text-based tattoo

«« Cost of Piercing    Angry 1/2″ ear lobe »»

Saturday July 12th, 2008 @ 11:31 PM

Filed under: Tattoos

I’m looking to get a text-based tattoo, and I have a few questions. Ideally, I’d like to get a few lines of poetry tattooed on the back of my neck / upper back:

“That which sings

and contemplates in you

is still dwelling within

the bounds of that first

moment which scattered

the stars into space.”

I’d like them centered and bordered with a design, possibly with color added to the border, the whole thing probably no bigger than a 4×6 photo.

I guess my main question is, would something like that be possible? Is there a minimum size I would need to get for text-based tattoos? Doing the lettering must be difficult, it would need to be so detailed and precise. Would an artist who specializes in, say, black and white portraits be better able or more willing to work such fine lines? Am I worrying over something that’s not a big deal to tattoo artists? I really have no idea.

Also, I’ve heard that one artist charges $10 per letter for text tattoos. Is this normal? If so, those lines would cost me over $1000, and I wouldn’t be able to afford this particular tattoo. Any advice/suggestions on how to find an artist for this kind of tattoo and how prices generally run would be extremeley helpful. I am also new to my area (Orlando, FL) so if you know of an artist I should check out, or a way to find one here, that would be great, too!

Thanks,

Alicia

The reality with tattooing on human canvas (ie: skin) is that its constantly aging and decaying. When you start getting into making very small details (lettering,etc) when degradation occurs in the skin, the letters will become merky and hard to make out. This of course doesn’t happen over night, it takes many years. So some people realize this and they want their artwork to be perfectly viewable from the day they get it to the day they die, others perhaps aren’t dwelling on that fact..

Personally I would not go into a tattoo studio with such “limitations”. Instead I’d simply come in with the idea I had in mind and ask the artist: “What is the smallest you can do this, but still keeping the longevity and integrity of the piece. As well as based on where I want it, how big would you be willing to go?” Many Tattoo Artists don’t like too restrictions so when you ask/give them “room to play” you might be pleasantly surprised with what the outcome will be.

Also I wouldn’t necessarily go to a black and white portrait artist for lettering. That’s like asking one of the great artists to write some words on paper. It’s a completely different medium (portrait work and lettering) and I do know of artists who prefer to be known as artists that cater in text/font based tattoos. Instead I’d search out for someone who has portfolio work with impeccable steady line work, there should be no shakey lines whatsoever, as well as someone who’s interested in doing the piece you described. That might mean you’ll find a portrait artist to do it, or a text/font based artist to do it, or someone who doesn’t specialize in any specific genre.

As for prices, as the saying goes: “You got to pay to play.” With shop/artists prices they’l very from shop to shop, artist to artist sometimes even. For what you’re looking for $10 a letter isn’t that bad (57 letters in phrase you want), as it’d make it out to being $570, provided the tattoo was a decent size. Although that wouldn’t include the background you’re asking for as well right? Perhaps you could also organize the tattoo done in sessions and spanned out of a period of time so you could pay for the piece that way, and not in a giant lump sum.

However like I said shops and artists pricing varies greatly. So personally I say your best interest is to find the artist who you think will do your idea justice and suck it up and pay whatever it is they want to charge. As I stress to anyone and everyone looking to get work done, do not let the price be the main deciding factor. The only thing that should be a deciding factor is if you think the artist will do the piece, the justice it deserves. Don’t settle on an artist in your area just because they’re close by as well. If the ONLY artist that will do your tattoo justice, is in Moscow and charges a $1000 an hour, and you’re in middle America. Well then in that instance I’d say that individual should save up their money and fly to Moscow and pay that required fee.

Never “Settle” based on price or proximity. ONLY “Settle” if you know that after the tattooing is done, its going to be PERFECT.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Leave a comment | Trackback