Tattoo's Q&A thread......

[binaryterror]

I have a friend, though more distant now and cost/profit is often shop and region based. He worked in CO and made a large percent of the hourly (but had to buy supplies) when he tried to come to Michigan it was more about less percent, but all supplies were "house". It's also owner driven, he found in Michigan owners who were artists were better paying, those treating it like a business were more greedy.

Tipping is smart I think, keeps you in a good light with a good artist (hell I've paid, gone to an atm to give a proper tip once before). Sadly my last 3 were free so I'm outta touch with current prices and normal tipping.

[robbio4422]

Originally Posted by RANOVRU

I had no idea your supposed to tip. I appreciate the heads up. I'll be sure to remember that on my first!

tipping makes it hurt less
most tattoo artist will charge between $100-$150 an hour. some will work off of "piece" work.

a good tattoo is never cheap. a cheap tattoo is never good. now if you know a great artist you could ge some kick backs...

my artist will charge me $500 bucks for a full day sitting.... but that usualy consists on me coming it at about noonish, about 1-2 hours of drawing, 4-5 hours of ink. then we order some food and do a few more hours.... and ill tell him im working with $500 bucks ahead of time so he knows where to stop. then i tip about $100

[robbio4422]

i was just going through my ol' ladys photobucket getting some pics from yesterdays comp and i found this... we started our chest on the same day... enjoy

EDIT: holy crap thats HUGE..... the pic i mean... and the b00bs

[binaryterror]

This threaded needed b00bs!

[TattooKenny]

Originally Posted by RANOVRU

Kenny I hear you mentioning tipping and am not in any way calling you out on it or anything, but how much cost is actually involved as far as the business is concerned?? Is there really that big of a loss when doing a job??

Just curious as to the profit/loss in your line of work. Surely you can't live on tips alone???


FWIW I had no idea your supposed to tip. I appreciate the heads up. I'll be sure to remember that on my first!

I have no prob being a 100% honest with you guys about how it works If you are a owner like me you make 100% of what you do. If you work for someone it's kinda like "renting a booth". Only your rent is a % of what you do. A artist that has been tattooing 10+ years and does good work can expect 50-60% of what they do. Example.....he does $1000 for the day, the shop gets $4-500 of that $. As owners we pay all the bills, advertising, some supplies, give a booth, and bring clients in for them, ect..... A tattooist just getting started will start at 30-40% of what they do. When a good artist does a "Guest spot" at another shop they make anywhere from 70-100% of what they do.

So for the most part when you get tattooed that artist that is doing a $100 tattoo on you is most likely making $50 of that tattoo, out of that $50 he has to buy ink, needles, ink cups, tongue depressors, lap clothes, ointment, paper towels, sandwich bags to cover his bottles, autoclave bags for his tubes, ect..... It adds up!

So yes we make good $, but we spend a lot to get the job done. I spend over $1K a month in supplies just for me. So tipping your average artist is the thing to do We are giving you something that will last longer than anything else you can ever buy! We are giving you a piece of us forever. We are giving you a memory that will last forever, I think that is worth a tip Remember, we are not refilling your tea, we are marking you skin forever TIP your artist

[robbio4422]

hey kenny. curious to know if you know my artist... tiny tim (tim scones) from sedro woolley washington. and jason kuns (triumph tattoos) from burlington washington

[binaryterror]

Kenny: is there a general percent for the tip (like 15% on food service). I'd like to be sure I'm doing my part of keeping an artist happy enough to continue tattooing me.

[robbio4422]

Originally Posted by binaryterror

Kenny: is there a general percent for the tip (like 15% on food service). I'd like to be sure I'm doing my part of keeping an artist happy enough to continue tattooing me.

$20-25 an hour is what i do... up to $100 per sitting. depends on how broke i am. HA but use the same artist alot

***tipping makes it hurt less***

[TattooKenny]

Originally Posted by robbio4422

hey kenny. curious to know if you know my artist... tiny tim (tim scones) from sedro woolley washington. and jason kuns (triumph tattoos) from burlington washington

I do Great guys in the tattoo community

Originally Posted by binaryterror

Kenny: is there a general percent for the tip (like 15% on food service). I'd like to be sure I'm doing my part of keeping an artist happy enough to continue tattooing me.

Yea, I posted it in a earlier post....15% is the norm, 20% is great, anything above that will get you hooked up

[reddevildemo]

When can you come to Green Bay and give me my next tat?

I need a couple more. I may have to take a road trip out to see you.

[jason]

I usually tip my guy 50% sometimes more, never less ;)

[TattooKenny]

Originally Posted by jason

I usually tip my guy 50% sometimes more, never less ;)

That will make you a VIP client for sure Guy's like you will get moved to the front of the line, more work done cheaper, appointments moved for you, and better work over all Good for you Jason

[jason]

Originally Posted by TattooKenny

That will make you a VIP client for sure Guy's like you will get moved to the front of the line, more work done cheaper, appointments moved for you, and better work over all Good for you Jason

When it comes to something I am going to be living with for the rest of my life, I don't mind waiting a little longer for the right person, I also don't mind paying a good price for it.

I have no interest in walking into the closest shop and picking something off the wall.

[ecoli]

All I've learned from this thread is:

1. Tipping is good.
2. Getting your johnson pierced numerous times with a needle hurts like hell.

Wait a minute...I didn't learn anything. I could have told you sticking a needle in my wang is gonna hurt !

Ok, joking aside, I do have a couple of questions:

1. What's the best way to preserve a tattoo long term? I see a lot of worn out looking tats on people all the time. I've heard sun/uv radiation is bad for fading, but I'm thinking of one on my calf which would regularly get exposed to sun. Are some inks just more susceptible to fading?

2. A more personal question, but how hard is tattooing on the artist? Seems to me it would be a bitch on your back, neck, shoulders, etc.

[robbio4422]

Originally Posted by ecoli

1. What's the best way to preserve a tattoo long term? I see a lot of worn out looking tats on people all the time. I've heard sun/uv radiation is bad for fading, but I'm thinking of one on my calf which would regularly get exposed to sun. Are some inks just more susceptible to fading?

2. A more personal question, but how hard is tattooing on the artist? Seems to me it would be a bitch on your back, neck, shoulders, etc.

the first part to prolonging the life of your new ink is to take care of it while it is healing... like u said... sun/uv can also fade it after a few years of prolonged exposure.

the ink these days are a big part of keeping a tattoo bold. the industry had change alot in the last 10 years and so has the products that are used. my father did his chest about 7 years ago and it looks BRAND NEW. he pulled out a pic not to long ago when the pic was fresh and it looked the same...

[TattooKenny]

Originally Posted by ecoli

All I've learned from this thread is:

1. Tipping is good.
2. Getting your johnson pierced numerous times with a needle hurts like hell.

Wait a minute...I didn't learn anything. I could have told you sticking a needle in my wang is gonna hurt !

Ok, joking aside, I do have a couple of questions:

1. What's the best way to preserve a tattoo long term? I see a lot of worn out looking tats on people all the time. I've heard sun/uv radiation is bad for fading, but I'm thinking of one on my calf which would regularly get exposed to sun. Are some inks just more susceptible to fading?

2. A more personal question, but how hard is tattooing on the artist? Seems to me it would be a bitch on your back, neck, shoulders, etc.

First off piercing you wang isn't as bad as piercing your ears! Just depends on what part of it your getting pierced

Ink plays a big part in how your tattoo will look down the road. Putting that ink into the skin the right way is the next thing. Healing that tattoo the right way is next. And protecting that tattoo from the sun is the last thing. Using a high SPF sunblock EVERY TIME your in direct sunlight is a must for keeping your colors bright! When I say high I mean 50-75 SPF, like what you would use on a baby. And no putting that over your tattoo will not keep you from getting tan nor will it leave a big white spot where your tattoo is. It just blocks the harmful rays that destroy the pigment. All tattoos will fad over time no matter what you do.

Tattoo ink is like this...... Think about those play grounds at McDonnalds that have the pits full of balls. Well Pigment (Ink) is like that. Millions of micro sized capsules that have pigment in them. That ink gets pushed to the 3rd and 4th layer of your skin under your own natural pigment. Over time your body sees that pigment as a foreign body and starts to remove them one by one. Thus fading your tattoo to a point. With the good pigments that we have now you can expect a good 20-25 years of bright work if taken care of before you would need a touch up.

Ask your artist what kind of ink he/she uses and check for yourself if it's good or cheap. You can't always trust pictures of artist work now because of Photoshop! I know guys who make chit work look awesome with 10 minutes in Photoshop! Do your research and protect your investment

[CBR]

Originally Posted by TattooKenny

We are giving you a piece of us that lasts forever.

That reminds me of what a girl with herpes told me once!

Originally Posted by jason

When it comes to something I am going to be living with for the rest of my life.

As does this.

[DwaneO]

Do you know Donnie Stubbs.

[TattooKenny]

Nope....

[2JSC]

Kenny, what is your drawing process like?