Standard Shop Rate vs. Artist Rate

[Pete tattoo freak]

beer weed and pizza. my kind of guy!

[marley mission]

3 hours ago, Pete tattoo freak said:

beer weed and pizza. my kind of guy!

i'm sensing a thread derailment - which in this case sounds perfect

[HeftyZ]

I have pimples around and on a healing tattoo. I might have over did it with the lotion. Should i use acne medication or just leave it alone?

[zombae8723]

This isn't the place to ask that. I'm hoping you aren't being serious but incase you aren't, the answer is no.

[2bacanvas]

I don't see what the problem is with asking an approximate cost. Tattoo artists provide a service and there is nothing wrong to ask what he or she would charge for a tattoo. Not for shopping around purposes because you go to a tattoo artist for his/her skill and not based on a price. I always ask my tattoo artist how many hours he estimates the tattoo will take. It's not written in stone but I like to know how much cash to bring.

[SStu]

nothing wrong with that.

[lildropofsunshine]

I just saw my artist about my next tattoo a week or so ago and I asked him what he thought the approximate cost would be so I know how much money I need to save. So in that I don't agree with "if you have to ask you can't afford it" because yeah, maybe you can't afford it that day, but in a month you'll have the money. Nowhere in the shop is there an hourly rate, just that the shop minimum is $75, so I don't even know how the other artists in the shop charge. There are 3 others, I've met 1 of them, but I've only been tattooed by this one artist.

[oboogie]

Of course you need to know how much money to bring. I'm talking about asking how much a piece costs for shopping around purposes. That's just crass. You get what you pay for.

[Synesthesia]

Either I'm not understanding this or this shop has some weird practices. You were put on a waitlist and you were going to be just assigned a random artist? I haven't done a walk in (yet, about to try this weekend!) but first of all, I wouldn't do one for a shop where I didn't like every artist. You never know who might be busy that day, and I want to be happy with whoever I get so I don't waste my time going there. And if you wanted a certain artist, I'm not understanding why you didn't just make an appointment with that person? I don't think you were wrong to walk out, but I just don't really understand what was happening here.

Also, even if you got the apprentice, any tattooing apprentice worth his salt should be able to do simple Sailor Jerry filler. I'd be concerned if he couldn't and would question the judgment of everyone in that shop who thinks he's ready to tattoo. As for price, it costs what it costs. If you want someone to do it bad enough, you'll pay what they want for it. In the end, and especially if you have several tattoos, an extra $100 or so is chump change. It's not even really worth the haggling. 

[DJDeepFried]

Let's not take the "don't talk about money" rule too far. Perfectly fine to ask an artist what his/her rate is and how many hours it will take and do the math. Bring extra in case it goes over an hour or two and always tip your artist.

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