A few suggestions to get the tattoo design your looking for at a great price.

1.)    Choosing Flash vs. Going Custom
Many tattoo shops offer an excellent selection of “Tattoo Flash”.  These are pre-drawn tattoo designs that you can choose from.  This saves the tattoo artist a great deal of time thus saving you some cash.  There are also some great online resources that offer thousands of tattoo designs.  Check out www.FreshTattooDesigns.com

2.)    Go with Black Ink vs. Multiple Colors
Often tattoo artists charge more for color work.  If you choose a design that utilizes only black (or even a minimal amount of color), you’re bound to save a few bucks.  There are plenty of creative ways to utilize black and graywash inks to create amazing tattoo designs.

3.)    Starting Small vs. A Large Tattoo Design
If your looking for a large design, you better be prepared to pay up!  A large tattoo takes much more of the tattoo artist’s time, including drawing, layout, prep and actual time tattooing.  Not to mention tattoo supplies, including ink, needles, etc.  Smaller tattoos are easier to place, take less time to draw, and utilize less supplies.  Going smaller vs. choosing a full sleeve or back-piece will definitely save you some cash.

4.)    Become a Friend of The Tattoo Artist
If you’re not in a hurry, you might want to get to know your tattoo artist of choice on a friendly level.  You might be surprised just how friendly some of these great artists really are.  We’ve found our fair share of egotistical artists out there and we recommend moving on to the next artist if you find this to be the case.  You definitely want to feel comfortable with your tattoo artist and being friendly (as in most of life’s situations) should work in your favor.

5.)    Hook Up Your Artist
This is often overlooked but we’ve found this almost always works.  After all, everyone likes to be “hooked up”.  It doesn’t have to be anything super extraordinary either.  Do you have a connection that could benefit the artist?  Concert tickets, a free beer at the pub you work at, a coupon for a discount on tattoo supplies that the artist uses on a daily basis?  Again, this reverts back to being friendly with your tattoo artist and doing what you can to help them out with what they are interested in.  Another “hook up” suggestion is to tip your artist.  The artist will remember your courteous gesture and probably give you a bit of a break on your next design.

In conclusion, we must emphasize… you get what you pay for!  This is so true in the world of tattoos.  If you want a great end result, you need to find a qualified tattoo artist to perform the work.  These people are talented and need to be paid for their talents.  Don’t go into your local shop trying to cut down the pricing right off the bat.  This will get you removed from most shops in a hurry.  Respect the artists, their environment, and what they have to offer you.  Follow the suggestions above and most of the time, you’ll save a few bucks on your next tattoo.