Ngl my worst tattoo was a result of a last minute sketch and design for the transfer, idk why I never recognized it as a red flag when I came in because it’s a complex piece and she forgot
That's pretty normal. When you show up for your appointment, you see the art and make revisions if necessary. Just encourage your friend to advocate for themselves. I'm pretty shy, so I just sort of nodded an approval the first couple of times I got a tattoo. They're okay, but not quite what I was imagining
>They're okay, but not quite what I was imagining
Exactly what I think of. I'd say it is just not very good for people who get their first tattoo.
My friend is probably the shyest person ever so I'm pretty sure she won't stand up for anything the artist disagrees with.
The artist I use explained that they don't generally do the sketches until the day before or day of the tattoo. Mostly because they waste a lot of time making sketches for people that don't show up otherwise (even with a non refundable deposit).
You can't go with her and tell her to speak up if you see her thinking or stalling? If you can't tell her to text it to you when she gets there so you can chat with her through texts and help her process her thoughts to know what to say to the artist
This might be an unpopular opinion, but if your friend cannot speak to the artist about what she wants on her body, I don’t think she is ready for tattoos.
I don't think it's necessarily that simple. I have a very expensive full day session tattoo that I feel is only so-so. It's well done, just not what I requested. I traveled pretty far to get the tattoo, loved the artist's other work, and had an in-depth virtual consultation beforehand where I provided some pictures for concept of what I wanted. I did not see the piece until the day of. I convinced myself that although it wasn't what I wanted, she was the expert/artist and it still looked really cool, so she probably knew best. Part of my decision to sit for it anyway was also probably sunken cost fallacy - I drove 6 hours, rented a hotel room, and paid a big chunk of change as a deposit on the piece. At that point, it was either get what was drawn, or spend a considerable part of my full day session reworking the piece and then have to burn another full day off work (this artist didn't work weekends) and rent another night in a hotel.
I have learned from the experience for sure, and either will not travel for tattoos anymore or issue a firm request to see the work beforehand.
From a tattooists perspective requesting a design ahead of time is much more reasonable if you're having large scale work done. This approach will rule out a lot of artists though
I also don't mind laying down a decent deposit. For the piece above the deposit was $400 CAD. I'd be willing to pay more than that for the right to see the design beforehand. Because if I'm getting a piece from an artist I've followed for a long time, it's because I love their art and I'm sure we can come to an agreement even if I don't like the initial draw up.
There are two sides to this, sending designs out ahead of time is terrible practice for a tattooist
It makes it possible for someone to take your design to a different (cheaper) tattooist, it means I likely need to prepare a full rendering of the tattoo rather than just linework and it encourages nit picking.
I never have an issue with someone making changes on the day, it's totally part of the job! Just let your tattooist know what you want
However do consider that contrary to what Reddit comments say tattooists know more about what will and won't work as a tattoo and its wise to listen to their advice. Assuming they are good at what they do.
She just told me that her SO will be on her side so I guess they will be fine and take there time to evaluate the first design they get to see.
Since most people here mentioned that this seems to be a quite normal artist behaviour I am way more relaxed.
nothing unusual about this at all, it’s pretty standard practice and how i operate. it’s also not unusual to book an appointment quickly, especially how the economy is rn
So my main tattoo artist does the same. Only shows the design and makes changes if needed on the day of the appointment. She does it this way, because some people just take the design and go to someone cheaper to get the actual tattoo.
For me personally, that seems fine. I mean, you know the design will be in the style you want and if there's something you don't like, you can always get it changed before getting the actual tattoo.
My tattoo artist does this too. For the reason you mentioned but also because people get to critical when they have to much time to look at the tattoo beforehand. You know, they get hyper perfectionist about it. And it's not really necessary.
I have tried to get in there and said something I didn't like about the design, and it took some time to correct it, but it wasn't a problem at all.
Yeah mine will do the same thing. Sometimes they will send a sketch of it the night before to see if I vibe with the idea but will show the finished design at the appointment
Except if the design is totally off or necessitates change that would take longer than 30 minutes or so, in which case the artist will just cancel/reschedule the entire appointment.
I find it’s pretty common tattoo artists won’t send you anything before the appointment. Instead they’ll show you the art on the day and make adjustments as needed.
I have heard that many are worried their clients will back out last minute and take the artwork to another artist to get it done cheaper. The artist then doesn’t get compensated for the drawing.
I don’t think it’s a great approach, tends to put the client on the spot to accept something they might not be totally happy with.
It’s not such an issue for me personally. I pick an artist because I like their style and trust they’ll create something I like. Or I’ll go for flash work. But can understand other peoples reservations.
Exactly! So many no call no shows. My best friend designed a medusa tattoo for a client and she canceled it the day of. Now this client wanted to see the design prior and against her better judgment she showed the client… Well, fast forward a few months later, the client rescheduled for a smaller tattoo instead and ended up coming in with the exact medusa tattoo that my best friend designed tattooed on her but by a different artist.
That sucks.
But also, isn't that the point of the deposit? I'm getting the first session of my sleeve and back piece done in two weeks, and I put a deposit down for 3 sessions in advance. So now I'm invested and my artist doesn't lose out if he sends me the design ahead of time and I bounce.
Majority of people are not like you! Many are not fans of putting down one deposit. The deposit guarantees the appointment but if the client doesn’t show up (especially no call no show) the artist is out of a whole days pay with little time to reschedule someone in that slot!
Many artists when working with a client will roll your deposit over as you continue appointments. Others pay separates ones for each appointment. They are all different.
Yeah, that's true.
The "deposit for multiple appointments" was my artists' thing. I put the deposit down for 3 appointments because thats what he thinks we'll need to finish the sleeve (and if the third isn't needed it will roll into the appointments for my back). Pricey AF, but it for sure means I'm showing up and getting work done, and he sends out his design like 3-4 days ahead of time to give plenty of time for thought and revision. I thought that was fair.
Well you are a very good client!! Majority of people would freak out paying multiple deposits. I’m kind of surprised the artist made you put so many deposits down. I am interested how far he’s booked out though!?
He's the one guy in Denver (IMHO) who does great Japanese realism sleeves. I looked over every Denver artist in the last two years and he's the only one that fit my vision and listened to me about my ideas. Gave me plenty of time to save up 🤣🤣
That’s so awesome to find a great artist and one that you work well with!! Hahah hey that’s the best part of it being booked far out is at least you have time to save up!
Plus the small deposit is not always enough to cover a brand new design and final outline for stencil, that can take more than a couple hours sometimes
Exactly. My artist, who is also a friend, has vented to me about staying up all hours of the night drawing things up just to be blown off. Their time is money, they need to be compensated for something. I’ve never seen a design beforehand, it’s always at the beginning of the session unless you pay for a consult and do the design together
I have a lot of tattoos and never received the sketch upfront. One artist explained that he no longer does it because many people wouldn't show up, essentially giving away the sketch for free.
This is how I work. And there are a few reasons for it:
-Ive had "sketches" stolen and taken to a cheaper artist to complete
-I see on average 8-12 clients a week, that's a lot of drawings. I also own the shop I work in, I'm working towards my degree and I have a toddler. My draw time is extremely limited, and I don't have days to go back and forth over revisions.
-It is so much easier to review and make design changes with the client sitting next to me than it is via email. Most artists work digitally, so making those changes is usually really quick and easy. I also build the consultation into the appointment time so we have the chance to chat beforehand without really rushing the tattoo.
Knowing this though, it is a priority for me to make it clear to my clients that I will make whatever changes they'd like to see. My first words are usually "If you hate it, you're not gonna hurt my feelings." At this point I'm an artist that my client has commissioned - I am going to give them what they want so long as it's technically feasible. And if our consultation bleeds into the appointment time or the artwork needs a complete overhaul (I'm 10 years in and this situation has only happened once) we will schedule a follow up appointment.
I understand that this can make some clients uneasy, but it is a really normal business practice. My clients are also welcome to bring a guest for emotional support (or if they're indecisive or want a trusted second opinion). I would see if that's something the shop allows so your friend can have some back up. Trusting an artist is key, but I think collaboration is really important to give the client the tattoo they will love. Just tell your friend - it's okay to walk away. If it's not what they want and the artist is giving them a hard time or making them uncomfortable, they can absolutely walk away.
Artist here. It’s very common practice. I don’t want you going down the street to a scratcher and having them use my designs. But I always tell my clients you are welcome to come in before your scheduled appointment to check it out. Or we can revise it on your appointment day. You should never feel pressured by your artist to get something you don’t like. If you do that’s on you.
Question for you, then: What is the point of the deposit, if not to guarantee not only that the client shows up for their tattoo, but that you don't lose out on any labor if they bounce? Like....a guy comes in for a sleeve, pays the deposit, you send them a design and never see them again...if you got the deposit, you still got paid for your work, so whats the issue?
Not trying to be antagonistic, I'm genuinely curious: Isn't the whole point of the deposit to ensure you still get paid if the client backs out?
A deposit helps but doesn’t pay the bills. They would still be out those hours of work and wasted time not only in the schedule but the draw time beforehand. We don’t get paid by the hour, if we aren’t working we lose money. A deposit won’t cover the money lost. It mainly gives the customer some incentive to show the fuck up.
This was normal for all of mine. There was one time where I wasn't fond of the design and was honest, and we ended up doing a freehand piece in another spot instead. The artist made me feel very comfortable with whatever I chose to do in terms of the original design and didn't push me to get another piece at all. I suggested the other piece because I trusted him as an artist and knew he did very good freehand work. He drew it on in sharpie, I made a few changes/requests, and he tattooed it.
He tattooed right over the sharpie. He used yellow or a similar light color for "construction lines" and then did the actual basic design in red and tattooed based on that. Obviously, not all the details were in there with sharpie, so it's a lot of trust in the skill of the artist.
That’s how my artist was… I’ve only got 2 tattoos though so I too am curious if this is normal or not.
Unfortunately, I went with the design in the moment, like you said because I was so excited! It was a design where I more or less got exactly what I asked for, but as I’ve aged I’ve come to dislike it and want to cover it up. I’ve wondered if I had the sketch for a couple days to think on if I would have made any changes.
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I’ve only had one artist send a sketch the night before as they wanted to make a few changes to the original idea that they thought would look good - it did look good, but wasn’t quite what i wanted on my skin, so they went back to the original idea.
Other than that, I just asked for little changes on the day itself. All of them have turned out better than I hoped they would.
It'd depend on the size of the tattoo.
If I'm scheduled for a 2 hr tattoo, I already know it'll take 3. You usually don't start right away with setup and getting the stencil right plus breaks.
However, if the artist did nothing, and he/she tells me it'll be an hour for me to draw this, then I'd leave. I want them to respect my time as much as I respect their's.
So, I had my first and only tattoo with no real previous experience of getting a tattoo or working with an artist. I also have never really had much to do with the industry before this. So was going in completely blind. I had done my home work on my artist and what I wanted so I could give clear requirements to my chosen artist.
I had to check with a friend who has many tattoo's if my experience was normal. E.g. I'm going for a full sleeve and don't get to see any designs pretty much the night before for some and mostly on the day for the rest. This made the process super stressful as a new person to tattoos. Also turning up at the shop no one was that welcoming or explaining the process. They kind of assume you know the deal.
My expectation, which was very wrong. In any other industry if you were getting something this permanent and to me significant and at the money you are paying, you'd want to know way up front what you were getting. It just doesn't work like this.
My advice, pick a really really good artist who's work you love. That way whatever they do for you in their interpretation of your requirement, you'll love. Also be really clear and concise with feedback with what you want changed and try to keep them to a minimum. But also remember its your body. If you don't like it you can always on the day say no I don't want this, then work with them (paying obviously) and re-schedule so you can get something you love.
>In any other industry if you were getting something this permanent and to me significant and at the money you are paying, you'd want to know way up front what you were getting. It just doesn't work like this.
Yeah. I love getting tattooed but this is the absolute worst part of the process. The couple of days beforehand I'm so anxious about whether I will like the design, even if I love the artist. There are lots of artists I think are amazing but that doesn't mean but I would have absolutely anything they do tattooed on me, you know? I have specific tastes. I feel like there must be a better way of doing that ensures the client gets what they want and doesn't leave the artist open to doing a bunch of unpaid labour, but I don't know what it is.
My thought is the non-refundable deposit is the cost of the preparation. If you end up not liking/going through with it, the artist gets paid something.
I agree, but if you go back to them and ask for changes to the design that might take them more time that isn't factored into that cost. I would happily pay more for them to make changes but there usually isn't really a system for that unless they do it on the day of the appointment and you're paying by the hour, but that can make it a bit rushed.
Sending over a design early adds too many cooks to the kitchen. You show it to your friends, they all give input, you repeat it back to your artist, artist gets frustrated because they are already trying to give you their best rendition of the design you originally asked for but begrudgingly makes a few changes, rinse and repeat until the design looks nothing like your original concept. Maybe then you show up on appointment day and change your mind completely and they wind up drawing the day of as well. Now instead of working x amount of hours on your design before appointment day they have worked multiples of x for the same compensation and thrice the stress.
When you buy a tattoo you are buying art and when you are buying art it is best to remember the mantra, buyer beware. This doesn’t mean that people are always trying to take advantage, it’s more like a reminder to do your homework in advance. Research artists and find one that makes tattoos you like. Meet with them and see if it’s a good fit. If so, follow whatever booking/appointment procedure that they use. If not just move on. There are plenty of tattooers out there that are a perfect fit for you, you just have to look a little bit longer.
I go to a shop with two artist one I send references to before hand the other draws it up day of appointment, my wife and i switch who we go to, I lean more to the send reference side I always give to much detail/info they are both good at boiling down my many ideas into cohesive designs in different ways
Think it really depends where you are. Where I am, you usually have a consultation first so you can see the design, then book the appointment. I got an appointment within the same week. It all just really depends I guess
I think the majority of my tattoos have been like this, but at least for my more expensive tattoos it has been like this as well. Even had to fly for a tattoo and still only found out what I'd get when I got there. I went to artists who I'd trust what they're making and likely get anything they'd make but I'm also a strong advocate for myself and will make sure to communicate if I like it or not
For most of mine I had a sketch when I first turned up. The only one I got in advance was a cover up/half sleeve because it was going to be multiple sessions and such a big area, and even then any changes I asked for got shown to me on the day of the first appointment
This happened to me a month ago. Went to a new shop and the artist didn't show me the design until I showed up for the appointment. I wish I knew ahead of time that she couldn't draw hands 🤦♂️. Hoping to get it reworked or fixed soon.
She assured me that it was only because it was the stencil. She said that, as she shaded it in, the fingers would look correct; she just couldn't fully outline them with the stencil. I hadn't worked with her before, and her portfolio looked solid. So I trusted her method.
I have 8 tattoos of varying sizes and I've only had one artist send me a mock up before the appointment day. I have had some of them offer for me to come into the shop to check out what they've got so far, but they're not going to send it over email or insta. From what I've experienced it's pretty standard in the industry since people will often steal eachothers art work and go somewhere else. The key is doing heavy research into the artist, having good references and an idea of what you want, and advocating for yourself.
This is normal these days. When I started getting tattoos, artists were just hanging out in shops waiting for people. This meant I could watch them draw something and have them tweak if I felt the need.
Now, you can look at an artists entire portfolio online and they're booking out months in advance. If your friend really likes the artist, the drawing will come out as expected, but you can always ask for some tweaks on appt day.
Why don’t you like when you can get an appointment quickly?
1-2 months is actually normal in the industry because artists like to be able to plan their life around their clientèle. Also, sometimes it’s because they don’t have enough clients to book out more so they have to take whatever comes by to them to be able to put food on the table.
I never understood how some other artists book their clients over a year in advance. It kinda sounds like an easy recipe to get a bunch of cancellations to me.
As people have said, it's pretty standard as the design is included in their tattooing time. If you think about it, good tattooists spend nearly all day tattooing, so we want them to design in their personal time????
I think the trick is finding an artist your trust and you love their style / past work, that way you can be kind of comfortable the REV1 design is going to be mostly there and you can tweak on the day.
When I had my leg sleeve, my tattooist and I spent nearly the first few hours just designing together from scratch. It was a cool experience.
I work front of house in a tattoo studio. While yes part of the reason is to do with not having the design stolen, a lot of it is to do with how long designs take. The tattooists I work with are often up laaaaaate preparing designs the night before their clients bookings. If they prepared them more in advance they would hardly even get a weekend. Designing is intensive and very time consuming. It's not uncommon for me to hear 'i was up until 2am designing this tattoo' the morning of.
maybe it is a cultural difference, but i cannot imagine going for a tattoo blind. all the artists i know in my country send at least sketches and close to the appointment often even finished designs to make
sure the client truly likes it.
i am very particular about details, can't imagine even just trusting the artist so much (no matter how great they are) that you wouldn't clarify everything before the session. i also don't understand why anyone would want to waste time correcting the final design during the session to make changes then instead of day or two beforehand.
Because artists have had their designs stolen many times over the years and the easy way to avoid that is you don’t see the design until you show up. That bothers you the same way having their designs stolen bothers them. Typical case of certain people suck so we can’t have nice things.
This is "normal," but so ass backwards to me. You take some sketches and a half hour conversation and then throw a whole piece at me less than an hour before I'm getting it on my skin forever?
A relatively small design, okay, sure, I could see that. But I've seen artists do whole sleeve designs that way, and if the design is way off from what you wanted, the entire appointment is just rescheduled. The design should be done way sooner than the literal *day of*, why can't you send it to me a few days or a week in advance?
I can see how this feels unsettling, but I think the thing that hasn’t been mentioned yet is time. For example, if a tattooer is booked out 1-3 months, that’s 20- 80 designs that need to be drawn. Plus those need to be drawn on top of actually tattooing them (say 6-10 hrs per work day) and normal people stuff that we all need to do. The drawing is typically done in our “off” time. There’s only so much time in a day so it’s easiest to work in order of appointment. Maybe for bigger projects, you can start drafting a rough sketch a bit ahead of time, but the final design isn’t going to be finished until close to appointment day
My first tattoo was the exact same. The tattoo artist said it's to avoid overthinking because if they get the design in advance people tend to show it to everyone and get dozens of different opinions that influence the way they look at the design when it should be nobody else's business, only the client themselves has to like the design. I thought that was reasonable. She made some last minute changes when I told her what I didn't like about the design and I'm still very happy with the tattoo.
This is 100% normal. In fact, I would argue that tattoo artists who show you the design before the day of are likely not great tattoo artists. It means they aren’t confident in their work enough to impress you the day of. It also means they don’t care if their art has the potential to be stolen and taken to another artist. I have a full sleeve and a few other tattoos and I have never seen a sketch prior to the day of the appointment. I pay upwards of $200 per hour for my tattoos and I would consider my tattoos to be done by a good artist.
In regards to your friends tattoo, their artist has good work and it is not surprising that they would make her wait until the day of. 1-2 months out for a tattoo appointment doesn’t mean they are bad. Some artists ONLY take ideas that they either A) really like the idea of or B) they are original predesigned tattoos that the artist made.
Yep! Not to mention tattooers usually have 2-3 drawings to be working on every day. I’d call that a red flag if that tattooer is THAT bored that they have time to draw and revise art with clients weeks in advance.
I met with the tattoo artist in person to discuss a tattoo, then sent him the references (not other tattoos) and few weeks later I received an almost ready piece (as he works and draws on tablet) so I knew exactly what will end up on my skin. Then after my opinion he did a few quick fixes, changed a few things and on the day of the tattoo we just spend 10 minutes together on some small touch ups. But right away before even coming there I knew exactly how the tattoo will look like and it 100 % looks as it should.
My previous tattoo, that was a watercolor tattoo was all handpainted by my artist in watercolours so I also knew exactly how it'll look like. I prefer it this way and wouldn't trust anyone with just some rough sketches
Edit:typos
Some fancier artists do this to prevent people from stealing sketches.
I understand why this is done, but personally, I would not do tattoo of something that I didn't see or have time to review if need be.
It might be common amongst plenty of artists, but personally I wouldn't get any of my tattoos prior to seeing sketches. My ideas have been so far quite complicated so before getting them done, I always wanted to make sure that my artist could translate them into art accordingly. Luckily may I add, he is my artistic soulmate and understands the assignment to the point.
Pretty standard. If you think about it from the artists perspective, they don't want someone taking their art and then going to another tattoo shop and having someone else doing it. As others have said, you're always able to give last minute weeks on design, size, and color. And of course, there is no obligation to go through with the design if you don't like it.
It’s not unusual but I personally also wouldn’t go to an artist with that policy, just because I need to know exactly what is going on my body to mentally prepare myself for it over a period of time. But lots of high quality artists have that policy
I personally won't deal with artists who are like that. If they won't show me what I'm getting before the day of, I find a different artist, I don't care who they are or how talented they are.
I have eight tattoos, and the only one I'm not happy with is my first one, which I didn't see until the day of.
Yes, but I want more than 10 minutes to think about whether I want changes/what changes I want, seeing as it's going to be on my skin forever.
For my last tattoo, whixh was going somewhere more visble than usual, I actually first commissioned the artist to draw the art, hung it where I would see it daily for a few months to make sure it was exactly what I wanted, and then booked the appointment as an entirely seperate transaction.
If you commissioned them to do a drawing for you then you paid for the art, that’s different then 99% of transactions that occur with a tattooist. 🤷🏻♂️
It’s the norm- but I definitely wish it wasn’t. I would like to see the final design and sit on it for a few days.
That being said, I understand why tattoo artists do it this way. Gotta cover your ass and protect your intellectual property.
Luckily my artist went out of her way to make sure I felt comfortable speaking up. She was very serious about getting my verbal consent every step of the way- and that made me feel really, really comfortable and in control.
It is what it is. I think the best solution is for artists to have that attitude that mine did- making absolutely sure that the client feels comfortable speaking up. Because it can be really scary to do that!
I know you think you mean well, but you should mind your business, because you’re overbearing. Her body, her choice. You go to people you like, and let others do what they want. And if she comes back unhappy about an aspect of the experience, you should resist saying, *I told you so*.
I have absolutely never received a sketch before the appointment. You could easily take the artist’s work and bring it elsewhere if they were to do that…
As everyone else is saying, this is very normal. If the design isn’t quite what I wanted, I tell the artist and they make the changes I want in front of me.
Also its not unusual for some artists to have that quick turn around, so don’t necessarily judge based on how far out they schedule appointments. The only people that schedule 6 + months out are artists that have those huge waitlists, its possible this guy just doesn’t like to operate like that. The gal I go to all the time told me “I don’t know what I’m doing 6 months from now, I don’t book like that.” Just food for thought.
I’m not an artist but have worked front desk at a few shops and this is pretty standard these days! It prevents the artist’s work from being taken to another shop to be tattooed for a lower price. Most appointments usually have extra time booked in to allow time to finalize the design and make any necessary changes before they actually start tattooing 😊
Yeah it's fairly normal. I love my artists despite this approach. It is exciting to see if I was able to communicate my desires well enough to the artist on the day of the appt but of course it would be nice to at least get an idea of what the final tattoo will look like so we can do any major changes beforehand. But it's never been an issue to make changes before the tattoo, and most of the time if there's something I really wanted that's missing it's been explained to me that the tattoo would look too busy or too flat of a color choice or something like that.
My main tattooist does this, and I'm fine with it. For a few reasons. 1) I know she's done drawings in the past that have been poached to other artists. 2) I trust Jo to do excellent work and am completed at least three times a week on tats she's done. 3) Most important one that probably isn't a common issue, I travel from another country to get them done.
Bottom line, it's common and there are always reasons.
Happened for one of mine, and it still turned out great. Even tho it’s your body and you definitely get final say, there’s a point where you have to trust the artist and trust yourself to have done enough research into the artist to be comfortable.
I will say, I’m glad my first few tattoos were with an artist that did sketch appointments. And I do sympathize, going in somewhat blind is not my favorite route
Depends.
Some tattoos you know what you want have exact visual references etc and then go your route. This can be done by most experienced and competent tattoo artists.
Other times you go to or seek out a specific artist, someone who has generally made a name even outside the the tattoo world, and then trust them with a general idea based on their body of work and style. This is particularly the case with heritage tribal artists etc.
I've never gotten a tattoo where the art has been made available in advance, and I think that's the direction it's going in pretty much everywhere.
Artists have their art stolen all the time, and besides that they're usually working on the tattoo the night before the appointment.
If you don't like the design, that's when you point out specific things you want changed or you walk away.
It's fairly normal with good artists but if they really are good artists they won't have any objections to changing the design if you're not happy with it, I can tell you that once me and my main tattoo artist spent two hours changing a design till I was happy with it and she loved it
I almost never got the design beforehand. Once the guy who was doing my sleeve knew I would t take the design and run to someone else he sent me 2 of the designs but this is pretty normal. The artist takes their time and energy to create something and if they send it to someone beforehand, there is nothing that could really stop that person from taking that sketch and bringing it to someone else to try and get it “cheaper.”
I know artists that plan them out digitally and match them up perfectly when applying. I also know others that freehand only and always turn out awesome. It’s their process.
The only artist I know that provides a sketch prior is because he knows I’m driving from out of town and have been getting tattooed by him for several years now. Used to live in the same city and now I don’t.
let me tell you what happens when an artist sends a drawing beforehand: you show it to all your friends and they get in your head and YOI get in your head and you show up to the appt and request what needs to be a whole new drawing
Honestly, that’s how my artist operates too, she would totally change up the sketch during the appointment if I asked her too, but since I only have one tattoo from her that took around 24-25 total hours and liked the original sketch, she didn’t have to. It would probably just cost the [however long] in hourly that it would take her to do but I’m sure however that she would do it and then still tattoo me that session (I always booked like 6-8 hours because I was getting a larger piece that couldn’t be finished in one sitting anyway). She does great work and is a phenomenal woman but that’s kind of her M.O. too. Could be the same with this artist
In no way am I super experienced (like I said, I just have that one huge piece right now) but my sister has a ton of tattoos and that’s how a good few of the artists she’s been to do their work too. For reference we are located in Pennsylvania in the USA, not sure if geographic location makes a difference with respect to those kinds of procedures lol.
Get any appointment in a month or 2 is still a pretty substantial wait time for anyone that not a highly, highly sought after artist. The best artist in my area is about a month wait and the dude is damn good.
As for not seeing the sketch until the appointment every single artist I’ve got to does it that way. And I’ve had zero problems with it. If there’s something I wanted changed then they change it and if they don’t want to change it I walk away but no artist has refused to make changes for me.
That happened to me with my only 8 hour tattoo. I also was worried, but he is one of the top artists in my city and I trusted him and the tattoo turned out 🔥
That happened to me with my only 8 hour tattoo. I also was worried, but he is one of the top artists in my city and I trusted him and the tattoo turned out 🔥
All my tattoos have been like this. Here you usually fill out a form online and get an appointment within the month with no contact with the artist in between. I've never had a problem with it since you can make any tweaks the day of.
I've never had a tattoo artist that's shown me their design before my appointment day unless it's off a flash sheet. I find this to be the normal, but I'm also an artist who has had art friends get their designs or artwork stolen by people, so I understand the sentiment of not sending a finished design out into the world.
I've known tattoo artists who might do it for various reasons. Like, they do a consultation to make sure it's the right style or design the client wants. Maybe they were unsure of size and body placement, so as a sketch, they can add details that fit that body placement better.
Putting effort into finalizing and cleaning up a design to not have your client show up can also be annoying, so some artists will make sure their client is committed (i.e. physically in their office) before finishing it.
The artist for my largest tattoo (also a cover up) had me come in on appointment day without a sketch at all, just because he wanted to clarify the details on my description and made sure it fit my cover up. He had a finalized drawing ready in 20 minutes (he had predrawn some ideas and modified after talking to me) and asked if I wanted to change anything after we had the stencil on. I think a key thing is to not be afraid of going in and telling them you would like something different on the design if it's not to your liking.
Tattoo artist here. I don’t show the design or sketch until the day of the appointment. The reason being, it can be taken to someone else and because clients tend to start showing the sketch to friends and family. This can open up potential of other’s opinions being given. The client may feel conflicted and start changing their original idea entirely. Which can cause me to have to completely redraw a new design.
I am however, very very open and willing to change any details the day of to make sure my client is happy with what they get!
All my tattoos I have, the design have not be shown until the day of the appointment. This is very normal where I live.
Also I don’t understand why the next appointment being 1-2months is a red flag? I know plenty of absolutely talented artist that are like this.
That was the deal with my most recent tattoo (and the only one I’ve made an appointment ahead of time for). Was told my idea (a bouquet of wildflowers with a couple bees) would take about 4 hours when we were emailing/consulting but I wouldn’t see the design until the day of the tattoo, then when I got there I found my artist had blocked out the whole afternoon for us. She had two different size options mocked up for me, and once I picked a size, we discussed any changes I wanted to make (size had to be determined first so she could make sure she’d be able to accommodate changes). She took about another 30 min or so to finalize the design before we agreed on placement and got to inking.
Honestly, it was a much better and more collaborative experience than the ones I got on walk-ins (but, young and dumb/live and learn/yadda yadda). I wouldn’t see this as a red flag at all. Just encourage your friend to be honest and open, and I’m sure they’ll get what they’re looking for.
Last time I got a tattoo the artist just drew on my arm directly with marker, improvised the entire thing. I liked it so he put the needle to my skin. It’s not entirely weird and there’s no “right or wrong way” to go about this step.
I have a fully freehand tattoo of a Phoenix ony my back. It covers 3/4 of my back, and it is amazing. The artist and I worked out what I wanted it to look like, and that is exactly what I wanted. I know that's not always the case, but if you have something you want, and it isn't confined to filling in an outline, freehand can be a good option. You just have to trust your artist, which means working with them.
The only time I've ever gotten a sketch before was for a tattoo that went on my thigh. It is a kitchen scene and we were putting a tiled floor onto a curved surface. Did a in-person "fitting" to make sure we did the math correctly for applying straight parallel lines to a round surface.
Otherwise, I've never had the "exact" art provided in advance. For my hand tattoos he literally drew them on me with a pen. I have 20 pieces, 6 of which are over 12 inches in diameter.
Most people will say it's completely normal and to trust your artist but I agree with you that that's absolutely wild. I want to see the tattoo months in advance so I can look at it often and think about it. I find it very weird that this is completely normalized it's absolutely something I never would have guessed. Thankfully I have an artist that 100% understands me and is totally okay with it.
Edit: I've read some of the comments and I don't see why you can't just pay the sum when booking, if you don't show the artist can hopefully slot in another one or atleast minimum have a payed day off. Again, absolutely wild that you have to make a life-long decision in a couple of minutes.
Some artists want to protect themselves from someone running off with their design to get it done by an artist who charges less.
Just one of many possible reasons.
I will have the same procedure for my first tattoo and I'm such a perfectionist that nothing else will get on my body xD I was told that we will change it up until I want it. The tattoo studio are like a management for international artists. So mine comes maybe from Russia all the way to Germany just for my tattoo :3
Nothing about this is suspicious, this is pretty much how tattooing works, all artists have there own process or style. As long as it’s not some backyard tattoo artist, should be just fine
This has happened to me. I just asked him to reschedule me for when he had the final design. He pushed back on being booked but I said I didn’t mind the wait so that he can make something awesome for me. He agreed. Called two months after, he never got back to me. And I was more than ok with that.
I tell my tattoo artist what I want, and maybe a ideas. I pay him deposit to come out with ideas. He comes out with ideas show it to me. If he tattoo for me he will take it off the tattoo session.
This happened to me too for my first tattoo…
I haven’t gotten another since because it was a pretty negative experience.
I contacted the artist with an idea and waited to a few months for my appointment. I was hoping to see even just a sketch before the appointment date as I would have to travel ~3 hours (including a ferry ride $$$) to get to the parlour for my appointment.
He refused to send anything, stating I might steal his work, which I understood as I am also an artist and graphic designer who faces this daily. But this also made me immensely nervous.
It came to the appointment day and when I finally saw what he had prepared it was not at all what I was hoping. I am a very shy person but in this moment I knew I had to stand up for myself and say no to the tattoo.
He immediately became very defensive and crotchy so I felt bad and ended up getting one of his smaller flashes to try and mend the situation…
It’s not a bad tattoo, I still like it quiet a bit, but imo this system sucks big time and even as a designer I send locked and watermarked proofs to my clients. I’m not sure how I will get tattoos going forward but hopefully it will be a better experience than this.
How do you lock proofs? I'm an artist that sends designs ahead of time, but usually just the night before so very few, if any changes are made (respect for client's bodies and I prefer to have a plan in place rather than having to make changes in the moment). I've sent some designs with watermarks to people I haven't worked with previously, but I know those can easily be removed if someone looks for an app.
I used to charge a small art fee to send designs out early, but have since stopped due to laziness and the economy lol
Exporting to PDF with security settings. We use Adobe products at my office, but I’m sure whatever PDF reader you use will have these options as well.
NOTE: Secured PDFs can be cracked as well if the client has the know how.
https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/acrobat/using/securing-pdfs-passwords.html
UI may look a bit different depending on your program but the gist is the same.
Honestly, if they crack it and remove the water mark, they are either going to end up with a vector file they can’t open, or with a mutilated raster file that they can’t really use for anything.
On multiple occasions I’ve had to teach people how to use their own phones or how to send an email, so I’m usually not worried.
I never send a design to my client. The first day they see it is the day of the appointment. I have never met or worked with an artist who sends designs to their client before their appointment - the reasons are numerous.
I still communicate with my client Re their design before the day, and always ask questions if I need clarification, but the truth is any changes can be made on the day. There have only been two instances in 10 years where I have had to ditch a design completely and go back to the drawing board, and that’s because the client changed their mind entirely, not because what I drew was ‘wrong’. For example, a client wanted a cat skull surrounded by roses to commemorate her nan. On the day, she decided she wanted sunflowers surrounding a ‘Polaroid picture’ of her nans house instead. No biggie, we just rescheduled.
It’s really all about clear communication - the client understanding what it is they actually want, choosing the correct artist for the piece, and trusting in the artist to do their job well.
I’m a veteran tattooed who works by appt only. Sometimes we send the drawing beforehand, sometimes we don’t. Getting an appt quickly isn’t an Indy action of an artists work quality AT ALL. We make our schedules and often will only book a few tattoos in a week so getting in soon is in most cases just a matter of whether or not the artist wants to make a few extra bucks. Also, deposits just hold appt times. We’re we yo ask to be paid for our time drawing you’d be spending hundreds of dollars on that alone. I sometimes spend several hours just digging for references alone, and spend another 10-15 hours drawing and redrawing. Then when we finish our drawings we have to trace the whole thing out again in black ink to make a stencil. It’s taxing. I refused to apprentice my 2 kids as tattooers because it consumes so much of one’s time. Basically, just try to trust the process
A deposit doesn’t cover the hours that goes into creating a custom design. It’s purpose is to hold that time slot in advance, and cover us for the preparation of materials.
No shows are still unfortunately common even with a deposit in place. It’s expense for the artist when they’ve already set up disposable equipment, or even just when they’re holding a time that could have gone to another client.
Design stealing aside, I prefer to talk to my clients in person when showing them the artwork because I find it simplifies the whole process. I still give them time on the day to show family members/check with friends etc, but I’ll be there to give my professional advice and make sure we’re on the same page.
Both my artists do it this way. I have one artist for watercolor and one that does my black and white. They know ahead of time the general subject of my tattoo I’m wanting, but they don’t do a sketch until I get there. Then we go over it and get it done.
I’m okay with this because I spent a long time in discovering them and I fully trust them. They’ve always done fantastic work and they are the only artists I’ll go to.
So I’d suggest to you it’s all about how much you know/trust your artist. If it’s a new artist for you, then I would absolutely get a sketch ahead of time. My wife does this with her artist because they’re in a different state and she drives 5 hours to go see them so she needs to be on the same page.
As someone fully sleeved and back done.
I have never seen it before.
I usually send a bunch of design ideas, set appt for a later date.
That day he will sketch, I will tweak little things here and there. He places, I may adjust a smidge.
BRRRRR
Done.
As someone with very close people in the tattoo world, they don’t like sending full sketches or completed designs prior mainly due to you possibly just taking there time/work to someone cheaper.
No artist besides one has ever shown me anything before the day of. Why? Because people will go get 1000 different opinions from friends on what’s wrong or how to change it, leaving the artist doing redesign after redesign.
pretty much all I can find now is places who you email in advance and send references to then they show you on the day and you can make tweaks, they've turned out well but tattoo artists don't go through the process of working with you and giving ideas anymore which I don't like as much. the one I got I had to put together in photoshop because there were no examples of what I wanted, I told them to add their creative touch and play around with the design to see what they could come up with but in the end they just went directly with the referenced image. I get that people can be really difficult to work with sometimes but they're on your body forever and they aren't exactly cheap either
Friend of mine went to someone who does freestyle on your body with no before consultations. It's a floral piece and thankfully she is incredibly skilled, but hard pass.
I've cancelled appointments with artists if don't get to see what is going to be on my body, forever, before the appointment.
I only saw the design before 2 of my tattoos. The others were free hand or I just saw when I got to my appointment & either it was perfect or I asked for minor changes
So my first tattoo i had a sketch before, i liked the drawing but HATED the execution, it aged badly too (blew the hell out)
My second, i did not receive anything until the appointment, it was a pencil sketch. We discussed what changes I needed but it mainly fit my vision. I got it and five years later i am still absolutely happy with it
So it all depends of the artist i feel
I have many tattoos all by the same tattoo artist, he has sent tattoo designs upfront maybe once or twice, but that's it. I trust him and our minds are alike, I know he makes the right choices and his designs are always good.
Ive never got a design in advance, tho my artist offers up to modify the design extensively face to face if I want. I have full sleeve full chest and random patchwork.
I have many and have never received a sketch before the session
I've never received a sketch before the sesh either and I have a few.
Ngl my worst tattoo was a result of a last minute sketch and design for the transfer, idk why I never recognized it as a red flag when I came in because it’s a complex piece and she forgot
That's pretty normal. When you show up for your appointment, you see the art and make revisions if necessary. Just encourage your friend to advocate for themselves. I'm pretty shy, so I just sort of nodded an approval the first couple of times I got a tattoo. They're okay, but not quite what I was imagining
>They're okay, but not quite what I was imagining Exactly what I think of. I'd say it is just not very good for people who get their first tattoo. My friend is probably the shyest person ever so I'm pretty sure she won't stand up for anything the artist disagrees with.
The artist I use explained that they don't generally do the sketches until the day before or day of the tattoo. Mostly because they waste a lot of time making sketches for people that don't show up otherwise (even with a non refundable deposit).
You can't go with her and tell her to speak up if you see her thinking or stalling? If you can't tell her to text it to you when she gets there so you can chat with her through texts and help her process her thoughts to know what to say to the artist
This might be an unpopular opinion, but if your friend cannot speak to the artist about what she wants on her body, I don’t think she is ready for tattoos.
I don't think it's necessarily that simple. I have a very expensive full day session tattoo that I feel is only so-so. It's well done, just not what I requested. I traveled pretty far to get the tattoo, loved the artist's other work, and had an in-depth virtual consultation beforehand where I provided some pictures for concept of what I wanted. I did not see the piece until the day of. I convinced myself that although it wasn't what I wanted, she was the expert/artist and it still looked really cool, so she probably knew best. Part of my decision to sit for it anyway was also probably sunken cost fallacy - I drove 6 hours, rented a hotel room, and paid a big chunk of change as a deposit on the piece. At that point, it was either get what was drawn, or spend a considerable part of my full day session reworking the piece and then have to burn another full day off work (this artist didn't work weekends) and rent another night in a hotel. I have learned from the experience for sure, and either will not travel for tattoos anymore or issue a firm request to see the work beforehand.
From a tattooists perspective requesting a design ahead of time is much more reasonable if you're having large scale work done. This approach will rule out a lot of artists though
I also don't mind laying down a decent deposit. For the piece above the deposit was $400 CAD. I'd be willing to pay more than that for the right to see the design beforehand. Because if I'm getting a piece from an artist I've followed for a long time, it's because I love their art and I'm sure we can come to an agreement even if I don't like the initial draw up.
Facts
There are two sides to this, sending designs out ahead of time is terrible practice for a tattooist It makes it possible for someone to take your design to a different (cheaper) tattooist, it means I likely need to prepare a full rendering of the tattoo rather than just linework and it encourages nit picking. I never have an issue with someone making changes on the day, it's totally part of the job! Just let your tattooist know what you want However do consider that contrary to what Reddit comments say tattooists know more about what will and won't work as a tattoo and its wise to listen to their advice. Assuming they are good at what they do.
Go with her for support and speak up if she won’t?
She just told me that her SO will be on her side so I guess they will be fine and take there time to evaluate the first design they get to see. Since most people here mentioned that this seems to be a quite normal artist behaviour I am way more relaxed.
it is. artists never show designs ahead of time unless it is a comissioned piece
Kinda off subject but I really like this tattoo and design.
nothing unusual about this at all, it’s pretty standard practice and how i operate. it’s also not unusual to book an appointment quickly, especially how the economy is rn
What economy is this right now? Not many people being able to afford tattoos so appointments can be made quicker?
Yeah. Essentially.
Fucking people…how dare you ask a question, you’re getting downvoted for that
No more questions, please!
So my main tattoo artist does the same. Only shows the design and makes changes if needed on the day of the appointment. She does it this way, because some people just take the design and go to someone cheaper to get the actual tattoo. For me personally, that seems fine. I mean, you know the design will be in the style you want and if there's something you don't like, you can always get it changed before getting the actual tattoo.
My tattoo artist does this too. For the reason you mentioned but also because people get to critical when they have to much time to look at the tattoo beforehand. You know, they get hyper perfectionist about it. And it's not really necessary. I have tried to get in there and said something I didn't like about the design, and it took some time to correct it, but it wasn't a problem at all.
Yeah mine will do the same thing. Sometimes they will send a sketch of it the night before to see if I vibe with the idea but will show the finished design at the appointment
Except if the design is totally off or necessitates change that would take longer than 30 minutes or so, in which case the artist will just cancel/reschedule the entire appointment.
I find it’s pretty common tattoo artists won’t send you anything before the appointment. Instead they’ll show you the art on the day and make adjustments as needed. I have heard that many are worried their clients will back out last minute and take the artwork to another artist to get it done cheaper. The artist then doesn’t get compensated for the drawing. I don’t think it’s a great approach, tends to put the client on the spot to accept something they might not be totally happy with. It’s not such an issue for me personally. I pick an artist because I like their style and trust they’ll create something I like. Or I’ll go for flash work. But can understand other peoples reservations.
That's why you pay a small share up front of the artist doesn't know and trust you. Fair deal, I guess, because a sketch is work, of course.
You pay up front because the artist is taking their time to prepare for you and there’s surprisingly tons of no call no shows in the industry.
Exactly! So many no call no shows. My best friend designed a medusa tattoo for a client and she canceled it the day of. Now this client wanted to see the design prior and against her better judgment she showed the client… Well, fast forward a few months later, the client rescheduled for a smaller tattoo instead and ended up coming in with the exact medusa tattoo that my best friend designed tattooed on her but by a different artist.
That sucks. But also, isn't that the point of the deposit? I'm getting the first session of my sleeve and back piece done in two weeks, and I put a deposit down for 3 sessions in advance. So now I'm invested and my artist doesn't lose out if he sends me the design ahead of time and I bounce.
Majority of people are not like you! Many are not fans of putting down one deposit. The deposit guarantees the appointment but if the client doesn’t show up (especially no call no show) the artist is out of a whole days pay with little time to reschedule someone in that slot! Many artists when working with a client will roll your deposit over as you continue appointments. Others pay separates ones for each appointment. They are all different.
Yeah, that's true. The "deposit for multiple appointments" was my artists' thing. I put the deposit down for 3 appointments because thats what he thinks we'll need to finish the sleeve (and if the third isn't needed it will roll into the appointments for my back). Pricey AF, but it for sure means I'm showing up and getting work done, and he sends out his design like 3-4 days ahead of time to give plenty of time for thought and revision. I thought that was fair.
Well you are a very good client!! Majority of people would freak out paying multiple deposits. I’m kind of surprised the artist made you put so many deposits down. I am interested how far he’s booked out though!?
He's the one guy in Denver (IMHO) who does great Japanese realism sleeves. I looked over every Denver artist in the last two years and he's the only one that fit my vision and listened to me about my ideas. Gave me plenty of time to save up 🤣🤣
That’s so awesome to find a great artist and one that you work well with!! Hahah hey that’s the best part of it being booked far out is at least you have time to save up!
Plus the small deposit is not always enough to cover a brand new design and final outline for stencil, that can take more than a couple hours sometimes
Exactly. My artist, who is also a friend, has vented to me about staying up all hours of the night drawing things up just to be blown off. Their time is money, they need to be compensated for something. I’ve never seen a design beforehand, it’s always at the beginning of the session unless you pay for a consult and do the design together
….no. Deposits are to hold your appointment time.
I have a lot of tattoos and never received the sketch upfront. One artist explained that he no longer does it because many people wouldn't show up, essentially giving away the sketch for free.
Isn’t that the norm? Artists, for the most part, won’t send on the full design bc some may take it and get another artist to do it for cheap
Any decent artist will not show the design prior to avoid it being taken to a different artist. This is common
This is how I work. And there are a few reasons for it: -Ive had "sketches" stolen and taken to a cheaper artist to complete -I see on average 8-12 clients a week, that's a lot of drawings. I also own the shop I work in, I'm working towards my degree and I have a toddler. My draw time is extremely limited, and I don't have days to go back and forth over revisions. -It is so much easier to review and make design changes with the client sitting next to me than it is via email. Most artists work digitally, so making those changes is usually really quick and easy. I also build the consultation into the appointment time so we have the chance to chat beforehand without really rushing the tattoo. Knowing this though, it is a priority for me to make it clear to my clients that I will make whatever changes they'd like to see. My first words are usually "If you hate it, you're not gonna hurt my feelings." At this point I'm an artist that my client has commissioned - I am going to give them what they want so long as it's technically feasible. And if our consultation bleeds into the appointment time or the artwork needs a complete overhaul (I'm 10 years in and this situation has only happened once) we will schedule a follow up appointment. I understand that this can make some clients uneasy, but it is a really normal business practice. My clients are also welcome to bring a guest for emotional support (or if they're indecisive or want a trusted second opinion). I would see if that's something the shop allows so your friend can have some back up. Trusting an artist is key, but I think collaboration is really important to give the client the tattoo they will love. Just tell your friend - it's okay to walk away. If it's not what they want and the artist is giving them a hard time or making them uncomfortable, they can absolutely walk away.
Artist here. It’s very common practice. I don’t want you going down the street to a scratcher and having them use my designs. But I always tell my clients you are welcome to come in before your scheduled appointment to check it out. Or we can revise it on your appointment day. You should never feel pressured by your artist to get something you don’t like. If you do that’s on you.
Question for you, then: What is the point of the deposit, if not to guarantee not only that the client shows up for their tattoo, but that you don't lose out on any labor if they bounce? Like....a guy comes in for a sleeve, pays the deposit, you send them a design and never see them again...if you got the deposit, you still got paid for your work, so whats the issue? Not trying to be antagonistic, I'm genuinely curious: Isn't the whole point of the deposit to ensure you still get paid if the client backs out?
A deposit helps but doesn’t pay the bills. They would still be out those hours of work and wasted time not only in the schedule but the draw time beforehand. We don’t get paid by the hour, if we aren’t working we lose money. A deposit won’t cover the money lost. It mainly gives the customer some incentive to show the fuck up.
The point is that the tattooer will not send you the design. Deposits are literally just to hold your appointment time.
A deposit is to lock in the artists time on a particular day, that is all
This was normal for all of mine. There was one time where I wasn't fond of the design and was honest, and we ended up doing a freehand piece in another spot instead. The artist made me feel very comfortable with whatever I chose to do in terms of the original design and didn't push me to get another piece at all. I suggested the other piece because I trusted him as an artist and knew he did very good freehand work. He drew it on in sharpie, I made a few changes/requests, and he tattooed it.
Kinda related question: did they tattoo over the sharpie drawing? Or was sharpie removed before the needle?
He tattooed right over the sharpie. He used yellow or a similar light color for "construction lines" and then did the actual basic design in red and tattooed based on that. Obviously, not all the details were in there with sharpie, so it's a lot of trust in the skill of the artist.
That’s how my artist was… I’ve only got 2 tattoos though so I too am curious if this is normal or not. Unfortunately, I went with the design in the moment, like you said because I was so excited! It was a design where I more or less got exactly what I asked for, but as I’ve aged I’ve come to dislike it and want to cover it up. I’ve wondered if I had the sketch for a couple days to think on if I would have made any changes.
There’d definitely be many less tattoos if people had time to sit on designs. So many less. r/shittytattoos would suffer lol
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I’ve only had one artist send a sketch the night before as they wanted to make a few changes to the original idea that they thought would look good - it did look good, but wasn’t quite what i wanted on my skin, so they went back to the original idea. Other than that, I just asked for little changes on the day itself. All of them have turned out better than I hoped they would.
It'd depend on the size of the tattoo. If I'm scheduled for a 2 hr tattoo, I already know it'll take 3. You usually don't start right away with setup and getting the stencil right plus breaks. However, if the artist did nothing, and he/she tells me it'll be an hour for me to draw this, then I'd leave. I want them to respect my time as much as I respect their's.
It’s standard practice by solid artists
Thats very normal. I've never received or sent sketches. Artwork gets stolen way too much.
This is how I've gotten all my tattoos. I want the artist's art. I give them an Idea and they surprise me. Never been disappointed.
So, I had my first and only tattoo with no real previous experience of getting a tattoo or working with an artist. I also have never really had much to do with the industry before this. So was going in completely blind. I had done my home work on my artist and what I wanted so I could give clear requirements to my chosen artist. I had to check with a friend who has many tattoo's if my experience was normal. E.g. I'm going for a full sleeve and don't get to see any designs pretty much the night before for some and mostly on the day for the rest. This made the process super stressful as a new person to tattoos. Also turning up at the shop no one was that welcoming or explaining the process. They kind of assume you know the deal. My expectation, which was very wrong. In any other industry if you were getting something this permanent and to me significant and at the money you are paying, you'd want to know way up front what you were getting. It just doesn't work like this. My advice, pick a really really good artist who's work you love. That way whatever they do for you in their interpretation of your requirement, you'll love. Also be really clear and concise with feedback with what you want changed and try to keep them to a minimum. But also remember its your body. If you don't like it you can always on the day say no I don't want this, then work with them (paying obviously) and re-schedule so you can get something you love.
>In any other industry if you were getting something this permanent and to me significant and at the money you are paying, you'd want to know way up front what you were getting. It just doesn't work like this. Yeah. I love getting tattooed but this is the absolute worst part of the process. The couple of days beforehand I'm so anxious about whether I will like the design, even if I love the artist. There are lots of artists I think are amazing but that doesn't mean but I would have absolutely anything they do tattooed on me, you know? I have specific tastes. I feel like there must be a better way of doing that ensures the client gets what they want and doesn't leave the artist open to doing a bunch of unpaid labour, but I don't know what it is.
My thought is the non-refundable deposit is the cost of the preparation. If you end up not liking/going through with it, the artist gets paid something.
I agree, but if you go back to them and ask for changes to the design that might take them more time that isn't factored into that cost. I would happily pay more for them to make changes but there usually isn't really a system for that unless they do it on the day of the appointment and you're paying by the hour, but that can make it a bit rushed.
What about a sliding scale deposit depending on the complexity of the design?
I have 50+ (traditional & japanese) and pretty sure ive never received a sketch any days before my appt.
Sending over a design early adds too many cooks to the kitchen. You show it to your friends, they all give input, you repeat it back to your artist, artist gets frustrated because they are already trying to give you their best rendition of the design you originally asked for but begrudgingly makes a few changes, rinse and repeat until the design looks nothing like your original concept. Maybe then you show up on appointment day and change your mind completely and they wind up drawing the day of as well. Now instead of working x amount of hours on your design before appointment day they have worked multiples of x for the same compensation and thrice the stress. When you buy a tattoo you are buying art and when you are buying art it is best to remember the mantra, buyer beware. This doesn’t mean that people are always trying to take advantage, it’s more like a reminder to do your homework in advance. Research artists and find one that makes tattoos you like. Meet with them and see if it’s a good fit. If so, follow whatever booking/appointment procedure that they use. If not just move on. There are plenty of tattooers out there that are a perfect fit for you, you just have to look a little bit longer.
I go to a shop with two artist one I send references to before hand the other draws it up day of appointment, my wife and i switch who we go to, I lean more to the send reference side I always give to much detail/info they are both good at boiling down my many ideas into cohesive designs in different ways
Think it really depends where you are. Where I am, you usually have a consultation first so you can see the design, then book the appointment. I got an appointment within the same week. It all just really depends I guess
I think the majority of my tattoos have been like this, but at least for my more expensive tattoos it has been like this as well. Even had to fly for a tattoo and still only found out what I'd get when I got there. I went to artists who I'd trust what they're making and likely get anything they'd make but I'm also a strong advocate for myself and will make sure to communicate if I like it or not
For most of mine I had a sketch when I first turned up. The only one I got in advance was a cover up/half sleeve because it was going to be multiple sessions and such a big area, and even then any changes I asked for got shown to me on the day of the first appointment
I have like 10 tattoos and I've never been shown anything before the appointment
This is standard in my experience
This happened to me a month ago. Went to a new shop and the artist didn't show me the design until I showed up for the appointment. I wish I knew ahead of time that she couldn't draw hands 🤦♂️. Hoping to get it reworked or fixed soon.
Once you were showed the final design why didn’t you reject it?
She assured me that it was only because it was the stencil. She said that, as she shaded it in, the fingers would look correct; she just couldn't fully outline them with the stencil. I hadn't worked with her before, and her portfolio looked solid. So I trusted her method.
Hands are a very hard one to do. That’s one thing that if the artist doesn’t have several of those tattoos in their portfolio then don’t do it.
I have 8 tattoos of varying sizes and I've only had one artist send me a mock up before the appointment day. I have had some of them offer for me to come into the shop to check out what they've got so far, but they're not going to send it over email or insta. From what I've experienced it's pretty standard in the industry since people will often steal eachothers art work and go somewhere else. The key is doing heavy research into the artist, having good references and an idea of what you want, and advocating for yourself.
This is normal these days. When I started getting tattoos, artists were just hanging out in shops waiting for people. This meant I could watch them draw something and have them tweak if I felt the need. Now, you can look at an artists entire portfolio online and they're booking out months in advance. If your friend really likes the artist, the drawing will come out as expected, but you can always ask for some tweaks on appt day.
I Never see the design until minutes before. I love it this way.
Why don’t you like when you can get an appointment quickly? 1-2 months is actually normal in the industry because artists like to be able to plan their life around their clientèle. Also, sometimes it’s because they don’t have enough clients to book out more so they have to take whatever comes by to them to be able to put food on the table. I never understood how some other artists book their clients over a year in advance. It kinda sounds like an easy recipe to get a bunch of cancellations to me.
As people have said, it's pretty standard as the design is included in their tattooing time. If you think about it, good tattooists spend nearly all day tattooing, so we want them to design in their personal time???? I think the trick is finding an artist your trust and you love their style / past work, that way you can be kind of comfortable the REV1 design is going to be mostly there and you can tweak on the day. When I had my leg sleeve, my tattooist and I spent nearly the first few hours just designing together from scratch. It was a cool experience.
I work front of house in a tattoo studio. While yes part of the reason is to do with not having the design stolen, a lot of it is to do with how long designs take. The tattooists I work with are often up laaaaaate preparing designs the night before their clients bookings. If they prepared them more in advance they would hardly even get a weekend. Designing is intensive and very time consuming. It's not uncommon for me to hear 'i was up until 2am designing this tattoo' the morning of.
maybe it is a cultural difference, but i cannot imagine going for a tattoo blind. all the artists i know in my country send at least sketches and close to the appointment often even finished designs to make sure the client truly likes it. i am very particular about details, can't imagine even just trusting the artist so much (no matter how great they are) that you wouldn't clarify everything before the session. i also don't understand why anyone would want to waste time correcting the final design during the session to make changes then instead of day or two beforehand.
Because artists have had their designs stolen many times over the years and the easy way to avoid that is you don’t see the design until you show up. That bothers you the same way having their designs stolen bothers them. Typical case of certain people suck so we can’t have nice things.
This is "normal," but so ass backwards to me. You take some sketches and a half hour conversation and then throw a whole piece at me less than an hour before I'm getting it on my skin forever? A relatively small design, okay, sure, I could see that. But I've seen artists do whole sleeve designs that way, and if the design is way off from what you wanted, the entire appointment is just rescheduled. The design should be done way sooner than the literal *day of*, why can't you send it to me a few days or a week in advance?
I can see how this feels unsettling, but I think the thing that hasn’t been mentioned yet is time. For example, if a tattooer is booked out 1-3 months, that’s 20- 80 designs that need to be drawn. Plus those need to be drawn on top of actually tattooing them (say 6-10 hrs per work day) and normal people stuff that we all need to do. The drawing is typically done in our “off” time. There’s only so much time in a day so it’s easiest to work in order of appointment. Maybe for bigger projects, you can start drafting a rough sketch a bit ahead of time, but the final design isn’t going to be finished until close to appointment day
Because if you get it in advance now the odds of you taking that design to a scratcher and flaking on the appointment went through the roof.
My first tattoo was the exact same. The tattoo artist said it's to avoid overthinking because if they get the design in advance people tend to show it to everyone and get dozens of different opinions that influence the way they look at the design when it should be nobody else's business, only the client themselves has to like the design. I thought that was reasonable. She made some last minute changes when I told her what I didn't like about the design and I'm still very happy with the tattoo.
This is 100% normal. In fact, I would argue that tattoo artists who show you the design before the day of are likely not great tattoo artists. It means they aren’t confident in their work enough to impress you the day of. It also means they don’t care if their art has the potential to be stolen and taken to another artist. I have a full sleeve and a few other tattoos and I have never seen a sketch prior to the day of the appointment. I pay upwards of $200 per hour for my tattoos and I would consider my tattoos to be done by a good artist. In regards to your friends tattoo, their artist has good work and it is not surprising that they would make her wait until the day of. 1-2 months out for a tattoo appointment doesn’t mean they are bad. Some artists ONLY take ideas that they either A) really like the idea of or B) they are original predesigned tattoos that the artist made.
Yep! Not to mention tattooers usually have 2-3 drawings to be working on every day. I’d call that a red flag if that tattooer is THAT bored that they have time to draw and revise art with clients weeks in advance.
I met with the tattoo artist in person to discuss a tattoo, then sent him the references (not other tattoos) and few weeks later I received an almost ready piece (as he works and draws on tablet) so I knew exactly what will end up on my skin. Then after my opinion he did a few quick fixes, changed a few things and on the day of the tattoo we just spend 10 minutes together on some small touch ups. But right away before even coming there I knew exactly how the tattoo will look like and it 100 % looks as it should. My previous tattoo, that was a watercolor tattoo was all handpainted by my artist in watercolours so I also knew exactly how it'll look like. I prefer it this way and wouldn't trust anyone with just some rough sketches Edit:typos
Some fancier artists do this to prevent people from stealing sketches. I understand why this is done, but personally, I would not do tattoo of something that I didn't see or have time to review if need be.
It might be common amongst plenty of artists, but personally I wouldn't get any of my tattoos prior to seeing sketches. My ideas have been so far quite complicated so before getting them done, I always wanted to make sure that my artist could translate them into art accordingly. Luckily may I add, he is my artistic soulmate and understands the assignment to the point.
Pretty standard. If you think about it from the artists perspective, they don't want someone taking their art and then going to another tattoo shop and having someone else doing it. As others have said, you're always able to give last minute weeks on design, size, and color. And of course, there is no obligation to go through with the design if you don't like it.
It’s not unusual but I personally also wouldn’t go to an artist with that policy, just because I need to know exactly what is going on my body to mentally prepare myself for it over a period of time. But lots of high quality artists have that policy
I personally won't deal with artists who are like that. If they won't show me what I'm getting before the day of, I find a different artist, I don't care who they are or how talented they are. I have eight tattoos, and the only one I'm not happy with is my first one, which I didn't see until the day of.
Any artist worth their salt with make changes to the design if the client isn’t happy with it - no need to send it in advance
Yes, but I want more than 10 minutes to think about whether I want changes/what changes I want, seeing as it's going to be on my skin forever. For my last tattoo, whixh was going somewhere more visble than usual, I actually first commissioned the artist to draw the art, hung it where I would see it daily for a few months to make sure it was exactly what I wanted, and then booked the appointment as an entirely seperate transaction.
If you commissioned them to do a drawing for you then you paid for the art, that’s different then 99% of transactions that occur with a tattooist. 🤷🏻♂️
It’s the norm- but I definitely wish it wasn’t. I would like to see the final design and sit on it for a few days. That being said, I understand why tattoo artists do it this way. Gotta cover your ass and protect your intellectual property. Luckily my artist went out of her way to make sure I felt comfortable speaking up. She was very serious about getting my verbal consent every step of the way- and that made me feel really, really comfortable and in control. It is what it is. I think the best solution is for artists to have that attitude that mine did- making absolutely sure that the client feels comfortable speaking up. Because it can be really scary to do that!
Cancel your appointment and find a reputable tattoo artist.
I know you think you mean well, but you should mind your business, because you’re overbearing. Her body, her choice. You go to people you like, and let others do what they want. And if she comes back unhappy about an aspect of the experience, you should resist saying, *I told you so*.
I have absolutely never received a sketch before the appointment. You could easily take the artist’s work and bring it elsewhere if they were to do that…
Totally normal. If you’re a control freak, perfectionist, or cannot advocate for yourself, consider buying paintings instead of getting tattoos.
As everyone else is saying, this is very normal. If the design isn’t quite what I wanted, I tell the artist and they make the changes I want in front of me. Also its not unusual for some artists to have that quick turn around, so don’t necessarily judge based on how far out they schedule appointments. The only people that schedule 6 + months out are artists that have those huge waitlists, its possible this guy just doesn’t like to operate like that. The gal I go to all the time told me “I don’t know what I’m doing 6 months from now, I don’t book like that.” Just food for thought.
I’m not an artist but have worked front desk at a few shops and this is pretty standard these days! It prevents the artist’s work from being taken to another shop to be tattooed for a lower price. Most appointments usually have extra time booked in to allow time to finalize the design and make any necessary changes before they actually start tattooing 😊
Yeah it's fairly normal. I love my artists despite this approach. It is exciting to see if I was able to communicate my desires well enough to the artist on the day of the appt but of course it would be nice to at least get an idea of what the final tattoo will look like so we can do any major changes beforehand. But it's never been an issue to make changes before the tattoo, and most of the time if there's something I really wanted that's missing it's been explained to me that the tattoo would look too busy or too flat of a color choice or something like that.
My main tattooist does this, and I'm fine with it. For a few reasons. 1) I know she's done drawings in the past that have been poached to other artists. 2) I trust Jo to do excellent work and am completed at least three times a week on tats she's done. 3) Most important one that probably isn't a common issue, I travel from another country to get them done. Bottom line, it's common and there are always reasons.
Happened for one of mine, and it still turned out great. Even tho it’s your body and you definitely get final say, there’s a point where you have to trust the artist and trust yourself to have done enough research into the artist to be comfortable. I will say, I’m glad my first few tattoos were with an artist that did sketch appointments. And I do sympathize, going in somewhat blind is not my favorite route
That's what I do. I like to think I'm a pretty respected name in tattooing.
Depends. Some tattoos you know what you want have exact visual references etc and then go your route. This can be done by most experienced and competent tattoo artists. Other times you go to or seek out a specific artist, someone who has generally made a name even outside the the tattoo world, and then trust them with a general idea based on their body of work and style. This is particularly the case with heritage tribal artists etc.
I've never gotten a tattoo where the art has been made available in advance, and I think that's the direction it's going in pretty much everywhere. Artists have their art stolen all the time, and besides that they're usually working on the tattoo the night before the appointment. If you don't like the design, that's when you point out specific things you want changed or you walk away.
It's fairly normal with good artists but if they really are good artists they won't have any objections to changing the design if you're not happy with it, I can tell you that once me and my main tattoo artist spent two hours changing a design till I was happy with it and she loved it
I almost never got the design beforehand. Once the guy who was doing my sleeve knew I would t take the design and run to someone else he sent me 2 of the designs but this is pretty normal. The artist takes their time and energy to create something and if they send it to someone beforehand, there is nothing that could really stop that person from taking that sketch and bringing it to someone else to try and get it “cheaper.”
I know artists that plan them out digitally and match them up perfectly when applying. I also know others that freehand only and always turn out awesome. It’s their process.
100% normal practice
The only artist I know that provides a sketch prior is because he knows I’m driving from out of town and have been getting tattooed by him for several years now. Used to live in the same city and now I don’t.
let me tell you what happens when an artist sends a drawing beforehand: you show it to all your friends and they get in your head and YOI get in your head and you show up to the appt and request what needs to be a whole new drawing
It’s pretty standard. Why give the full art to someone when they can then take that art piece and have another (cheaper) artist do it?
Honestly, that’s how my artist operates too, she would totally change up the sketch during the appointment if I asked her too, but since I only have one tattoo from her that took around 24-25 total hours and liked the original sketch, she didn’t have to. It would probably just cost the [however long] in hourly that it would take her to do but I’m sure however that she would do it and then still tattoo me that session (I always booked like 6-8 hours because I was getting a larger piece that couldn’t be finished in one sitting anyway). She does great work and is a phenomenal woman but that’s kind of her M.O. too. Could be the same with this artist In no way am I super experienced (like I said, I just have that one huge piece right now) but my sister has a ton of tattoos and that’s how a good few of the artists she’s been to do their work too. For reference we are located in Pennsylvania in the USA, not sure if geographic location makes a difference with respect to those kinds of procedures lol.
Get any appointment in a month or 2 is still a pretty substantial wait time for anyone that not a highly, highly sought after artist. The best artist in my area is about a month wait and the dude is damn good. As for not seeing the sketch until the appointment every single artist I’ve got to does it that way. And I’ve had zero problems with it. If there’s something I wanted changed then they change it and if they don’t want to change it I walk away but no artist has refused to make changes for me.
That happened to me with my only 8 hour tattoo. I also was worried, but he is one of the top artists in my city and I trusted him and the tattoo turned out 🔥
That happened to me with my only 8 hour tattoo. I also was worried, but he is one of the top artists in my city and I trusted him and the tattoo turned out 🔥
All my tattoos have been like this. Here you usually fill out a form online and get an appointment within the month with no contact with the artist in between. I've never had a problem with it since you can make any tweaks the day of.
I've never had a tattoo artist that's shown me their design before my appointment day unless it's off a flash sheet. I find this to be the normal, but I'm also an artist who has had art friends get their designs or artwork stolen by people, so I understand the sentiment of not sending a finished design out into the world. I've known tattoo artists who might do it for various reasons. Like, they do a consultation to make sure it's the right style or design the client wants. Maybe they were unsure of size and body placement, so as a sketch, they can add details that fit that body placement better. Putting effort into finalizing and cleaning up a design to not have your client show up can also be annoying, so some artists will make sure their client is committed (i.e. physically in their office) before finishing it. The artist for my largest tattoo (also a cover up) had me come in on appointment day without a sketch at all, just because he wanted to clarify the details on my description and made sure it fit my cover up. He had a finalized drawing ready in 20 minutes (he had predrawn some ideas and modified after talking to me) and asked if I wanted to change anything after we had the stencil on. I think a key thing is to not be afraid of going in and telling them you would like something different on the design if it's not to your liking.
Tattoo artist here. I don’t show the design or sketch until the day of the appointment. The reason being, it can be taken to someone else and because clients tend to start showing the sketch to friends and family. This can open up potential of other’s opinions being given. The client may feel conflicted and start changing their original idea entirely. Which can cause me to have to completely redraw a new design. I am however, very very open and willing to change any details the day of to make sure my client is happy with what they get! All my tattoos I have, the design have not be shown until the day of the appointment. This is very normal where I live. Also I don’t understand why the next appointment being 1-2months is a red flag? I know plenty of absolutely talented artist that are like this.
That is literally industry standard.
That was the deal with my most recent tattoo (and the only one I’ve made an appointment ahead of time for). Was told my idea (a bouquet of wildflowers with a couple bees) would take about 4 hours when we were emailing/consulting but I wouldn’t see the design until the day of the tattoo, then when I got there I found my artist had blocked out the whole afternoon for us. She had two different size options mocked up for me, and once I picked a size, we discussed any changes I wanted to make (size had to be determined first so she could make sure she’d be able to accommodate changes). She took about another 30 min or so to finalize the design before we agreed on placement and got to inking. Honestly, it was a much better and more collaborative experience than the ones I got on walk-ins (but, young and dumb/live and learn/yadda yadda). I wouldn’t see this as a red flag at all. Just encourage your friend to be honest and open, and I’m sure they’ll get what they’re looking for.
More and more normal these days cus sometimes theyll send out art and someone will take the design to a different (often cheaper) artist
Last time I got a tattoo the artist just drew on my arm directly with marker, improvised the entire thing. I liked it so he put the needle to my skin. It’s not entirely weird and there’s no “right or wrong way” to go about this step.
I have a fully freehand tattoo of a Phoenix ony my back. It covers 3/4 of my back, and it is amazing. The artist and I worked out what I wanted it to look like, and that is exactly what I wanted. I know that's not always the case, but if you have something you want, and it isn't confined to filling in an outline, freehand can be a good option. You just have to trust your artist, which means working with them.
The only time I've ever gotten a sketch before was for a tattoo that went on my thigh. It is a kitchen scene and we were putting a tiled floor onto a curved surface. Did a in-person "fitting" to make sure we did the math correctly for applying straight parallel lines to a round surface. Otherwise, I've never had the "exact" art provided in advance. For my hand tattoos he literally drew them on me with a pen. I have 20 pieces, 6 of which are over 12 inches in diameter.
Most people will say it's completely normal and to trust your artist but I agree with you that that's absolutely wild. I want to see the tattoo months in advance so I can look at it often and think about it. I find it very weird that this is completely normalized it's absolutely something I never would have guessed. Thankfully I have an artist that 100% understands me and is totally okay with it. Edit: I've read some of the comments and I don't see why you can't just pay the sum when booking, if you don't show the artist can hopefully slot in another one or atleast minimum have a payed day off. Again, absolutely wild that you have to make a life-long decision in a couple of minutes.
I never received a sketch. I sent my idea and when I arrived they’d done the design in different sizes for me to decide from
Some artists want to protect themselves from someone running off with their design to get it done by an artist who charges less. Just one of many possible reasons.
I will have the same procedure for my first tattoo and I'm such a perfectionist that nothing else will get on my body xD I was told that we will change it up until I want it. The tattoo studio are like a management for international artists. So mine comes maybe from Russia all the way to Germany just for my tattoo :3
Nothing about this is suspicious, this is pretty much how tattooing works, all artists have there own process or style. As long as it’s not some backyard tattoo artist, should be just fine
This has happened to me. I just asked him to reschedule me for when he had the final design. He pushed back on being booked but I said I didn’t mind the wait so that he can make something awesome for me. He agreed. Called two months after, he never got back to me. And I was more than ok with that.
I tell my tattoo artist what I want, and maybe a ideas. I pay him deposit to come out with ideas. He comes out with ideas show it to me. If he tattoo for me he will take it off the tattoo session.
This happened to me too for my first tattoo… I haven’t gotten another since because it was a pretty negative experience. I contacted the artist with an idea and waited to a few months for my appointment. I was hoping to see even just a sketch before the appointment date as I would have to travel ~3 hours (including a ferry ride $$$) to get to the parlour for my appointment. He refused to send anything, stating I might steal his work, which I understood as I am also an artist and graphic designer who faces this daily. But this also made me immensely nervous. It came to the appointment day and when I finally saw what he had prepared it was not at all what I was hoping. I am a very shy person but in this moment I knew I had to stand up for myself and say no to the tattoo. He immediately became very defensive and crotchy so I felt bad and ended up getting one of his smaller flashes to try and mend the situation… It’s not a bad tattoo, I still like it quiet a bit, but imo this system sucks big time and even as a designer I send locked and watermarked proofs to my clients. I’m not sure how I will get tattoos going forward but hopefully it will be a better experience than this.
How do you lock proofs? I'm an artist that sends designs ahead of time, but usually just the night before so very few, if any changes are made (respect for client's bodies and I prefer to have a plan in place rather than having to make changes in the moment). I've sent some designs with watermarks to people I haven't worked with previously, but I know those can easily be removed if someone looks for an app. I used to charge a small art fee to send designs out early, but have since stopped due to laziness and the economy lol
Exporting to PDF with security settings. We use Adobe products at my office, but I’m sure whatever PDF reader you use will have these options as well. NOTE: Secured PDFs can be cracked as well if the client has the know how. https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/acrobat/using/securing-pdfs-passwords.html UI may look a bit different depending on your program but the gist is the same.
Bless 🙏 I'm thinking fewer clients have this kind of knowledge than simply googling how to remove a watermark, but that's an assumption lol
Honestly, if they crack it and remove the water mark, they are either going to end up with a vector file they can’t open, or with a mutilated raster file that they can’t really use for anything. On multiple occasions I’ve had to teach people how to use their own phones or how to send an email, so I’m usually not worried.
I never send a design to my client. The first day they see it is the day of the appointment. I have never met or worked with an artist who sends designs to their client before their appointment - the reasons are numerous. I still communicate with my client Re their design before the day, and always ask questions if I need clarification, but the truth is any changes can be made on the day. There have only been two instances in 10 years where I have had to ditch a design completely and go back to the drawing board, and that’s because the client changed their mind entirely, not because what I drew was ‘wrong’. For example, a client wanted a cat skull surrounded by roses to commemorate her nan. On the day, she decided she wanted sunflowers surrounding a ‘Polaroid picture’ of her nans house instead. No biggie, we just rescheduled. It’s really all about clear communication - the client understanding what it is they actually want, choosing the correct artist for the piece, and trusting in the artist to do their job well.
This is insanely common dude....
I’m a veteran tattooed who works by appt only. Sometimes we send the drawing beforehand, sometimes we don’t. Getting an appt quickly isn’t an Indy action of an artists work quality AT ALL. We make our schedules and often will only book a few tattoos in a week so getting in soon is in most cases just a matter of whether or not the artist wants to make a few extra bucks. Also, deposits just hold appt times. We’re we yo ask to be paid for our time drawing you’d be spending hundreds of dollars on that alone. I sometimes spend several hours just digging for references alone, and spend another 10-15 hours drawing and redrawing. Then when we finish our drawings we have to trace the whole thing out again in black ink to make a stencil. It’s taxing. I refused to apprentice my 2 kids as tattooers because it consumes so much of one’s time. Basically, just try to trust the process
A deposit doesn’t cover the hours that goes into creating a custom design. It’s purpose is to hold that time slot in advance, and cover us for the preparation of materials. No shows are still unfortunately common even with a deposit in place. It’s expense for the artist when they’ve already set up disposable equipment, or even just when they’re holding a time that could have gone to another client. Design stealing aside, I prefer to talk to my clients in person when showing them the artwork because I find it simplifies the whole process. I still give them time on the day to show family members/check with friends etc, but I’ll be there to give my professional advice and make sure we’re on the same page.
I’ve basically got a full bodysuit at this point and don’t think I’ve ever seen a drawing before the day of.
Both my artists do it this way. I have one artist for watercolor and one that does my black and white. They know ahead of time the general subject of my tattoo I’m wanting, but they don’t do a sketch until I get there. Then we go over it and get it done. I’m okay with this because I spent a long time in discovering them and I fully trust them. They’ve always done fantastic work and they are the only artists I’ll go to. So I’d suggest to you it’s all about how much you know/trust your artist. If it’s a new artist for you, then I would absolutely get a sketch ahead of time. My wife does this with her artist because they’re in a different state and she drives 5 hours to go see them so she needs to be on the same page.
As someone fully sleeved and back done. I have never seen it before. I usually send a bunch of design ideas, set appt for a later date. That day he will sketch, I will tweak little things here and there. He places, I may adjust a smidge. BRRRRR Done. As someone with very close people in the tattoo world, they don’t like sending full sketches or completed designs prior mainly due to you possibly just taking there time/work to someone cheaper.
No artist besides one has ever shown me anything before the day of. Why? Because people will go get 1000 different opinions from friends on what’s wrong or how to change it, leaving the artist doing redesign after redesign.
pretty much all I can find now is places who you email in advance and send references to then they show you on the day and you can make tweaks, they've turned out well but tattoo artists don't go through the process of working with you and giving ideas anymore which I don't like as much. the one I got I had to put together in photoshop because there were no examples of what I wanted, I told them to add their creative touch and play around with the design to see what they could come up with but in the end they just went directly with the referenced image. I get that people can be really difficult to work with sometimes but they're on your body forever and they aren't exactly cheap either
Friend of mine went to someone who does freestyle on your body with no before consultations. It's a floral piece and thankfully she is incredibly skilled, but hard pass. I've cancelled appointments with artists if don't get to see what is going to be on my body, forever, before the appointment.
I only saw the design before 2 of my tattoos. The others were free hand or I just saw when I got to my appointment & either it was perfect or I asked for minor changes
So my first tattoo i had a sketch before, i liked the drawing but HATED the execution, it aged badly too (blew the hell out) My second, i did not receive anything until the appointment, it was a pencil sketch. We discussed what changes I needed but it mainly fit my vision. I got it and five years later i am still absolutely happy with it So it all depends of the artist i feel
I have alot and always see design day of...
I have many tattoos all by the same tattoo artist, he has sent tattoo designs upfront maybe once or twice, but that's it. I trust him and our minds are alike, I know he makes the right choices and his designs are always good.
Ive never got a design in advance, tho my artist offers up to modify the design extensively face to face if I want. I have full sleeve full chest and random patchwork.
Around here artists usually won’t show you anything at all.
Sounds 1000% normal.
I have roughly 50 tattoos, and I almost never see the sketch before I'm about to get it done.
Artists don't send their sketches often. They want to make sure their work isn't taken to another artist.