7 Annoyingly Common Things Tattoo Artists Hate Hearing

Tattoo artists have dozens, if not hundreds, of conversations a day. They meet a whole slew of people constantly coming into their shop to ask questions and get tattoos. Over time they are bound to get sick of hearing the same thing over and over. Anyone would. I asked a bunch of my friends in the industry what some annoyingly common things tattoo artists hate hearing are and boy did I ever get an earful.

 If you heard what I did, you might even think “How can I even get a tattoo if everything I say is annoying to the artist?” Honestly, it’s not easy and chances are you are already a culprit of a few of these things. I know I was! That’s why I compiled this list of the most agreed-upon things that most tattoo artists hate hearing. That way you can hopefully avoid the worst of them. After all, if you are going to your artist for some much-needed tattoo therapy, then the last thing you want to do is piss them off.

7. Constant complaints about it hurting

The odd “ow”, grunt, or hiss of pain is normal. After all, tattooing is and always has been a painful process. I mean you are literally having needles tipped with ink repetitively being stabbed under your top layers of skin. It hurts! Therefore, expressing that pain is normal as long as you do it in a normal way.

However, not all people express it normally. I have sat in a chair to get a tattoo and all I heard, other than the conversation I was having with the artist, was the girl in the next chair complaining about how much it hurt. Not to mention she did that nonstop for over an hour! It definitely annoyed me and every artist I talked to said the same. Yet that isn’t even the worst of it.

There is also a very distinct subgroup of people who will sit there and either scream or moan in pain for the duration of their tattoo. Do not be this person. They are incredibly disruptive, and not just to their tattoo artist. This form of expression disturbs everyone in the shop. Not to mention that moans of pain sound awfully close to erotic moans. So if the shop has separate rooms for the tattoo artists, it can appear to others in the shop that something very unprofessional is going on in the very next room.

Even though tattoos are known to hurt, chances are you may have a similar experience to me. For my first tattoo ever I had heard that it would hurt so I psyched myself up for this extraordinary amount of pain. So much so that when the day finally came I sat in the chair and it barely hurt at all. I had psyched myself up for nothing, but doing so allowed me to enjoy the process to a point that it became almost therapeutic.

However, if you are one of these people then maybe tattooing isn’t for you.

Interested in our story? Read about the tattoo that started it all.

6. Asking “How much for a (generic) sleeve?” 

I understand both sides of this. Sleeves are awesome so no one can blame you for wanting to know how much one would go for. Hell, early in my tattooing life I was a pretty bad culprit for doing this. I would go from artist to artist asking how much they would charge for a generic sleeve. The answer I would receive was almost always “Well that depends on what exactly you want.” or “I charge x amount per hour” I used to think this was a cop-out so that they wouldn’t commit to something, but it’s absolutely true!

Every sleeve is different and several factors can contribute to the cost of a tattoo. First of all, every person’s arm and pain threshold is different which can add to the time it takes to do. If you have to get up every hour or half-hour to take a break, prolongs the experience and ultimately takes away from the time the artist could be working on someone else. On top of that, they have to draw up a design. Depending on how much detail is in the piece will also contribute to both the time and the price.

All of these things can add up and drastically change the amount of time and money it’ll cost to get a sleeve. Depending on where you are in the world, the artist might have an hourly fee or they may charge by the piece, but to give you an actual price they need to have an idea of what exactly they’d be doing.

I wanted to give an honourable mention here about something else that annoys tattoo artists. Not all artists feel this way, but a few have brought it up so I figured it deserved a footnote. Some artists don’t even like being asked how much they charge for any piece. They very much are on the opinion that “Well you’re getting a piece of art that will last forever so do you want a tattoo regardless of price or no?”

Again not all artists are like that. I would even go as far as to say most are not, but just keep these things in mind when getting a tattoo.

5. Saying “I give you full creative control” Then “Can you just change this and that and that.”

This is just brutal. You’ve given an artist creative control and slowly stripped them of it piece by piece. Yes, you are going to have this on your body for the rest of your life. I get it, but you gave this artist full creative control because you like their art and you trust their vision. It gets even worse if you have them go back and revise the piece over and over. At that point not only are you stripping them of their creativity and vision, but you’re also having them do a lot of extra unpaid work. 

This falls into a bigger annoying common category that almost all tattoo artists hate. That would be trying to micromanage everything about the tattoo. This comes in so many forms from getting your fingers in where the tattooist is tattooing to asking for a million revisions. How do you feel when someone micromanages you when you’re doing something? You hate it right? Well so does your artist. 

Now don’t get me wrong. You are going to have this on your body forever so if you want a revision or two you should definitely ask for it. However, if you are giving an artist creative freedom then let them have it. On the other hand, if you already know what you want, then just ask for it!

4. Saying “Let me just ask my significant other/friend”

Who is getting the tattoo? You or the person you are about to ask? You? Then why are you asking someone else’s opinion before it’s on your body? There are two main issues with this one. The first is that no one really needs to like it, but you. You are the one who will have it on your body forever after all. Therefore the only opinion about the piece that even matters is yours. So why are you going and asking someone else?

The second issue with this is more of a touchy subject. If you’re looking for some sort of permission from someone then there is a different issue here. You really shouldn’t need to seek approval from someone else to get a piece of art that you like tattooed on your body. If you don’t have full autonomy over what happens with your body then chances are you shouldn’t be getting a tattoo. Such as if you’re a minor for example.

There is one exception to this though. That is when you are getting matching tattoos with others. If this is the case, all people who are a part of this should be there with you when going through the process. I would even go as far as to say that you should all use the same artist so that it will turn out as close as possible.

Came for the tattoos, but staying for the travel? Check out our tips to save money while travelling.

3.  Asking “Can you give me exactly what they have?”

Now we start getting into the taboo. The things you absolutely should not do or say under any circumstance. I know many people who are guilty of this and it is not just asking for the same thing someone else has. Sometimes it’s pulling up an image and saying that that is exactly what you want. Even I have been guilty of doing so once or twice.

Almost every artist will do their best to convince you not to get the exact image or tattoo as someone else. To some, it feels like plagiarism. To most, they would rather add their own twist to the piece in question so it could be similar, but in their own style. 

When it comes to wanting the exact image you’ve pulled off the internet there are more issues. A big one is that not everything works as a tattoo and your artist will know what will and won’t. You have to have faith that they will be able to make it into something you will love and will actually work. Another huge issue could be that the image you selected wouldn’t work well in that artist’s style of tattooing. If that is the case it might be a good idea to find a style that will fit better with what you want.

Whatever the case, it is completely ok for you to ask an artist to use an image or another tattoo as a reference piece.

2. Someone acting as if they know better

Excuse me for assuming, but if you are getting a tattoo from someone I assume that you like their art. That or you lost a bet while drunk. Sometimes that happens too. Yet most people will pick an artist because they like the art that they have seen or were recommended by someone else who liked the art. Whatever the case is, chances are your artist knows what they are doing.

Your tattoo artist has dedicated their life to their craft. They wouldn’t be in this profession if they hadn’t. Therefore, it is very likely that every step of the way their knowledge of what they are talking about far outweighs yours. They have spent countless hours sketching, drawing, and practicing on moulds before they ever even put a tattoo gun to a real person. They know what will work and what won’t everywhere from the initial design to the aftercare.

So if they say something won’t work, or they prescribe something specific for aftercare, you should listen to them. Not what your tattooed friend said, or the tattoo artist you had when you were 18, or some other tattoo artist. You came to this artist, so trust them to do right by you, cause they definitely know better than you.

Honourable Mention:

I put this as an honourable mention as this is more something that a client doesn’t do instead of something artists are sick of hearing. That’s bad hygiene. Nothing much is worse than having to work on someone who reeks or has really bad breath. With tattooing, you work on somebody’s body and you can’t get much closer than literally touching someone. So please I beg you. Shower and brush your teeth before you go get your tattoo. Everyone will appreciate it

If you’re planning your first tattoo take a look at our list of overused tattoos so you don’t commit those tattoo taboos.

1. “Can you give me a discount/free tattoo?”

Do. Not. Do. This. I can not stress that enough. This is one of the worst things you can possibly do to a tattoo artist and it will straight piss them off. Trust me you do not want the person in charge of putting something permanent on your body pissed off at you. 

Let me put it this way. How would you feel if your boss asked you to work 5 more hours, but without pay? Better yet how would you feel if some stranger asked you to come work for them for a few hours for free? I bet you would get pretty annoyed. I know I would and I would probably give a flat-out “umm, no” That is exactly what you are asking your artist to do. Yes, your artist probably loves their job, but that doesn’t mean they want to do it for free. This is their livelihood.

Yet there is one way that this can be even worse. There is the odd person who will go and get the tattoo done and wait until after to say that they don’t have enough, or any, money. These people are the absolute scum of the earth and this is a pretty good way to get banned from that shop and all of the shops in the area. This is the ultimate taboo. This is theft. 

If you can’t afford a tattoo, then don’t get one. It’s as simple as that.

In Conclusion

Whether you are going for your first tattoo or you are setting out to get that last piece to complete your full-body suit you could still find yourself stumbling upon one of the annoyingly common things that tattoo artists hate hearing. So do yourself and your tattoo artist a favour and avoid these tattoo taboos. after all, finding a good artist isn’t always easy.

7. Constant complaints about it hurting

6. Asking “How much for a (generic) sleeve

5. Saying “I give you full creative control” Then “Can you just change this and that and that.”

4. Saying “Let me just ask my significant other/friend

3. Asking “Can you give me exactly what she/he has?”

2. Someone acting as if they know better

1.” Can you give me a discount/free tattoo?”

Have you committed any of these tattoo taboos? If so, which ones? Do you think there are any we missed that should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below!