How much is it worth???

[JenniJayne]

  

Hello Ladies!

   This is the idea for a tattoo that I'm supposed to be getting next Wednesday.  It's in remembrance of the three precious babies my husband and I lost to miscarriage.  It will look a lot like this one, but better ;)  I've been measured for it already and it's going to go from the top of my right shoulder/arm down and across my back to just above my left hip.

   I'm getting it done by a close friend of mine and he said the outline alone will take four hours! And we will have to have a separate session for color.  My "problem" is, he's not charging me for it and he won't tell me what it's worth!! He said I can "tip" him, but he won't charge me and he won't give me any idea of the value of the tattoo.

This being my first tattoo, I have no idea what something like this costs.  Can y'all give me an idea of how much it's worth so that I can pay him accordingly? Thanks so much!!

[DiabeticMom_84]

A lot of it depends on the artist. I have seen artists who charge anywhere from $150 to $400 for something like that. A lot of artists, especially around here, charge by the hour. My artist that I started going to (who's my husband's artist) charges us with a total for the whole tattoo. To have my back piece finished,

he will only charge me around $150 for the whole thing to be finished. It was orginally going to cost me $900 by the original artist but I had to move so I didn't get a chance for the original artist to finish it.

[JenniJayne]

Wow $150 to $900 is quite the range! What if I "tip" him $150 when he does the outline and another $150 when he does the color? Is that being too cheap??

[TattooedMama669]

Most artists charge $100-$150 an hour.  Something like this, with the size you want, would run about $$600-$800 in our shop.

If he's not charging you, I would think he would appreciate any tip you give him.  It would be pretty crappy for him to refuse to give you a price and then call you cheap if you didn't tip enough!  If you're worried about it being too little, tip $50 for each hour. 

[mommy_ruggs09]

The one I have on my back was 250. The normal rate is 150 per hour and it took 3 hours. So 200 discount. I tried to put a picture up but it wouldn't load up. It goes from mid rib cage to the top of my right hip. So 300 total would probably be a good bet.

[Meggie-May]

I think if you give him a total of $300, he'll be more than happy with that... especially if he's not charging you anything & isn't expecting anything! :)