Do tattoos really hurt?

- In short, yes. However! Everyone’s tolerance is different, and placement + comfort make a huge difference for most people. When you are getting tattooed, the needle penetrates your skin very shallowly. The feeling is usually described as cat scratches, an angry bee, blackberry brambles, etc. It is generally more of a discomfort than actually painful, and certain placements will usually hurt more than others, as well as certain techniques (large chunks of colour or black fill will usually hurt more than a design with just linework, or light shading for example)

Never be afraid to talk to your artist if you have any concerns, or things that would make you more comfortable during your tattoo!

Can you tattoo over scars?

• Absolutely! It’s recommended that they be healed at least 8-12 months, and should be noted that tattooing over scars can trigger an emotion reaction (even if you don’t expect it) and may hurt a little more. As well, with puffier scars there is always a slightly higher chance of small blow outs as the skin can be more fragile

If you have looser skin can you still get tattooed?

• Of course! You may want to ask your artist about their expirience with tattooing looser skin, but most artists worth going to are more than happy to work with you to make sure you get a great tattoo no matter what type of skin you have

What if I don’t like the design or stencil placement?

• Always communicate with your artist! If you don’t like the design, let your artist know as soon as possible so they can work with you to change it! They should always be willing to work with you, within reason, to make sure you’re happy with your design! This does not include redrawing the entire design or large portions of it without compensation though! Make sure when you request your design you include very thorough information regarding what you want, and be sure you’ve looked closely at their previous work to make sure you know their style is what you want!

• If you don’t like the stencil placement, that’s easy! Your artist should be open to changing the stencil placement to make sure it’s exactly how you want it, after all, if the stencil isn’t right, the tattoo definitely won't be! If your artist isn’t open to this communication it’s a big red flag. You should never feel pressured into a tattoo or placement that you don’t like!

What is the difference between flash and custom?

• Flash are predrawn, ready to go designs that the artist has available to be tattooed. These may be one and done, or repeatable, and some artists will allow customization/adjustments to flash designs.

• Custom designs are designs that you collaborate with the artist on to have drawn from scratch. Most artists charge an additional fee for drawing time, and have a set of rules to follow when requesting customs, so be sure to read your artists info and see what their booking process is, and if they are accepting custom requests. Some artists chose to focus only on flash, while others do almost exclusively customs.

Why are tattoos so expensive?

While incredibly emotionally rewarding, tattooing is a very costly and taxing job, and takes a huge toll on your body and mind. Supplies are very costly, especially in COVID times, and rent, insurance, equipment, education, etc all add up very quickly. As a tattoo artist, the actual tattoo time is only about an 8th of the actual job, as you also have to make time to create the designs, liase with clients, keep up with social media, be an accountant, do bookings, set up/tear down, keep your studio space clean, tidy, and stocked, keep up to date on resources/education, and take care of your most important instrument (your body). On top of all tattooing expenses you also have to pay your non-tattooing related bills as well, and do all the normal life things. After all is said and done most artists take home between 15-40% of what they make, and work between 70-80 hours a week or more (though they’ll only be paid for 15-20 of those or less on average), which is why tattoos cost so much. You’re not just paying for the couple hours your artist is tattooing you, but also all the time, energy, care, and work that goes into them being able to tattoo you in the first place as well