Tattoo pricing

Ultimanecat

So, I'm thinking of getting a tattoo. Basically, I want gothic writing of a Latin translation of a Sun Tzu quote from The Art of War.

...no, I'm just joking. I do want a tattoo, on my upper back between my shoulder blades, of an empty circle. The circle itself would probably end up about 6 - 8 inches in diameter, and the line thickness maybe about 3/4 of an inch. I admittedly don't know anything about tattoos, so while I thought that this wouldn't be a terribly difficult proposition, I've now been told otherwise.

What I'd like to know, if anybody is familiar with these things, is about how much should I look to spend on this? I live in a pretty quiet area without a ton of places to get one done, but I can easily go to LA if it's going to save me a lot or if I need somebody with some degree of skill.

So, any ideas / suggestions?

Passerbye

I'm in Washington state so I'm not sure if the prices are exactly the same, but generally you pay per hour, an average of $100 an hour (if I remember correctly) for an experienced tattooist (my regular guy's been tattooing for 10 years now) - that price is split between the tattooist and the parlor itself. I'm not sure if price varies depending on whether they're still an apprentice or not.

As for time I am completely certain yours will take 2 hours maximum, even if you take breaks (which you probably will, since tattooing over the spine HURTS like a mofo), since it's simple in terms of both shading and coloring. You might want to split it up - one hour for the outline, give about a week or two for healing, then another hour for filling in. It's all up to what you think you can handle and how your skin reacts to the tattooing.

So, in conclusion, I'd say be ready to pay about $200 for your tattoo.

Kakodaimonos

Just an empty circle, no fill in? That's going to be a fast piece to get done. Probably $100-200 tops. I'd recommend trying to find a place close by for your first tattoo so if you have any questions or issues you're can easily stop by.

Ultimanecat

Well, I stopped by one local place, and they told me $250 upwards because the placement and size means that it will be really hard to do well. I wasn't too impressed with the price, so I told them I'd get back to them. That's when I came here to get a better idea. It's worth it to me to save $50-$100 to drive a bit out of town, and even with my limited experience that price sounded a bit unreasonable.

I have a few other local places to check out - obviously I don't really want to haggle with more experience people, but should I just shut up about not knowing much? I don't really want to get grafted.

Wandering Star

Sometimes it's worth evaluating things based on how long they will last. You might spend $15 on dinner without even thinking about it, while hesitating to buy a CD that costs the same amount but will last as long as the format does. Tattoos last forever, so in that context, $250 or $300 or whatever doesn't really seem so bad.

It's possible that quote might be a little high though, so it's not bad to keep shopping around. But there's really no point in getting a bad tattoo just to save $100. Over the course of your life, you will not miss that $100. But if you get a crappy tattoo, you WILL regret it.

Any of your friends have tattoos? They might have specific artists they can recommend.

Ultimanecat

I do have friends with tattoos, but they just told me that the design sounded simple enough that it'd be hard to mess it up and I could probably shop based on price.

The place I went to today said the opposite and that it was a difficult tattoo. My personal friends aren't artists, though, they just happen to have tattoos, so I don't know what to think now.

I'll go to the few other places in town and get some more ideas on price and difficulty.

MushroomStick

Seriously, when shopping around for a tattoo, shop for the best artist, not the best price. I know the piece you want is simple artwork-wise, but if you find some scratch artist that says he'll do it for $50, its probably going to bleedout, blur, fade, and look like crap.

Improvolone

For something with such a simple explination, I would just call a few places.

2868

"gothic writing of a Latin translation of a Sun Tzu quote from The Art of War"

I forgot to quote. I'm not targeting you here, or your tattoo, or even your question really. But as a tattoo enthusiast, (I have about 30 sittings under my belt.) I have to say that at first glance seems really convoluted and impulsive. It may not be, and I don't know your motives. But that is four cultures at least in one tattoo. Tattoos are about cohesion, and most importantly meaning. I'm not asking you to explain your motives, that's on you, but communicating them clearly to the artist and future viewers of the tattoo should be easy.

As for price, and your question. A good artist will take a deposit and work with you over a period of time on the design. Usually 50 bucks for 3 days to 3 months depending on the work. Phrases and text can be designed in less time, like 30 to 60 minutes. The hourly cost for a first timer who knows what he or she wants should be 60 to 120 dollars an hour, depending on artists. Always talk to the artist about casual shit, make sure you connect on a level above service alone. Ask for recommendations if the artist doesn't suit your style, or isn't comfy with your idea. Talk to people with tattoo's you like.

Also, what city are you in? Chances are I can make a good tattoo rec.

2868

shit just saw LA, I'll send you a list of good artists in the tomorrow PM via PM.

W2

2868 wrote: »

"gothic writing of a Latin translation of a Sun Tzu quote from The Art of War"

I forgot to quote. I'm not targeting you here, or your tattoo, or even your question really. But as a tattoo enthusiast, (I have about 30 sittings under my belt.) I have to say that at first glance seems really convoluted and impulsive. It may not be, and I don't know your motives. But that is four cultures at least in one tattoo. Tattoos are about cohesion, and most importantly meaning. I'm not asking you to explain your motives, that's on you, but communicating them clearly to the artist and future viewers of the tattoo should be easy.

He was joking about the Sun Tzu quote.

see317

This may be a stupid question on my part for the OP, but why an empty circle? It sounds like an odd choice to me, so I'm curious the reasoning behind it.

Ultimanecat

It's pretty simple and iconic, and as a symbol it has some personal meaning to me. I'm not really looking for something ostentatious (like what I first said in the OP), and more than likely it'll never be seen by many people (I don't wander around with my shirt off much).

Since it's a pretty simple design, I don't really know how much artistry or anything else comes into play. Obviously it should be well-centered on my back, and hopefully reasonably round given the difficulty of the "canvas", but other than that and the aforementioned possibility of a "scratch job" I'm not too sure where it could get too messed up. And really, even the roundness isn't a huge deal, since there's a large possibilty I could be bulking up and slimming down in my shoulders over the course of my life.

But then again, as the place I went to said, maybe its simplicity is all the more reason to make sure it is done exactly right.

Rainfall

Ultimanecat wrote: »

But then again, as the place I went to said, maybe its simplicity is all the more reason to make sure it is done exactly right.

This. If it's just a plain circle, you'd better make sure that circle is perfect/looks perfect or you're going to hate it forever. A small flaw in a more complex tattoo can add character to it, or just not be as noticable, but something on a simple design will drive you NUTS.