How to tone down a piece? Anyone else??

Hey everyone. I need an opinion! I am going to the Atl. Convention to get some work done in 3 weeks, but am on the fence. I am having my arm piece worked on because I want it to streamiline with my body more..instead of standing out so much.It's a beautiful bold neo-traditonal piece.I didn't realize the design would stand out so much when I was 25 and now that I'm 30 I want it to "blend more", and not be so bold. Has that happened to anyone else??? So, I was thinking should I just quarter sleeve it with a soft backround or have my guy freehand flowers all around it (which is the plan ... ) My artist is too busy and far away to discuss this with until the day of the show, so I wanted to know what YOU think looks better on a petite female's arm? ? ? ? THANKX ! ! !

In the first place if your artist is too busy to talk to you and make plans ...FIND ANOTHER ARTIST!!!!!...but your idea is a sound one

I know, but he's got a great reputation. He's worked on my friends who live in the area, and they told me he's really "last minute" and booked all the time.

I don't care how good he is...I would not appreciate a "last minute" attitude from any artist if he/she were inking MY skin....Even the busy ones...the great ones take the time to speak to their clients...you guys are what tattoos are all about....the customers....just think about it....a few minutes out of a busy schedule just is not a lot to ask for... I dunno maybe I am a bit old fashioned...my customers come first ...if my schedule were such that I did not even have a spare minute for a consultation I would revamp my scedule and do it damn fast!!!...T

You have a lot of good points and I appreciate your thoughts. You're absolutely right. But, I am going to cut some him slack & feel the situation out when I get to the convention because 1) his portfolio rocks 2) he made a time slot for me at the show 3) he's friends with my friends 4) I don't live there and am a 1st time customer 5) i asked him to do freehand so there's probably not much to talk about until I am actually sitting in front of him I was in the haircutting business for 10 years and in alot of ways it was similar when it came to the appointments and clients you guys have to deal with. I always appreciated when a customer wasn't a bitch, and they always got better work from me when they were understanding and not demanding. So, I figure tattoo artists are only human and nobody's a machine.

No Tima a haircut grows out. Come on, I'm so sick of the prima-donna mentality of "busy" artists. You are getting something perm on your skin. I completely understand a bust client load and not wanting to squeeze out every creative iota of an idea from your artist over the phone, but if they can't take a minute to look at a jpeg you send in advance (if you don't live near) or meet you for a few precious moments then I'd SCRATCH them. Most, if your serious, will take a deposit, look at your idea in advance and draw something up for your next meeting. Now, I suppose if it's some no brainer mix of flowers and tinkering to fill in some spaces I'm sure you're fine, but I do NOT cut slack for artists who can't take a few minutes. Just my opinion. meow

one more little thing? Why is a client a bitch if they want to discuss an idea they have prior to execution of it? Just meeting or talking with the person can be done in a freindly, creative way. I work in the film industry and all ventures start with and idea and discussion AND then the artist is give room to create. again, just my opinion. meow

one more little thing? Why is a client a bitch if they want to discuss an idea they have prior to execution of it? Just meeting or talking with the person can be done in a freindly, creative way. I work in the film industry and all ventures start with and idea and discussion AND then the artist is give room to create. again, just my opinion. meow

one more little thing? Why is a client a bitch if they want to discuss an idea they have prior to execution of it? Just meeting or talking with the person can be done in a freindly, creative way. I work in the film industry and all ventures start with and idea and discussion AND then the artist is give room to create. again, just my opinion. meow

Mamacat~ No argument here...In fact I changed my mind (and agreed with TAz) realizing that if this artist doesn't have time for a consultation before the convention,(and our time slot) then screw it. I'll find someone else. Being that I do live in a different state, I emailed him jpg's of all my work to look at, and I got no reply,(even though he said he would) so I feel like a fool. Though my friends have told me that's just his personality...and don't worry he's very "last minute and a busy artist" This will be permanent, and my arm no less, so it does deserve more than a "yeah, we'll see" attitude. So the whole "bitch" thing was that I didn't want to start calling and pestering because I don't own his time and didn't want to come off as demanding when (from what I understand) he's got many other people he's working on. Anyways ~ Thanks Tima

why did my post come up three times? oh well. Look, I don;t want to sound like a hard ass, but I had my own frustrations out here in L.A. trying to book the local "in" popular artists and even with referrrals from other tattoo artists, emails, phone calls, they still did not return JACK. I was very nice and professional with a casual "pleae return my call" at anytime, no rush and still NADA. After awhile I started looking elsewhere and you know what, there are AMAZING tattoo artists out there who WILL talk to you. Good luck. Hey, if it's just becuase you want "anything" that he does on your body (some folks collect tattoo art from different artists) then I guess it does not matter, but I agree with TAz! Good luck

first I agree, with the whole taking time to talk to the customer thing. This industry is all customer relations, and taking the time to understand the customer and what the customer wants is number one. now to answer the original question: What looks good on a petite Females arm?? the answer is me.................eheheh seriously though, I havent seen your piece, but I understand what your going for, it sounds like a good plan, as long as you can be satisfied with his final product. good luck Mortis

++++now to answer the original question: What looks good on a petite Females arm?? the answer is me.................eheheh+++ Good answer! Tima, how about some before and after shots?

Hmmm....Before and after shots? Maybe. I've never posted pics of my work online. I am kind of shy about that, even though I myself appreciate when others post their ink. Something to think about though~ Tima

i understand.

I see both sides of the story every day. Now Im not trying to defend any prima-donna attitude, but the fact is many of the best artists are completely flooded and flooded with emails and phone calls and often are too busy to reply to email more than once a week or maybe every two. If they are drawing on you freehand and their work is in high demand, then its completely feasible that they booked your time on friends recommendations, saw your jpg's and thought "no problem Ill draw it right on" and something else grabbed their immediate attention and viola they are back to too many people trying to get one person time. I know artists in all walks of their career and by no fault of their own, the most desired artists are the hardest to reach because there are a hundred other folks trying to do the same. for some its simply a matter of logistics, too many people for 1 person to communicate effectively with at once. Ive seen more than one artist proclaim "Ill personally respond to every email" finally succumb and stop taking clients and responding to every email. I dont want to encourage any artist being a dick to their clients, but I know a dozen artists who the public thinks are snobs cause they cant get through who are actually awesome guys who simply dont have any spare time, they are too busy freehanding a tattoo on their next client while the phone rings off the hook and emails pile up.

Damn it Gabe!! That's EXACTLY what my fiance said! You guys are too smart. He suggested to call him 4 days before I fly up....hey, if worse comes to worse, there's going to be dozens of artists at the convention to see, and it's an all girls weekend. Woo freakin Hoo! I love conventions~conventions are good fun~ Tima

You have a great time TIMA...wish Ol TAz could be there to take pics!! And no matter what you decide...good luck and great tattooing!...Pics or no , get back to us and tell us all about it!!!..TAz

Thanks :D I will be around and let you know how it all turns out...maybe pics... This is the best tattoo site/forum on the web ~ THANKS to all the artists & people that make it happen!

TAz and I have never had a discussion about him putting any ink on my body, and yet he has always taken time to reply to many emails about work I've been having done by another artist. I'm sure he's got plenty of work to keep him busy as well, but I wouldn't doubt for a second that he would take time to discuss something as permanent as a tattoo with a potential client. TCE

Wish I could agree Gabe, but when I'm paying someone $400 + tip an hour to tat me permanently, I feel a "brief" discussion of the project is within my expectations. If he/she is too busy, that's fine. No hard feelings. I have no doubt Tima will get her work done and be happy, but I'm a biit more old school when it comes to having a relationship with my tat artist. Of course, I work in an industry with many ego manic artists so I cut very little slack. I'll just end with one little story of an artist here in L.A. who's booked solid for months....He never returned my email/s or phone calls even when I mentioned I'm happy to wait for him when he starts taking appoinments. I then had, not one but two tattoo artists friends (excellent ones here in L.A.) call him and refer me as a client. He never called them back, let alone me. So, fini. He's too busy obviously, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I then started (oon the advice here) to look into some other So Cal artists and do a little research. Viiola! I found not one, but three excellent artists who returned my emails. Sure, their email were brief. In a nut shell they said swing by the shop and when I get a minute I'll take a look at your artwork/idea and we'll book an appointment then. Sure, they may not be on TV, but "who wudda thought" they had a good professional side too! Just my two cents. I'd ask Tima to post her new work, but she already mentioned she's not comfortable doing that so I wish her a GREAT tat! Meow!

Mamacat, the original poster already had chosen and artist and secured an appointment. they weren't getting blown off to secure time, they just weren't getting a consultation weeks before the tattoo. Its obviously not possible for someone in Florida to stop on down to the Atlanta convention, so they have to wait and talk to the artist in person. I dont know if the artist in question is worth it or not, but I know more than a few talented tattoo artists who cant have a half hour consultation with every client weeks before the tattoo(if they did there would be no time to tattoo!). I know clients want to talk about their tattoo and have it in hand for weeks before they decide if its right, but the fact is desirable artists are so swamped with clients you kind have to play by their rules. Often this means your tattoo gets drawn up the night before your tattoo. I know talented artists who are awesome and simply dont have time to hand hold each and every client. I know talented artists who are incredible about time management and are great about setting up client expectations. I know amazing artists that are dicks to get hold of but worth every penny. I know ok artists that act like rock stars to fool the customers into thinking they are getting something great. There are a zillion clients and artists out there and everyone has to find their match.

Not to split hairs, but when Tima posted """""I was in the haircutting business for 10 years and in alot of ways it was similar when it came to the appointments and clients you guys have to deal with. I always appreciated when a customer wasn't a bitch, and they always got better work from me when they were understanding and not demanding. So, I figure tattoo artists are only human and nobody's a machine.""" I just can't compare a tat to a haircut. To be honest, I have no idea why I have spent this much time on this subject? Must be the fact that I was dogged by a TV star that people are waiting over a year to have them "lay their machine on them." I'm over it now LOL. Of course, who knows? I mean if they have a TV show they must be the best and worth the wait. Maybe I was not as understanding as Tima? Meow

Well, while the permanence of the art of tattooing and hair cutting drastically vary, I do think the analogy can work. That is, being a pest as a client is not a great way to get an artists best work, and working with the artist in a manner that works best for them is a great way to get the best work from someone. Again, the poster has a much different situation than you did. They arent chasing someone for years without getting a return phone call, they have an appointment with the artist and are far away and the artists isnt the most responsive due to the fact they are freehanding flowers on her. Lastly, for the love of god just because someone is on TV doesnt make them the best. It makes them the ones on TV! There are a few good artists on TV and a LOT of great artists that are not on TV. I dont know any of the TV artists but Im 100% sure they dont have enough time to get tattooed by everyone who wants them... It is the law of supply and demand at work, with talented artists there is one of them and hundreds (or in the case of TV people thousands) of people who want to be clients. Some are worth chasing but others arent.

Bullshit! ROAR!!!!!!!

whats bullshit? Which part? :-)

""""They arent chasing someone for years without getting a return phone call,"""" It was a few weeks, not chasing down for years. Geez, you make me sound like a pathetic girl with no prom date. I'm not THAT hard up for a tat artist.

Awwwwww Taz man, you know I'm just pulling yer chanin on the TV star crap. Meow

That wasn't for you Gabe...I just gotta mess with my buddy Mamacat!!!