i value thier input too and if they want to change something to make it better, i am all for that. I am more than willing to listen and accept improvements!! So if an artist would refuse my ideas simply because they are mine, they can fuck off to be frank.
i think it might be unfair to get offended if they turn down the project based on the notion that it's not their original creation. some artists just don't like doing stuff they they didn't draw, and that's their prerogative. a big part of the reason people choose to be tattoo artists is to have fun while they work, and if they don't think it's fun to do someone else's art, then it is what it is. getting mad about it is like when a dude hits on a pretty girl and then says "fuck you, bitch" when she shoots him down. that ain't cool. better to brush the rejection off and move onto the next one. it's nothing personal, after all. with that said, i enjoy tattooing other people's artwork on their own body if it's a really great drawing. there's something special about helping someone bridge the gap between the medium they practice and the medium of tattooing.
i have scars on my leg and got them covered with a pumpkin tattoo and it just hurt a little more. scar tissue takes ink differently so it depends on the severity
The artist I use seems to prefer that you bring in a design so he doesnt have to mess with it. My family has gotten 7ish total tattoos from him and every one has been an image from google. I was thinking of commissioning an artist to do my tattoo design then taking it in.
With the tattoo on my upper left arm (before I started my sleeve), I brought in a picture of something I wanted. It was the first time I had done that. The artist said he needed to change a couple of things on it. I was kinda peeved, but allowed him to. He came up with a design, I asked him to change something on it. He did, and it came out beautifully. Now that I am getting a sleeve, I just gave ideas to the (different) artist and put my trust in him. Its still a work in progress, but my sleeve is looking better than I envisioned.
I drew a tatroo for one of my exes, the artist liked it and went with it. It was a gangster rockhopper penguin, and the main "colored" part of the penguin was all a dark grey, so the tattoo artist edited it a bit with black and dark grey, I've only seen part of it when it was healed and not scabbed up, but it looks good in the picture where it is scabbed up, I do here and there want to ask him for a pic where it isn't scabbed, but it's on his right peck and I just feel like that would be awkward for him to have to send me a shirtless pic..
Thank you so much for these videos. Now that I'm looking for more specific things instead of some flash or something I found on the internet it's always good to know about my reference pictures. Question though: have you ever talked about how much you should pay your tattooer if you give them an idea and they create a tattoo for you because that is their artwork that they're putting on your body or is that included into the price? If you have already done this video please let me know so I can go and watch it.
Basically, if I want a tattoo I have to pay ( money and pain 😂 ) and I have to wear like forever what an “artist” wants, hopefully, at best, what I also “like” and agree with, but NEVER something I strongly want.
My artist is a family friend. If you take a picture in, he will tattoo it, but he will free hand changes. I’m cool with it. I don’t care for changes. If they think it’ll look better I’m cool with it
I had my first tattoo consultation today. I want to get a tattoo of my dog, I told the artist that I wanted the head, small and the rough location and that he can just design it how he likes. I did have a couple of his tattoos as a reference to show him the style I want it in (two cartoon foxes and a butt in a heart frame). I'm worried that he'll go in a direction I don't like since I won't get to see it until I go in to get it, but i suppose I'll just have to tell him what i want to have changed and how. I definitely want the dog in a heart shape and i didn't tell him that directly, is that a fast enough thing to add to just mention it at the appointment (since the dog head is the important design aspect) or should I get back to him and tell him? Or did he get the gist from the tattoos I showed him? It is my first tattoo and a very personal one as well, so I am very anxious about not liking what he makes. But I suppose that's what the deposit is for, in case I don't want to get what he made on my body. If you have any advice that'd be cool, keep up the good content. It really helped me in my decision to finally pluck up the courage to go to an artist.
the worry you have is pretty common among inexperienced tattoo clients. in this situation it's hard to tell whether or not you are bugging too much by sending a text clarifying that the dog needs to be in the shape of the heart because i don't know whether or not that was communicated clearly during the consult. you just have to make a judgement call on it based on what you remember. i'll admit that it is annoying for a tattoo artist to get lots of messages from a client asking about the design or requesting things that might be slightly different from what was discussed in person, but at the same time it's a permanent tattoo and you gotta make sure that you've said everything you need to to get the piece you want. that being said, the best way to alleviate the worry you have about the design is to ask yourself whether or not you picked the right artist in the first place. if the answer is yes, and you love everything they put out on instagram and in their portfolio, then you should just relax and let them do their job. often times clients will text me and try to make suggestions of where i should place things and how big to make something, etc, and it's pretty wack for me because they usually don't know wtf they are even talking about. they come in and see a design that's somewhat different from what they imagined (although still satisfies what they asked for) and they are blown away by how much better it is than what they would've done if they were in control. they're like "WHOA this is way better than what i was thinking" and i'm like "yeah. it's almost like i do this for a living, huh." lmao
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. I do enjoy the tattoos he makes but I know I want mine to be on the girlier side of things, which he does do occasionally. So that with the cartoon animal should be right up his ally. I think I'll let him do his thing, adding a heart in the background hopefully won't be too much of a big deal for him. It only would be if he included some kind of composition with other elements, but considering the size and me only directly mentioning the dogs head I doubt it's going to happen. Having you say it's normal is very reassuring, thank you
I’m going to get a memorial tattoo- a palm tree on an island that my brother drew me the week b4 he died with his signature at the bottom. Praying my artist won’t hate me for asking for it verbatim
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I brought in a rough sketch (I can't draw) for an Egyptian half sleeve because there were no tattoos I found online that looked like what I'd pictured in my head. My artist literally used my "sketch" only and came up with a work of art that fit what I wanted exactly. Total professional!!
Thats the type of artist i want. one that sees my idea and can either make it reality or at least give me an idea that fits me and is just an overall cool person.
This guy has such a cool aesthetic and the advice is given is so direct and no bs. Really deserves more subscribers.
Would definitely be interested in an in-depth video about tattoos and originality! Awesome video
My dad is an artist, but not a tattoo artist, so I want to bring in one of his drawings which is a cute little dragon character. In this case, I REALLY want it to look like my dad's drawing. Hopefully that is something the tattoo artist would be willing to honor.
One of the reasons I haven't gotten a tattoo yet is because I'm an artist myself, and I got this bug up my ass, "If they can't draw better than me, I don't want them tattooing me". I know drawing/tattoos are totally different, but I still want to see how well they can work on paper before they go HAM on my skin.
I have some tattoos I designed and I want done and they don't have to be verbatum, but I still want them to be correct because they're anatomical sketches that I want on my body and I don't want a lot of "creativity" on something scientific.
I had the same problem so I finally just bought a machine and started tattooing myself LOL
@@JSG-mw4qr That's a bad idea you can fuck up tattooing yourself on certain parts of your body..
Street fighter vs Xenoverse not true
@@haileyadkins8412 yes it is true..
Exactly like me if you’re an artist yourself, not a tattooist, but if the artist cannot draw better than you it makes you kind of back out
Some people argue with me about tattoo copying. I would love to see a video about your thoughts. Great video, thank you!
Bro it's my skin being permanently marked. My say should be the most important.
But also the artists reputation is on line.
Imagine hiring Claude Monet and not giving him any artistic freedom and telling him to paint exactly what you told him to but still expecting a high quality Monet. It’s not. It’s a shitty design by a random person that’s not an artist and Monet just happened to do it. There are all kinds of tattoo artist out there that will copy work. Bitching about a CUSTOM tattoo artist not copying work for you is hilarious.
@@MC-nm7kr It's a permanent mark on my body. I can bitch as much as I please.
Tru, but if u came to me and say u wanna sexual pose of ur 10y old niece im a rip that skin right out of u.
Depending what it is. The tattoo artist should be looking out for their clients as well as trying to make good and original art on peoples bodies but obviously the client has to be okay with it otherwise they need to find a different artist who maybe does things differently
I personally tell my artist what I like and let him show me ideas and then I pick my favorite and let him do HIS magic. I think it's important to understand and respect each artists unique style of tats. I'm very open minded with my tats perhaps bcuz my ex hubby did tattoos and I saw first hand all the bs he went thru with so many clients. So I guess I just never wanted to be that pain in the azz lol 😂...
This is what I wanna do but I dont have a solid idea. I just have like "I want to include *this this this and this." But that's all I have. I trust that whoever artist I pick will make it beautiful
I feel like tattoos always turn out the best when you let your artist do it in their preferred style because that's what they thrive at. Just gotta find an artist whose style you fuck with and then you're good
I think another thing that should be considered is whether the design has meaning or not. For example, a friend of mine wanted to get a tattoo of his family's crest, but the artist didn't like the design of the crest and wanted to change it. Doing so would have completely removed the meaning of the tattoo so I think it was perfectly reasonable to want an exact unaltered copy of the design.
As a hobby drawer i had. To get one of my own drawings inked on me, but after i got it i loosened up and get tattoos in the same style or traditional. If you go to one artist i dont see a problem bringing in some of your own and getting some of their designs.
Love your videos! Thanks for all the info! I have no tattoos and I'm getting more and more confident about the whole process.
I'm so glad I drew the concept I wanted and gave the artist his creative freedom, both of us are proud of the tattoo so far
With your art background I’d be interested in what you thought about people getting famous paintings tattooed on them. I see a lot of people getting the Picasso line drawings tattooed
lillian girvin he should totally do a video on this topic next !
It shouldn't matter what other people think, if you want it them get it.
Clear and concise man! Keep it up!
I really love the collaboration process and letting the artist do something she likes & specializes in. I bring in pictures from her own Instagram that feature techniques and subjects I like & a placement area idea and just chat with her. Vibing is so important to me, and like you said in another video, I want the artist to be just as excited about the piece as I am. Getting another one Monday!
I so much prefer to let them do what they do. When Steve Byrne did my chest piece, I literally was like "what are you into right now?" and let him go for it. And it's AMAZING... (Like all of his work is, lol.) My husband tattoos me usually, and hes amazing, like everyone else in his shop... But I'm definitely a fan of collecting pieces from different people who's work I follow. Letting them kill it with what they do best makes for amazing work.
i agree that letting the artist run with it is the best way. this becomes more true with artists that have a higher skill level. my girl does the same thing as you. i do most of her work, but she also gets tattooed by world famous artists like phil garcia and tony ciavaro when she comes to conventions with me. she doesn't have one bad tattoo on her body. i envy her for that.
@@JamesWithee I've got a couple basement bangers from before my husband 😂 I envy your lady too, lmao! If I'd have known I would marry a killer artist I would have never done that to myself as a kid, omg. And we met SO YOUNG... a couple of years and I would have been good, but nooooo. I HAD to get tattooed before I turned 18 🙄Thankfully they aren't anywhere super apparent. Love your vids my dude!
Ooh! That's an awesome approach! I'm going to try that next time!
WouldYouJust _ youre getting someone elses shit on your body permenantly you goddamned fool
@@37H662 maybe she tattooed herself. Like she said she was young and wanted a tattoo. She obviously knew what she was getting into and at the time she probably liked it and over time after she got other amazing tattoos she probably realized how not great that original one was
I got my degree in Fine Arts and all my friends thinks that means I'm a tattoo designer. This video is super helpful because if I do make something for them I don't want the artist cursing me in their head hahahah. I'll also instruct them on what to expect after I make the tattoo
Great advice. As an artist myself (not a tattoo artist) I’m always wanting to design my friends’ ideas, as well as come up with my own. Every question I had was answered bro amazing content and detail 🙌🏼
I have a lot of drawings that I like to do when I’m bored and they aren’t exactly high quality but they aren’t bad either. This really brings me peace of mind because what I want to do is bring them to an artist willing to tattoo original art but who will make changes and let me know what will and won’t fit. I understand my 2D art probably won’t work on skin without adaption and I’m so glad that tattoo artists are exactly that - artists. It’s a wonder people like you can take ink and needles and make a work of art on someone’s moving and alive skin!
Hey man, love your videos. The introduction, topic discussion and conclusion format makes things very clear. Keep it up!
I'd bring in my own design and have the artist to improve.
Lol I learned a lot from my first tatoo. I was honestly scared that they'd mess it up. After that I learned how much artists want your tattoos to look good. I love how it's a almost like a bond between them and the artist a little give and take ❤
The tattoo artist that I trust told me during the process of getting my first tattoo “don’t bring me a piece and expect me to copy it, if you want a work of your own put on your body then bring me an inspiration and we can draw up from there”
He has a very nice style and I’m glad that he’s not someone who will just copy a design
Another great commentary - Thank you for continuing to produce these videos. They're good and there's nothing else like them. You're a talented speaker.
Start a podcast. You’re perspective is 🔥
What if your the artist (me)? Like I design a clean ass painting and I want it on me and bring it in would they be mad??
I generally bring with me a drawing or picture but am open minded about letting the artist improve on it.
I have three designs that I did. One was done exactly as I drew it. The other two were changed only slightly. All three were original drawings not tattoo copies. I had no problems getting them done and I still love the tattoos. They are pretty simple though, just black & gray.
Love how you chose your shirt for this vid where you're going to hold up the same "three" symbol
So basically if I bring in a bunch of pictures of tattoos from the internet (That have a similar theme) and tell the artist that "I kinda want this theme but beyond that, you do you" I should be good to go right?
That's what I did with my artist. I was clear about the theme, vibe and elements that I wanted in it (eg Koala Carebear and semicolon, traditional inspired style, strong and feminine). Then I found reference photos of things that I liked and was specific about what I liked in each on. Then I let her do her own thing.
What makes a good tattoo, "good"?
Ive often wondered. Sometimes id look at tattoo competitions and the tattoos that i thi k was the best often times dont win. And other artists pick a tattoo that looks "meh" to me. What do you actually look at?
art is subjective
I'm generally in the center. I know exactly what the subject matter is and the general style and color. I leave it up to them for the exact size, positioning, and any design tweaks to make it look better. My last tattoo consultation went fantastic: He asked for a few pieces of reference material and we looked over them together pulling out the elements that worked. My final tattoo was similar in style to the other three but still a unique piece. I like being an active part of the design process for something going on me.
Your videos have been so helpful. I got my first tattoo recently and am planning on a Matrix-themed "ripped open" tattoo and a geometric half sleeve in the next couple of years. Your videos help me feel more confident in my search for an artist and styles.
i went into your shop and showed matthew a simple reference that only had a picture of an aztec warrior and a pyramid, and he somehow turned that into a half sleeve. its good to bring references and trust the artist rather than bring a full blown design.
was this just a couple weeks ago? if so i remember the design. matt is a great artist
"Where you draw the line as a tattoo artist" nice
This was a really informative video. For all my tattoos I have brought in the drawings myself and got the exact tattoo I wanted, so it was interesting hearing that seemingly most artist wouldn't be okay with it. But I am also an artist and I though if I end up disliking the tattoo it will be my own fault so I cannot blame anyone else. I just gave them my linework and the only thing they added was the shading.
Anyway: for me it worked out great. I even got my 4 hour piece for half the price because my artist liked the design so much and had a lot of fun doing it. So I guess even though I am stubborn it worked out nicely.
In the future I will definitely get the original artwork of someome else, but the artists I want to design sth for me are way more expensive and further away so I gotta save money first..
Jeeeeeeze alot more involved than I thought ..interesting and glad I watched ✌️❤️
I took my own plan into my artist because I liked his style of work (strong black line work) so I asked him to simply use the mascots &items I gave him and put his spin on it . I got a great half sleeve out of the experience 🙂
Sometimes though a particular design has such a deep meaning that it shouldn't be changed or changed very little. Hence a design I drew up. It was suggested by my daughter and I am open to some changes what a few "artists" wanted to change took away meaning. So I said thank you for your time and have a nice day. If they told me that my art sucked I would laugh and walk away to find an artist worthy of doing my design with their style and not completely change it.
I thought it was a common thing to be honest ..I have gone to book my first tattoo today but have to go back and he said he will work with me on what I want design something really cool ..his words ,I did tell him what I sort of wanted but itsy first time so I expected to just pay deposit and book it but haha not that simple and listening to you I see why,well I hope he can do what I want ,I've not seen what I want anywhere just came to my head but does involve some symbols quite a few actually so hope he can still do what I want ,but if not I guess there will be good reason ✌️❤️
Honestly, I was worried cause I want a small outline of a heart on my wrist for very personal reasons. And I know that some people don't like to exact design. But now knowing that's their dream situation I'm not so worried
I love your videos man, so informative. My first tat i wanted was an owl from an already drawn picture when i showed the artist he wanted to change it i was kinda against it till i saw the what he came up with wich was 100 times better... back then at 18 never thought of originality, or not understanding why a tattoo artist wouldnt just copy it.... now im getting my second tat in may booked my tattoo artist in January and giving him allllll the creative vision
Love your videos, they're very informative I'm new to tattoos (I'm 19 and only have 2) keep up the good work!!
Again, thanks for keeping it REAL. HAVE A BLESSED DAY. 👩🎨🎨🖌🍀🌺🦓🌈Liz
Respect. I just got commissioned to design a forearm sleeve for someone else. I’m here trying to make sure I’m not stepping on toes. Thanks for the info.
My new favorite TH-camr, can’t wait to get a piece done by you!
I'm pretty confident in my art, and that's because I've been drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I also took countless art classes in highschool, and my art teacher let me do whatever basically because I took my time on my art and she loved what I was doing. So I have a really nice design I drew up, and I want it tattooed, but theres a part of it that I'm going to me flexible with changing because I dont think I did the best job on. Next time I'll go in I'm going to ask about it, so hopefully I can find someone willing to tattoo it on me
What I usually do is bring in my own design to help the artist understand my thought process and a concept of what I want. Then I basically let them come up with their own design by taking my design and looking at all the source material. I can't draw like I used to so I know it's not professional but my intention is to help convey the general vicinity of what I'm looking for with the artist free to change or complete make from scratch.
Love and miss your videos, please make more :) Anything tattoo related is fine by me haha!
I know what i want and i find an artist who specialises in that style of art. Anyone who doesn't have multiple consultations for a tattoo obviously doesnt care about the outcome. I would never ask somebody to tattoo me in a style they are not comfortable with and will always find the best artist for the job (thats always someone i can work my ideas out with and have seen examples of excellent work they've done in a similar style). You would have to be crazy to let a stranger with no experience in that style permanently draw something on you. Tattooists wont like to admit this but they aren't great at tattooing everything.Thats a fact. Shop around, be prepared to wait and be prepared to pay.
In Brazil people do that a loooooot. Artistically speaking, I think that a tattooer that does that doesnt value Art itself just getting paid for a job. Black and Grey specially is something that I've seen tons and tons of copies, and most of them are real scratchy work.
James I want to see a video on what type of obligations a tattoo artist has after a deal is struck/agreed on as far as holding up there side of the deal so deposit is paid appointments are kept and artist has started with first needle poke? Should it come out the same?should it be as black as promised? Should it not be hazzy? Should their lines be clean? Spaces be even? No mistakes in the tattoo ECT.... All things leading up to the quality of what was talked about and them not milking the clock for biting off more then they can chew/ or past they're skill level? And what if it's not Turing out how the tattoo should? At what point should you say look it's not Turing out? Should you let the artist keep running with it trying to make it better? And why should the client pay for more if the artist can't deliver what was agreed or promised? Why should a client be at mercy for a artist to run up a clock because they don't have the skill set they say they do? At what point should you back out? Ask for a refund? Let the artist know your not happy? Not have to pay more for no delivery? And shouldn't the artist be confident in the hours quoted? Or price quoted? The client isn't the professional here what steps should they take after the job is started?
Lol. People like you are why consent forms are so long. There is no such thing as a perfect tattoo or a perfect tattoo artist for that matter. If u can't accept that, you shouldn't get one. If u came into a legit shop asking just half the questions you've asked here you'd probably be refused service by everyone in there. No one wants to work with a client that seems impossible to please and does nothing but look for fault during every step of the process.
James you are sadly mistaken for my intent your videos are amazing and very informative my post is in depth so you can try to understand clients perspectives and ?s that come up during tattoo discussions when a client is starting a piece in the middle and just had a piece finished being since you have really started to shed light on the industry with your videos you've found a niche and well be a person that people look towards I Truely understand every artist and every piece is different even if the same artist did the same piece twice on the same client that's what makes tats beautiful and unique works of art I support your channel watched all your vids I'm not sure if this is a sensative subject you just dont want to touch but you've done well with breaking down your other videos you just brought up another valuble point talking about concent forms that you should touch on and from my perspective I dont hold my artist to perfect standards thats not reality not just tats but in art or life in general but surely you can help like you have with your other videos and actually I never even have signed a concent for for any tat and going into a piece with a/my artist I selected him with trust and understand artist work best when allowed to just vibe and do there thing at the baseline of when the tats are discussed is when the client and artist should be on the same page and trust comes into play all throughout the piece if a mistake is made or not turning out the artist should have a chance at there discretion to tackle that challenge but lets not sit here and act like things always end up right and a client should never feel like they should never say anything or show the artist what the Fed like different or give the artist and chance to correct or improve their art that the client has for life any good artist should understand and be open to their clients concern or interest granted clients aren't the professionals here and that where trust comes into play hopefully you can reread this post and really put thought into this subject and shed light on both perspectives it's indepth to help with a video covering both client and artist
I live in arizona i hope to get my 1st tatto at you're tatto shop
I need to know this information because since I have ADHD one of my issues is I have to have a visual representation of what I want because sometimes when I try to explain what I want the words don't come out of my mouth correctly to display what I want as a tattoo and I know it's probably rude that I do but I have to do that for the thinking process in my mind I have to have an idea in my head I have to have the capability to make that visual imagery on a paper or a digital and me putting the effort in allows my brain time to be able to think do I really want this on my skin forever and I know it's probably very disrespectful to be bringing in my own design but I let them know that this is just a rough idea of what I want you're allowed to clean up the lines crisping up the colors you know make it look better but keep it as that design because that was the design that I put my mindset in and that's of how I do my thinking process when it comes to my ADHD most of the time is have to have something visual or else I can't physically think about it properly and so I tend to just design a bunch of random images and have just a bunch of random art in my phone
I bring my own design. Not because I want that spesific design, but because I can easely include the elements that I like to give the artist a better idea of what I want. Of course the design is going to be changed to fit the body better and to fit the artists style, but I defenetly feel that there is more comunication and understanding when I can just draw my crazy ideas so they make a little sense.
I love all your videos !! So well spoken and educated.
Hey James, love your vids man. Very informative. I was wondering if you would have any interest in doing a vid on coil machines vs rotary machines, the pros and cons of each, which ones you prefer and why. Just curious.
You have made me a better tattoo client 🙌🏻🙌🏻
What is your opinion on getting a tattoo over spider veins? I am planning a large tatto but realize I have a lot of spider veins all of my body. The veins don’t bother me... I think it’s genetic.
Love your videos!
Man I need a tat by you fam. Dope work
thanks buddy i appreciate you watching
I love these videos and how in-depth you go. This has def helped how i approach getting mine. It’d be cool to get your take on what tattoo styles you think age the best , ex: realism vs traditional.
I pick mine on my own personality
I’m really motivated to draw some of the tattoo ideas I collected from a search engine to make it my own. I haven’t done sketches in a couple years and although my doodled have always been amazing, my confidence is pretty fragile if someone bluntly talks shit. That being said, I would absolutely be open to the tattoo artist taking my art and making it more compatible with what they need to do.
I love my tats other than 3 all of my tattoos are original, its also why I dont post them too social media
Curious how you feel about tattoos that are based on same images? From Pinterest or wherever they get the images, like that ONE lion that EVERYBODY always uses. The tattoo itself can be solid and perfectly executed but the originality of the clients gets me to me!
Man.. I go off about this shit all the time when I'm chatting with other tattoo artists. I do a lot of realistic tattoos and I'm getting hella bored with an the lions and clocks. There's only so many references out there and I can't go to the zoo and just take my own pic like I could with a skull replica or a rose. Pretty soon here I'm gonna start turning down any subject matter that is like that if I've already tattooed it once or twice. Just gotta make sure I don't shoot myself in the foot cuz at the end of the day still gotta make money lol. This is one reason why I've been pushing illustrative tattoos more than in the past
So I've been thinking about a certain tattoo for a couple of years now, and I'm definitely going to keep contemplating all the different pros, cons, all the general information I can for it. But I really like your videos I've just recently found because it answers a lot of questions that I've had for a really long time, but I don't really have people to talk to about it. So I've just kinda stayed in the dark about it. lol So really appreciate all the information you include in your content!! Anyways onto a question if you do happen to read this, with what you mentioned with someone bringing in their own work, and it possibly not having a professionally made appearance to it, do you mean it would cause to many issues in trying to draw it out in a tattoo, being overly difficult or impossible. Or is more the quality of the work is not something you would engrave because you as an artist would not be proud of it, or have people associate the work with your own? I'm mainly curious not just for myself but I've also heard of lots of cases where a seemingly "scribbled down by a kindergartener" looking tattoo was actually something from a child who had passed away, or with something that holds extreme sentiment to the person themselves and not necessarily any possible on-lookers who may see it? I would really be interested to know what your opinion specifically on this would be if your reading this! lol Sorry about my lousy typing I'm half awake writing this.😂
Thank you for the great information.
Uhm... I already have hot my own original tattoo...but didnt finish the color...in fact the black outline and dark brown...I sadly feel are starting to turn purple? The tattoo was originally stated in 2009 but I wanted to jazz it up or finish it....I brought in my drawing of what I wanted and was very happy with the adjustments made to my original drawing...
scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/36826299_472719046501679_2364204429286047744_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_oc=AQkqVcpktcd9bwPn0Pu1GhXykbgrGQ7BcSjpyXGjjvfG8XedM4wGyskqCzIJp-20d4HygBcnwat9XqkPKvqIPW-8&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=9c6d9a9a771edd2940aa1f975ebac1d7&oe=5E177AA7 ....this is a photo from 2009 after done.... just the foxtail... and the rest is a photo editor
In my personal opinion
It sounds like it’s just more work for both
I saw a tattoo i liked and showed it to the artist. had to go back and forth with the tattoo artist 3 times because he went to different styles. I personally do not like traditional but that’s what he kept turning it into
Eventually i just said fckk it and got what he drew
Every day i look at it and wish i had just taken the time to sketch out what i wanted and gone to someone different
1:22 Hehe, look at his shirt.👌
Thank you for your video and info
I'm not sure if you have done any tattoos on diabetics, but that would be an awesome video idea
I want a tat with the 4 things i like "space, snakes, Rubik's cubes and martial arts". Can't think of anything with all 4
A snake choking out a Rubik’s cube in space
I would love to hear your opinion of who are the best artist in their respective types (realistic,traditional,lettering etc) and where do you see yourself , what are trying to improve day after day on your art.
Your give such great detail bigman keep it up
I’m artist and I want to design my own tattoo.I do Traditional art and have been doing art my whole life.I want to recreate it myself.I wonder how that would play out because I’m an artist as well.I agree for what you said for beginners or people who not as artistic.Im an artist myself so I do wonder!
one tattoo design i showed an artist he said that it is not possible to make it look good as a tattoo because it has too many small details so i learned not everything can be a tattoo
I get why a artist wouldn't want to copy something exactly, but these people are paying you money for something thats permanent on there body?
You have earned a suscriber yo😎👍
Surely it should be up to the client, I mean they have to look at it daily for the rest of their life and they're paying huge amounts of money for the tattooists time. What happens if the tattooists does it to their idea and the client then hates it? They could end up having to pay for something they don't like and then the client may have to get it lazered off.
Of course they show and consult before the final tattoo goes on. If you’re not happy and the tattoo artist cannot find compromise with you then most of them will decline. It is up to the client, if they have a design they want themselves, of course as he mentioned in the video - some artists will approve, some won’t. Additionally, the artist knows if the tattoo will look bad in a certain place as they are a professional. Sometimes you need to compromise, they’re the artist and if they’re a good artist, they will know what will look good and what they’re willing to do
I’ve been looking for a video like this for a while because I’m an artist so I think the idea of having my own artwork on my body is pretty cool, but I don’t want to be disrespectful to the tattoo artists by having them copy my art on me instead of their own. I think their own original tattoos are very nice too but I’ve always liked the idea of having my own work as a part of my body
Always quality content
Great video as always! Thanks for breaking this down. I am a little surprised that some artist's would actually turn down doing something just because you drew it yourself! I can see that if you aren't willing to let them tweak it but, otherwise i think it's shitty.
All of my art is custom and most of it i drew myself. I do however, agree to them fixing little mistakes or tweaking it in some way to make it look better. Fit better, ect. I'm not a pro and accept that fact! I am decent though. I draw ot so they know what i want. They are the professional artist so i value thier input too and if they want to change something to make it better, i am all for that.
I am more than willing to listen and accept improvements!! So if an artist would refuse my ideas simply because they are mine, they can fuck off to be frank.
i think it might be unfair to get offended if they turn down the project based on the notion that it's not their original creation. some artists just don't like doing stuff they they didn't draw, and that's their prerogative. a big part of the reason people choose to be tattoo artists is to have fun while they work, and if they don't think it's fun to do someone else's art, then it is what it is. getting mad about it is like when a dude hits on a pretty girl and then says "fuck you, bitch" when she shoots him down. that ain't cool. better to brush the rejection off and move onto the next one. it's nothing personal, after all. with that said, i enjoy tattooing other people's artwork on their own body if it's a really great drawing. there's something special about helping someone bridge the gap between the medium they practice and the medium of tattooing.
Can u talk about tattoos over self harm scars? Will you be able to tatto over those type of scars?
It depends. I have self harm burn scars and I got a pink bunny tatted over them and you can only vaguely see the indent that the deepest scar left !
i have scars on my leg and got them covered with a pumpkin tattoo and it just hurt a little more. scar tissue takes ink differently so it depends on the severity
The artist I use seems to prefer that you bring in a design so he doesnt have to mess with it. My family has gotten 7ish total tattoos from him and every one has been an image from google. I was thinking of commissioning an artist to do my tattoo design then taking it in.
Great video man, love the honesty
With the tattoo on my upper left arm (before I started my sleeve), I brought in a picture of something I wanted. It was the first time I had done that. The artist said he needed to change a couple of things on it. I was kinda peeved, but allowed him to. He came up with a design, I asked him to change something on it. He did, and it came out beautifully. Now that I am getting a sleeve, I just gave ideas to the (different) artist and put my trust in him. Its still a work in progress, but my sleeve is looking better than I envisioned.
I drew a tatroo for one of my exes, the artist liked it and went with it. It was a gangster rockhopper penguin, and the main "colored" part of the penguin was all a dark grey, so the tattoo artist edited it a bit with black and dark grey, I've only seen part of it when it was healed and not scabbed up, but it looks good in the picture where it is scabbed up, I do here and there want to ask him for a pic where it isn't scabbed, but it's on his right peck and I just feel like that would be awkward for him to have to send me a shirtless pic..
Thank you so much for these videos. Now that I'm looking for more specific things instead of some flash or something I found on the internet it's always good to know about my reference pictures.
Question though: have you ever talked about how much you should pay your tattooer if you give them an idea and they create a tattoo for you because that is their artwork that they're putting on your body or is that included into the price?
If you have already done this video please let me know so I can go and watch it.
tattoo artists don't charge for designing. they just take a deposit to get the process started. i have a video about that if you wanna watch it
Great video! Thanks for the info 😊
Basically, if I want a tattoo I have to pay ( money and pain 😂 ) and I have to wear like forever what an “artist” wants, hopefully, at best, what I also “like” and agree with, but NEVER something I strongly want.
Ive only got a couple tattoos but the general conclusion ive come to is that tattoo artists are some of the biggest f'n divas out there..
My artist is a family friend. If you take a picture in, he will tattoo it, but he will free hand changes. I’m cool with it. I don’t care for changes. If they think it’ll look better I’m cool with it
I went to art school, and I am not a bad artist(not to boast). Id go in with my art, and being an artist, I am cool with critics.
ok
What if I commissioned a specific artist that I really like the style of for a drawing of my pet that I want tattooed?
What if you're an artist yourself and you give them your design? How much credit does the tattoo artist get?
Love your videos bro. Top notch .. 🤘🤘🤘
I had my first tattoo consultation today.
I want to get a tattoo of my dog, I told the artist that I wanted the head, small and the rough location and that he can just design it how he likes. I did have a couple of his tattoos as a reference to show him the style I want it in (two cartoon foxes and a butt in a heart frame).
I'm worried that he'll go in a direction I don't like since I won't get to see it until I go in to get it, but i suppose I'll just have to tell him what i want to have changed and how.
I definitely want the dog in a heart shape and i didn't tell him that directly, is that a fast enough thing to add to just mention it at the appointment (since the dog head is the important design aspect) or should I get back to him and tell him? Or did he get the gist from the tattoos I showed him?
It is my first tattoo and a very personal one as well, so I am very anxious about not liking what he makes. But I suppose that's what the deposit is for, in case I don't want to get what he made on my body.
If you have any advice that'd be cool, keep up the good content. It really helped me in my decision to finally pluck up the courage to go to an artist.
the worry you have is pretty common among inexperienced tattoo clients. in this situation it's hard to tell whether or not you are bugging too much by sending a text clarifying that the dog needs to be in the shape of the heart because i don't know whether or not that was communicated clearly during the consult. you just have to make a judgement call on it based on what you remember. i'll admit that it is annoying for a tattoo artist to get lots of messages from a client asking about the design or requesting things that might be slightly different from what was discussed in person, but at the same time it's a permanent tattoo and you gotta make sure that you've said everything you need to to get the piece you want. that being said, the best way to alleviate the worry you have about the design is to ask yourself whether or not you picked the right artist in the first place. if the answer is yes, and you love everything they put out on instagram and in their portfolio, then you should just relax and let them do their job. often times clients will text me and try to make suggestions of where i should place things and how big to make something, etc, and it's pretty wack for me because they usually don't know wtf they are even talking about. they come in and see a design that's somewhat different from what they imagined (although still satisfies what they asked for) and they are blown away by how much better it is than what they would've done if they were in control. they're like "WHOA this is way better than what i was thinking" and i'm like "yeah. it's almost like i do this for a living, huh." lmao
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. I do enjoy the tattoos he makes but I know I want mine to be on the girlier side of things, which he does do occasionally. So that with the cartoon animal should be right up his ally.
I think I'll let him do his thing, adding a heart in the background hopefully won't be too much of a big deal for him. It only would be if he included some kind of composition with other elements, but considering the size and me only directly mentioning the dogs head I doubt it's going to happen.
Having you say it's normal is very reassuring, thank you
@@equinn6504 no problem. hopefully everything goes great for you. thanks for watching the video :)
I’m going to get a memorial tattoo- a palm tree on an island that my brother drew me the week b4 he died with his signature at the bottom. Praying my artist won’t hate me for asking for it verbatim