I have alot of clients send me emails and messages asking about pricing and how to go about getting a custom tattoo. I'm going to overview a tattoo I did rescently to show the steps to get a custom tattoo. The first step is setting up a consultation. The best way to do this is to call the shop and schedule a consultation time. Unless you're from out of town artists will usually want to speak to you in person. To prepare for your consultation you should have a pretty good idea of the main subject matter you're looking for (skull, dragon, etc....). Most artists will appreciate if you bring some reference photos along with you. Don't get too attached to the reference art you find though. It should me used more for general ideas such as: type of flower, general style, color scheme. My client showed up at the shop having reviewed my portfolio and scheduled a consultation time. He was looking for a samurai on the back of his lower leg wearing something similar to a hanya mask. He had brought a wide range of reference pictures of different samurai and hanya tattoos and art that he liked. We reviewed the reference together and talked about placement. We decided to go with the side of his lower leg because the flow worked a little better and discussed background and the positioning of the samurai. In this instance I drew a quick doodle to illustrate the general idea. after the consultation he scheduled an appointment to start the tattoo. I always have the artwork completely prepared the day before appointment but for larger or more intricate pieces I'll ususally send out a preliminary sketch to make sure we're on the same page.
Above is the preliminary sketch I sent to make sure he was into the general idea. This sketch has little detail and is more to get the general flow and shape as opposed the the detail. At this point sometimes changes are made but in this case he was cool with were the art was going. At this stage its important to understand you're getting an artists rendering of your idea. It may not be exactly what you pictured in your mind but don't get too hung up on it. The whole point of getting a cusotm tattoo is getting a cool original piece of art from an artist who's work you have looked into and enjoy. Once this art is approved I move onto getting down to the detailed version of the drawing.
In the revised version of the drawing all the cool detail is added and the general idea is tightened up and slightly altered. This still isn't nessecarily a finished piece of artwork, just enough to get the idea across. Most busy tattoo artist won't have time to do complete renderings of your tattoo beforehand. You'll usually get something that is half shaded or lightly shaded. Sometimes its just a line drawing. The client came in the day before his appointment to check out the art. Its best to come to the shop to see the more finalized copy so you can get a good look at it. Viewing art on a computer screen never really does it justice. He approved the art and came in the next day for the tattoo.
We placed the stencil and took a good look at it. Saw how it looked when he moved around and bent his leg. Once the stencil was on and we both agreed it was in the best possible placement we got on to tattooing.
This tattoo went pretty quick. Somewhere between three to four hours. But it was the planning and development of the idea that turned it into an awesome tattoo. The client was open to an interpretation of his idea and he left with a tattoo that reads well, will hold up over time, and is a one of a kind piece of fine art. Hope this helps anyone who's unsure of how to go about getting a cool, original tattoo. Be open to changes, don't get exactly what everyone else already has. Peace out.
Travis Greenough