So you submitted a form, and you're ready to get a tattoo! How do you go about doing that, and what can you expect to happen in that process?
(For a bullet point summary, scroll to the end!)
The first step is gathering information to deem whether I'm a good fit for your project. This may take a few emails and one or two conversations on the phone.
Next, we may need to do an in-person consultation at the studio to dial in the details, and possibly draw on your body for size and placement purposes.
After that is all taken care of, I will request a design fee and a session deposit. (For more information on design fees, please see this post. For more information on our deposit policy, please visit this post.)
The design fee is for the creation of your custom tattoo artwork, and is based on the size, complexity and subject matter. Some small tattoos and pre-drawn flash might not require a design fee. The design fee does not go towards the price of the tattoo.
The session deposit is for securing your spot(s) on my calendar. This is applied towards the final session. We will also schedule a day for a healed photoshoot 3-5 weeks after the application of the tattoo, and $100 will be returned on the day we complete the shoot. Traveling clients can send quality photos that they take themselves in order to receive the refund.
Once you have placed your deposit, you will either pick out dates for sessions or be placed on the waitlist. If you are on a waitlist, you will be notified when it's time to pick dates by email, and then by phone. You can also utilize our online booking system, and if you choose this route, instructions will be provided.
While you are waiting for your first session, we will reach out to schedule a drawing consultation for larger/more complex projects. If you cannot come in person, you will receive an email with your sketch 1 week prior to the first tattoo appointment, not before. This is not standard for many artists in the industry, and we hope our trust is well placed.
One or two small changes are allowed with no additional cost. Any larger changes (like changing the subject matter, or requesting numerous changes, or more rounds of revisions) will come at a fee of US$100/hour. For more information on this, please see this post.
In the two weeks leading up to your tattoo, you will be starting your tattoo pre-care routine. Please see our recommendations on how to prepare for a tattoo on this post.
After the sketch has been approved and any adjustments have been made, the final drawing will be completed and will be available for viewing in the beginning of the first tattoo session. Small adaptations may be needed to fir the design onto your body, but any significant design changes must be done in the sketch preview stage, not the day of the tattoo.
It's totally okay to want changes when something is going to be permanently on your body, but out of respect for our artists' time, redraws on the day of the appointment do come at the day's fee of US$250/hour.
After your session, your artist will give you a tattoo aftercare sheet, with instructions on how to make sure that your tattoo heals beautifully! You can also access that information here.
If you'd like to return to reference where you are at in the process, please feel free to refer to this bulleted list:
Decide what you'd like to get and where
Send a tattoo inquiry form at the Contact page
wait for a response within 72 hours
discuss project compatibility, either over email or during a consultation
have an in-person consultation if needed
send design fee and session deposit
schedule tattoo session
tattoo pre-care (from 2 weeks prior, up until the day of)
tattoo session(s)