JCakesLES said:
NewCuckoo, your sweeping generalizations and snobbery are, quite frankly, cuckoo.
When it's something that's going on my body permanently, I'll make those generalizations as long as they keep me from getting bad work, which they generally (har har) do.
Okay, but you're giving terrible advice to other people.
Hold out for someone who is busy and has a very established and loyal clientele and who does good work is terrible advice?
Well, learn something new every day...
No.
Telling people that because an artist takes walk-ins they MUST be a terrible artist and they're making a terrible choice is terrible advice.
And I never said this either. Assuming. We all know what it does.
I don't want to beat this into the ground but honestly, you can figure out the reputation of a shop and look at all their books and check out their cleanliness levels, and still walk in one day and get tattooed. A shop that takes walk ins doesn't have to be some random hole in the wall you've never heard of. You are talking like making an appointment is a magic talisman that means you've done your research and the shop and artist are totally legit. But you can get a horrible tattoo even with an appointment that you wait 6 weeks for.
The thing is to know the shops in your area, know the artist's reputations, know how to tell if a shop is clean and legit. Then you can just walk in and say "hey, can anyone tattoo me today?" and be okay.
If you aren't willing to do the background research then you're taking a risk whether you make an appointment or not.
This.
The closest I've come to getting "impromptu" tattooed is when I got my bat & penguin. I walked right in and got tattooed ASAP by whoever was available. They didn't have anything that day, but just because I was ok with getting tattooed right then doesn't mean I didn't do my research.
This was in NYC where there are so many tattoo parlors. The work I had done was simple. When I went back to get my flowers done, I went to the same shop but had a particular artist in mind.
I never, ever, evvvver said that making an appointment guaranteed a good tattoo. Ever.
What it comes down to is that it doesn't fucking matter if you have to make an appointment or not. What matters is that you pick a good artist. If you can't do that then you're not going to get good tattoos.
I never, ever, evvvver said that making an appointment guaranteed a good tattoo. Ever.
What it comes down to is that it doesn't fucking matter if you have to make an appointment or not. What matters is that you pick a good artist. If you can't do that then you're not going to get good tattoos.
Backing up my Mrs. here: There aren't any absolute "rules" on who's good vs. how booked out a tattooer is. Generally better tattooers are booked out a bit, but it doesn't mean you absolutely can't get tattooed the same day - cancellations, no-shows, short appts, people sick, etc. can mean you might get tattooed on the spot by someone who's otherwise unavailable.. or you might have to wait 7 months.
You had better look at portfolios, talk to tattooers, get a vibe for what they do. Just because someone is booked out, doesn't mean they'll be the best one to do your colorbomb flower or Japanese sleeve.. also doesn't necessarily mean they're a great tattooer. You gotta find the right fit for your piece. It's nice nowadays because everything is online, you can see it all before you book the consult.
NewCuckoo
Portland, OR
July 2009
MAR 05, 2011 03:33 PM