Design help for a tattoo
July 18, 2017 1:18 PM Subscribe
I have a couple of vague ideas for a new tattoo. I have an artist picked out, but I think I need to go through a couple of iterations with someone who has a solid grasp of tattoo design before I take the idea to him. Have any of you used online design services or freelancers for this kind of thing? Other ideas?
A tattoo artist worth letting them stab you a hundred times per second permanently etch your skin also has "a solid grasp" of tattoo design. Really, talk to your artist. It's their job. If the one you've picked out can't design a tattoo, then you've picked the wrong artist.
posted by Promethea at 1:31 PM on July 18, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Promethea at 1:31 PM on July 18, 2017 [7 favorites]
No, don't do this. Talk to the tattoo artist. Gonna quote myself here: "Tattoo artists, are in fact, err... artists. Go talk to one. They literally professionally specialize in turning people's ideas into rad tattoos."
posted by so fucking future at 1:32 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by so fucking future at 1:32 PM on July 18, 2017
Response by poster: I knew this question would come up. The thing is, I get the feeling that most artists bill their design time somewhat on spec, expecting that eventually they'll get paid for the end product. Depending on what I can come up with for this one, I might not go through with it, and they'd get a bad taste in their mouth, which would be bad for me next time around. Maybe I'm being to cautious/courteous.
posted by mr_roboto at 1:32 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by mr_roboto at 1:32 PM on July 18, 2017
Best answer: I knew this question would come up. The thing is, I get the feeling that most artists bill their design time somewhat on spec, expecting that eventually they'll get paid for the end product. Depending on what I can come up with for this one, I might not go through with it, and they'd get a bad taste in their mouth, which would be bad for me next time around. Maybe I'm being to cautious/courteous.
Your feeling is incorrect - artists are going to offer you an hourly rate for design if you ask to pay them for the design first. I don't know how you picked your artist, but you should go talk to them.
posted by notorious medium at 1:37 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Your feeling is incorrect - artists are going to offer you an hourly rate for design if you ask to pay them for the design first. I don't know how you picked your artist, but you should go talk to them.
posted by notorious medium at 1:37 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
I feel like if you went into it being open about it exactly that, you'd be fine: "I'd like to work with you on a possible design, I'm not one hundred percent sure if I'm ready to go ahead with the tattoo, but I'm fully prepared to pay you for the consultation/design time regardless of whether I go ahead with the final product", that would generally not be a problem. My experience at least with my own tattoo guy is that would not be an unusual request at all.
posted by Stacey at 1:38 PM on July 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Stacey at 1:38 PM on July 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Not all consultations result in tattoos, all artists are aware of that. They don't make a living out of the consultations, but of the tattoos they make. The way they convert more consultations into tattoos is by paying attention to what the client wants, and doing the best work possible with the design.
posted by Promethea at 1:38 PM on July 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Promethea at 1:38 PM on July 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Just offer to pay the artist for their provisional time. It's generally worth it in the end, for your investment, to have the person permanently putting it in your skin to have a stake in the quality of the art.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:51 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by Lyn Never at 1:51 PM on July 18, 2017
I would maybe split the difference - approach your chosen artist and be honest that you want design help for a tattoo you are thinking of getting. Offer to pay for their time in creating/refining the design. Depending on their general practice and/or appraisal of your likelihood to actually follow through on getting the tattoo, they should either quote you a price for design service or tell you its included in their eventual costs for tattoo application.
Depending on where you are I have noticed that a lot of busier tattooers sometimes don't like to email back and forth about designs. I have personally, and had many friends, stop by for a brief design consult at an earlier date, and then had time built in to the appointment for final adjustments. If having a finalized design in hand before showing up to your appointment is important to you (and I could certainly understand why it might be) be explicit about that expectation when you meet with your artist.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:56 PM on July 18, 2017
Depending on where you are I have noticed that a lot of busier tattooers sometimes don't like to email back and forth about designs. I have personally, and had many friends, stop by for a brief design consult at an earlier date, and then had time built in to the appointment for final adjustments. If having a finalized design in hand before showing up to your appointment is important to you (and I could certainly understand why it might be) be explicit about that expectation when you meet with your artist.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:56 PM on July 18, 2017
Response by poster: OK; thanks everyone. You've basically confirmed my initial instinct. I was just being shy about it, I guess.
I just sent the artist I have in mind an email.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:18 PM on July 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
I just sent the artist I have in mind an email.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:18 PM on July 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yeah, with all the tattoos I have (which were nearly all custom, and the ones that weren't involved some conversion) the design time was built into the tattoo price. Plus I tipped like a fiend, because anyone who consensually comes at me with needles needs to feel good about the use of their time.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:36 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad at 2:36 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
My newest and best tattoo was designed by the artist I went to. I sent her a folder of inspiration images, and she came up with a design. She spent over an hour placing the stencil, and even freehanded some elements directly onto my skin. It's gorgeous. Trust your tattoo artist.
posted by nerdfish at 12:04 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by nerdfish at 12:04 AM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Our artist takes a $50 deposit/design fee when you initial send him art/ideas/more than vague tattoo thoughts. That $50 goes towards the $$ spent on the tattoo, should you choose to go through with it. Considering the large amount of back and forth he is willing to do just to get to a tattoo-able design stage, the $50 is more than well worth it.
Your artist may be similar.
posted by RhysPenbras at 9:11 AM on July 19, 2017
Your artist may be similar.
posted by RhysPenbras at 9:11 AM on July 19, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks again, everyone. I think it worked out well.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:48 PM on September 15, 2017
posted by mr_roboto at 10:48 PM on September 15, 2017
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Why aren't you using your chosen artist for this?
posted by notorious medium at 1:28 PM on July 18, 2017 [13 favorites]