People, people, people...

Now, I won't speak for all artists here, but I have a request for tattoo collecters. Please respect your tattoo artist. Now by "your artist" I don't mean the guy you talked to when you stopped into that tattoo shop, you know, the shop you can't remember the name of off the top of your head. My biggest requests are for cover-ups. Now I don't necessarily mind cover-ups as much as mind that it has become so prevelent. I can't tell you how many names I've tattooed names and dates and heard the statement, "Well if we break up, I'll just get a cover up!" That is the wrong frame of mind. And I'm strictly speaking for myself here, although alot of artists may agree but, I believe that if you value my art and professionalism as well as have confidence in my abilities, why disrespect me by giving me "dirty" skin to work on. Now it's completely different than being one of my regular clients, after already having had work done and forming a relationship with me, showing me that you value what I do for you. Then you say, "By the way I've got this awful blah blah do you think we can make it go away?" Sure no problem. But picking an artist and telling him you just want a coverup (as your first piece from him) because you like his work is like asking DaVincci to do a painting on the side of an outhouse. Sure you might get him to do it, but you better had built a relationship with him before you ask him to paint on your toilet box. The same things goes for add-ons and redos. Don't approach an artist whom you've never worked with and ask them to work on dirty skin, it's disrespectful (in my opinion). Get a few pieces, show dedication, and then approach the artist. I'm sure he'll be much more eager to help you. Do any of you artists agree or disagree? Do any of you tattoo collectors understand where I'm coming from?

We will just have to agree to disagree on this one...To me there is no "dirty skin"...Its all "sacred skin" to this artist of over 35 years..I was brought up to view a cover up as an artistic challenge and an avenue to make a client very happy...OK so you made a mistake...I WANT you to come to my shop and do me the honor of allowing me to help you put that mistake to rest.I welcome you to challenge my skills. You don't have to know me, neither do you have to have been tattooed by me to get a coverup in my studio...that very idea is absurd...You WILL know me afterword and we will have shared a bit of special magic....the magic of letting go of a past that was not necessarily a past you would have chosen if only you had hindsight A cover up can have a very positive cathartic effect...I have seen people brought to tears as the name of an old love is eternally banished to a faded memory...but the smile came back as she walked out the door!...I have seen that same smile on the faces of those being released from prison..AH! FREE AT LAST!..I have seen the psyche of emotionally wounded clients spread its heartwings and soar once again as the name of their particular demon is forever buried under a new and beautiful design meant to bring happiness and laughter instead of the preexisting shame and pain.. Bring ME those coverups and let me help you...I am a tattoo artist...that is not only my job...its my LIFE...My name is TAz

I actually do understand what you mean.... as ... I fall into the "needs coverup" category. I hadnt looked at it from the dirty skin point of view, I'm more looking into it as a trust issue. Because really, that -is- my problem... trust. I trusted this guy to adequately tattoo a memorium on my back.... I wound up with garbage. The date wrong, the finished product completely different than what it should have been in the first place... I really wish I had the original flash, but we gave it to the deceased's father. The other peice is from someone I trusted, again. Someone who -had- done work on me before without issue. Taz has seen the picture, he can tell you that my shoulders are a mess. I hadnt thought of it as being dirty canvas, but I can certainly see where you are coming from. To me, I'm running out of real estate here. The concept of the peice I'm hoping to have done, holds more meaning than I can convey. This dirty canvas is my chrysalis.... this coverup is letting go. Maybe alot of folks go and get something that is as silly as a lover's name, and just as fleeting. And they see it as a temporary affirmation of infactuation. I can see that this would be very insulting..... continuously recycling the skin like that. A silly dalliance... the flippant attitudes that go with something like that..... Some of us, have a heavier thing going on under the skin. Whoever -does- wind up getting to ink up this dirty skin of mine, will not only have my uptmost respect, but my eternal gratitude. They won't just be putting pigments in, they will be -freeing- me, and a stone of shame I've carried for a decade..... I'm not saying it's a privelidge..... I'm just... sayin.... its by no means disrespect. :) But I do, very much appreciate your stance, and in many ways, agree with it as well. -Saiyge

I am a collector. Not a tat artist, and I understand completely what you mean and where you are coming from.

I guess the main point I failed to get across is that I don't think that the skin is dirty as far as me not wanting to touch it. And yes it's a great challange and such, and I've never not been able to cover something, and am happy when it's done, but... It's like a client coming to you and saying, "Oh wow your work is awesome, I'd really love for you to draw me up a zombie eating froot loops!", or what have you. And your all like getting excited about the piece and then you hear, "So do you think that'll cover this up?" If you tattoo someone and do a cover-up it will never be as perfect as a new piece on fresh skin. If you had already tattooed them at least once or twice before taking on their cover-up, then when someone asks them, oh who did that, they have more than just your cover-up to showcase your strengths.

Well sheeeeeit! This is downright depressing. Now you got my thinking. In my quest earlier this year to find an artist to do some new pieces, and possibly re-work some older ones, I ran across an artist that I would have loved to have do it. He was not taking any new clients at the time, however, as he had several trips to Japan scheduled in the upcoming months, and needed to finish his current projects. So I put my name on his waiting list, not knowing when he might be available, and continued my search. I finally found another artist perfectly suited for my project, and he's been incredible to work with. Of course as things always happen, a few days before my work was to begin, the first artist called me to say that he was taking some new clients. Now, of all the artists who I spoke with about the re-work, this gentleman was the most optimistic about what he could do with these older tats, and since the new art was already under way, I scheduled a consultation with him to talk about exactly that. By the time I met with him, the other work had begun. I didn't get the impression that he was at all offended, because I told that I would I would have loved for him to have done the new pieces, but that he wasn't available at the time. And he still seemed optimistic about re-working the old art, because he reassured me by saying "Trust Me". Is that some sort of Ink Slinging code? I hope not................. Thanks TCE

No Tim thats no scret code I have ever heard of... I guess I am still not getting my point across ... Saiyge...any artist who would be insulted by a client who asked them to do a coverup should not be in the business....Maybe I'm old fashioned but I value each and every client we have be it new or covers they seek.....and to have the gall to suggest that you should be tattooed by an artist bfore you ask him/her to do a cover up just makes me wanna puke...I have never heard such crap in my life!To me and many many other artists covers are the epitome of the tattoo world...it takes a very skillful artist to cover a really bad tattoo.The idea though of thinking that a customer needs to "earn" the right to have a tattoo covered up is LUDICROUS!!!In fact it should be the exact opposite...the tattoo artist should have to earn the right to do a coverup.....Am I the only one who read this? This entire post is ridiculous...T

You know I love old school ethics and playing the humble martyr part too Taz. It's endearing, and oh how we all want to fit in to that exclusive club. Love the world, spread you art, live it breathe it, believe it! Because maybe that's all you got and maybe that's all you want. Which is fine by me. But get a grip dude, I know 100 guys like you and I know 100 guys like me, and YOUR point of view is just that. I was trying to explain my thoughts and you are trying to force yours. We're not all geniouses though, so we'll have to make due. I'm quite sorry that my personel desire to produce the best quality I'm capable of for my clients somehow dilutes my values and shadows my abilities, creating no place for me in professional tattooing. I tried to be what everyone said I should be, but I'll not put on a grin on when I want to wear a frown. I love what I do and don't care what you do. That might sound like an insult but read it again because it's not. It's the truth. As I said from the beginning, it was only my opinion, the sad fact is that I know artists that are cocky and conceeded 24/7 except at interview time and the humble starving artist comes out. I love the art and strive everyday to learn more and take each piece as a lesson ALWAYS. I think the word 'selective' has been the scapegoat for some artists to try and stop the spin of the industry out of their comfort zones in the past couple of years. I know that I'll never be popular with other tattoo artists but I'll never be the brown nose either. I feel deeply about some things that I see as wrong regardless of the current majority. I trust with all of this surface skimming banter, you see everything I'm trying to say. This is a problem that lays deeper then anyone would like to admit. And I'm willing to be a voice for the other side. That doesn't mean I'm a complete ahole though, I can agree you on all kinds of things but this subject and ones similar I cannot.

Oh and BTW I never once said nor indicated the word 'earned', and I think that anyone rationally reading what I'm writing would agree that that wasn't my inflection or intention..

Now for my 2 cents! Let me say that I am a ink collector, not an artist. In this day and age, many citys have WAY TOO MANY tattoo shop's! I realize that alot of people just go to the first shop they see, or to the cheapest guy. But I think that the people that are serious about ink will do their research on an artist before gettin ink done. So in my mind, If someone comes to you for a cover up, (which I have heard is more of a challenge then a new peice of skin), they have probably done their homework, and for whatever reason have chosen you to complet this task, I would think that you (an artist) would be greatfull for 1.) the fact you are getting business and not the other billion artist's out there, and 2.) They felt that you were the best person / most compatint for the job If I were a Tattoo artist, I just dont think I could afford to turn any business away. Word of mouth goes ALONG way for good and bad! Realistically, if you turn someone away cause you don't know them and don't want to do their cover-up, they pass that along to others, you could be actually turning away 1000's of people just by telling that one guy no! I am not sure if all this made sense in words, but it makes sense in my head!(this is too early in the morning to be thinking!) Baker sendz...................

TRADWHORE... I don't think I did too good of a job explaining myself!...Let me try again...I do understand your feelings ....and agree to a very limited extent....and even if I vehemently disagreed that would be cool too...wouldn't it be a boring world if we all agreed on everything? AS for the "humble thing...I assure you I am for real in anything I say....when I say something I damn well mean it and I am not putting on a "humble act" at all. Then again thats all just semantics isn't it! As I said before...lets just agree to disagree!!...TAz

Some of the guys' whose portfolios I checked out when searching for an artist had photos of cover ups, some of the guys pointed them out to me, and seemed pretty proud of the finished pieces. Some had portfolios with nothing except photos of cover ups. This is really a personal issue for each artist, because at least one of these dudes said that he loved (that was the word used) doing cover ups, and his work was some of the better that I saw. TCE

Doh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, if I had re-read the original post, I would have realized that the guys I just spoke of don't count. Sorry Dude, Sorry........... TCE

I'm glad I got some different viewpoints on the subject. I am a personal believer that being an artist who is selective because they don't find as much joy in tattooing some things as others is percieved badly. I can totally respect and envy the guys who can and want to do it all! But I don't. That doesn't mean I'm conceeded or rude or inept. If you approach me with a tattoo that doesn't interest me then it is unfair for you if I was the one to do your tattoo. Don't get me wrong, I'm not running away clients left and right, but I have done it because it seems unfair to not give them my all. When someone gives me an idea I have a vision (or a few) of that in my head, so that's what I show them. If they are unhappy with my vision why not pick an artist who can make that happen for them? I don't want to turn anyone away. As for the cover-ups its an inevetibility but I stand by my words. And to Baker462, the tattoo industry is changing, I'm not concerned about how many artists in shops there are around me. I don't need to persuade every customer that walks in that I'm the man for the job! My clients respect my honesty. I am non confrontational and put my all into every idea based on what I feel the customer wants and would make a good tattoo. Sometimes a clients wants are different than what I have to offer, that doesn't make me feel bad and it shouldn't make them feel bad either. I will always reccomend them to the person I think is right for the job, wether it be in the shop I'm in, or one 100 miles away. I think everyone deserves that. Now these are like 1 in 100 type situations so don't get the impression that my whole day consists of picking and choosing but sometimes I have to and its no insult to anyone.

Fair enough! and I like the way you said that ou don't think it is fair to the person to do a tattoo you are %100 into. Looking back now, (most of my work was stuff i drew up), and if I took it to you and u and I didn't have the same vision of the peice... I think I would respect you more if u didn't do it! I would rather be turned away by an artist because of what ever reason, then have him "just do it" to make a buck! so thats cool! so I guess we agree to disagree about agreeing to disagree! (hehee) Its all good! Baker sendz...............

And in your defense, it would be a major DISSERVICE to a customer to take a job that you're already biased against. By all means, DON'T do it. If my old tats already look like shit, I don't need to pay someone to make them still look like shit! There no lack of work for outstanding artists, and if you're one of them, you may never have to do a single cover up or re-work if you don't want to. JUST SAY NO! TCE

Just say no! I like that. I think I'm gonna wear my D.A.R.E. T-shirt from now on. Thanks for the respect guys. Its nice when people like you and its not nice when people don't like you. Unless you don't like them. Or think their not nice.