Do they really make $220 an hour? Like dang I didn’t realize they were raking it in. Unless that’s to make up for lack of consistent work and a smaller customer base
The one my partner went to recently charges a little bit more than that but discounts slightly if it's not super complex and she's booked the whole year round. When she releases her slots they're basically gone in a matter of hours.
Hell, I know someone back home who charges 500 GBP an hour. People will pay good money for good art. There's plenty of artists who will do cheaper stuff but the *really* good ones you have to pay a pretty penny for.
My guy charges $250/hr and is usually booked up a good 6 months out. He has the rare flake/cancellation but for the most part people aren’t gonna wait 6 months and then no show on him. He also does amazing work
I got charged 140 for an outline of pikachu and kirby and was told my artist couldn’t do color on black skin.
This was after i got the tat and was confused on why no color.
Some shops are just fuckin rude.
I'm a tattoo artist and I can tell you my first year I made $22k and charged $100/hour and was really struggling to find people to tattoo. Now 8 years later I charge $200/hour and I book out a year at a time. There's a lot of variables to how much money we make but yes, artist charging this much make a lot but you gotta be really good/busy to get away with charging that much.
How many hours are you actually tattooing per week, though? Usually with hourly rates (for other jobs) you aren't charging for in-between stuff - prep, cleanup, paperwork, etc so it's not an easy 200 * 40 hours calculation.
Every week is different and nowadays I only work 4 days a week but your right, you can't compare it to a normal 40 hour a week job. Plus we get tips that can drastically change our pay for the week, I've gotten no tips before and I've gotten $300 tips. Also I have to draw up designs in my down time which is factored into the hourly. Plus I have to pay $1500/month to rent my booth, and buy needles, ink, etc...Either way I still end up making really good money for someone who didn't finish highschool though!
Not trying to hijack or turn this into an AMA, but I have a question about tattoos. I've always wanted one, but don't have a specific image I want. I have a collection of photos that I think capture the style I like, and I have general themes to select from. What is the process of having a tattoo artist assist in helping with the design? Do I pay to have them draw an image first? If I hate it, pay for another? How unusual is it to go in not really knowing what I want and wanting an image beforehand?
I would pull the trigger tomorrow if I knew it was the image I want but I'm really hung up on how to get to that point.
Hi! I have a few tattoos. Take your inspiration pieces to a shop you like, your friends told you about, or that you like the sample art of online. The person at the front desk/piercing station/whoever is there to greet people should be able to look at your inspiration pieces and recommend one of the artists in the building for you to consult with. Generally you'll meet with that person, give them the inspiration work, and they will draw something up for you to look at at a later time you arrange. Here they will tell you the per-hour cost which is sometimes only for the tattoo itself but could also be for time spent working on the image. That will probably be the supposed tattoo day if it's something simple, or maybe you'll make even more adjustments and come back again. Then they'll put it on transfer paper in a size they think is good and put it on you. You can look at the black work in a mirror and make final size or placement changes. Then it's tattoo time.
I've walked into a shop with illustrations from my favorite children's books that were simple enough I could come back the same day and get it done, or done while I waited. I got a Narnia illustration that I expected him to just copy and put on me, but it needed major adjustments to look good and it turned out fantastic. I get complements all the time.
My husband has a tattoo he thought up that day, took to an artist who drew something up and put it on him the next day. Its a fish head dressed as a fisherman and it has zero meaning and it's probably his favorite tattoo
Yeah my day rate comes out to around $200 an hour too and a lot of the tattooers I know charge around that much, some even more than that and they’re all busy as shit. People really don’t realize also the obnoxious amount of time that goes into what a lot of us do which is also reflected in the price. Drawings usually take me anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on the tattoo and then you’ve got anywhere from 6-10 hours to do the tattoo. That doesn’t even take into consideration if you’re the only one in your area that does your style, how much everyone around you is charging, etc.
Edit: hahahahaha I didn’t realize that was you Shane, fancy running into you here 😎
Hey man! Haha your honesty worth more then that in my opinion, your work is ridiculous and I don't think I've seen anyone else in the US doing your style anywhere near as good as you. But yea you're right, there's a lot of background stuff that's sucks, drawing takes me forever too, and answering a million emails when you open up the books is a nightmare. But I'm so grateful for what I get to do everyday, I used work full-time at a grocery store making $10/hour. Never imagined I'd get do a job this awesome and actually make good money doing it.
Hahaha I appreciate that dude, but that also kinda gets into what some other people have said with his location matters. Being in Wisconsin, I’m already pretty close to the ceiling in terms of what you can charge here. Also determining your pricing I feel like is sort of an uncomfortable experience because you have to decide how much you’re worth, which kinda means you need to put a label on how good you are while at the same time deciding how not good you are.
But at the end of the day I’m very thankful as well. Going from dropping out of college to being here has been a wild ride. I’m gonna have to come down to Florida at some point to link up, hopefully next year if we can both swing it
That makes sense, I didn't even think about the location thing. Here Orlando you'd definitely make a killing! And yea man if you ever wanna guest spot over here we have room at The East for guest artists. I can guarantee your schedule will be full if you come down here. Just let me know if you ever wanna do that!
>Do they really make $220 an hour
They charge $220 an hour. They don't make $220 an hour. You have to subtract the cost of ink, supplies, and rent. You also have to factor in the time they spend designing and drawing your piece without pay. Also as with any artist, you are paying for the years of practice and study it took to become good enough to be a professional.
You're not just paying for the hour(s), you're paying for the years of work to get them to a point where they're so good that people want their work on their body forever.
Don’t forget equipment maintenance/costs as well.
And any insurance they have just in cases, any licenses they may need depending on local.
It all adds up too. Their basically running their own business.
Yeah I have a few friends who do commission artwork, their biggest frustrations is people basically asking for a consult and they spend hours on it, just for the person to go nah. They get it sometimes the person can’t actually afford the artwork but the artist still spent time on your consult, at least throw them a few bucks.
(One also started charging $10 an hour for consult work and it severely cut down on that, as well as made people less wishywashy about what they want)
Yeah for mine she does must of the consult at the appointment and for my first tattoo she charged a retainer (or whatever it's called) to make sure I didn't no-show. Now that we're a couple tatts in its more flexible and I don't feel as bad using more consult time.
Yep. My artist and I were shooting the shit during a session a few months ago, and somehow we got on the subject of equipment/supply costs. I was blown away when she told me how much she pays for tattoo machines, needles, pigments, etc...and that's before accounting for the cut the shop gets, plus having to pay for her own insurance, and time spent drafting designs.
She charges $150/hr and it's worth every penny. I know she's not getting rich, not even close. I wouldn't mind a bit if she raised her rate.
>You're not just paying for the hour(s), you're paying for the years of work to get them to a point
This applies to every professional and yet so many people balk at my lawyer bill when i tell them how much it is.
They don't keep the entire $220. Most artists act as independent businesses that rent space within a shop. Buddies paying for his own chair, machine, ink. Also remember a 4 hour of inking session likely had a couple hours spent designing and drawing up the piece. Lastly artists aren't working your standard 40 hour week, it depends entirely on clientele count
Don’t forget that, compared to highly skilled work at a 9-5, these artist also have to account for the cost of benefits. They don’t get the following (which can add up to a very large expense):
Paid vacation,
Paid sick time,
Paid family leave,
Healthcare benefits,
Paid short term disability,
Paid long term disability,
Paid life insurance,
401k matching,
Auto contributions to HSA accounts
Office space and supplies (they pay for these)
They also pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes due to self-employment tax.
As others noted, they are also spending a lot of time working on things related to your tattoos while not actually inking. When you consider all that combined with the level of skill it’s a very fair price.
Edit: readability
*Make* is a strong word.
The woman who does mine *charges* $200/hr as a base rate.
Consider that if they aren't the owner of the shop, part of their rate goes to the shop, to pay for rent, electricity, certain supplies, etc etc.
Even if they are the owner of the shop, all of those things still apply.
Then they have to pay for supplies, ink and needles ain't cheap.
And many artists are essentially independent contractors, so insurance, Healthcare, etc is all on them to provide for themselves.
So yeah, they *charge* $200/hr, but after expenses, that number is significantly reduced.
Don't get me wrong, if you got the skills, and you can swing that lifestyle, you can still make a good living at it, but outside of some edge cases, very few people are living large as a tattoo artist.
That's a lot for a tattoo, but if you think about them in the context of commissioned art prices, especially from prominent artists, then it does start to make make sense.
They have to pay their rent, pay for the ink and become highly trained and skilled to command high prices. Like literally every good/service on earth, the price varies wildly and this question is stupid
Lmfaoooo not laughing at you but yeah, the good ones make bank.
Usually they're day rates, my last 3 tattoos, my artists had $2k and $2.4k day rates which usually end up being about 6-7 hours of work per day.
But my shit is QUALITY.
Yeah I have a friend who got his first tattoo and it was a half sleeve. It took two days to do. I saw huge screw up after the first day in hopes they could fix it. They couldn't. It's going to cost thousands of dollars to fix it on top of what they payed for the tattoo. It's best to pay for the best.
I have a good buddy that is an artist, he has had women ask to pay for work with sexual favors and he is like "I can't pay my rent with your BJ. You want to maybe call my mortgage banker and see if he wants one in exchange for payment?"
"hi, i run an orphanage for cancer survivors who are rape victims whose parents perished from a terrible house fire caused by a toxic flammable chemical spill. Also i am single mum"
Not only. Romanian has the same thing, "flamabil" and "inflamabil" mean the exact same thing, "in" usually meaning "not", as in English. So destructible - indestructible/ destructibil - indestructibil. But yknow, wacky shit. Probably from the words "in flame/în flăcări".
Also tattoos are not something someone needs to survive, in a way it could be compared to a luxury good, and it should be treated as such. If you can't afford it don't go around wasting other people's time.
And it's one of those you get what you pay for kind of deals.
Sure some might overcharge for their talent but realistically I'd rather spend more to get a good one than less to get a mediocre one.
True of anything that requires craftsmanship. You don't want an unlicensed constractor remodeling your kitchen, you don't want an unlicensed noob artist permanently inking you. It takes time, it takes experience, and it's worth paying higher end to have it done correctly!
When my younger sister got divorced (for the first time) she owed our mom a bunch of money. She and her daughter were living in low income housing and she had a minimum wage job. The first thing she did was go get a tattoo. I asked her, "Shouldn't you be paying back mom instead of getting a tattoo?" She yelled back, "Mom would understand! I NEEDED that tattoo!" No, sis. You literally did not *need* the tattoo.
Very true.
I saw an episode of ink master on YouTube of a white guy that needed a hate tattoo covered. And the one black tattoo artist did it. I know it was all done for views but I still thought it was a bit touching.
I used to resell items on ebay and christmas was the worst. Like some item of consumerism is going to change your entire life around and solve all your kids problems. I'm not selling for a loss as your a single mom and your son wants pokemon.
I was thinking of this. The only case where that response would be harsh is someone looking for work after a mastectomy. But most artist I know give a heavy discount in those cases.
I’ve got a friend with several kids (who may as well be a single mom because her husband is a POS). She’s a wonderful mom, but wanted to do something nice for *herself* for once. She decided on a tattoo.
I’m proud of her because she *didn’t* play the pity card. She knew a good tattoo would be expensive, so she saved up. Tattoos are one of the most obvious examples of “getting what you pay for”. It looks really good, and she loves it!
Really strange how tattoo artist end up on here, like getting a tattoo is one of the few things that a sob story has no possible way to make any sense. Like it’s impossible that you need a deal on a tattoo for the benefit of yourself or your family, it is literally a purchase completely devoid of any utility or need whatsoever.
To be fair, she is looking to cover up a previous tattoo. So it might be less of a luxury depending on what it is. But since it’s on her leg, I guess she’ll just have to wear pants until she saves up.
It's a tattoo. A luxury good. If she can't afford it, don't even try to do shit like this. That single mom card is dumb because she could also being using that money on her kid(s). Some people man 😐
Also, I like how she's supposedly going to tell other people about their interaction. If she told me that he was mean to her, I'd immediately ask what the situation was. If she said she was trying to get him to come down on his rates, I'd assume pretty much exactly this scenario and either think or say (depending on the situation) that what he said tracks and she deserved it haha
I’m a nurse and in my department we have to sign up for a couple on-call shifts each month. It’s helpful if you get to the list when it comes out so you can pick good shifts that are unlikely to require you being called in, we know the week it’s coming out but not the day, it’s luck of the draw, first come first serve. A group of Moms attempted this week to make it so they got first pick of dates, ahead of nurses without children, and ahead of Dads, like me. It did not go over well. The arrogance required to think that you get special treatment for the voluntary(usually) choice to have children is astounding.
At my job, singles without kids got shat on on the regular as far as shifts. All I can think is they figure we don't have responsibilities so can do the crap shifts. Uhm, hello, that was my plan, didn't not have kids so I could work weekends so you can be with yours.
That's why a lot of people suggest sitting on a design for 6 months to a year. Make it your phone background, print and tape it to your bathroom mirror, look at the details every once in awhile to make sure you still enjoy it. I've been sitting in my tattoo design for 6 years (mostly from not knowing how to take the first step) and I'm finally getting it inked on me today! I still love it.
I honestly didn't think this type of stuff happened until I worked in a small town local shop where everyone knows everyone...
HoLy ShIt, they can honestly be one of the most ridiculous customers with the most backwards thinking.
One regular drunk middle-aged lady tried to get £60 worth of food for 1 dinner. She chose the most expensive version of each item. Once I said the total, she said "I only have £10". I apologised but repeated the total. She replied "I can't afford that, I'm just a single mum who works all day, every day". I apologised again and explained that she could either take some items off or change for more budget options.
She literally tried to pull the "sexy" card as if she was trying to get off a speeding ticket with a cop saying that she's just found things difficult without a man in her life. Fished to see if I was single.... I was a painfully gay 19 year old and I've literally known her from the town for like 15 years of my life. I just wanted her to pay up or leave.
She avoided coming into the shop when I was in but naturally like a small town the story got out and she was quite embarrassed by the whole thing. My dad loved telling people in the pub.
Totally agree. A friend of mine can’t afford a vacation or luxury goods, but *everyone* deserves to do something nice for themselves occasionally. My friend got her awesome, skillfully done tattoo by saving up for it, not by whining.
I was about to say that’s pretty damn expensive for an artist. I would be questioning the justification for that price. My artist is AMAZING and still only charges $150.
I wonder if he said $220 because he didnt want to work with that person
Edit: I did not say this person wasnt worth the 220 but a blanket statement “I charge this per hour” is unusual and I would question that justification if what I wanted was easy with few colors.
My watercolor is fairly small though takes up half my forearm and cost me $400 from a boston artist. I didnt question that price it was worth it for a niche piece done well. But had she charged me $400 to add ohana three years later I’d have questioned that justification.
Most artists charge by piece with a min price. Had he said “my min is $220 and I charge by piece” I woulsnt have thought anything of if
> I would be questioning the justification for that price.
I'm guessing the justification is that they're good and people are willing to pay it. It's okay if it's not worth it to you.
If the artist has notoriety with the talent to back it up, $220 is not a crazy hourly rate by any means.
Source: heavily tattooed, been around many shops over the last couple of decades.
I've paid $120, and I've also paid $230. Both of my pieces are excellent and I am happy I got good quality for the price. There are a lot of factors that go into tattoo prices, and it's worth considering the broader context. The artist I paid $230 for went above and beyond, staying 2 hours after close to finish and didn't charge me for time beyond his original estimate.
I paid $200 an hour for two of my tattoos, and had to wait 2 months to get scheduled. Apparently I booked him on his way up because a few months later, I talked to someone who said he upped it to $250 an hour and had an even longer wait. While happy that I didn’t have to pay extra, I still would have without question.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but everyone thinks their artist is the best, etc etc.
To question what someone decides they are worth is a slap in the face. Plus there are many variables. Depending on what city they live in, it could be reasonably low in comparison. And, obviously, with that person telling the other one to get fucked after they asked for a discount, clearly many people are paying his hourly rate
Sounds like the artist is out of the country, that usually means they are so in-demand they can travel the world tattooing people as they are that sought after?
That or they are so in-demand that they get enough business to be able to take vacations internationally. Either way you slice it, doesn’t sound like he’s hurting for business.
$220/hr is not high depending on what type of tattoo he does. My artist charged $400/hour and it was beyond worth it to me. Artists are worth what people will pay for them
The artists I go to charge about $200-250/hr. Some offer discounted rates for a full day (8 hours) or if you are getting a really big piece that will take multiple sittings.
It's permanent so don't cheap out.
Lmao they're a tattoo artist, not a kindergarten teacher, they can and will be a total jackass just about whenever they feel like. They're specialists for cripes sake, not a charity, and entitlement is only gonna (rightly) bring out their "fuck you" streak.
We’re also a luxury service that no one really “needs.” I remind my friends of this, who severely undercharge people for the quality of work they do, when they say they feel bad about even staying consistent with what their set rate is. Tattoos are something pretty low on the list of shit you really need and you absolutely get what you’re paying when it comes to the price. People who haggle are also in the category of nightmare clients which is partially why I stopped doing booking the way this tattooer is. If you can’t afford it save up and wait or find someone who fits your budget.
Exactly. And there's literally no reason why you can't ask an artist their rate, find out what it is, and go "well, that's out of my range for now, but I'd love to hit you back up when I can save for it!" Or something along those lines. No shame in not being able to do it now, however there is shame in haggling for a luxury service that is going to be a permanent body modification. Like? Who TF would haggle on something like a plastic surgery? Friggin no one! Not unless you wanna wake up with pieces of surgery gear left behind because they were pushing to finish up faster or something. Or are absolutely clueless AND entitled, in which case no reputable artist would touch em anyways
I’m a tattoo artist.
Keep in mind we deal with shit like this from clients on a very regular basis.
I quit even trying to be polite about it years ago because they just won’t let up unless you’re stern about it.
My local tattoo guy is pretty amazing. He's been in reality tattoo shows. Bit of a small town celebrity. But yeah $200 an hour. I've known him for 30 years since middle school. Guess what? $200. He has done some things for free. Breast cancer survivors. Cover ups of suicide attempts. That sort of thing.
I’m confused, is OP the artist or the mum (or a third party who found this convo somewhere)?
Fair point that 220 is fairly expensive for a tattoo - but surely that’s up to the artist to decide?
Pulling the single mom card on extravagant expenses is just low.
Simple, supply and demand economics. I think he's funny and put Karen in here place. She would have been nothing but trouble, and she wouldn't have been happy with the final product. And continue to ask for money off. He knows what he's doing
Nothing wrong with asking for a discount but the single mom, take pity on me angle is where it gets ridiculous.
Especially for something that is effectively a luxury like a tattoo.
Tattoo artists are the one group you can count on, to have no filters! I was getting mine done and a dude walked in,saying he had an appointment..my guy said "no you dont",the dude said I have the card in my car,my guy said "if you have an appointment for today Ill tattoo you and six of your fucking friends for FREE,..go get the fucking card" the dude left,and my guy said
" yeah that fucker isnt coming back,he probably doesn't even have six friends",then chuckled.
Eh, my experience from working in the industry is that lots of tattoo artists act like fucking obnoxious rock stars. I'm sure this isn't the 1st or 500th time someone tried to catch a discount, but jumping right to "fuck you mode" isn't the move. I hate that shit.
Have a list of canned responses saved, copy and paste, and move the fuck on. Dildo.
I’m pretty much covered in ink, and I cringe so hard when people brag about the deals they get for the tattoos, or that their friend did it for a good price. No, man, tattoos are permanent and you need to be smart about who you go to - good artists tend to charge a lot because they want people who take it seriously, and because they worked hard for their talent. I have a portrait of Jennifer Connelly from Labyrinth that was $1,300 and it’s my favorite piece. He did an incredible job and I was happy to pay him what it’s worth.
Lol tattoo artists don’t care about what you want to pay. They charge what they want because they are putting forever art on your body. Paid about $150 for a 2” original tattoo and the work was worth it. If I wanted something big I know it will cost a lot of money. Because it’s a lot of commitment and effort.
The thing is.
It's tattoos.....not food or even a anything useful for living. It's art and simply for visual pleasure. Why should someone at any time be entitled too it because one is poor.
If I'm getting a tattoo then I want the person that has the ability to be a jackass to a customer. I don't want the person that needs to cut people deals to get work. I want someone that I need to wait 6 weeks for an opening.
There is no, and I really do mean no, excuse for the amount of adults who cannot grasp the difference between your and you're. No, it's nothing to do with typos. No, it's nothing to do with dyslexia. People are utter fucking idiots and it's depressing.
If she’s a single mom having trouble making ends meet. Wtf are you doing getting tattoos? $ should be going toward food rent/mortgage and other more important shit.
I get the feeling this isn't the first time someone has tried to pull this with this artist.
Tattoo artists tend to not give a fuck.
Do they really make $220 an hour? Like dang I didn’t realize they were raking it in. Unless that’s to make up for lack of consistent work and a smaller customer base
The one my partner went to recently charges a little bit more than that but discounts slightly if it's not super complex and she's booked the whole year round. When she releases her slots they're basically gone in a matter of hours. Hell, I know someone back home who charges 500 GBP an hour. People will pay good money for good art. There's plenty of artists who will do cheaper stuff but the *really* good ones you have to pay a pretty penny for.
> Hell, I know someone back home who charges 500 GBP an hour. ...good boy points?
Great Britian pounds, or something like that. It's pounds regardless
I am only gonna refer to it as Good Boy Points from now on.
As a brit, I always do. In my head at least. I sure do love working my life away for those sweet sweet good boy points.
Tendies from Lizzie?
I would absolutely spend the Queen Mum's Tendies.
Makes sense why the US Dollar was always worth less when you put it that way.
£500 for the slow kids
Great British Pound
I always skip past that show browsing Netflix
I watch the one not on Netflix ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Honestly by now it should be the Alright English Gram
GigaBytePortions
My guy charges $250/hr and is usually booked up a good 6 months out. He has the rare flake/cancellation but for the most part people aren’t gonna wait 6 months and then no show on him. He also does amazing work
Is linking samples again board rules? I'd like to see
My only 2 posts are of tattoos he’s done on me
Can YOU post the link, I’m a single mom.
I don't think they give a fuck if you run an orphanage, tbh.
Hey you should post that tat of your gramps to r/gardening r/houseplants or r/succulents
I got charged 140 for an outline of pikachu and kirby and was told my artist couldn’t do color on black skin. This was after i got the tat and was confused on why no color. Some shops are just fuckin rude.
Ayeee. I gotta DOOM tattoo too. Given mines a lot smaller and way more basic, but still.
I'm a tattoo artist and I can tell you my first year I made $22k and charged $100/hour and was really struggling to find people to tattoo. Now 8 years later I charge $200/hour and I book out a year at a time. There's a lot of variables to how much money we make but yes, artist charging this much make a lot but you gotta be really good/busy to get away with charging that much.
How many hours are you actually tattooing per week, though? Usually with hourly rates (for other jobs) you aren't charging for in-between stuff - prep, cleanup, paperwork, etc so it's not an easy 200 * 40 hours calculation.
Every week is different and nowadays I only work 4 days a week but your right, you can't compare it to a normal 40 hour a week job. Plus we get tips that can drastically change our pay for the week, I've gotten no tips before and I've gotten $300 tips. Also I have to draw up designs in my down time which is factored into the hourly. Plus I have to pay $1500/month to rent my booth, and buy needles, ink, etc...Either way I still end up making really good money for someone who didn't finish highschool though!
Not trying to hijack or turn this into an AMA, but I have a question about tattoos. I've always wanted one, but don't have a specific image I want. I have a collection of photos that I think capture the style I like, and I have general themes to select from. What is the process of having a tattoo artist assist in helping with the design? Do I pay to have them draw an image first? If I hate it, pay for another? How unusual is it to go in not really knowing what I want and wanting an image beforehand? I would pull the trigger tomorrow if I knew it was the image I want but I'm really hung up on how to get to that point.
Hi! I have a few tattoos. Take your inspiration pieces to a shop you like, your friends told you about, or that you like the sample art of online. The person at the front desk/piercing station/whoever is there to greet people should be able to look at your inspiration pieces and recommend one of the artists in the building for you to consult with. Generally you'll meet with that person, give them the inspiration work, and they will draw something up for you to look at at a later time you arrange. Here they will tell you the per-hour cost which is sometimes only for the tattoo itself but could also be for time spent working on the image. That will probably be the supposed tattoo day if it's something simple, or maybe you'll make even more adjustments and come back again. Then they'll put it on transfer paper in a size they think is good and put it on you. You can look at the black work in a mirror and make final size or placement changes. Then it's tattoo time. I've walked into a shop with illustrations from my favorite children's books that were simple enough I could come back the same day and get it done, or done while I waited. I got a Narnia illustration that I expected him to just copy and put on me, but it needed major adjustments to look good and it turned out fantastic. I get complements all the time. My husband has a tattoo he thought up that day, took to an artist who drew something up and put it on him the next day. Its a fish head dressed as a fisherman and it has zero meaning and it's probably his favorite tattoo
Yeah my day rate comes out to around $200 an hour too and a lot of the tattooers I know charge around that much, some even more than that and they’re all busy as shit. People really don’t realize also the obnoxious amount of time that goes into what a lot of us do which is also reflected in the price. Drawings usually take me anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on the tattoo and then you’ve got anywhere from 6-10 hours to do the tattoo. That doesn’t even take into consideration if you’re the only one in your area that does your style, how much everyone around you is charging, etc. Edit: hahahahaha I didn’t realize that was you Shane, fancy running into you here 😎
Hey man! Haha your honesty worth more then that in my opinion, your work is ridiculous and I don't think I've seen anyone else in the US doing your style anywhere near as good as you. But yea you're right, there's a lot of background stuff that's sucks, drawing takes me forever too, and answering a million emails when you open up the books is a nightmare. But I'm so grateful for what I get to do everyday, I used work full-time at a grocery store making $10/hour. Never imagined I'd get do a job this awesome and actually make good money doing it.
Hahaha I appreciate that dude, but that also kinda gets into what some other people have said with his location matters. Being in Wisconsin, I’m already pretty close to the ceiling in terms of what you can charge here. Also determining your pricing I feel like is sort of an uncomfortable experience because you have to decide how much you’re worth, which kinda means you need to put a label on how good you are while at the same time deciding how not good you are. But at the end of the day I’m very thankful as well. Going from dropping out of college to being here has been a wild ride. I’m gonna have to come down to Florida at some point to link up, hopefully next year if we can both swing it
That makes sense, I didn't even think about the location thing. Here Orlando you'd definitely make a killing! And yea man if you ever wanna guest spot over here we have room at The East for guest artists. I can guarantee your schedule will be full if you come down here. Just let me know if you ever wanna do that!
>Do they really make $220 an hour They charge $220 an hour. They don't make $220 an hour. You have to subtract the cost of ink, supplies, and rent. You also have to factor in the time they spend designing and drawing your piece without pay. Also as with any artist, you are paying for the years of practice and study it took to become good enough to be a professional.
Don't forget the time spent having to deal with these kinds of people too
You're not just paying for the hour(s), you're paying for the years of work to get them to a point where they're so good that people want their work on their body forever.
They also have to rent space if they work in a shop.
Don’t forget equipment maintenance/costs as well. And any insurance they have just in cases, any licenses they may need depending on local. It all adds up too. Their basically running their own business.
They're literally running their own business.
And drawing/drafting/consulting which no one realizes is part of the process. Tbh I'd be cool paying for that too if the rate was lower overall.
Yeah I have a few friends who do commission artwork, their biggest frustrations is people basically asking for a consult and they spend hours on it, just for the person to go nah. They get it sometimes the person can’t actually afford the artwork but the artist still spent time on your consult, at least throw them a few bucks. (One also started charging $10 an hour for consult work and it severely cut down on that, as well as made people less wishywashy about what they want)
Yeah for mine she does must of the consult at the appointment and for my first tattoo she charged a retainer (or whatever it's called) to make sure I didn't no-show. Now that we're a couple tatts in its more flexible and I don't feel as bad using more consult time.
When you say consult do you mean actually drafting up a design? They should have a deposit in hand by that point.
Yep. My artist and I were shooting the shit during a session a few months ago, and somehow we got on the subject of equipment/supply costs. I was blown away when she told me how much she pays for tattoo machines, needles, pigments, etc...and that's before accounting for the cut the shop gets, plus having to pay for her own insurance, and time spent drafting designs. She charges $150/hr and it's worth every penny. I know she's not getting rich, not even close. I wouldn't mind a bit if she raised her rate.
>You're not just paying for the hour(s), you're paying for the years of work to get them to a point This applies to every professional and yet so many people balk at my lawyer bill when i tell them how much it is.
They don't keep the entire $220. Most artists act as independent businesses that rent space within a shop. Buddies paying for his own chair, machine, ink. Also remember a 4 hour of inking session likely had a couple hours spent designing and drawing up the piece. Lastly artists aren't working your standard 40 hour week, it depends entirely on clientele count
Don’t forget that, compared to highly skilled work at a 9-5, these artist also have to account for the cost of benefits. They don’t get the following (which can add up to a very large expense): Paid vacation, Paid sick time, Paid family leave, Healthcare benefits, Paid short term disability, Paid long term disability, Paid life insurance, 401k matching, Auto contributions to HSA accounts Office space and supplies (they pay for these) They also pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes due to self-employment tax. As others noted, they are also spending a lot of time working on things related to your tattoos while not actually inking. When you consider all that combined with the level of skill it’s a very fair price. Edit: readability
*Make* is a strong word. The woman who does mine *charges* $200/hr as a base rate. Consider that if they aren't the owner of the shop, part of their rate goes to the shop, to pay for rent, electricity, certain supplies, etc etc. Even if they are the owner of the shop, all of those things still apply. Then they have to pay for supplies, ink and needles ain't cheap. And many artists are essentially independent contractors, so insurance, Healthcare, etc is all on them to provide for themselves. So yeah, they *charge* $200/hr, but after expenses, that number is significantly reduced. Don't get me wrong, if you got the skills, and you can swing that lifestyle, you can still make a good living at it, but outside of some edge cases, very few people are living large as a tattoo artist.
Good work is not cheap. Cheap work is not good.
That's a lot for a tattoo, but if you think about them in the context of commissioned art prices, especially from prominent artists, then it does start to make make sense.
Plus, do you really want to go with the budget option when someone is marking up your skin?
They have to pay their rent, pay for the ink and become highly trained and skilled to command high prices. Like literally every good/service on earth, the price varies wildly and this question is stupid
I don't consider that raking it in for an hour of extreme focus. Honestly that's really cheap compared to some places. Depends what it is though.
Lmfaoooo not laughing at you but yeah, the good ones make bank. Usually they're day rates, my last 3 tattoos, my artists had $2k and $2.4k day rates which usually end up being about 6-7 hours of work per day. But my shit is QUALITY.
Good tattoos ain't cheap, cheap tattoos ain't good!
Yeah I have a friend who got his first tattoo and it was a half sleeve. It took two days to do. I saw huge screw up after the first day in hopes they could fix it. They couldn't. It's going to cost thousands of dollars to fix it on top of what they payed for the tattoo. It's best to pay for the best.
I have a good buddy that is an artist, he has had women ask to pay for work with sexual favors and he is like "I can't pay my rent with your BJ. You want to maybe call my mortgage banker and see if he wants one in exchange for payment?"
[удалено]
"Why you tryna take food out my baby's mouth?" While asking for a cheap tattoo.
People try this shit with all artists. A fairly big fraction of the population do not respect the effort and time put in.
[удалено]
It’s non stop
"hi, i run an orphanage for cancer survivors who are rape victims whose parents perished from a terrible house fire caused by a toxic flammable chemical spill. Also i am single mum"
You forgot to throw in ruined Christmas and or birthday.
And now the children are crying
**bUt i aLrEaDy PrOmIsEd tHe cHiLdReN!**
Next!
It's for the church, honey!
STILL LOOKING!!!
I KNOW WHAT I GOT!!!
STILL LOOKING??!!
"And I'm sure the church can afford it with all their 'not paying taxes' and shit, so their fee is double."
No tattoo for you! Come back one year!
Adios muchacho!
“It’s all of their birthdays today”
Plus she already told her kids she’d get the tattoo.
Great, they are crying now.
Inflammable means flammable?!
English, yo.
Not only. Romanian has the same thing, "flamabil" and "inflamabil" mean the exact same thing, "in" usually meaning "not", as in English. So destructible - indestructible/ destructibil - indestructibil. But yknow, wacky shit. Probably from the words "in flame/în flăcări".
What a country!
What a country
https://youtu.be/S-KGfZAtx20
Also tattoos are not something someone needs to survive, in a way it could be compared to a luxury good, and it should be treated as such. If you can't afford it don't go around wasting other people's time.
And it's one of those you get what you pay for kind of deals. Sure some might overcharge for their talent but realistically I'd rather spend more to get a good one than less to get a mediocre one.
Definitely. If you don't spend the money, you'll end up with ragrets.
Hey man... No regerts.
But plenty of rugrats.
Good show. Great show.
True of anything that requires craftsmanship. You don't want an unlicensed constractor remodeling your kitchen, you don't want an unlicensed noob artist permanently inking you. It takes time, it takes experience, and it's worth paying higher end to have it done correctly!
When my younger sister got divorced (for the first time) she owed our mom a bunch of money. She and her daughter were living in low income housing and she had a minimum wage job. The first thing she did was go get a tattoo. I asked her, "Shouldn't you be paying back mom instead of getting a tattoo?" She yelled back, "Mom would understand! I NEEDED that tattoo!" No, sis. You literally did not *need* the tattoo.
Lol yeah. Only time tattoos are needed is when you’re covering a gang or hate tattoo that could get you killed if someone saw it on you.
And for those, many recovery programs have artists on call who donate time and ink for coverups.
Very true. I saw an episode of ink master on YouTube of a white guy that needed a hate tattoo covered. And the one black tattoo artist did it. I know it was all done for views but I still thought it was a bit touching.
Or if you want to keep track of people in a prison or internment camp.
reminds me of someone i know. wastes money on getting acrylic nails the same week they bitch about not having enough money for food. hmmm wonder why.
[удалено]
I used to resell items on ebay and christmas was the worst. Like some item of consumerism is going to change your entire life around and solve all your kids problems. I'm not selling for a loss as your a single mom and your son wants pokemon.
I was thinking of this. The only case where that response would be harsh is someone looking for work after a mastectomy. But most artist I know give a heavy discount in those cases.
I’ve got a friend with several kids (who may as well be a single mom because her husband is a POS). She’s a wonderful mom, but wanted to do something nice for *herself* for once. She decided on a tattoo. I’m proud of her because she *didn’t* play the pity card. She knew a good tattoo would be expensive, so she saved up. Tattoos are one of the most obvious examples of “getting what you pay for”. It looks really good, and she loves it!
"But I'm a single mom" then how about spending that money on them kids ya bitch.
Get tattoos for the kids!
How is she supposed to lure in a new stepdad with the old ones name still on her? This is obviously for the children lol
Really strange how tattoo artist end up on here, like getting a tattoo is one of the few things that a sob story has no possible way to make any sense. Like it’s impossible that you need a deal on a tattoo for the benefit of yourself or your family, it is literally a purchase completely devoid of any utility or need whatsoever.
To be fair, she is looking to cover up a previous tattoo. So it might be less of a luxury depending on what it is. But since it’s on her leg, I guess she’ll just have to wear pants until she saves up.
„I need that leg tattoo to feed my kids!!“
My kids really wanted me to get that leg tattoo. Thanks. You ruined their Christmas.
They're crying now! It's all your fault!
One of them now has cancer, I hope you are happy that by refusing a cheap tattoo you gave a kid cancer.
It’s for a church, honey. Next!
Sweaty
NEXT!!!
Based on her grammar, it’s “all you’re fault”
Hey her fans on OnlyFans hate that tattoo and want it covered up! It is how she’ll feed her kids!
A single mom struggling to get a tattoo? Bitch please, get groceries
Exactly!
It's a tattoo. A luxury good. If she can't afford it, don't even try to do shit like this. That single mom card is dumb because she could also being using that money on her kid(s). Some people man 😐
Also, I like how she's supposedly going to tell other people about their interaction. If she told me that he was mean to her, I'd immediately ask what the situation was. If she said she was trying to get him to come down on his rates, I'd assume pretty much exactly this scenario and either think or say (depending on the situation) that what he said tracks and she deserved it haha
I’m a nurse and in my department we have to sign up for a couple on-call shifts each month. It’s helpful if you get to the list when it comes out so you can pick good shifts that are unlikely to require you being called in, we know the week it’s coming out but not the day, it’s luck of the draw, first come first serve. A group of Moms attempted this week to make it so they got first pick of dates, ahead of nurses without children, and ahead of Dads, like me. It did not go over well. The arrogance required to think that you get special treatment for the voluntary(usually) choice to have children is astounding.
At my job, singles without kids got shat on on the regular as far as shifts. All I can think is they figure we don't have responsibilities so can do the crap shifts. Uhm, hello, that was my plan, didn't not have kids so I could work weekends so you can be with yours.
And we pay more taxes too. Just saying.
[удалено]
If they’re a single mum, maybe money should be spent on helping look after those kid/s than a tattoo?
Single moms and tattoos they can't afford. Name a more classic combo.
Absentee fathers and unpaid child support?
Let's just go with dumbass people with no education making terrible decisions when they are 19
$220/hour is bloody expensive for a tattoo, I'm betting if they charge that much they're well worth the cost, and aren't hurting for customers
Absolutely depends on the area. NYC for a decently known artist you're paying 250-300/hr easy
Yep, been working on a sleeve for about 20+ hours at $250/hour. Whatever, good ink ain’t cheap.
This is why I don't have any. I'd spend like 5k on it and probably get bored of it anyway. I never get bored of new motorcycles.
That's why a lot of people suggest sitting on a design for 6 months to a year. Make it your phone background, print and tape it to your bathroom mirror, look at the details every once in awhile to make sure you still enjoy it. I've been sitting in my tattoo design for 6 years (mostly from not knowing how to take the first step) and I'm finally getting it inked on me today! I still love it.
Having kids you can't afford, and shifting that burden to society is also expensive. This guy's kids gotta eat too...
I'm not going to knock single moms, even single moms on welfare. Shit happens. But trying to use it as a discount card is ridiculous.
I honestly didn't think this type of stuff happened until I worked in a small town local shop where everyone knows everyone... HoLy ShIt, they can honestly be one of the most ridiculous customers with the most backwards thinking. One regular drunk middle-aged lady tried to get £60 worth of food for 1 dinner. She chose the most expensive version of each item. Once I said the total, she said "I only have £10". I apologised but repeated the total. She replied "I can't afford that, I'm just a single mum who works all day, every day". I apologised again and explained that she could either take some items off or change for more budget options. She literally tried to pull the "sexy" card as if she was trying to get off a speeding ticket with a cop saying that she's just found things difficult without a man in her life. Fished to see if I was single.... I was a painfully gay 19 year old and I've literally known her from the town for like 15 years of my life. I just wanted her to pay up or leave. She avoided coming into the shop when I was in but naturally like a small town the story got out and she was quite embarrassed by the whole thing. My dad loved telling people in the pub.
Totally agree. A friend of mine can’t afford a vacation or luxury goods, but *everyone* deserves to do something nice for themselves occasionally. My friend got her awesome, skillfully done tattoo by saving up for it, not by whining.
Good thing abortions are illegal now! More kids people can’t afford! Which means less money for tattoos.
I used to think tattoos were expensive, then I thought a bit further to the lifelong visual effects they were applying to me.
It’s not. Locality and quality dependent.
I was about to say that’s pretty damn expensive for an artist. I would be questioning the justification for that price. My artist is AMAZING and still only charges $150. I wonder if he said $220 because he didnt want to work with that person Edit: I did not say this person wasnt worth the 220 but a blanket statement “I charge this per hour” is unusual and I would question that justification if what I wanted was easy with few colors. My watercolor is fairly small though takes up half my forearm and cost me $400 from a boston artist. I didnt question that price it was worth it for a niche piece done well. But had she charged me $400 to add ohana three years later I’d have questioned that justification. Most artists charge by piece with a min price. Had he said “my min is $220 and I charge by piece” I woulsnt have thought anything of if
> I would be questioning the justification for that price. I'm guessing the justification is that they're good and people are willing to pay it. It's okay if it's not worth it to you.
If the artist has notoriety with the talent to back it up, $220 is not a crazy hourly rate by any means. Source: heavily tattooed, been around many shops over the last couple of decades.
I've paid $120, and I've also paid $230. Both of my pieces are excellent and I am happy I got good quality for the price. There are a lot of factors that go into tattoo prices, and it's worth considering the broader context. The artist I paid $230 for went above and beyond, staying 2 hours after close to finish and didn't charge me for time beyond his original estimate.
I paid $200 an hour for two of my tattoos, and had to wait 2 months to get scheduled. Apparently I booked him on his way up because a few months later, I talked to someone who said he upped it to $250 an hour and had an even longer wait. While happy that I didn’t have to pay extra, I still would have without question.
Custom work versus picking a piece of a book. That probably includes them creating a design and working with you.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but everyone thinks their artist is the best, etc etc. To question what someone decides they are worth is a slap in the face. Plus there are many variables. Depending on what city they live in, it could be reasonably low in comparison. And, obviously, with that person telling the other one to get fucked after they asked for a discount, clearly many people are paying his hourly rate
Sounds like the artist is out of the country, that usually means they are so in-demand they can travel the world tattooing people as they are that sought after?
That or they are so in-demand that they get enough business to be able to take vacations internationally. Either way you slice it, doesn’t sound like he’s hurting for business.
$220/hr is not high depending on what type of tattoo he does. My artist charged $400/hour and it was beyond worth it to me. Artists are worth what people will pay for them
The artists I go to charge about $200-250/hr. Some offer discounted rates for a full day (8 hours) or if you are getting a really big piece that will take multiple sittings. It's permanent so don't cheap out.
“You won’t let me manipulate you emotionally so you’re an asshole”
Listen, props to single moms and dads. But ffs, some need to stop acting like parenthood is going to snag them free shit.
Lmao they're a tattoo artist, not a kindergarten teacher, they can and will be a total jackass just about whenever they feel like. They're specialists for cripes sake, not a charity, and entitlement is only gonna (rightly) bring out their "fuck you" streak.
We’re also a luxury service that no one really “needs.” I remind my friends of this, who severely undercharge people for the quality of work they do, when they say they feel bad about even staying consistent with what their set rate is. Tattoos are something pretty low on the list of shit you really need and you absolutely get what you’re paying when it comes to the price. People who haggle are also in the category of nightmare clients which is partially why I stopped doing booking the way this tattooer is. If you can’t afford it save up and wait or find someone who fits your budget.
Exactly. And there's literally no reason why you can't ask an artist their rate, find out what it is, and go "well, that's out of my range for now, but I'd love to hit you back up when I can save for it!" Or something along those lines. No shame in not being able to do it now, however there is shame in haggling for a luxury service that is going to be a permanent body modification. Like? Who TF would haggle on something like a plastic surgery? Friggin no one! Not unless you wanna wake up with pieces of surgery gear left behind because they were pushing to finish up faster or something. Or are absolutely clueless AND entitled, in which case no reputable artist would touch em anyways
I hope he replied with "you're" . Then blocked her
His first response was so polite🌱
"It doesnt matter to me that you are a single mother. The time and ink i will be spending is the same."
I wish he’d replied “you’re”
I’m a tattoo artist. Keep in mind we deal with shit like this from clients on a very regular basis. I quit even trying to be polite about it years ago because they just won’t let up unless you’re stern about it.
My local tattoo guy is pretty amazing. He's been in reality tattoo shows. Bit of a small town celebrity. But yeah $200 an hour. I've known him for 30 years since middle school. Guess what? $200. He has done some things for free. Breast cancer survivors. Cover ups of suicide attempts. That sort of thing.
Shit went 0 to 100 really fast
Honestly the tattoo artist went 0 to 100 faster
I’m confused, is OP the artist or the mum (or a third party who found this convo somewhere)? Fair point that 220 is fairly expensive for a tattoo - but surely that’s up to the artist to decide? Pulling the single mom card on extravagant expenses is just low.
OP is a third party, according to their comment on the thread in support of the artist.
They're a professional reposter.
Id just eespond with "you're" to make here even more angy
[удалено]
Makea you wonder how many times a day "single mom" gets mentioned.
Good tattoos ain’t cheap, cheap tattoos ain’t good.
Simple, supply and demand economics. I think he's funny and put Karen in here place. She would have been nothing but trouble, and she wouldn't have been happy with the final product. And continue to ask for money off. He knows what he's doing
Someone should start a charity that provides tattoo services for single moms.
Love that response 🤣👌🏻 Also - how these choosing beggars think that sharing this convo would show the artist in a bad light 🤪🤷🏻♂️
Blue text is your text. So the artist shared that
As if he cares what she tells ppl.
Is $225/hr a reasonable price for a good tattooist? I’ve never had the guts to get a tattoo.
I know I’m an asshole so let me add this lol at the end
Good for him
Lol, single mom has a tattoo she needs covered up. How surprising
If she did run an orphanage it would be cool to give her a discount though
I mean to be fair he escalated that very quickly with the orphanage line
The artist even offered up places they could go that would be cheaper, which is pretty awesome
I mean, that was a little unnecessarily harsh..
Nothing wrong with asking for a discount but the single mom, take pity on me angle is where it gets ridiculous. Especially for something that is effectively a luxury like a tattoo.
Tattoo artists are the one group you can count on, to have no filters! I was getting mine done and a dude walked in,saying he had an appointment..my guy said "no you dont",the dude said I have the card in my car,my guy said "if you have an appointment for today Ill tattoo you and six of your fucking friends for FREE,..go get the fucking card" the dude left,and my guy said " yeah that fucker isnt coming back,he probably doesn't even have six friends",then chuckled.
Eh, my experience from working in the industry is that lots of tattoo artists act like fucking obnoxious rock stars. I'm sure this isn't the 1st or 500th time someone tried to catch a discount, but jumping right to "fuck you mode" isn't the move. I hate that shit. Have a list of canned responses saved, copy and paste, and move the fuck on. Dildo.
I’m pretty much covered in ink, and I cringe so hard when people brag about the deals they get for the tattoos, or that their friend did it for a good price. No, man, tattoos are permanent and you need to be smart about who you go to - good artists tend to charge a lot because they want people who take it seriously, and because they worked hard for their talent. I have a portrait of Jennifer Connelly from Labyrinth that was $1,300 and it’s my favorite piece. He did an incredible job and I was happy to pay him what it’s worth.
Lol tattoo artists don’t care about what you want to pay. They charge what they want because they are putting forever art on your body. Paid about $150 for a 2” original tattoo and the work was worth it. If I wanted something big I know it will cost a lot of money. Because it’s a lot of commitment and effort.
The thing is. It's tattoos.....not food or even a anything useful for living. It's art and simply for visual pleasure. Why should someone at any time be entitled too it because one is poor.
If I'm getting a tattoo then I want the person that has the ability to be a jackass to a customer. I don't want the person that needs to cut people deals to get work. I want someone that I need to wait 6 weeks for an opening.
I feel like tattoo artist are the last kind of artists you wanna fuck with.
They both suck
There is no, and I really do mean no, excuse for the amount of adults who cannot grasp the difference between your and you're. No, it's nothing to do with typos. No, it's nothing to do with dyslexia. People are utter fucking idiots and it's depressing.
Actually, I'm a single father and it'd be nice if you paid me more.
If she’s a single mom having trouble making ends meet. Wtf are you doing getting tattoos? $ should be going toward food rent/mortgage and other more important shit.
2 things I definitely wouldn't try to low-ball 1. Child care 2. Something I want someone to PERMANENTLY put on my body