I found that as I built a relationship with my artist that things changed. In the beginning of our relationship he set a price. Now he doesn't charge me as much, however I tip him WELL. I respect the art and his talent. I've never asked for a price. He TOLD me what his price would be.
I love that you consistently do your best to educate your audience in a concise manner, while at the same time showing respect to other artists and the differing ways they may handle things. Very evident that you have a lot of love for the tattoo community.
54 years old, researching my first tattoo and I find your videos to be incredibly helpful. You really address all my questions in such a clear, concise and thorough way. Thank you so much! 💗
I honestly think the minimum is fine. You want a brand new needle? You pay for that. You can't expect the artist to spend $20-$30 on equipment to keep you safe and charge you $15.
I absolutely love my tattoo artist. He owns his own place and it is just him doing it all. He does great work and his pricing is spot on. I think it's spot on because he is quick and efdicient
i might. or i might answer this one in a Q&A video next time i make one. i just filmed 2 of them right after making this video. i'll try to find this question next time i film one.
Just popping in to say I love your content! Started watching a little over a year ago before I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday. 21 tattoos later and it's still super informative and well done.
I just got my first tattoo a week ago. I couldn’t wait, so I went back the next day for the second tattoo, and now I’m going in tomorrow to get the third one. I’m working on a patchwork sleeve.
Here in Vegas, the shop minimum is 150 where I get tattooed. That being said, the apprentice charged me that rate but spent a lot of time creating & doing my tattoo and my boyfriends. We were both extremely pleased with her work & our tattoos. When she charged us 300 we tipped her 100 bucks. She was shocked and so appreciative...but she deserved it...her work was beautiful!
true. also, sometimes shops have specials where the minimum is foregone. like friday the 13th deals or a $40 palm sized st. patties day special where an artist has a whole flash sheet full of clovers n shit
Well said ... I have many tattoos ... and people ask me questions (both people who have none, and people who have many home grown tats ). Most of what I have learned is from u, and straight out asking my artist.... knowledge is power... lol there is a lot people don’t know about shops .... great vid thanks😁👍
Hi James, im not sure if youve ever made a video about this but one thing that sticks out and is a major pet peeve of mine in the tattoo community, is when, say for example the appointment is set at 1:00 PM and you get there and they start drawing at 1:15-1:30, and the tattoo wont start until 2:30-3PM and they charge you for that say, two hours. I genuinely feel like this is what a deposit is for, if you had everything ready, and that deposit is to at least cover ur time you spent. you shouldnt ask for a $400 deposit and then start drawing at the time of the appointment and then their hourly rate on top... Thoughts?
Wow, I've never heard of artist's doing that for custom. I charge a nominal fee for my custom art drawing at the consultation and am ready with the design at (which has been seen and approved prior to) the appointment. Every shop is different, but that should be acknowledged as their process before agreeing to work together.
i know a lot of artists that work this way, and it is their right to conduct business in whatever way they want. HOWEVER. i generally subscribe to the same belief that you do where design time should not be factored into the total hourly bill. i don't start charging until the moment i start stabbing the skin up and i stop the second i finish the act of tattooing. so i don't charge for consult time, design time, skin preparation / stencil time, breaks (unless the client is taking excessive breaks for whatever reason), meals, or aftercare discussion. most artists i have worked with in the past also work this way, so if you are annoyed by your artist's policies, you might wanna look around for someone that conducts their business in a way that meets your expectations. hope that helps clarify things
it's also important to clarify that while most artists will have your design rdy when you get to the shop, sometimes it will be and NEEDS to be drawn on the spot, particularly if it's a complicated fit or if you are filling a last minute cancellation or something like that.
I just got my first tattoo in April, it’s an amazing portrait but every hour my artist wanted to take a 15-20 minute break because of fatigue. Is this normal? At $150 an hour it seemed silly
every hour isn't insanely frequent. most tattooers take breaks every 1 to 3 hours. 15 to 20 minutes is longer than average unless the break is to eat / take a shit. most tattooers i know just take 5 minute breaks to pee, stretch, and drink more redbull. maybe your tattooer has a medical condition or has overworked themselves and is trying to recover while still working thru something. tattooing is pretty taxing on the body and we get all sorts of nagging injuries from it. this gets worse with age and later in their careers tattooers tend to take more breaks and put their physical needs first to ensure they can keep doing it as long as possible
Hey James, love your videos and honest opinions. Would you like to make a video explaining if/how different tattoo styles could be combined. For example I have some minimalist/traditional tattoos, but would like to have a realistic one, possibly a neo-traditional as well... I mean I love tattoos, getting more and more addicted, but in the same time I do not want to look like a joke, or a cloud rapper.
Thanks for your videos. I don't have any tattoos yet, but want to get one soon. I've learned a lot of what to expect and what my part needs to be when I'm ready to do this.
Have you ever done a video discussing what it would take to be a tattoo artist, for those interested in being one? Maybe talk about how apprenticeships are? I’ve heard many crazy stories about tattoo apprenticeships
If I was in the area where you worked I would understand why you have a minimum unless it was crazy amount that is set as the minimum becuse I would understand if you are working at someone else's shop they're going to take their cut. So I understand why you would have a minimum because you trying to make a living too and that's what people don't understand even though getting a tattoo is a preference not a necessity or thought of as is important as other professions you guys still need to make a living like other people. Besides all that people should also take into account that the money you guys will be spending on supplies. That is why I don't mind paying a minimum when I go to get a tattoo because I understand everybody all over the world needs to make a living and on top of that people should take into account the supplies that might be needed in order to do a job no matter what the profession is.
Great Video, 9:45 I do something similar for touch ups on anything that may not include a free one (like fingers and hands at our shop don't include free touch ups). I let my regulars know if something like that needs touch ups they're welcome to add it to another session, with a different tattoo, and save themselves some cash and me a set up/break down. I can't speak for everyone but I wouldn't be offended if someone inquired about this. *This only applies if they did the finger/whatever tattoo you need touched up
I’m a Tattooer also in California and I also think the person is paying for the artist time and efficiency. It’s take Tattooer along to time to learn to do things of a good quality and be time effective.
My artist was nice enough to add an extra tattoo in on the end of my larger piece. I got an American Flag 3\4 sleeve and at the end he did a print of my dogs paw who recently passed away.
Too bad you don't work on small jobs, I wanna get my first tat, and it's honestly kinda small. I was gonna try and book you at No Limit in queens or Empire State in the city next year. Maybe you'll consider it, at a convention, since it' s small, and you can do it quickly? Will you have your full array of equipment to work on all skin tones (blacks)? I'll stop by and say hello either way, you should sell a book of all your work, and sign it for fans. Even if it's self-published, lol. You deserve a million subs, I really hope your channel blows up.
Hey James, any plans on doing a tattoo aftercare video? Dozens out there but no-one really gives the detailed sound advice that you do with your other topics. Cheers🤙🏻
I want to get two really small tattoos. I thought about getting them at the same time already and I will probably get them at the same time. That might get the price for both combined down, and if not that is also fine. I am actually surprised how cheap that is. I always thought that tattoos were way more expensive. Seriously, why do people even get cheap, crappy tattoos, when good tattoos don't cost that much?!
People always seem to think low cost = poor tattoo, but it’s just not always true. My latest tattoo cost £100 and it’s great. I think it just depends on the artist you choose.
Just depends on the shop and the artist. You might can go in one shop and get a very nice tattoo for under $200 and go to another shop and pay $100 an hour for the same tattoo
James thank you for your videos. I saw almost all your videos before my consult with a well known tattoo artist that works near my hometown.He has to approve your ideas and project in order to get a appointment with him. I saw your videos and I was prepared everything went very smooth thanks to your info👍🏻 now I’m just waiting for the big day😬
Hi James! Great content. Would you happen to have a video that goes over what are the difficulties you face as a tattoo shop owner to get clients? In case you don´t and are not planning on creating one, would you be able to point me in the direction (forums, sites, etc) where i might get that information? I´m starting an online business that focuses on helping generate leads for my clients. I chose the tattoo shop niche. Thanks in advance for any information you can share, keep it up the videos, great content!
Another reason is that the artist could’ve booked a larger project for the same time and now would have to find two smaller projects for the same time - that should cost a premium.
The shop I am looking at has a minimum of $350 (my jaw dropped when I just saw that on their website). I personally wouldn’t want my first tattoo to be medium sized or large; I first need to test the waters and that my friend is too freaking much for a small tat!
Why do so many fucking people get upset about the price of tattoos? When I go to NYC to work on my back piece I expect it to be $200/hr because my artist is the best and he’s in NYC. If I’m local and I get something from my local guy I expect it to run $100/hr. If I get a little banger I know it’s gonna cost a shop minimum because of the needles, tubes, ink, sterilization, etc. I haven’t even watched this yet and I’m dumbfounded
James, in northern ca. 20 miles from Oakland. What would I expect to pay for a Sailor Jerry type traditional eagle on my arm. Good artist, I don't know if 500.00 would make it, maybe 1000.00 Again good artist. Thanks James great site
hi james, im about to finish getting my certifications and unfortunately ive had a really bad experience with the shop I’ve been learning at and do not want to stay after i get certified. Truthfully, I’m unsure about how to go about presenting my full tattoo portfolio to other shops, or how to approach finding a job at another shop, if you have any advice that would be great:) thank you
You’re explaining why there’s a minimum but I’m still having trouble understanding why a 5 second tattoo and a 30 min tattoo cost the same? You’re putting the same amount of effort before starting the tattoo but when it’s time to actually do the tattoo why wouldn’t a 5 sec one cost less than a 30 min one? If I go to a fast food place and order they won’t tell me that there’s a minimum price I have to pay even though they go through all the same cleaning and setting up to make all different kinds of food. Still just doesn’t make sense. I could see if a 5 second tattoo cost $60 (because it’s the min) and a 30 minute tattoo would cost like $80 or so; I’m not going to do the math I’m just saying it doesn’t make sense
This is why tattooing is being ruined. There's no explanation that can make sense except greed. 1 dot versus an hour is the same charge is a ridiculous amount of nonsense.
I honestly think all tattoo shop minimums should be $30-$40. For me, that seems fair for both the clients and the artists. One of my tattoos took 10 minutes and I was charged for $60, that was the shop minimum. $60 for a 10 minute tattoo is a ripoff. I understand the tattoos are expensive, but sometimes prices can go a little crazy.
Why should the minimum be less then 60 if getting new needles might cost as much as what you want the minimum to be. I get that tattoos can cost a lot but it's a luxury item/preference because people don't have to have one and besides that the artist your going to needs to make a living too if they are working at a shop (especially if they don't own their own shop) because you also got to consider the supplies that every artist needs to get and you should also consider that the artist needs to pay the shop they are working because they got to pay the owner of the shop they are working at for using them to bring in clients. I'm not saying I would like to pay the standard $60 minimum but I understand why it needs to happen and I am willing to pay that if I like the work he or she does (and or if I really want to keep getting tattooed) and that is why I keep going back to the same artist and place because they are both phenomenal and out of this world professional.
El minimo por un tatuaje cerca de el centro de los Angeles es 60 dolares,. Algo pequeno. Depende el area. En mexico no tienen un minimo. Chafa, rateros, tatuadores de Mexico