When it comes to tattoo artists, they’ve been asked pretty much every question related to tattoos. So we asked the lovely artists of our forum to advise us of what annoys them the most. Here are 10 Things That Annoy Tattoo Artists which you probably shouldn’t ask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it going to hurt?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions to any tattoo artist… The chances are it’s likely to going hurt considering it’s a tattoo. Trust us, the pain is always worth it in the end.

Questioning the price of a tattoo

When it comes to pricing for a tattoo, an artist can charge what they deem their time is worth. When you’re an artist you have to pay bills for the studio and also ink, needles, gloves etc. The price of a good tattoo doesn’t come cheap. Getting it cheaper elsewhere doesn’t guarantee quality.

Anything around medium-sized tattoos

According to tattoo artists, when they ask a customer what size they’re looking at getting their tattoo and they come back with “medium-sized tattoo”. By any standards, medium could mean a number of sizes…

And as Adi Noble pointed out, it’s not a steak.

How much for a sleeve?

This question is very open-ended, with all sleeves varying in price and the number of hours it takes to complete one. After your consultation, the artist can usually give a rough price, this tends to be in hours rather than as a piece.

Can you design me a tattoo… I don’t want to book in though.

Going into a tattoo shop and asking them to design you a piece, then not booking in, for you to then walk away and get this tattooed somewhere else. Before tattoo artists draw anything up, an appointment should be booked and a deposit given. If you don’t want to work for free, neither do they.

Why do I need to pay a deposit, I’m obviously going to show up?

Many artists are questioned on deposits and customers want to know why they need to pay them. Simply, it covers a fraction of their time if you don’t turn up. If you turn up, the money goes towards your piece.

What do you think I should get?

Asking an artist what they think you should get isn’t really a question they can answer, as they don’t know you as a person. Fair enough, asking for their opinion on a piece or discussing filler tattoos. But straight out asking them what you should get, is a no go.

As Amber-Jay pointed out, you can’t decide a tattoo for someone after knowing them for two minutes.

Will it turn out good?

If you plan on getting a tattoo, it is usually a good idea to research the artist first. This allows you to look into their style, other work they’ve done and also if it’s something you’d like. Going into a studio and asking the artist if the work is going to look good, doesn’t really make much sense. Anyone could say yes to that…

Oh, you don’t look like a tattoo artist, are you sure you’re one?

Helen advises she gets asked by new clients if she’s actually a tattoo artist as she doesn’t look like one? Is there a set thing that a tattoo artist is supposed to look like?

Sending constant question marks.

The final bugbear raised by artists is the question marks they get sent when they don’t reply instantly or when they’re online. If you need to ask your artist a question at least write it out.

Even tattoo artists have a life outside of work…

Thanks to all of the Tattoo Artists who took part in this piece and if you’re looking to get a tattoo, maybe take some advice from this post first…