That Sh!t is permanent!!

[NightWatch]

Alright, I have a problem. I'm supposed to start my back piece tomorrow. That's a lot of tattoo, a lot of money, and it's super-duper permanent. My artist told me back in early July that he would have a sketch ready a week before the appointment. Well that came and went, so I call him today and he wants to push the appointment back 3 hours so that he'll have time to draw it up before I get there. I'm seriously thinking about leaving the deposit and just going elsewhere. He's done some pretty stuff on me before, but he doesn't seem to realize how important this is to me. He says he was busy, but seriously, by the time we're finished, he'll have been paid WELL over a grand of my hard earned money. I would hope he could make time for me. So am I being antsy? Or is he being lazy and non-commital. I need your guys' most brutally honest opinions, please.

[rvdammit]

I'd at least see what he has drawn up. It sounds like it's not going to be what you want, but you have until the needle to decide for sure.

[ShadedWings]

Give him a chance... at least he's taking the time to do it right. Seems like he's honestly interested in making sure he has a good pre-drawn piece for you to look at, instead of just slapping something together. See what he has drawn up, give him the few more hours to do it. If you're not happy with how it looks, talk to the guy and see if he'll work with you to revise it. Yes, he's going to be getting paid a lot of money for it, but also you're going to have that, as you said, for a very very long time.

My only tattoo I drew myself, and the artist made it look better (since I'm not as good an artist as he is) by tweaking a few bits of perspective here and there, and it still looked like my art. I was happy that he took the time to do as I asked, and even though he looked at me strange at a couple of my directions, he still did it and I still love my tattoo.

I was a bit anxious too, waiting, but relax and see what he has done before you take off for some other artist.

[NightWatch]

Shaded, best advise i've gotten. I appreciate the in depth thought you put into the other side. You rock!

[ShadedWings]

Shaded, best advise i've gotten. I appreciate the in depth thought you put into the other side. You rock!

Aww, if you say so! Thank you.

I just know that if I had put time and effort into doing something for a job that would pay nicely, I would be upset if they didn't give me a chance.

Not to say that you can't find elsewhere to go if you don't like what he's drawn up after giving him that chance, but it's worth it to try.

[RedRoseSpiral]

I'd go with Shade's advice. It does seem a bit on the down side that the artist doesn't have his stuff together, but I'd at least want to see what he has done up. Good luck!

[One-Fang]

The only thing I could add to that is reschedule the actual inking.

You wanted the image a week before inking it. Presumably you would like to look over it a bit, consider it, really decide whether THIS is the image you want permanently tattooed on your body.

The arrangement you had with this artist was for a draw one week before the inking. Reschedule the ink for a week later. No further cost to you for this delay as it's his fault he didn't have it ready on time.

If I saw the image the same day I was getting the tatt I'd probably feel a little pressured to accept it as-is rather than carefully consider it.

[ShadedWings]

If I saw the image the same day I was getting the tatt I'd probably feel a little pressured to accept it as-is rather than carefully consider it.

Quoted for truth. *nods* I'd feel the same way. Good idea.

[Titchyboy]

I asked a tattooist frind of mine what she thought -

hmmmm...

if the artist didnt have the sketch ready, i'd be pissed off. but working with 2 guys who do it on a regular basis, i see a lot of people get dissapointed this way.

if i were him, i'd go to the appointment and see the sketch, as long as i was 110% happy with it, i'd go for it.
if he doesnt have it (or if it was obviously just drawn up 10 minutes ago in a hurry), ask for the deposit back (its not being unreasonable, as the tattooist hasnt kept his side of the 'deal' as it were).
as long as he hasnt lost faith in the tattooist, say he'll come back when theres a decent sketch as its a BIG project and needs to be confident in the design (tattooists are busier in the summer than the winter, so waiting until autumn will give him more time to do the sketch).

if he decides to go somewhere else, always go thru the artists portfolio with a fine tooth comb and ask people who've been to the tattooist about their experiences. ALWAYS check artists work before going with them - especially when its such a big important piece.

the guy has been let down, and the tattooist should see that. but its a big piece, a lot of commitment and a lot of money. the guy obviously is up for all this, but if the tattooist isnt, maybe its time to look elsewhere?

the guys i work with are scatterbrained and forgetful, but if they didnt have a sketch or design whrn theyu say they would, they are more than happy to knock a bit of money off the next sitting, which isnt always helpful, but its a goodwill gesture.

if he's happy with the guys tattoo work, then stick with him, but dont be taken for a ride, there ARE other artists.

[Primer]

The only thing I could add to that is reschedule the actual inking.

You wanted the image a week before inking it. Presumably you would like to look over it a bit, consider it, really decide whether THIS is the image you want permanently tattooed on your body.

The arrangement you had with this artist was for a draw one week before the inking. Reschedule the ink for a week later. No further cost to you for this delay as it's his fault he didn't have it ready on time.

If I saw the image the same day I was getting the tatt I'd probably feel a little pressured to accept it as-is rather than carefully consider it.

if i were him, i'd go to the appointment and see the sketch,

as long as he hasnt lost faith in the tattooist, say he'll come back when theres a decent sketch as its a BIG project and needs to be confident in the design (tattooists are busier in the summer than the winter, so waiting until autumn will give him more time to do the sketch).

Night, this might be just a little late, but I hope that you decided to wait at least a few days after seeing the sketch to get the inking started. If you went ahead and got started, I hope you love his design!

One Fang said it best.

Titchyboy, I did not know that autumn/winter are less busy, but it makes sense, since more layers of clothing are going on and tattoos are not as visible. Night, I'd reschedule for the fall/winter when the artist would have more time to devote to the project. Obviously this is something you've been planning for quite a while, so a few more months should not make much difference.

I hope everything works out for you! (gentle) hugs (just in case you did get started today)!

[Rapscallion]

Didn't involve a sucky customer - moved.

Rapscallion

[NightWatch]

Well, the design was not what i had in mind exactly. But it had a more mature feel then what i originally wanted, so it won't be something I consider cheesy when I'm 40. So I went ahead with it, it's much better then what I was expecting. My artist actually apologized and thanked me for being patient. So I feel like he wasn't blowing me off, which is nice. If anyone wants to see what it looks like, you're more then welcome to message me for a pic.
PS: Titchy dear, I'm a girl