Here is my experience:
Consult
- The initial consult was awkward. I did not learn about the artist's history, experience and no expectations were set
- We went through in descriptive detail what I wanted with reference material
- No communication from the shop between consult and day-of
Day Of
- The shop was running behind and while the receptionist was kind enough, waiting in the "lounge" with several other people with no updates was uncomfortable
- I didn't realize what was happening at the time and my tattoo was being designed while I waited. The hand-out is clear that you won't see the design work prior to the day but I had anticipated that work was done on it before the day.
- The design missed major key points we had covered in detail prior. That felt really bad and I felt like a person on the assembly line and just another "thing to do" that day
- I was comfortable sharing my full views on what they were doing and I felt very rushed
- After applying the purple tracing, there wasn't any discussion as to position placement, how it looked when my body moved, the angle, the shape or how the skin shape/movement affected the image
After
- The sheet for after-care wasn't reviewed and no highlights covered. Their after-care product line was pushed pretty hard
- Looking at the tattoo in detail the following day:
- Should have been positioned different to account for the place on the body it was
- Some items in the tattoo that should have been symmetrical that were not designed the same
- Things were off center - not deliberately, simply attention to detail
- Patterning and texture was not consistent
- No follow-up. It's been months now and no check-in, follow-up, call to see how I like it and if any touch-ups are necessary or simply to come on in and look at it or take pictures
Top 10 list of simple things they should change:
1) During the consult, the tattoo artist should be setting expectations and reviewing the highlights from the sheet such as:
- "This is what I like doing, this is how I work and this is my history - want to see some of my work?"
- "We typically don't do extensive design prior to the day of as, believe it or not, a lot of people cancel or don't come in or I don't have time or that's part of your tattoo experience that I work with you to design your tattoo" - or whatever the reason is why they don't do that
- Present the option to pay fully up-front (if that's a concern) to have the design done BEFORE the day and work with the person to get it how they want prior to the day. I would have been more than willing to do this and also sign whatever needs to be signed (i.e. we can't go back and forth hundreds of times or we get it to 80% and the remaining part is done on the day of)
2) Give me a call a week prior to my appointment and share in my excitement
3) Have a bowl of M&Ms or Skittles or wrapped candy or something to snack on if running late is the norm
4) If I'm waiting for more than 15 minutes, check in with me
5) If that tattoo artist is working on my art, come talk to me. "Hey, as I mentioned during the consult, I'm not going to start/continue the design and check in with you in about xx minutes to work together on the final design"
6) Take notes during the consult session
7) Find out what's important to me - the design / where it is / how it looks to me or how it looks to others?
8) After the tracing is on, allow time to look at it in the mirror. Encourage me to look at it closely, examine the positioning and the details of the tattoo, move my body, pretend showing it to somebody, etc
9) Go through in detail how to care for it. Let me know normal, unscented soap will work just fine and if it's easier for me, you have products x / y and z and then leave it at that
10) Follow-up and say "Hey, stop by sometime so I can see the healed work and take a picture for my portfolio". Offer touch - even share that at the end of the tattoo that it's a pretty normal part of the process