Hey there all,
I am finally about to get my first tat. It’s a portrait of my dogs, and i have been postponing till now, cause i couldn’t find an artist i really really liked.
So i have found him, i believe he has done some AMAZING work, so i decided to trust him with my tat.
(hope posting his link is no problem: http://www.tatuatgesxavi.com/ )
Now, i would just like to get some opinions on a couple of things regarding the Tat and the artist.
1. I have only seen the artist once, and never spoke to him directly yet. All the times i have gone to the shop (or emailed) to see if what i wanted was possible and to get info on the tat, i have been talking with the Owner of the shop (from what he told me) and i don’t think he is a tattoo artist himself. Anyway. I can understand this Artist can be very very busy….i just wondered if that is something you would worry about.
2. The first time i will actually see the Artist would be on the day, and according to this guy (the owner) we will talk about what i want to do, how, and where on the spot. Now, i know i can be a little ‘pain in the freekin a**’ but being that this is my first one, and being that i have been looking for someone to do it for the past couple of years, i want to make the right choices…
3. Placement: after a few suggestions and talks with the owner, i still keep on wanting it on my Thigh. Both of them one a little further down of the other, one looking in, one looking out. That way i could have both fit in one biggish tat, rather that two different ones. (He was suggesting having one portrait on one thigh, or inner bicep, and the other on the other side – I prefer them close together as they are now! ) I am attaching the pics i would like to have done.
4. The pics. Would anyone who knows about tattoo’ing, let me know if the pics are OK? I want a B&W tattoo of the two pics i give you here. Some artists in the years have told me they were both fine, but this guy told me one of the two (the first one here) had way too much light to come out good on a b&w tat. Now, this is one of the things that actually makes me trust him more than the others…. What he told me actually made sense!! But i would like your opinion too guys! (keep in mind these were scanned. The tattoo artist has the Original pics, in print as they were not taken with a digital! )
(pic i should not have tattooed)
(pic that could work…. )
5. ( i know i am being a pain, i swear, not much longer!!!) Seen as i am doing it on a VERY hairy part of my body, what would you suggest? Razor it the day before? Or wax it a couple of days earlier? (I have never waxed any part of my body, so i have just enough time to do a practice run to see how much time it takes me to ‘overcome’ the redness etc.) Any other methods? (i know that with the tat, and the hair re-growing from shaving it will be hell!!! )
6. and LAST! They have asked me for 400-600 Euros per dog (meaning 800-1200 Euros for the hole thing, in two sessions of 4-6 hours). Now, i don’t mind paying for a job well done, but i don’t like being ripped off! So what do you think? Too much? Too little? Normal?
Thanks to ANYONE who has gotten to this point, i really appreciate it!!!
Hi
With regards to your concerns (btw I am an enthusiast not an artist!);
1. A busy artist is usually the sign of a good artist – because lots of people want to be tattooed by them. You are paying for the time so a respectable artist will not rush the job. Shit tattoos = no customers.
2. Always best to have an idea what you want before you walk in – saves time and money. But also be prepared to listen to a proffesional if they suggest small tweaks or changes. If you are not happy with their advice find another artist.
3. Placement is a personal choice – if you don’t want two separate tats but as you describe get it on the leg, chest, back, or smaller versions on the same arm. It is YOUR tattoo get it placed where you want.
4. Ok the reason he is saying that is because if you want a life-like portrait they may have wanted to do some of the work by transfer/trace rather than freehand. The copying of the first image has way too much exposure for the details to be picked up properly. The light stops the finer details to be seen. However any decent artist will be able to draw or freehand the details in.
I looked at their website they seem to do great work and I am sure the artist won’t struggle to do the pics.
5. Waxing – I wouldn’t bother – just shave and sterilise the area. The tattooist may do that for you but personally I would do something like that myself. (Personal opinion). If you do wax need at least 2-3 days to stop the lobster affect.
6. Damn you made me get a calculator out as I use sterling lol 😀 Ok 1200 Euros is around £1100. Ok that is not bargain basement cheap but for 2 quality tattoos like I saw on the website I would pay that. If you get cheaper than 1200 Euros I would say you are getting a bargain.
The issue with cost is usually if it is quality work you will pay more for it (unless you are good mates). If you are putting something on your skin for life – don’t be shy about paying a bit more if you are really happy with their work. (Rather than getting some scratcher at half the cost).
I love the concept of the tattoo and think it will make a very proud rememberance piece.
Let me know how you get on.
Matthew
i cant see any reason why this artist is not able to do the tattoo justice, his work is amaizing and i have seen links to his site many times on various forums..
his portrait work is second to none and you will have some outstanding pieces of work on your body for ever and they will certainly get attention whenever people see them.
if you can afford to pay the price then get them done dude 😉
as for the waxing…… dont do it.
as for shaving the area… let the artist do it as he/she might move the piece around to find best fitting place to suit body shape etc.
good luck with it dude and dont forget to show the pictures when its done
Thanks for the advice! 😉
That is what i was looking for!
I am very happy with the artist, and the money is no problem. I do prefer paying it and having good results, rather than going cheap and ending up with a bad tat.
Ok, seen as there are now a majority of people choosing the razor, i will go for that! 😉
And i will definitely upload pics as the Tat is getting done!
Thanks everyone! I appreciate it!
So now that you’ve already got the tattoo I come in with my comment.
You asked about waxing…this is something that should be considred a BIG NO NO before a tattoo. Waxing is more likely to cause ingrown hairs than shaving (which can totally damage a good peice of art) and waxing also cause much more trauma to the skin than shaving…which can also be detrimental to a new tattoo.
Personally, I’d let the artist do it there at the shop and sterilize afterwards. A good artist will new a NEW razor and sterilize with alcohol afterward to kill any surface germs.
there’s my two cents…Love, Peace and Chicken Grease!
Thanks to everyone! It is really amazing what Xavi did…. I can’t seem to stop amazing myself everytime i pull my pants down! hehehehehe
I actually am thinking of a few things.
First of all when i finally finish vet school, the Veterinarian’s symbol is gonna get inked on my calf like RIGHT that minute! hehehehehhehe paper in hand, first visit is gonna be my tattoo artist! 🙂
Second, continue the existing tat. but that’s not for a long while…. We’ll see how i feel about it in a few years!
3rd, the tat that i’ve loved ever since i was 15, but really not sure if i wanna do it yet…. A fantastic fairy, with the most amazing detailed/webbed/veined wings i have ever seen. Though now i would like to change the woman…. maybe a pin up/fairy/bad girl/dunno yet!
Yeah… there are many ideas…. but till i am absolutely certain…. i will enjoy the existing one! I absolutely love it! 😉 hehehehehhehehehe
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