Have you ever wondered that perhaps your studio tattoo designer hasn’t given you the complete lowdown about having a tattoo done? The tattooing world is leaping forward with the help of technology, and it could well be that the tattoo designer of your choice is lagging behind. You should be aware of the following four aspects before you embark on your first or next tattoo:
1.Pricing In a professional tattoo studio, you’ll find that the price of your tattoo excludes the custom design. Small tattoo designs cost about $50 or more; medium-sized tattoos cost upwards of $200 and large ones for $500 and above. If your tattoo is very intricate, colorful or time-consuming, you could be charged more. However, if you plan to get a medium-sized tattoo costing $200, but prefer to have a custom designed tattoo rather than a traditional pattern; you will have to pay for the design, too. Since all those who have tattoos done crave to be original and express their creative streak, remember to have a budget for your tattoo, even if your artist doesn’t mention a price.
2.Design Contest Sites Another thing, what your local tattoo artist might forget to inform you of, is that custom design contest sites are far less expensive. Yes, this is a fact. With design contests, you fix a price for your custom design, or its prize value. The way to go about it is to research the site of your choice, scan the contests running at the moment, and then decide on the prize money. Since you want your award to attract the attention of the artists whose designs you like, you offer them the same prize money or more as the contests they have already entered. This demonstrates your seriousness, as a tattoo hobbyist, towards custom design.
3.Online Designers: Tattoo shops are specialty boutiques which run on a theme or style. Here, you see everything on that particular theme. There are some studios that just prefer not to do custom designs, and then there are those designers who make their mark in a particular niche and want to stay there. Customers aren’t always satisfied with this. Online tattoo designers who enter contests live all across the globe. So, you can imagine the exposure and experience they have to different art forms; the possibilities are unending.
4. Stencils: Assuming that you find your custom design at a tattoo studio, you’ll find that most designers don’t use stencils. However, though it makes better sense to use one when you’re creating a custom design for a client, it is not normal practice. At the end of an online custom design contest, however, you get a stencil and a picture of the design for your local studio.
Those tattoo designers who hide these things from you do this knowing that online custom design contests are better in a qualitative way. They guarantee to give you what you want at a fantastic price, which means you get a great tattoo experience.
Kristen Dunn is a tattoo enthusiast and professional tattoo designer who has created thousands of thought provoking, elegant, and funky tattoos for her clients. She has a vast collection of custom designs to her credit. Winner of several awards and accolades, Kristen is now a founding member of the world's largest custom tattoo design community at CreateMyTattoo. View her tattoo collection or read more on her blog here.