How much time did it take for these tattoos?

[finegentleman 58]

About how much time do you think was spent tattooing these two?

1. http://www.lucaortis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dragon-half-sleeve1.jpg (assuming it goes around the whole upper arm + shoulder)

2. http://www.tattoostime.com/images/365/extreme-japanese-dragon-tattoo-on-man-half-sleeve.jpg

Just curious. I'm a newbie. I'd appreciate a rough estimate

[Graeme 2,588]

Pointless question.

[tatB 904]

How tall are those people? Did they sit still or need breaks every 5 minutes? Too many factors to accurately estimate how many hours. I would randomly guess atleast 15-20 hours.

Go to a tattoo shop and talk to a tattooer. They are much better at answering these questions.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

[Fala 346]

My first response was, "as long as it took to get the job done." I don't understand the underlying point of the question, as @Graeme said.

[Lance 245]

Agreed with @BrianH. There are many factors which can determine the amount of time a tattoo was done in. How well can a Client sit. How big a Client is. How fast the Artist is. What environment were they tattooed in. I don't know how many times I've heard a potential client walk into the shop I go to and ask this. The Artists and Shop Guys I know always tell them it's hard to say because a lot of it is not determined by the Artist but the Client. When getting my first tattoo, I asked the same thing. It's a popular question for people with little or no tattoos. If it's a money thing, all people need to know is have enough cash for each session and they're good. If it's because they have a low pain tolerance, setup shorter sessions and it'll work out.

[Killercook76 185]

Yo how much and how long! LOL. Sometimes it take a lot longer than you think. Other times shorter! Half sleeve can go anywhere from 15 to 20 to 25 hours .. it all depends on sooo many things. I usually prepare to pay about 500 to 1000 dollars more just in case. I wouldn't start an email to these artist with that question ! You may not get a response!

[Lance 245]

Ha ha! @Killercook76, you are absolutely correct. I should amend my earlier statement that it's a common enough question for those who have no or very little tattoos, but it's equally annoying to hear for Artists. I learned the hard way ;-)

[Killercook76 185]

Ha ha! @Killercook76, you are absolutely correct. I should amend my earlier statement that it's a common enough question for those who have no or very little tattoos, but it's equally annoying to hear for Artists. I learned the hard way ;-)

I did too ! HA! My artist just said he's bad at estimating. I think he gave me a ball park answer?? I don't think they really mind too much as long as youre polite and have enough money. I'm usually good at guessing.. most of the time.

[SeeSea 943]

I asked the same question of my artist, too, as a newbie. How many sessions? He kinda laughed in a not mean way and told me he can't even estimate (full back). I thought it would take much less time than it's gonna take - I'm only 11.5 hours in there's not a lot done yet. Even if an artist can't estimate, I wish I had gotten at least a rough rough rough estimate, even like, "This will be at least 50 hours" or something like that.

Anyway ... it might be a better question to ask people around here to show one of their pieces and share how many hours went into it. That could give you an idea how variable the answer is.

There may be a thread for this somewhere, but I'm pretty new and floundering around trying to figure out how to search this site and get useful search results.

[finegentleman 58]

ask people around here to show one of their pieces and share how many hours went into it. That could give you an idea how variable the answer is.

That'd be really helpful.

[Graeme 2,588]

That'd be really helpful.

Why is it helpful? Because if you're looking to estimate the cost of a tattoo you want to get it isn't in any way helpful because how long it took Luca Ortis to do that tattoo has absolutely no bearing on how long it would take Regino Gonzales to do a similar tattoo. There's only so much useful information you can get from the internet, at some point you need to physically walk into a shop and talk to actual people.

[deadsp0t 27]

Pointless question.

Why is it helpful? Because if you're looking to estimate the cost of a tattoo you want to get it isn't in any way helpful because how long it took Luca Ortis to do that tattoo has absolutely no bearing on how long it would take Regino Gonzales to do a similar tattoo. There's only so much useful information you can get from the internet' date=' at some point you need to physically walk into a shop and talk to actual people.[/quote']

You don't have to always be a cock sucker, everyone else here offered what info they could and explained why it may not be useful at all, what wrong with that? Instead of being a dick, try answering a question, or here's a thought, if it's really that pointless, just stfu.

I guess unless you're asking a question the only reply accepted 'ask your tattooer'.. Asking a tattooer is great, but as someone new to tattoos and such, if you just roll up in a shop or two and start asking artists 'how much for this?' And 'how long for that?' You're going to have a bad time, seen it first hand, tattooers wanna work with paying customers, not looky Lu's-

If we here @ LST aren't willing to provide these types of guesstimates, we should be so willing to talk shit when they get bad info elsewhere.

This place is supposed to be dedicated to good tattoos, not being a fucking asshole to anyone you can because they might know less then you. How about help out or shut the fuck up.

[SeeSea 943]

Why is it helpful? Because if you're looking to estimate the cost of a tattoo you want to get it isn't in any way helpful because how long it took Luca Ortis to do that tattoo has absolutely no bearing on how long it would take Regino Gonzales to do a similar tattoo.

But that's exactly the kind of information that it would be really useful to explore - the details beyond picture/price/hours. Here's why.

I don't know who the hell some of these artists are, but when I see a particular artist discussed in glowing terms, I go look them up. And sometimes drool. And when someone says, "They did this in 1 sitting" I get blown away. Or I look at a piece and wonder why it took XXX hours when the same size work on my back took 2*XXX hours ... and I start studying the works.

Well, I see some backs done in 50 hours and realize there is no freaking way my back will be done in that time. And I wonder why. Then I realize after some looking, I have some intricate little areas with a bunch of shading and blends and details (one part is a clownfish partially hidden in anemone with detailed scales and sunlight accents) that's probably 5x6 inches, only 70% done now, and has taken 6 hours so far. And then, I realize that the same square footage on another back without the details, but still nice blends, etc. is gonna be a lot quicker, probably no matter who the artist is. Maybe my artist is slow. :: shrugs :: I don't know and I have nothing to compare it with, but when the time comes I'll post a pic and share the details - the pic, how I sat, how my skin takes ink, how long it took to heal, and other stuff I haven't learned yet that could be relevant.

I'm in the same newbie boat trying to learn, and a "basic question" like time isn't something so easy to understand, but I'm learning aspects of the answer too. /vent

[RoryQ 319]

You don't have to always be a cock sucker, everyone else here offered what info they could and explained why it may not be useful at all, what wrong with that? Instead of being a dick, try answering a question, or here's a thought, if it's really that pointless, just stfu.

I guess unless you're asking a question the only reply accepted 'ask your tattooer'.. Asking a tattooer is great, but as someone new to tattoos and such, if you just roll up in a shop or two and start asking artists 'how much for this?' And 'how long for that?' You're going to have a bad time, seen it first hand, tattooers wanna work with paying customers, not looky Lu's-

If we here @ LST aren't willing to provide these types of guesstimates, we should be so willing to talk shit when they get bad info elsewhere.

This place is supposed to be dedicated to good tattoos, not being a fucking asshole to anyone you can because they might know less then you. How about help out or shut the fuck up.

Somehow we manage to have dozens of threads per month where we discuss a lot of positive topics, share images of new tattoos and general shoot the shit. If the 'party line' on LST were that the only acceptable answer to any tattoo-related question is to 'ask your tattooer' then we wouldn't have the thriving discussion forum that we do. We'd have a bunch of really short threads which all culminated in people saying 'ask your tattooer'. Err.. Except we don't.

A guideline here on LST is that we don't talk about money. I'm guessing this guy is looking for a ballpark figure of hours for his half-sleeve so that he can figure out how much he needs to save or whatever. Fine. No one is talking about hanging, drawing and quartering him, but let's be clear: He'd be better off going to his tattooer and being up front rather than asking a 'how long is a piece of string' question. Because Graeme was actually giving him very good advice when he said he is not going to learn anything useful here. All he'll learn is how quickly a specific tattooer worked on that tattoo. It won't even tell him whether that tattooer would be slower on a different client, doing a different tattoo, in a different frame of mind.

Now, I do also detect a slightly testy tone to Graeme's post. But frankly he probably said what a lot of us were thinking. We've had a rash of posts on LST lately which are, frankly, lowest common denominator posts. It's stuff that people should be walking into their tattoo shop and asking about. I don't see a particular reason why any regulars on LST are obligated to worry if people get 'bad advice' when they are fobbed off and end up asking elsewhere. I don't feel any particular pressure to provide 'guesstimates' to anyone, for example... I mean... really?

Finally, there's something more than a little ironic about the fact that you're pleading for Graeme to 'help out' and not be a 'fucking asshole' while at the same time you manage to squeeze into your post that he is a cock sucker, a dick and a fucking asshole, and to 'stfu'.

For what it's worth, Graeme adds a hell of a lot more value to this forum with his posts that yours, so perhaps you're the one who should consider putting a sock in it.

[tatB 904]

You don't have to always be a cock sucker, everyone else here offered what info they could and explained why it may not be useful at all, what wrong with that? Instead of being a dick, try answering a question, or here's a thought, if it's really that pointless, just stfu.

I guess unless you're asking a question the only reply accepted 'ask your tattooer'.. Asking a tattooer is great, but as someone new to tattoos and such, if you just roll up in a shop or two and start asking artists 'how much for this?' And 'how long for that?' You're going to have a bad time, seen it first hand, tattooers wanna work with paying customers, not looky Lu's-

If we here @ LST aren't willing to provide these types of guesstimates, we should be so willing to talk shit when they get bad info elsewhere.

This place is supposed to be dedicated to good tattoos, not being a fucking asshole to anyone you can because they might know less then you. How about help out or shut the fuck up.

All the questions have already been answered elsewhere on this forum. It is pretty easy to take some time to search and read the abundance of information here. It is frustrating when new users are too impatient to research their own questions. Tattoos aren't for everyone. If you can't talk to a tattoo artist and ask simple questions they probably aren't for you.

And as has said above this question is so variable that it is pointless to answer.

[Killercook76 185]

But that's exactly the kind of information that it would be really useful to explore - the details beyond picture/price/hours. Here's why.

I don't know who the hell some of these artists are, but when I see a particular artist discussed in glowing terms, I go look them up. And sometimes drool. And when someone says, "They did this in 1 sitting" I get blown away. Or I look at a piece and wonder why it took XXX hours when the same size work on my back took 2*XXX hours ... and I start studying the works.

Well, I see some backs done in 50 hours and realize there is no freaking way my back will be done in that time. And I wonder why. Then I realize after some looking, I have some intricate little areas with a bunch of shading and blends and details (one part is a clownfish partially hidden in anemone with detailed scales and sunlight accents) that's probably 5x6 inches, only 70% done now, and has taken 6 hours so far. And then, I realize that the same square footage on another back without the details, but still nice blends, etc. is gonna be a lot quicker, probably no matter who the artist is. Maybe my artist is slow. :: shrugs :: I don't know and I have nothing to compare it with, but when the time comes I'll post a pic and share the details - the pic, how I sat, how my skin takes ink, how long it took to heal, and other stuff I haven't learned yet that could be relevant.

I'm in the same newbie boat trying to learn, and a "basic question" like time isn't something so easy to understand, but I'm learning aspects of the answer too. /vent

I guess this question is something that you will learn with time. HaHa

Seriously I recently got a big panther and I thought it was going to take less then it actually did. I guess because it was so much solid shading etc. I know from experience scales, japanese backgrounds, and blending colors take a lot longer than you think.

Yeah different artist will usually be a little faster. That is why some of the high caliber artist charge more. It's because they are fast and something that another artist may take say 10 hours they can do in 7. So when it comes to price don't be sticker shocked. Actually it comes out to the same price.

Also the more you get tattooed from these guys it opens doors and it's easier to get work from other awesome artist.

At the end of the day go for quality rather than price. Most of these artist that are mentioned on this site are incredible. To you it may seem like humm that doesn't look any better than my artist that is much cheaper. When you look at it in person and when it heals etc . You can see the difference in quality and also artistically.

I've learned that BOLD tattoos are the best !!! If you look at a tattoo from across the room and can't really tell what it is right away

[Bexter 1]

I asked the same question of my artist, too, as a newbie... Even if an artist can't estimate, I wish I had gotten at least a rough rough rough estimate, even like, "This will be at least 50 hours" or something like that.

I was booked in for three sessions straight off the bat, which did shock me a little at the time (I'm a complete newbie)

After the first session I did ask how long was left (sorry artist, i didn't know any better) and they suggested I book a few more sessions on top of what I'd already booked. Naive I know but my budget couldn't accommodate it. And I thought I could get it finished in the time I had booked in as my artist is moving cities in the summer.

Not a problem really, I'm just going to ask to get it to a point then I'll take a trip to finish it later in the year.

I suppose an idea would have lessened the shock and put me in the right mindset from the beginning. Especially with time constraints on having the artist in my city.

[HaydenRose 62]

I think at the end of the day, you have to talk to a tattooer. I do agree with @deadsp0t to some extent, but hear me out... You should only go to your preferred tattooer/shop after deciding on what you want to get and where... Yes, just waltzing into a shop and asking a random set of questions about random designs and random artists is pointless. If you want to get a feel for how long tattoos take, then you could talk to friends and other collectors, but like @Graeme said that serves no one because the length of time a tattoo takes varies from each design and artist combination.

Browse tattoos and artists you like. Decide on a design you would like to get and which artist you prefer. THEN go to the shop and ask these questions. Ultimately, you should get the tattoo you want and it will cost what it will cost. Trying to decipher the time a tattoo still boils down to price anxiety, which can only be remedied by asking the shop/tattooer you intend on bringing your ideas to. <--- I guess that's my main point and... /end rant

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I think at the end of the day, you have to talk to a tattooer. I do agree with @deadsp0t to some extent, but hear me out... You should only go to your preferred tattooer/shop after deciding on what you want to get and where... Yes, just waltzing into a shop and asking a random set of questions about random designs and random artists is pointless. If you want to get a feel for how long tattoos take, then you could talk to friends and other collectors, but like @Graeme said that serves no one because the length of time a tattoo takes varies from each design and artist combination.

Browse tattoos and artists you like. Decide on a design you would like to get and which artist you prefer. THEN go to the shop and ask these questions. Ultimately, you should get the tattoo you want and it will cost what it will cost. Trying to decipher the time a tattoo still boils down to price anxiety, which can only be remedied by asking the shop/tattooer you intend on bringing your ideas to. <--- I guess that's my main point and... /end rant

[deadsp0t 27]

Somehow we manage to have dozens of threads per month where we discuss a lot of positive topics' date=' share images of new tattoos and general shoot the shit. If the 'party line' on LST were that the only acceptable answer to any tattoo-related question is to 'ask your tattooer' then we wouldn't have the thriving discussion forum that we do. We'd have a bunch of really short threads which all culminated in people saying 'ask your tattooer'. Err.. Except we don't. A guideline here on LST is that we don't talk about money. I'm guessing this guy is looking for a ballpark figure of hours for his half-sleeve so that he can figure out how much he needs to save or whatever. Fine. No one is talking about hanging, drawing and quartering him, but let's be clear: He'd be better off going to his tattooer and being up front rather than asking a 'how long is a piece of string' question. Because Graeme was actually giving him very good advice when he said he is not going to learn anything useful here. All he'll learn is how quickly a specific tattooer worked on that tattoo. It won't even tell him whether that tattooer would be slower on a different client, doing a different tattoo, in a different frame of mind. Now, I do also detect a slightly testy tone to Graeme's post. But frankly he probably said what a lot of us were thinking. We've had a rash of posts on LST lately which are, frankly, lowest common denominator posts. It's stuff that people should be walking into their tattoo shop and asking about. I don't see a particular reason why any regulars on LST are obligated to worry if people get 'bad advice' when they are fobbed off and end up asking elsewhere. I don't feel any particular pressure to provide 'guesstimates' to anyone, for example... I mean... really? Finally, there's something more than a little ironic about the fact that you're pleading for Graeme to 'help out' and not be a 'fucking asshole' while at the same time you manage to squeeze into your post that he is a cock sucker, a dick and a fucking asshole, and to 'stfu'. For what it's worth, Graeme adds a hell of a lot more value to this forum with his posts that yours, so perhaps you're the one who should consider putting a sock in it.[/quote']

The point is I see so many posts and hear ppl say 'oh these plains skins say the darnedest things' and the like, well they say and think what they do because they try and gather information about tattoos, etiquette etc from ppl who are experienced so they don't look like fools when they walk in a professional shop and ask a general question, good tattooers are busy and aren't going to stop tattooing to answer such, I've seen it first hand, so as a site dedicated to good tattoos it lends that we should be informing or pointing in the right direction. If 'this is a question for your tattooer' is more productive then sharing exp.. Well..

[RoryQ 319]

The point is I see so many posts and hear ppl say 'oh these plains skins say the darnedest things' and the like, well they say and think what they do because they try and gather information about tattoos, etiquette etc from ppl who are experienced so they don't look like fools when they walk in a professional shop and ask a general question, good tattooers are busy and aren't going to stop tattooing to answer such, I've seen it first hand, so as a site dedicated to good tattoos it lends that we should be informing or pointing in the right direction. If 'this is a question for your tattooer' is more productive then sharing exp.. Well..

There's an incredible amount of high quality discussion and information on this forum. The search function is a help, but really even if someone just read through some of the longer threads they'd learn a tremendous amount.

I reject the idea that on top of that this forum should be a place for people to ask the kind of questions that have probably been dealt with before in one thread or another, and which they don't really seem to be serious enough about answering that they go into their local street shop or shoot an artist an e-mail. If you feel differently, and feel that no question is too dumb for us to have some responsibility to answer that's your perogative. But don't call people a 'cock sucker' (nice casual homophobia by the way) just because not everyone agree with you.

Edited February 23, 2014 by RoryQ
I was a bit harsh

[Killercook76 185]

All the questions have already been answered elsewhere on this forum. It is pretty easy to take some time to search and read the abundance of information here. It is frustrating when new users are too impatient to research their own questions. Tattoos aren't for everyone. If you can't talk to a tattoo artist and ask simple questions they probably aren't for you.

And as has said above this question is so variable that it is pointless to answer.

I kinda agree with you but..

Some of us are on this site a lot and see the same questions asked and answered all the time but..

Other are new to the site and honestly who has the time to look through all the different threads. I feel that some of these questions are so stupid but that is because I've learned the answers to many of these questions through getting tattooed..

So people who don't have tattoos or not as much then this should be a great place to come. Since most of us have quality tattoos.

I feel the frustration of you guys who are experienced in this site and see it all but do we have to dismiss all of those who aren't?

It's an easy fix! If you see a question that you don't like then don't answer it!

Can you imagine if you went to tattoo shop for the first time ever and asked the artist how much do you charge and about how long . These questions all of us have asked at one point in the beginning of our tattoo journey. So you have to kinda understand. No?

I've asked this to many artist but kinda like how many sessions are we looking at? They usually tell me roughly. Other times they are exact.

For example when I got tattooed at Gold Rush with Tim. I emailed him and asked is this something we can do in one sitting. Then he said yes. Then I asked how much do you charge he informed me that he charges by the piece and only charges by the hour for larger tattoos. After that he told me the exact price. I already knew his rates are super reasonable from the mouth of other tattoo artist but just needed to know .

Other artist that charge by the hour well that is a different story I guess... I've learned that so many factor are involved with this question but not all of us understand this. Especially those who are new to the tattoo world like all of us at one time . So if you don't like a persons question then instead of being frustrated or angry then you have a choice to not read the thread.

I know it's hard but for example if you go to a restaurant and don't like a particular dish on the menu don't order it!!

[TrixieFaux 388]

Personally, I don't care how long bigger pieces take--the artist can take as long as they need to finish it to their satisfaction. They are professionals. I save up enough per session and get tattooed once a month or maybe skip a month here and there until they say it's done. I don't really like to tally up exactly how much it cost in the end, I just like to see a good tattoo. I do know approx how much each session will be and that is helpful. I was at the shop 8 hours yesterday working on my arm...it was maybe my 3rd session on it and I believe there's 1 to go. Yay! So psyched.

@DeadSpot, the specific thread titled "plainskins say the darndest things" is not to make fun of what newbies who are looking to get tattooed say, it's more like shit my mom says--and other people who have never and most likely will never be into tattoos. And it was meant to be light hearted and funny, not mean spirited.

Not seeing the point in calling anyone names. IMO @Graeme is often right, if a little blunt.

[Orangutango 31]

I think most people on here are willing to answer questions that haven't been covered a million times before (in a range of threads) and don't clearly come across as price related.

How long people sit is discussed frequently, not hard to match some times given with gallery uploads if you are that interested.

The amount of information on here is massive, the amount of people willing to repeatedly spoon feed it to you, not so much.

[RoryQ 319]

Other are new to the site and honestly who has the time to look through all the different threads. I feel that some of these questions are so stupid but that is because I've learned the answers to many of these questions through getting tattooed..

So people who don't have tattoos or not as much then this should be a great place to come.

They don't have the time to use the search function to look through old threads that have the answer to their question? Really? It's probably quicker than starting a new thread and coming back to check on it again and again. And it's also a lot easier on the rest of us.

I agree that this is a great forum to come to. But part of the reason it's good is because the signal to noise ratio is low. I don't know whether you get this or not, but a surefire way to significantly reduce the overall quality of the forum is to end up with a scenario where it becomes the clogged up with endless threads are by people asking whether their tattoo is infected or whether they can get a koi half sleeve done for $300 or what have you. That's not hating on people, but let's be clear that without at least some moderation and structure the forum would be less enjoyable than it is.

As for not answering someone's question if you don't like it: Let's be clear here. Graeme answered the OP's question pretty conclusively. It just might not be what he wanted or needed to hear. This thread is well and truly derailed, but it had nothing to do with his response.

[Killercook76 185]

They don't have the time to use the search function to look through old threads that have the answer to their question? Really? It's probably quicker than starting a new thread and coming back to check on it again and again. And it's also a lot easier on the rest of us.

I agree that this is a great forum to come to. But part of the reason it's good is because the signal to noise ratio is low. I don't know whether you get this or not, but a surefire way to significantly reduce the overall quality of the forum is to end up with a scenario where it becomes the clogged up with endless threads are by people asking whether their tattoo is infected or whether they can get a koi half sleeve done for $300 or what have you. That's not hating on people, but let's be clear that without at least some moderation and structure the forum would be less enjoyable than it is.

As for not answering someone's question if you don't like it: Let's be clear here. Graeme answered the OP's question pretty conclusively. It just might not be what he wanted or needed to hear. This thread is well and truly derailed, but it had nothing to do with his response.

Haha! Ok cool thanks for the response! Yes this site is awesome for that reason but there will always be questions like this! I do agree that this question isn't something that can be answered by any of us. The only person that can is the artist.

Yes a lot of stupid questions I agree but usually I just laugh it off and call it a day. I'm just happy I don't have to take the time any answer all these questions otherwise I would be a ...

I've asked artist how do you respond to stupid questions. Luckly the artist I've received tattoos from are super nice ! They usually tell me I need to pay the bills so... haha!

Anyway like I said we have a choice to answer these questions or just laugh it off and move on.

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Personally, I don't care how long bigger pieces take--the artist can take as long as they need to finish it to their satisfaction. They are professionals. I save up enough per session and get tattooed once a month or maybe skip a month here and there until they say it's done. I don't really like to tally up exactly how much it cost in the end, I just like to see a good tattoo. I do know approx how much each session will be and that is helpful. I was at the shop 8 hours yesterday working on my arm...it was maybe my 3rd session on it and I believe there's 1 to go. Yay! So psyched.

@DeadSpot, the specific thread titled "plainskins say the darndest things" is not to make fun of what newbies who are looking to get tattooed say, it's more like shit my mom says--and other people who have never and most likely will never be into tattoos. And it was meant to be light hearted and funny, not mean spirited.

Not seeing the point in calling anyone names. IMO @Graeme is often right, if a little blunt.

I agree. That is why i'm happy i started getting tattooed at a stage of my life where I can afford good ones!