tattoo pricing
examples of tattoos and prices are below! pricing will depend on:
size of the piece, amount of detail, amount of colour/shading, placement on the body, how long the tattoo takes on the day
my minimum booking is $200. i tend to charge by the piece for smaller tattoos and by the hour for longer sessions. roughly $200 per hour weekdays and $220 weekends.
for custom pieces I usually charge an extra $30-50 to cover drawing time and edits/changes.
certain areas of the body are easier to tattoo, for example most parts of the legs and outer arms.
for tattoos on the ribs, sides, stomach, neck and torso, my quotes would be higher than the prices below due to the extra time and difficulty of tattooing on those areas.
smaller doesn’t always equal cheaper! the smaller and finer the details, the more precision and concentration it takes to tattoo.
examples
$200-250:
$320-380:
$400-500:
$550-650:
$750-900:
$1000+:
what goes into the pricing?
it’s a great question, and one that is often kept secret. i’ll explain what goes into my hourly rate.
firstly, 30% of the cost of your tattoo goes towards the studio - to cover rent, insurance, management, general studio supplies etc.
the 70% that goes to me is not just paying for my time to tattoo you, it also covers my tattooing supplies, the hours i spend behind the scenes on drawing, emails and admin, as well as my own taxes and superannuation (tattoo artists are self employed, we are not employees of the studio.)
you’re also making an investment in a piece of art that will hopefully last you a lifetime - one that is unique for you, brought to you by my 8 years of experience tattooing, and 20+ years of art practice.
tattooing is a very cool profession, but it’s also a high pressure, physically and emotionally exhausting one - one which takes intense concentration, discipline, and empathy. i do my best to make my work as affordable and accessible as possible, and i’m always happy to try to find a way to give you a tattoo you want, within your budget.
thank you!