Tattoo Artwork

“Ok… So here’s some training wheels for tattoo clients. Your artist is absolutely not required to draw (work) for you for free. If your artist is kind enough to do this they have given you a gift. If they send you a preview they are making themselves extremely vulnerable. Requiring uncommunicated revisions on a piece after it is finished is extremely disrespectful as it wastes our time (we don’t have more time than someone else). If you take an artist’s preview to your friend who is an artist that you trust more to alter the piece it is extremely insulting. This will decimate the artists enthusiasm for working on your piece. It is comparable to bringing a bagged lunch to a restaurant.”

Chris Rhyason

When you get a tattoo from a custom shop, you likely won’t see your artwork until the day of. Most custom tattoo studios run the same as us, artwork is part of the appointment that you pay hourly for. This is because the artwork is work, for you.

For this reason we do our drawing on the clock. It is part of the work we do, and it’s reasonable to be compensated for your work. If you are adamant about having artwork before the tattoo, you can ask to do a commission. In this scenario you pay for the artwork as artwork and whether you get it tattooed or not the artwork is paid for. Another reason that drawing is typically done on the clock is that sending you a draft or artwork ahead of time leaves the artist vulnerable like Chris mentioned. Unfortunately there are many people that take the linework art to another artist. Whether you’re asking a friend to edit the work or taking the artwork else where to get it tattooed cheaper, when the artist is putting their work out there for you they’re taking this risk. Even when Chris posts his flash art people take the lines and rip off the design, often giving him the courtesy of letting him know they’re going to rip it off. This happens at least once a month and it is insulting. This is the kind of thing we mean when we say that sending you artwork ahead of time makes an artist vulnerable. 

When you choose an artist you’re choosing their artwork, not a collab with all your friends. Before you get a tattoo you should be looking at the artist’s portfolio and making sure that you like their style. If you don’t like their style, find an artist whose style you do like because that is the art that’s going on your skin. Though your friends may be artists, they’re likely not tattoo artists. If you are getting tattoo artist friends to critique a design by another tattoo artist that you’re going to, get tattooed by your friend who’s an artist. If they are not tattoo artists, they have no business in a tattoo design anyways. Not everything can be tattooed, tattoos are designed in a certain way to make them tattooable, certain nuances that your friend may suggest probably look and work great for a drawing or painting but tattoos are their own medium; and they are completely different. You have to choose an artist you trust so that you are confident in their artwork and the tattoo that you’re getting. 

If your artist is kind enough to send you a draft consider it a gift and please be respectful of their art and the risk they’re taking. Of course you can show people, share it, get excited and voice your own concerns to the artist, after all it is your tattoo and we’re happy to make alterations for you just treat the artwork and the artist with some integrity. 

Gatekeeper

Hi there! I'm Taylor, you may know me as Sterling Skull reception, or gatekeeper, or most recently Tater (thanks Chris). I love writing, creating and I love tattoos; so what better way to use my passions than to bring you a personal experience of our studio via a blog! Welcome, please stay a while!