Firstly, in some circumstances we can do that! On rare occasions we can and do, but these occasions must be agreed at the time of booking in, there will also be a fee for receiving the design prior to the appointment.
For some context, designs can take several hours to draw up, it’s a big part of the process and although you may feel we are only working for you for the hours you are in the shop with us, the time we have spent emailing and time we take designing is also time we are spending working for you on your tattoo.
KNOWING YOUR ARTIST:
Tattoo artists usually have their work easily available on social media these days. Customers choose an artist based on the style of tattoo they are interested in having done.
In that circumstance you should have plenty of confidence in me and my ability to create what you have asked for!
Potential customers can see our work online, the style each artists has us usually very specific and customers don’t tend to book with an artist unless they know they like what that artist does. We assume that is why people specifically request to be tattooed by an artist, they like that style and want us to work our magic 🙂
YOU CHOSE THE ARTIST, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND:
If you are booking in with a specific artist, we can only assume it’s because you have seen and loved what they have done in the past, or others have recommended their style based on work they have done for them. Ultimately, we are the professionals and you can trust us to do what we do best. We will never stray from your brief, we will never go rogue and draw something totally outside of the box, and if we have suggestions about the design because we are concerned about it not working perfectly for any reason we will always ask you first! 🙂
THE BOOKING & DESIGN PROCESS:
Artists each have their own way of gathering information, from booking enquiry forms to a series of emails discussing your ideas. We do this so we can gather enough information as possible to create the tattoo you want. This should leave very little margin for error!
We usually do all drawing the night before an appointment, partly so it is fresh in our mind for your appointment, and partly because we have other clients every day of the week and are drawing for them every evening prior to their appointment.
OUR PAST EXPERIENCES:
In the past, we have sent designs to clients prior to the appointment. Unfortunately, some times we have had our designs stolen or taken to another artist to complete, at a much lower quality and lower cost than we would have done. Leaving us out of pocket for the design and for the appointment when the custimer doesn’t show up.
OTHER PEOPLES OPINIONS:
Often when we send a design to a customer prior to the appointment they will show friends and family, who will all have their own opinions (and be keen to tell you them) on the artwork. We have had had numerous ‘my boyfriend thinks I should have a smaller flower’ or ‘auntie June said she thinks the font should be more slanted’ type comments. These mean I have to redraw the design and re-send it to the client. They then show it to friends or family again and send back more small adjustments to make. Just this back and forth process can take hours of our time, outside of the time we have spent drawing it and will spend tattooing it. It is all time that we are not specifically being paid for, and takes away from our focus on other projects, as well as from our personal lives.
It is absolutely fine to ask for other peoples opinions, but don’t forget that this tattoo is on YOU and for YOU only! Partners come and go, mates do too sometimes, and auntie June probably doesn’t like the same things you like anyway! So think about what YOU like and want, don’t rely on other peoples thoughts to form your opinion.
TIME TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ON THE DAY:
Although you have been given a start time, that doesn’t necessarily mean the time we start tattooing at. You pay by the hour for the time we spend tattooing. The cost of the design is built into this price.
This means there is always time at the start of the appointment to make adjustments, or tweaks, discuss size and placement and make sure you are absolutely happy with your design. You will only start officially being charged when we start tattooing.
We design everything on the iPad, so making tweaks and adjustments is fairly straightforward! However, if you decide on the day that you want to make big drastic changes to the design this may impact your appointment and deposit. The big advantage to us working on designs the night before the appointment is that it means you can email us up to 6pm the night before to make any changes or discuss final points! This should almost totally eliminate any margin for error on our part!
We will never tattoo something you aren’t absolutely certain about, there is even a section in our consent form about being happy with the design. Please be open and honest with us at this time and we can alleviate any worries you have or amend anything you feel needs to be changed.
FINAL NOTE:
We want you to feel totally happy and confident about your tattoo, so communication is the most important thing you can give us! Please try to be open and honest during your emails, phone calls and at the appointment, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs as best as we can!
BLACK MOON TATTOOS 