10 Things Never To Say To A Tattoo Artist (or Piercer)

Things that drive your tattoo artist/piercer crazy and why. It's OK, we know you didn't know! via trinitytattoois.com | trilogytattooco.com

1. "Does it hurt?"

Dave Lukeson / Via trinitytattoois.com

No. It feels so awesome. Like fluffy kittens and rainbows...

Yes. It hurts. It is the number one annoying question we get. Why wouldn't it hurt? If you are worried about pain, think about all of the other people who have already sat through massive tattoos and did just fine. Some parts of the body just feel annoying, some make pain shoot through your entire body, some feel like shoving hot coals into an open wound that you just poured salt all over, and all of it varies from person to person.

A piercing may be a bit different, some piercings almost feel like nothing, some are extremely painful, but they are usually really quick. Your piercer will be able to tell you what to expect.

What to do: Assume it hurts. You can ask us if the area is usually really sensitive, we will answer honestly- it is different for everybody. As always, give it a good long hard thought before getting a tattoo or piercing.

Or grab a chewing stick like the folks over at Body Art Temple suggest.

2. "Do you sell 'guns' here?"

Dave Lukeson / Via trinitytattoois.com

No. There is SO much wrong with this question.

Lets start by letting everyone know that guns are things that shoot bullets, the tools you see here are machines. Tattoo machines are very personal to the individual artist and nothing shoots out of them, they are like tiny flesh penetrating paint brushes.

We will breach the topic of home tattooing (dislike) later, but the answer to that question is: if you are a professional or an apprentice training to be a professional, you would know exactly where to buy a tattoo machine, and it is NOT at a tattoo studio.

What to do: Work on showing up every day to a studio and drawing every day and earn yourself and apprenticeship.

3. "I'm open to suggestions (but not really)."

Client photo: Maria Huntington- Leckemby Artist: Matt Clarke / Via Facebook: trinitytattooco

If you just want a sweet infinity loop with your one word motto in it... own it. If you say you are open to suggestions and your tattoo artist spends a bunch of time trying to come up with ideas for you and you are just going to turn them down anyway, it gets really frustrating. It is almost as frustrating as the next one on the list...

What to do: Own that tattoo. Know what you want and know when you want/don't want suggestions.

4. "What do you think I should get?"

Rusty Estill / Via trilogytattooco.com

Client: "What do you think I should get?"

Artist: "What do you want?"

Client: "I don't know, something cool."

Artist: "What kind of things do you like?"

Client: "Everything, I mean I really like asian art, but really everything."

Artist: "Check out these sweet dragons, want something like that?"

Client: "No, I don't like dragons."

This can go on for hours. If you don't know and you are you, we don't know what you want either. We can't spend hours at the drawing board coming up with ideas for your tattoos with nothing but an "I don't know."

What to do: Know what you want. Get at least an idea of something you might like. Even if it is a style of tattoo or art, or if your artist has a particular style that you like, give them a few examples of their art that turned you on to him/her in the first place. If you just don't care what it is and you just want an original by that artist, ask him/her if they have a piece of original art that they would like to tattoo on a client. Some artists only tattoo their own original art on clients and the clients do not have a choice. You can always look up one of those.

5. ::Reaches up and grabs piercer's hand::

Kelli Hignutt Tatroe /Artist: Ryan Provido Client: Joey Tatroe / Via facebook.com

NO.

We asked piercer Ryan Provido over at Trilogy Tattoo Co what was the worst thing a client has asked him and he said:

"It's more about what people do, not what they say. Don't reach up and try to grab a piercer's hand, that is a quick way to get stabbed in the eye."

That is a thing? Guys... don't do that. It is unsafe and anything you touch has to be re-sterilized.

What to do: Sit on your hands if you have to. Meditate. Breathe.

6. "What's the craziest tattoo you ever did?!"

Bennett Edwards / Via trinitytattoois.com

Tattoo artists see a lot of crazy shit... but you know what? It might not be crazy shit to the clients asking for the artwork. So yea, at least one of us has tattooed a vagina dragon, but that doesn't mean we are going to go laughing about it at the bar with potential clients. Besides, it was probably a really rad vagina dragon.

What to do: Think about your tattoo.

7. "Did you do all of your own tattoos yourself?!"

Artist: Jamie Cary / Via trilogytattooco.com

Yup. And I can dislocate my arms and tattoo my back while looking into a mirror.

Just think about that question for a second.

Tattoo artists like getting tattooed too, it's like collecting baseball cards from all of our friends and colleagues. No, we can't physically tattoo all of them ourselves.

Thanks for liking them though!

What to do: Think before you ask a question.

8. "What is the shop minimum?"

Trinity Tattoo Co / Via trinitytattoois.com

Don't get us wrong, having a budget for a tattoo is a good idea, but price shopping for the cheapest way to get something done is not the way to go about getting a tattoo.

What to do: Figure out exactly what you want, find artists that do quality work out of a safe environment and save up money for your tattoo. If you just want a "camel toe" and you want the shop that will charge you the least, go for it.

9. "Do you do tattoo parties?"

gobeyondtheink.com / Via gobeyondtheink.com

Absolutely not. Tattoo artists work really hard to make a name for themselves as a reputable, talented, and safe artists. Tattooing out of a home or at a party is not only unsafe, it is illegal in most states. If you don't like the price, cool, don't get tattooed. There is too much risk of spreading diseases, blood born illnesses and infection tattooing out of the home.

What to do: Check the laws in your states and see just how much it takes to legally become a tattoo artist and maintain a license. Here are the Virginia regulations.

10. "Can I get a discount if I bring my own ink?" / "Can I put this substance into my ink?"

Dave Lukeson / Via trinitytattoois.com

If we didn't purchase and open the ink ourselves, no way. That is nowhere near safe.

There are a lot of people who think it would be really cool to put the blood of a friend or ashes of a dead relative into their tattoo. Not only is that gross, it is unsafe too!

What to do: Treat a tattoo like a surgical procedure (because that is what it really is). You would never ask a doctor for a discount for bringing your own hip replacement. You would never ask a doctor to inject your grandpa Joe's (RIP) ashes into your bloodstream, why would you expect us to do that?

Just no.