Thousands of people who are going to get a tattoo first time in their life have the same one question in their mind that “how much do tattoos cost?”. Yes, it is an important question when we think of getting a tattoo on our body, but I am sure that you have never got any satisfying answer to this question.
But don’t worry, we have gathered a lot of information regarding this question by meeting the expert tattoo artists from the different cities around the world and now here we have the best answer for you that how much do tattoos cost?
See also:
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We have made it simple to understand that how much a tattoo will exactly cost. Tattoo prices are not constant because it changes every time depending on the size, type, location and many other things of the tattoo.
Don’t be nervous, we have described it into a very simple way to make it easy for you to understand that how much a tattoo will cost you. This will make it easy for you to calculate the approximate cost of the tattoo you are planning to get.
In this article, we will show you how to find out the best tattoo artist for you with your budget. This article is especially for the newbies who are going to get a tattoo first time on their body but I will suggest all the tattoo lovers to have a read on this article so that they could also find the best tattoo artist for their next tattoo.
Main Factors affecting the cost of a tattoo.
There are a lot of factors that can affect the price of a tattoo like the skills and experience of the tattoo artist and the location of the studio and many other things. So, here we are going to discuss the main factors on which the tattoo cost actually depends. It will help you to find out how much do tattoos cost.
Tattoo Kit
Tattoo kit is the most important factor that will affect the price of tattoo. There are different types of tattoo kits that usually people ask to have on their body.
Similarly in airbrush tattoo, artist make a tattoo on the body with the help of airbrush machine. There is enough information available on the internet for airbrush tattoo. You can check more information at airbrush Kit guide from airbrush-expert.com
Artist skill
If you are planning to get the best tattoo on your body then possibly you will go for the most professional tattoo artist out there. The skills of an artisan are the main key that how cool your tattoo will look.
If an artisan has the best skills then everyone will recommend him to you and the more popularity the artist has, the more you have to pay for your tattoo. They can charge you from 80$ to 300$ per hour.
Artist experience
The quality of the work of an artisian can be guessed by his experience. The more experience the artist has means that his work has more quality. An artisan having more than 10+ years of experience will not charge you less than 150$ an hour.
Yes, you might be shocked but it is so because they have achieved the top level expertise of their work. There are many tattoo artists in every city but people love to pay even extra for an experienced artisan. So, its totally up to you what would you go for an expert or a beginner tattoo artist.
Artist popularity and exposure
The popularity of an artist also matters a lot and we all know if someone is popular in public then you are expected to pay a lot more money than the actual price of the tattoo because people love to get their tattoo done from a popular artist who is highly demanded. It is so because when people see their popularity on social media or TV or in any magazines then this thing built trust in them. Also, people love to get their tattoo from the famous artist just to show off among their friends and family.
Artist technique
Most of the tattoo artists are using modern techniques for tattooing but few artists still work with the old tattooing methods. Sometimes we wish to get a cultural or historic type of tattoo on our body and it is very difficult to find out an artist which is still using the old method of tattooing. So, if you find one who can get you a tattoo with old techniques of tattooing then that artist will definitely charge you a lot more then you expect.
People who always want to get an old technique tattoo on their body will surely pay a high price to that tattoo artist just because a tattoo is the one thing which is very close to our memory or feeling which we describe on our body through a tattoo. That is why people pay more than usual to an artisan using old tattooing techniques.
Artist speed
If a tattoo studio is situated in a busy mall or in a crowded place then you may have seen that the artists in the studio will be working faster then normal because they want to tattoo more clients in less time. This helps them to earn more.
But if you are going to a tattoo studio which is not so crowded than the artist will tattoo in slow speed. You can find quality work where the crowd is less. Keep in mind that if you are paying the artist on an hourly basis then his speed will be slow because the more time he works on you the more you have to pay but on another hand, we can say that slow the speed means more quality in work.
Tattoo color
If you have a low budget and you are planning to get a colored tattoo then please stop. A colored tattoo requires more detailed work which consume more time then a single color tattoo and if you are paying on hourly basis then a colored tattoo will cost you much more then a single color tattoo. Usually you can see a single colored tattoo is less time consuming and can be done in low price whereas if you will get a colored tattoo then you will have to pay more.
Tattoo details
It all depends on you that how much detailed tattoo you want because you can have a small name tattoo of your mother or instead of that you can also have a full face tattoo of your mother with color blends and more details on your body.
The more detailed tattoo you want the more you have to pay. It also depends on how much detailed work an artist can do. He may also charge you on an hourly basis or can tell you the exact price of the tattoo and no matter how much time will it take.
Tattoo placement
It is a personal choice of each person that on which part of their body do they want the tattoo to get done. But if your plan is to get a tattoo on the sensitive part of the body then this will cost you high.
Feet, Genitals and neck etc are very sensitive part of our body. So the artisan has to work slowly and carefully on these part and this will consume more time. The more time your tattoo will take the higher the cost will be.
The design
Design is the major factor in the cost of a tattoo. If you will get a tattoo design which the artist an already have a flash then it will cost you less. But if you are planning to get a custom design tattoo then it will cost you much more.
The custom designed tattoo takes more time to get done and it also needs more details. So it will cost you more then a design already the artists have.
Size of the tattoo
This is an obvious reason behind the cost affecting. I don’t need to explain much on this because you all know that everyone will cost you more if he works more for you. If you are going to get a small tattoo on your wrist or arms then it will cost you less but if your design is covering your entire back or full chest or both arms the definitely you have to pay a lot more money.
Tattoo materials
Mostly we don’t know the exact difference between a genuine product and a fake product. But in a good studio and a good artist will always use the best quality of materials. It can be a branded ink or can be any other equipment but if it is branded and genuine then it will be safer for you.
You may be wondering that what is the need for branded products but once you get to know the side effects of a non branded product then you will understand that how much important a genuine product is.
Studio popularity
There is no doubt that a popular studio will cost you more money than a non-popular studio. The artist working in a popular studio will have to give a big amount for the rent to the studio and for that, he will charge you more money. The material an artist using in a popular studio will be branded and costly products. This is also a reason that the price of getting a tattoo from a popular studio will automatic become high.
Studio location
If you are living in a non-metropolitan city then the cost of getting a tattoo will be less for you. But if you are getting a tattoo in New York or any other big cities like this the cost of getting a tattoo will be higher.
It have many reasons, the first reason is the famous the place in which the studio is situated the higher the charges will be. The other reason is they will charge you just because the location of the studio because if a studio is located in a famous area then it popularity automatically increases.
One more thing is that if a studio is located in a crowded place then the number of customers visiting that studio will be high and if a studio is more in demand than it will increase the prices because it is a marketing strategy.
Different ways of charging
Every tattoo artist will charge you in a different way. Here are the two ways in which you might pay your artist.
Hourly
On hourly basis you have to pay the artist each hour it takes to make a tattoo on your body. Most of the artists use hourly basis of charging.
If you are getting a small tattoo that will consume highest 15 minute to complete then still you have to pay for the full one hour if your artist is charging you on hourly basis. This is because for every new customer the artist have to get a new needle and some equipment which cost an artist more money.
An hourly basis is more suitable for big tattoos. If someone is going to get a tattoo on her entire back or on the full body then he must go for hourly charging. But for a small tattoo, you should pay a fix price to save money.
Suppose if you are getting a big tattoo on your back which will take 3hours on the basis of 120$ each hour then the total cost for the tattoo will be 360$. So, an hourly basis is good for big tattoos not for a small one.
per piece
If you are planning to get a small tattoo then a fixed price for per piece will be a good option for you. Because If your design will be small or per drawn then the artist must knew that how long the tattoo will take and the exact cost of that tattoo.
But keep in mind if you can’t bear the pain during the getting a tattoo and you tell your artist to stop tattooing for few minutes then he will charge you extra for that break.
Average tattoo price
| Tattoo Size | Exprerienced Artist | Average Artist | New Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-7 inch | $80-$200+ | $40 – $90 | $20-$40 |
| 8-19 inch | $150-$300+ | $80-$200 | $40-$100 |
| 20+ inch | $600-$3500+ | $280-$1100 | $100-$700 |
| Helf sleeves | $1500+ | $500+ | $350+ |
| full sleves | $3000+ | $1500+ | $550+ |
| horuly price | $150+ | $50-$120 | $40-$60 |
Negotiating on price
Everyone wants to negotiate when it comes to price. But when it is the matter of tattoo I think nobody wants to negotiate because it is done once in a lifetime and no one wants to compromise with their tattoo for a few bucks.
A tattoo is a permanently inked picture on your body. A tattoo on our body is definitely related to our deep feelings. If we think of negotiating while getting a tattoo it means we can ruin our tattoo too.
If you have found the best artist for you then don’t think of negotiating because it takes just a few more time to save some extra money to spend on your tattoo but if you go to an unknown or new tattoo artist just to save a few bucks then I am sure you are not going to have the tattoo you always wanted.
There are many artists who can do the same at a cheap price but the main thing is you have to compromise with quality. You can negotiate with them and can get a quick tattoo but the quality will be not justified.
If you want quality work and you love the tattoo you are planning to have on your skin then you must go for the best artist out there. You should not compromise for money.
Tips before you hire.
If you are going to get a tattoo first time then you must consult with the artist first because if the artist will properly understand that what you want than the tattoo will be more creative. It is not possible to get the real image of the tattoo from your mind so consulting the artist is a best thing.
If you give freedom to your artist then it is possible that the creativity will be on the high level. Because an artist have much knowledge about tattoos then us. So, after deciding the basic concept of the tattoo you should give him freedom to design the tattoo in the best way he can.
Before getting a tattoo you should properly research on it. You should keep it clear in your mind that what exactly you want. The more creative you think, the more creative tattoo you will get. You should also think properly before getting a tattoo because a tattoo is a permanent ink which will remain on your body forever.
You should also check out some examples of the tattoo which is in your mind. If you are a music lover then you should must check some of the tattoos related to your idea. It will help you to think about what excatly you want. Also collect some reviews and feedback from others who already have that type of tattoo.
Final note
You have got enough knowledge regarding “what does a tattoo cost?”. But something I want you to keep in mind is that money is not everything. Finding the best price for a product is good thing and you should also negotiate but in some cases money is not important than the quality you get. A tattoo is always something which is very close to us. So, I will recommend you to search for the best quality rather than low price. Always keep in mind that you will get what you have paid.
If you can’t afford the best tattoo artist then you should wait for sometime and save some more money but don’t compromise with the quality because it may give you a lifetime guilty.
How Much do Tattoos Cost? We can’t find the exact answer for this question but we have showed you the main factors that can affect the cost of a tattoo. I hope that now you can find out the approximate cost of the tattoo which you are planning to get and can make a good decision that what type of artist and design you want.