A good consultation is a conversation, not an interview. Still, there are specific questions worth asking — and the artist's response will tell you most of what you need to know about whether to book.
About their work
- "Can I see healed photos of work similar to what I want?"
- "How long have you been doing this specific style?"
- "Have you tattooed this placement before?"
- "What changes would you suggest to my reference?"
A confident artist will love these. Someone defensive about them is signaling experience gaps.
About the process
- "How long will the session be?"
- "Will this be one session or multiple?"
- "When will I see the final design?"
- "How many revisions can I request?"
- "What's your policy if I need to change the design at the consultation?"
About pricing
- "What's your hourly rate (or flat-rate range for this size)?"
- "How does the deposit get applied?"
- "What happens if the session runs longer than expected?"
- "Is design time billed separately?"
- "Do you accept card, cash, or both — and is tipping in cash preferred?"
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Bring up budget directly. "I have $X to work with — what can we do?" gets a useful answer. Vague hints get vague quotes.
About aftercare
- "What aftercare products do you recommend?"
- "How long should I avoid sun, swimming, gym?"
- "What does normal healing look like for this placement?"
- "What signs would mean I should see a doctor?"
- "Do you offer free touch-ups, and how long after?"
About them as a person
You will be in close proximity for hours. A few personal questions are not weird:
- "Do you have your own work? Who did it?"
- "Where did you train?"
- "What's your favorite style to work in, even outside of what you do most?"
The single best question
"Is this design something you'd actually enjoy tattooing?" If they say yes with energy, that is your artist. If they shrug or hedge — find someone else. A piece tattooed without enthusiasm reads differently on healed skin.