Traveling to get a large tattoo a logistic nightmare?

[Dominiccjs]

been flying from singapore to perth for the past 3 years to get tattooed. it’s about a 5 hour flight. will probably be flying to perth for a good 7 to 10 years more to finish the project i just started   

[Oiocha]

I personally have some stories as to goofing this sort of thing up.  I just called the shop where I'm getting my back done and found out that I was off the call list, its nothing personal against me I just goofed up.  I got removed because I cancelled two appointments they said ( I only remember one) and that my artist likes to have people who get their pieces done in a timely and committed manner and not someone who can or will only visit twice a year; I've been very vocal with them telling them that I'm travelling from Florida to California, that I'm a college student finishing my last year and that takes precedence, and finally that the rate per hour PLUS the travel expenses hinder me making frequent trips but that I will try to make up for it in hours per session. I'm told I will be booking with low priority and that if I cancel or miss my next appointment I will result in a penalty of some form.  So in essence find out if the time frame in your head is okay with your artist.  I had some financial trouble hit me a while back that ruined the money I had saved for my back so make sure you have the money ready to go for your artist and if you don't talk to them before committing, I had some bad luck with my money but, maybe someone will learn from this. 

[SStu]

Wow, @Oiocha, that's a pretty tough Artist's stance.  

[Gingerninja]

Oh, snap @Oiocha...that sucks. I am confident that it will all eventually work out. Get through this next year, get settled then go for it!

[Oiocha]

12 hours ago, SStu said:

Wow, @Oiocha, that's a pretty tough Artist's stance.  

It's certainly something, everyone seems to think he is being pretty darn tough about it and his timeline is super tight too.  I'm gonna get it done hell or high water! Just going to get my ducks in a row before I try to get back in there and risk another blunder.

[cfmartin67]

It can work out for sure! I had a large torso piece done by Chad Koeplinger a few years ago. I travelled a lot for my job and he, of course, was always traveling. So, I started it not knowing how long it would take. We ended up finishing it in just over a years time. 6 1/2 hours total and 5 different quick sessions. It’s a huge piece and Chad is fast, but luckily we did it! I also flew to Switzerland to get tattooed by Filip Leu and we knocked out two big pieces in one day! Good luck and enjoy!

[Dominiccjs]

35 minutes ago, Oiocha said:

It's certainly something, everyone seems to think he is being pretty darn tough about it and his timeline is super tight too.  I'm gonna get it done hell or high water! Just going to get my ducks in a row before I try to get back in there and risk another blunder.

how many hours do you get in when you do travel to your artist? Personally i think if you put in less than 20 hours and have to wait another year to get an appointment in, i think the artist's stance is justified.

[Oiocha]

Well I did mention that my finances hit the fan but I don't disagree with your stance, I've done 7 and am booking in 6 months after my first appointment for what looks to be another 6 hours.  It sucks and its firm but I never said it was wrong, just tough.  I want his work and it's just going to take me longer to finish getting it done, I'm not doing nothing about it the time is just expensive.  I have admitted to him and will to you that I got on his waitlist to get my foot in the door and get my lines done so I could do the rest of it once my college was finished.

Edited December 30, 2017 by Oiocha

[Dominiccjs]

1 minute ago, Oiocha said:

Well I did mention that my finances hit the fan but I don't disagree with your stance, I've done 7 and am booking in 6 months after my first appointment for what looks to be another 6 hours.  It sucks and its firm but I never said it was wrong, just tough.

It's firm that's for sure, I think we can all agree on that. 7 + 6 within 6 months to me is totally reasonable though. I've taken longer on tattoos that i'm getting locally. When i travel i put in minimum 20 hours or at least 3 sessions. 

[Oiocha]

They just mentioned not wanting to only see me twice a year for a few hours, thanks for understanding both sides though!

[NihilNovum]

Well, I've flown across the Atlantic from Finland to Florida to get tattooed and it was honestly fine. I've also been traveling to London every year for the past 3 to get my legs worked on and its been easy. Just book an appointment, book flights, get time off from whatever and go! Its no different from any other trip and tattoos are the best thing to bring back...

I booked a full day each time which ended up being somewhere between 7-10hours each time. I've also both flown out the next day after the session and taken a day of rest before flying and there was no difference or trouble doing either at all. And both Delphine and Laurent have been real cool about this arrangement the whole time, I actually think its a bit weird for an artist to be difficult with someone for having time between sessions if you're traveling to see them and have a decent session even if its years apart. But then again more and more artists seem to act like complete divas these days... I choose to go to tattooers who are good people in addition to being good artists. Makes for better memories AND tattoos.

and I guess I'll mention that the first time I had both knees worked on by different artists at the same time, and yes they were sore but flying back the next day was still fine, and I'm a tall guy.