clients who rush

Imma first yr rookie and I've never had a rude client before but half through the session , she started to complain about the pain and rushing me through it. It was only an hr into before all hell broke loose. Any tips on how to handle a jerk like that?? Btw it was a stargazer lily on the shoulder blk and grey

There are a couple things you can do in the future to help someone out who is being "difficult" . First off though since you have only been doing this a year I would start by looking at yourself first. A common problem with new tattooists is they are still developing their touch and sometimes can be overly aggressive with their machine unintentionally. If you have someone whom you are learning from ask them first on what they think of your techniques or touch-and adjust it according to their feedback . If you are learning on your own ask the people whom you are tattooing for feedback. I have had new tattoo artists do small works of art on my body and always let them know if it is going to deep, if they are hanging the needle out to far, if it is too much pressure etc. It takes time to get that right-believe me and that is truly one of the reasons so many people advise upcoming artists to work with someone. If you feel that your techniques and work is fine and you just have a "pita" client (pain in the ass) I would have stopped when she started to complain about the pain and have a heart to heart with her. Most times they are really nervous about getting work done-I always ask them things like "have you eaten? Are you thirsty?" Etc, then I offer them the option of a topical numbing agent/gel/cream to help reduce their pain and get them to be more comfortable. Normally this takes care of it immediately and I continue to work until I am finished always keeping in mind that I need to re-apply as I go along (every 20 min or so depending on the client) and I apply a very small amount. If the numbing agent does not work on them and they are still complaining- you may have to do the work in smaller sitting times-say 15 min at a time or 1/2 hr. There are the very few people who just can't handle ANY tattoo pain whatsoever-and again if this is the case there is not much more you can do other than stop and suggest perhaps in the near future they come back or maybe even suggest another artist that may be more experienced and have different techniques. I know the last suggestion of referal may seem a tad counter-productive but I strongly feel that sometimes you are just not a good fit for someone, and it is OK to send them somewhere where they can find someone who they gel with, as the most important thing is a happy client with a great tattoo-as our reputations are far more valuable and I rather turn someone away than "do it just for the money" and end up having them bad mouth me in the end. Good luck!

Thank you for the positive feed back. She has multiple tattoos and the complaining really came in as I started the shading. She's actually a good friend of mine and as a first yr (which she is very aware of) I asked her every 5mins if it was painful even during my line work lol. But yes, I will take a look at my machine and see if it is my technique. I have a few artists that mentor me here and there but not a full on apprenticeship becuz of their busy schedule so I really practice on myself and work alone. I'm still not done with the tattoo and hopefully next time I can work through the problems.The topical cream sounds like a great idea as well as the short tattooing sessions every few mins. I'm really absorbing all ur info which I can't thank you enough for. This is my first time on here so I don't know how to post the pic of that session

No problem...I am glad to help out if I can and hope it helps you out some. Normally these boards are not too friendly to people who are learning tattooing on their own, and from what I read in your post it sounded to me like you had very little guidance to start off with. I been where you are at and learned my tattooing from my mentors as they were available to work with me-but honestly their guidance did help even if it was a simple phone call on what I was doing wrong. The numbing gels/creams/oils are a great addition to your tools, and personally I use the T3 Gel which is more like an oil-it is good stuff, cost effective (45. for 4oz) and my clients apprieciate the extra "nice oil" treatment LOL! You can buy that at any of the pro tattoo websites, and trust you will not be disappointed. Just dont over-use it or use too much as it can feel like it is burning as the medicine seeps into the skin-the key is a little really goes a long way. I also read in your post it was mainly during your shading that she experienced the pain the most, I would check your needle groupings really carefully-mags take a certain touch and method of putting ink into the skin and done improperly can cause more pain and also tear the soft layers of the skin up (aka hamburgering) which will end up scabbing and scarring which = a crappy tatttoo. Let me know how it goes and feel free to email your pics if you like-I would love to see your work as it progresses!

tell em to shut there fucking pie hole quit yer dam whining and enjoy the ride!!! lol after 14 years of doing it i can say that to them. sounds like ya got some good advice just thought id throw in the humor